In the age of COVID-19, where social distancing is a norm, no doubts, Hotel, Hospitality and Tourism industry is at stake. It’s not that, only government and other regulatory authorities are imposing various kinds of regulations which in turn has put a sudden halt to the Industry; Tourists, Staffs and all the stake holders are in deep thought, what will happen after Lock-down or Containment will be taken off. A few voices reveal people are undergoing through a dilemma or horror of availing places like Hotel Rooms, Large gatherings, events at Banquets, Seminar Halls etc.
“We are living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and centre for our guests and our associates. We want our guests to understand what we are doing today and planning for in the near future in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene and social distancing so that when they walk through the doors of one of our hotels, they know our commitment to their health and safety is our priority.”
Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott International.
Keeping such thought in mind, I have listed a few things for the hotels to follow in the upcoming, even after the aftershock of COVID-19. As most of these not only safeguard public health, but also promote a positive image of the organization. As outbreaks of SARS, MERS, H5N1 are becoming more and more expected as per the professionals, we must be prepared accordingly. Here goes Five Important Points for consideration –
- Train & Educate Staffs- this is first and foremost, as guests cannot see microorganisms, but watch the people around. If you want to create an atmosphere of healthy surroundings, your people should act first. You are investing a lot in disinfectants, technologies and methods (OP), all will be in vain, if a staff does a wrong move in front of the guests. Brief them the importance, scope and differences between cleaning and disinfection, as I have seen organizations to claim that they follow WHO guidelines, this, that and so on, but when asked to the staffs serving you, they have no idea about those.
Trainings should be also on CCP, Basic & Advanced Hygiene, Hygiene Etiquette and more importantly Attitude (nearly half of hospitality staff have a tendency to hide their unhygienic activities), but not limited to.
- Clean, Sanitize, Disinfect Public areas– Yes, it’s already in a prime list of cleaning from long past, and no doubt most of the hotels are doing their best. But, let me add my own suggestion here. Place a board which will reflect the name of Chemical used, time of last and next schedule, so that guests can see and have faith on your move. You can notice the guest’s behavior that they will be observant about the time you mentioned, just to make sure, they are in a safe Home Away from Home. You should not miss that chance to build trust.
- Provide Sanitizers and PPE for the Guests, too – not every guest is going to ask for full length of PPE, but in the present scenario, mask and hand sanitizers are surely to be praised for. It’s a good idea to include them in Room Supplies, along with disinfectant wipes. It will add to your budget, but I’m sure it’s not regrettable. Some leading Hotel Brands are already mentioned to roll out “Hospital Grade” sanitization.
- Guest Room Sanitization – You are already sanitizing the guest room upon a check-out. But it’s not enough. Make it “ON DEMAND” for the in-house guests. Offering one complimentary round in a day is a good offer, while more can be on the bill. But, it’s always up to you, how you will do the business. In addition, you may make a live video of your Guest room Cleaning, Sanitation & Disinfection activities, available for your customers. If they can identify their own room, much better than a sample video.
- Invest in good disinfection program for the long run– While household bleach is enough for most of the scenario, but be careful about the suppliers. Avail from trusted sources, ensuring 100% effective quality. Here is a list of chemicals. But chemical sanitizers have limitations. Not much effective for Sofa and some other cushion like surface, interiors of Cars etc. If you can replace cushions from both the Public area and guest room with solid surface, then well too. But, that’s not 100% possible. In such case, it is better to consider some of the other technologies to implement cost effectively, such as Fumigation, UV light Sanitizer, which comes in various size and shapes. Have a look in the video
Prevention is always better than Cure. And these 5 points are not the only things to consider. But, keep in mind, You should be ready for both preventive and curative point of consideration. We hope these will help us to make a SAFE HOME AWAY FROM HOME that guests should not want to resist.
