Say goodbye to the buffet! First post-coronavirus hotel stays will look VERY different as major chains team up with Lysol, ramp up cleaning and scrap serving food on shared platters (5 Pics)

Post-coronavirus hotel stays may look a bit different as companies beef up their cleaning efforts and rethink their buffets in a bid to soothe jittery travelers.   

Hilton said Monday that it is teaming up with RB - which makes Lysol and Dettol disinfectants - and the Mayo Clinic to develop new cleaning procedures that will be in place by June. 

The news follows Marriott's announcement last week that it's creating a cleanliness council to develop new standards. Marriott's council includes infectious disease specialists and an expert from EcoLab, which makes commercial cleaning products. 

The companies are also in talks with how to rethink their buffet experience for travelers, with some hotel officials saying buffets could eventually be scrapped. 

'Any customer at any price point is accustomed to some kind of buffet,' Phil Cordell, Hilton's global head of new brand development told the Los Angeles Times. 

Marriott's announced last week that it's creating a cleanliness council to develop new standards. The company also said that they will 'be serving individual grab-and-go for some time'

Phil Cordell, Hilton's (file image) global head of new brand development, said of buffets: 'I think it's not dead. I think how it's presented and prepared will likely change in a very long-term way

'I think it's not dead. I think how it's presented and prepared will likely change in a very long-term way.'

Marriott spokeswoman Connie Kim, told the Times that 'we will be serving individual grab-and-go for some time'.

Kim said once business is booming again, the company 'will likely be exploring partitions, making sure social distancing is practiced in lines and likely using individual servers'.

But Tamara Mims, the president of Four Sisters Inn in Monterey, told the Times that: 'The buffet could potentially go away for good.'  

Hospitality companies have been hammered by the new coronavirus. US hotel occupancy is at a historic low, and many hotels worldwide have closed temporarily and furloughed staff.   

But as restrictions ease, companies know they need to make guests feel safe.

'There's always been an expectation that it would be clean, but now the clean has a double exclamation point after it,' said Cordell.

Hilton will require franchisees to adopt its new cleaning program, Cordell said. The program will roll out globally to all 6,100 Hilton hotels by the end of May.

Marriott's (file image) council includes infectious disease specialists and an expert from EcoLab, which makes commercial cleaning products

Hilton (file image) said Monday that it's teaming up with RB - which makes Lysol and Dettol disinfectants - and the Mayo Clinic to develop new cleaning procedures that will be in place by June

Cordell said Hilton expects travelers to slowly start returning to its hotels in mid-summer.

In North America, the program will be advertised to consumers as Hilton CleanStay with Lysol. 

Cordell said Hilton has always used commercial cleaning products, but thought partnering with a well-known consumer brand like Lysol would emphasize how serious it is about cleaning.

Hilton plans to put a seal on the door of a room that has been cleaned and disinfected, so guests know no one else has entered. 

It's doing away with pads of paper and pens in the room, and it will close fitness centers more often to wipe them clean. 

Stations with disinfectant wipes will be added throughout hotels.

Meanwhile, Airbnb said it's developing cleaning protocols for its hosts with guidance from former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy and EcoLab

Cordell said Hilton anticipates some things will change over time, like requirements that guests sit further apart in dining rooms. But he thinks the new cleaning protocols are here to stay.

'I don't think it's a short-term thing. I think it's a long-term thing,' Cordell said.

Meanwhile, Airbnb said it's developing cleaning protocols for its hosts with guidance from former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy and EcoLab.

The company said starting in May, guests will be able to see if a host commits to Airbnb's new cleaning protocol, which includes requirements for cleaners to wear masks and use certain disinfectants.

As a precaution, hosts will also be required to observe a 24-hour waiting period before booking new guests in a property.

Airbnb has promised $250million in reimbursements for hosts to help make up for lost business.

Airbnb believes consumers might seek out its shared homes when the virus recedes because they can stay further apart from other guests. 

The company says as of late March, reservations at least six months out were trending higher than last year.

But unlike hotels, Airbnb could have a harder time enforcing standards at its seven million listings. 

The company said hosts who don't commit to its new cleaning standards can opt for a new feature that will keep their properties empty for longer than 24 hours between stays.