The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA): Stay Safe
AHLA recently announced the launch of the new “Stay Safe” initiative that is centered around enhanced hotel cleaning practices protocols for both guest and worker social interactions to ensure all guests and workers feel safe and healthy once travel resumes.
“Every hotel guest and employee should know that their health and safety are our top priority,” said Chip Rogers, president/CEO of AHLA. “Safe Stay represents a new level of focus for an industry already built on cleanliness.”
AHLA has created the “Safe Stay Advisory Council” composed of leaders across all segments of the hotel industry who will be working in parallel with public health experts, scientists and other leaders from the medical field to develop a playbook of best practices for the industry to follow.
To start, through guidance from the Center of Disease Control, medical grade cleaning products with a higher concentration of bacteria killing ingredients will be used in all areas of the hotel. Social distancing measures will also be implemented to decrease person-to-person contact through the hotel. Council members include representatives from the following hotel organizations:
Accor, G6 Hospitality, Loews Hotels & Co., Omni Hotels & Resorts, Aimbridge Hospitality, Hilton, Marriott International, Radisson Hotel Group, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, My Place Hotels, Red Lion Hotels Corporation, Choice Hotels International, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Noble Investment Group, Red Roof, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
In addition to the Safe Stay Advisory Council many of the big brands are launching their brand specific program to ensure they are providing the most safe
Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott are three of the larger hotel brands who have already publicized their initial plans to enhance safety for both guests and workers as well as are are working diligently to implement it across their properties worldwide.
Hilton: Hotel CleanStay with Lysol protection
Hilton is teaming up with RB, the company who makes Lysol and Dettol, in conjunction with guidance from the Mayo Clinic, to launch their “CleanStay Program”. The overall objective of the program is to provide guests with assurance and peace of mind when they stay at any of Hilton’s 18 brands.
“Our first priority has always been the safety of our guests and Team Members,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, Hilton President and CEO.“ Hilton CleanStay builds on the best practices and protocols we’ve developed over the last several months, allowing our guests to rest easy with us and focus on enjoying the unforgettable experiences we have to offer–while protecting our Team Members who are on the front lines of hospitality.”
Hyatt Hotels: Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment
Hyatt’s strategy is focused on enhancing its cleaning standards to achieve the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation at its 900+ plus global properties. The GBAC STARTM accreditation is a disinfection and infectious disease prevention program focused on performance-based cleaning aimed at establishing sanitary, safe, and healthy hotel environments. Hyatt, the first of its big hotel brand counterparts is the first to seek out the GBAC STAR accreditation, could very well be defining the new criteria that guests need to see in order to feel confident booking a group or meeting. In addition, Hyatt also plans to complement this program with regular internal and third-party auditing.
By September 2020, every Hyatt hotel will have at least one person on property trained as a “Hygiene Manager”, this role’s responsibilities will be centered around the hotel adhering to new operational guidance and protocols.
When COVID-19 initially hit, one of the first things Hyatt did was assemble a cross-functional panel of industry experts and professionals as well as engaged infectious diseases and public health experts which allowed Hyatt to quickly update guidance to their hotel properties. Read the full details here.
Marriott: Enhanced Technology Roll Out & Launch of the Global Cleanliness Council
Over the next few months Marriott will be implementing enhanced technologies which will include electrostatic sprayers that use hospital-grade disinfectant to sanitize surface areas throughout the hotel including guest rooms, lobbies, gyms, and other public areas
Marriott also plans to implement a team to tackle the realities of COVID-19, the Marriott Global Cleanliness Council. The Council which is chaired by Ray Bennett, Chief Global Officer, Global Operations, Marriott International, will be centered around developing the next level of global hospitality cleanliness standards, norms and behaviors that are designed to minimize risk and enhance safety for both Marriott’s guests as well as their associates. Check out the full details of Marriott’s program here.
With these large brands being the first to provide details about their plan to provide safety to their guests and team members is definitely encouraging and we expect other brands, both big and small, to follow suit. As more updates are announced, we’ll be sure to post here about cleanliness programs and other news within the meetings industry!