Nearly every aspect of the operating model of the hotel business has changed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Some hotels haven't reopened or won't reopen. Hotels that have opened have faced far lower occupancies than normal as traditional demand drivers slowed to a trickle.

A hotel stay looks much different compared to more than a year ago. Some hotel companies have welcomed employees back, but a significant amount of the industry's workforce remains either out of work or working at reduced hours.

The Hotel News Now editorial team sought to chronicle how the hotel industry has changed so quickly in a year's time and which direction hoteliers predict the business will go next.

Click on each headline below to read more.

Hoteliers remain optimistic about the long-term prospects for the hotel industry, but they recognize the year since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic has been challenging at all levels.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, hotel brands rolled out elevated protocols for disinfecting public spaces and guestrooms. Now, a year later, most of these guidelines are still in place and will remain long term.

Europe's response to COVID-19 was inconsistent across individual countries, which has resulted in minuscule domestic demand and no international demand, with the lag likely to extend throughout 2021.

Some trends that gained more importance during the pandemic, such as mobile apps, enhanced sanitization protocols and grab-and-go services, could remain long term.

People are growing increasingly comfortable with traveling again now that COVID-19 vaccinations are underway, but there will be persistent changes even after the pandemic ends.

Hoteliers in the U.S. and U.K. who laid off employees at the peak of the pandemic now are faced with hiring them back to prepare for elevated occupancies over the summer.