Raini Hamdi

Astonishingly, Vietnam is the success story in Southeast Asia in the battle with coronavirus. Domestic travel is now kickstarting recovery, while so-called travel bubbles allowing travel with China and South Korea are in the air.

It's clear there's going to be a new normal when guests start traveling again. Hotels in Asia that are renovating in times of Covid-19 are altering designs, although some things don't change.

Efforts to diversify markets, build new products, and raise service levels have been too slow. Hong Kong's tourism authorities finally see the light in these dark times.

What greater motivation is there than protecting one's legacy? Hong Kong's hotel brands with deep roots in the city share this incentive, which should help in the destination's recovery efforts.

Guests trust hotels to be clean. Post-coronavirus, they want proof. Some will want it even in the contract. One country, Singapore, is helping its hotels nationwide to show proof with a new audit and certification.

As realization sinks in that the coronavirus catastrophe will change travel behaviors, marketers are figuring out how the crisis will reshape clients and and how their brands can remain relevant.

Like hotels and airlines, coronavirus has brought Asian elephant tourism camps to their knees. But this may present a golden opportunity to reinvent a controversial industry.

It's miserable for every hotel CEO these days. But this one is extra tough. Former InterContinental Hotels Group's senior executive, Clarence Tan, has just signed up as the first group CEO of a privatized Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

Businesses in the times of coronavirus are damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Travelzoo’s decision to exit Asia-Pacific when signs of recovery are being spotted in China is a good example of that.

Sol Kerzner was one of the world's most innovative hoteliers. When facing hard times or crises, he would say, “You just gotta box on” — fitting words in the current times.