With more vaccinations rolling out across different age groups in the U.S. and companies starting to talk about return-to-office plans, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic feels closer than it ever has.

I found out this week I'll be eligible to get the vaccine on March 29, which is something I've been very anxiously waiting for throughout this pandemic.

With this news, I can finally picture myself flying again or staying in a hotel sometime this summer or in the fall. Going back into an office environment at some point doesn't seem as scary.

In a recent video presented as part of an online familiarization session for Atlanta's Hotel Colee, general manager Michael Farquharson said the new hotel — which opened in December 2020 — is all about celebration, specifically in a post-COVID-19 world.

Andrew Alford, the designer behind the hotel, said he's proud Hotel Colee "captures that post-COVID spirit."

As more people begin to travel, even if they are "doing something dry, let's not take it for granted."

While I can now visualize travel in my brain with all of these encouraging signs, I am still being cautious. It's great we have vaccines and lower case numbers, but that doesn't mean we should just ditch our masks and gather in a hotel bar with 20 people.

This pandemic has shown me how important it is to consider other people's comfort levels, and I think it's crucial to keep that in mind as we're coming out of this pandemic.

Enforce policies and safety standards that make you, your staff and your guests feel comfortable, even if your state and local guidelines are more relaxed.

Keep social distancing signs up and continue to make disposable masks and hand sanitizer available to your guests.

Even if we reach a point where there's a very low number of cases and masks are no longer required, I think it's still important to continue to make these things available.

While we're nearing the end, the pandemic has changed things. It's changed perceptions. Let's keep that in mind.

What do you think? Email me, or find me on Twitter or on LinkedIn.

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