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Your Guide to Redefining Hotel Cleanliness

Written by micalagh | May 26, 2020 9:38:06 AM

 

 
 
It’s been about three months since the hotel industry began feeling the harsh effects of COVID-19. Many closed their doors or stayed open with little to no occupancy. However, some states are finally lifting their stay at home orders, and travelers are slowly starting to think about travel again.

 

How are you going to prepare for the return of your hotel guests? First and foremost, your cleaning standards must be at the top of your list. There are a plethora of cleaning guidelines and new sanitization technologies for you to consider.

New sanitization and social distancing technologies

Your hotel’s cleanliness will be at the front of your guests’ minds. Travelers want to sleep well at night, knowing that they are in a safe environment.

Canary Technologies

Software company Canary Technologies recently launched an innovative new way to check-in hotel guests with Contactless Check-in. This new product enables hoteliers to check-in their guests without the exchanging of credit cards, IDs, or registration forms.

By implementing contactless check-in, hotels can reduce contact with guests and adhere to social distancing guidelines. The hotel provides the guests with a mobile link, which prompts them to check-in either prior to arrival or upon arrival.

Healthe Lighting

It’s vital to have sanitation stations that are accessible to your guests. But to go even further, a health and wellness company, Healthe, came out with a new walk-through UV light sanitizer product.

The company launched a product called the Cleanse Portal, which penetrates and inactivates surface pathogens. The portal is meant to be set up at a high traffic entryway, where guests can walk through the portal to make a 360 degree turn for 20 seconds. The portal is completely safe for humans and can inactivate bacteria and viruses on skin, clothing, and objects.

Solay

Contactless services and sanitization technologies are critical, but what about your pool services? Guests may be wary about entering your pool area, especially if they don’t have a place to sit that is properly socially distanced from other guests.

Luckily, there’s an app for that. Resort Technologies, LLC, recently announced a new mobile app called Solay, now available for iOS. Solay is a free inventory management system that hotel guests can use to reserve seats that are placed six feet apart at the resort’s pool or beach.

Hotels can set up their resort account online and receive a welcome kit with numbered chair decals and tags for the seating arrangements. The app uses customized property information and seating maps to organize the coordination of social distancing, and make your guests feel safe as they lounge near the pool. 

Guidelines for your hotel’s standards of cleanliness

There are many guidelines your hotel can reference to aid you in amping up your cleaning standards. Below are a few best practices to consider.

Consider enhanced technology

Hotels across the world are starting to implement enhanced technologies into their cleaning systems. For example, Marriott is using electrostatic sprayers with hospital-grade disinfectants to sanitize surfaces throughout their hotels.

When choosing disinfectants for your hotel, use those that are proven to treat known pathogens. The CDC and WHO both offer recommendations.

Pay attention to high-touch areas

The AHLA released Safe Stay guidelines for hotels, which includes best practices on cleaning and sanitizing.

Focus on the high-touch points throughout your hotel and your rooms, and deep clean those areas. Areas include lobby doors, elevator buttons, light switches, TV remotes, thermostats, etc. 

Train your employees on COVID-19 health and safety

The CDC recommends all employees receive COVID-19 safety and facility sanitation protocols training.

In addition, your hotel should also provide employees with PPE, including masks, gloves, and training on use and disposal.

Bottom line

While preparing for the reopening of your hotel, implement new standards of cleanliness. Travelers’ behavior is changing, and they are more concerned about your hotel’s cleanliness than your 5-star rating. Therefore, make your guests’ health and safety your number one priority to reassure a happy, safe stay.