My current hotel in Tokyo has closed its executive lounges to avoid spreading the virus. Breakfast buffet is entirely replaced by à la carte options.

Ritz Carlton Rancho Mirage won’t allow us to cancel with a refund. Riverside County has declared a public health emergency, but they won’t budge as of now.

Did you have a contract with the hotel or terms and conditions under which the reservation was made? Did it mention anything about endemic, pandemic, or force majeure?

I read something this morning ( can’t find it now ).... said something to the effect of all buffet food banned for Brits.

It's very simple. Use the cutlery from the bulk supply provided or pre-assembled cutlery pouches to serve yourself. Ensure they are discarded when you have completed your meal. Use multiple utensils if required. Sanitize hands regardless.

I was just referring to this very issue a few days ago in the SGS thread - Rossini’s closed and a la carte available but with big buffet still operating for others. Perhaps they’ll be rethinking the buffet arrangement soon?

I am very thankful in the past that hotels and restaurants always closed their buffets due to the annual flu outbreak. oh wait..................

I may be the lone wolf here, but this is the greatest over reaction maybe ever in medical history. I am in the medical industry. Yes, be safe and practice good hygiene, but in the meantime dont wreck the economy.

Some people seem to be missing something in this discussion. They think buffet serving utensils are concerning but a la carte items are safe. Think again. People touched the table, the utensils on your napkin, the water glass, the plate that is placed before you, etc. Rather than thinking buffets are unsafe but a la carte items are safe, it is better to take some of the suggestions above to heart, such as using a napkin to hold the serving utensil, using hand sanitizers and washing your hands frequently, etc. No matter what you decide, be extra careful during these current days.

I’m hopeful covid passes quickly. I am equally hopeful people continue with good hygiene post covid. This will help with other viruses including the common cold and flu

perhaps one positive from all of this is we collectively do a better job. Much like vaccines help the common good, so does hand washing

A friend just called in-house reservations and whilst on the phone he let the agent know that he just returned from Italy and he's having a fever and coughing very badly right now. He didn't want to "infect his loved ones" so he chose a hotel to self-quarantine. He just wanted to make sure that his reservations is still OK and they are OK with accepting sick guests. His non-refundable reservations was canceled without any penalty :D

Every little bit helps, you can extend that debate to hand sanitizing only to touch the menu or table or chair that probably was NEVER properly cleaned, or maybe the elevator button, your room clock radio, toilet flush, etc. etc. etc. OMG we are going to die. There is only so much you can do and I'd say we have swung to crazy the other way now.

I'm a believer of Darwin was at work and now COVID19 will put that to work again, sadly.

Today I had a fun encounter with a crabby germ a phobe who got mad as was first to my seat, I had window seat and stowed my full backpack first, leaving no room for his bag except the overhead. He then proceeded to pull out laptop, energy drink and purell and wipes and wiped seat, belt, tray table and arm rest. Then put his laptop and drink into the seat pocket ( no he didn't wipe it ) As we disembarked he called me a prick for taking the under seat, at that time I informed him how he missed sanitizing the seat pocket germs that were all over his can of energy drink and laptop.

The US doesn't seem to be taking note of lessons from other countries so far. I'm going to guess that M-Club lounge food will no longer be buffet in 6 weeks at the most - probably less (depending on what is actually going on with the Coronavirus in the US at the moment).

** Cough, Cough... sniffle and cough again" :)

I saw the same thing for San Diego at the end of March; prices remain the same. However, one good-sized conference I know that is being held there has not been cancelled.

Different story in San Francisco in mid-May. Probably due to several conference cancellations in that city over the next few months, rates at two Marriott properties downtown have dropped a lot since when I first booked rooms early this year. I've re-booked at the lower rates.

So one may need to look a little further out to find softness if events have cancelled, or maybe wait until the very last minute for any close-up dates. March is a bit of a mess, overall, regardless, because there's so much last-minute turmoil over what might or might not occur as planned.

La Bandita Prienza (Tuscany, Italy) announced on Instagram today that they are closed indefinitely. A week or so ago, the owner had posted that 95% of their March bookings had been canceled. With all of Italy under quarantine, their decision makes sense.