As both business travel and leisure travel start to pick back up, hotels are modifying their cleaning and sanitization procedures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Many hotels have introduced new sanitization methods like electrostatic sprayers and are taking extra precautions like temperature checks. Here’s a quick look at how a few of the larger hotel chains are working to keep travelers safe throughout their stay.
Marriott International’s Global Cleanliness Council
Marriott recently introduced their Cleanliness Commitment which includes enhanced sanitization methods including electrostatic sprayers with disinfectants, UV lights, and disinfectant wipes in every room to name a few. You can read more about Marriott’s new cleaning protocols here.
Radisson’s New Cleanliness Programs
Radisson partnered with SGS, an inspection, verification, testing, and certification company to introduce an official label of cleanliness and disinfection available to hotels upon completion of a comprehensive local audit. Find out more about the program here.
AHLA’s Safe Stay Guidelines
AHLA launched Safe Stay, a commitment to thorough enhanced cleaning measures and safety guidelines. AHLA hotels are enforcing thorough cleaning protocols throughout their properties. High-traffic surfaces touched by many people are cleaned and disinfected at least daily. Moreover, cleaning and disinfecting protocols will require that particular attention is paid to high-touch, hard non- porous items including television remote controls, toilet seats and handles, door and furniture handles, water faucet handles, nightstands, telephones, in-room control panels, light switches, temperature control panels, alarm clocks, luggage racks and flooring. Find out more about the AHLA’s Safe Stay Guidelines here.
Accor’s All Stay Well Initiative
Accor introduced the All Stay Well initiative that builds upon AHLA’s Safe Stay best practices. It includes more frequent disinfection of high-touch areas, the use of hospital-grade cleaning materials, and employee training and education. Additionally, they are providing guests with individual hand sanitizers, wipes, and masks. They’ve also placed partitions at the front desk and introduced contactless payment. In addition, they are also conducting guest temperature checks. Furthermore, Accor has partnered with AXA, a global insurance company, to provide guests with free access to teleconsultations at its 5,000 hotels around the world. Find out more about All Stay Well here.
Accor’s All Meet Well Initiative
In addition to Accor’s All Stay Well initiative, they’ve also introduced the All Meet Well initiative for meetings in North and Central America. With this initiative, meeting venues within Accor hotels will be sanitized before and after every event. In addition, social distancing is enforced with one-way aisles and spread out tables and chairs. Furthermore, it calls for an increased availability of outdoor and private spaces, more disposable food and beverage components, the elimination of buffets and pre-set items on tables, and temperature checks of meeting attendees. Find out more about the initiative here.
Hilton CleanStay
The Hilton CleanStay made its global roll-out at the beginning of June. They’ve upped many of their cleaning protocols. At check-in, each room has a Hilton CleanStay Room Seal to indicate that guest rooms have not been accessed since they were cleaned. Furthermore, housekeeping has increased focus on disinfecting the top 10 high touch areas in guest rooms like light switches and doors. In addition, housekeeping has increased cleaning and disinfection frequency throughout public areas in the hotels like the lobby, elevators, fitness centers, restaurants, bars, and more. Find out more about the program here.
Hyatt’s GBAC STAR Accreditation
In May 2020, Hyatt introduced a GBAC STAR accreditation through a performance-based cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program that will focus on establishing hotel environments that are safe, sanitary, and healthy. This includes detailed training at more than 900 Hyatt Hotels around the world and Hyatt intends to continue regular internal and third-party auditing. Additionally, by September 2020, every Hyatt hotel will have at least one trained Hygiene Manager on the property who will be responsible for the hotel’s adherence to new operational guidance and protocols. Read more about Hyatt’s protocols here.
IHG Clean Promise
IHG Hotels & Resorts recently implemented enhanced cleaning and operational procedures to help protect the safety of guests and staff. They’ve also started doing touchless transactions at arrival and frequent deep cleanings. Additionally, they’re providing guest amenity cleaning kits. For more information on IHG’s new cleaning and sanitization protocol, click here.
Four Seasons’ Lead with Care
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts announced their new enhanced health protocol and consulting agreement with Johns Hopkins Medicine International. The new program includes the extra precautions most hotels are adding to protect guests and staff from COVID-19. They’ve also implemented employee training, increased sanitization, and additional food handling protocols. In addition, they’re also putting masks, hand sanitizers, and wipes in each guest room. Furthermore, the Four Seasons Chat allows guests to limit how much they need to engage with others throughout their stay as Four Seasons has contactless check-in, housekeeping, and room service. Find out more about the Lead with Care program here.
Airbnb’s New Cleaning Protocol Program
Airbnb hosts can now enroll in the new “Cleaning Protocol” Program that will allow guests to identify which homes have enhanced sanitary measures. Additionally, homes enrolled in the program have additional cleaning precautions and a 72-hour buffer between stays. Find out more about the program here.
Caesars Entertainment Meeting & Events Health & Safety Protocols
Caesars Entertainment has introduced a new set of COVID guidelines for meetings and events on the property. They are enforcing social distancing, spreading out chairs and banquet tables, requiring masks, and are frequently disinfecting high-touch areas. Additionally, a Citywide Meeting Operations Food Safety Manager will lead employee training efforts with Caesars’ departmental ambassadors’ support. In addition, they are implementing a health screening program for all employees and requiring employees to follow scheduled mandatory hygiene and sanitizing guidelines. Furthermore, convention centers have hand sanitizers and hand washing stations placed throughout the convention center hallways and are frequently sanitized. Find out more about their convention center guidelines here.
**For more information on individual establishments, we suggest you go directly to the hotel’s website for more information on their protocols.
