Even though travel has suffered during the pandemic, hotels and motels in the Quad Cities have not been empty.
Dave Herrell, President and CEO of Visit Quad Cities, says before COVID-19 the occupancy rate here for hotels and motels was between 50 and 60 per cent. Since March it's been much lower but still at nearly 29 per cent (28.6).
"We're hearing a lot of destinations that are in the single digits, and so the fact that we still do have some folks that are using the hotels here is a good sign."
He says overnight guests have included government workers at the Arsenal, construction workers for the new I-74 bridge, and Exelon employees maintaining and re-fueling the Cordova nuclear plant.
Herrell says visitors should feel safe staying in local hotels and motels because it's a highly regulated industry.
"They've already got a level of standard and care that is existing but now they're having to amplify that so they can put their guests into a position where they're safe and feel like they're in a good environment."
He expects leisure and business travel will begin to rebound, but slowly.
The hospitality industry accounts for an estimated 8,200 jobs in the Quad Cities, with most of these people working in hotels and motels.