STAY SAFE

From cleaning protocols to touchless technology, hotels are rethinking every aspect of their operations to protect their guests and staff

- HANNAH BRANDLER

As we all know, the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked huge damage on the hospitality industry. To keep afloat, hotels have had to adapt quickly to new regulations, redesigning spaces and enhancing cleaning to keep customers and staff safe.

Guests, too, have changed their behaviour. Whereas once they may not have thought much about the work that goes on behind the scenes, now travellers prioritise hygiene when booking. According to a survey carried out in the UK and US by Honeywell in December, 48 per cent of respondents said that enhanced cleanliness or health and safety procedures would motivate them the most to stay in a hotel, while 57 per cent of those in the US cited cleanliness as the top deciding factor in choosing a property. Here we explore the new safety measures that have fundamentally changed the guest experience.

KEEP IT CLEAN

All of the major hotel chains have developed robust new cleaning protocols, reviewing each department and providing staff with comprehensive safety and hygiene training. In April last year, Marriott International unveiled its Global Cleanliness Council, a body comprising specialists in hospitality, epidemiology, sanitation and protective health and hygiene technology. Hilton partnered with the manufacturers of Lysol and Dettol to launch its Clean Stay platform in June 2020, with Alex Humphrey, Hilton’s senior director for safety and security in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, using his experience as a medical microbiologist to steer the group in the right direction. “The key thing is it’s not just a marketing ploy,” he says. “We approached this with a scientific microbiological mindset. We weren’t like a rabbit [caught] in the headlights.”