Cleanliness is a core offering of hospitality. Nothing conveys a stronger message to guests than cleanliness in hospitality operations. While we cannot deny that hospitality cleaning has always been important to the hospitality industry however it has gained additional importance during COVID - 19.

SO, WHAT HAS CHANGED?

The cleaning before the pandemic used to be more focused on appearance than ensuring public health. But during pandemics, hotel guests are primarily concerned with the cleanliness of their room in terms of sanitation and infection prevention.

Amidst global pandemic concerns the last thing that any traveler wants is to be unwell while on a trip and is a NO1 concern for people. These days’ people want to see that wherever they go in the hotel, it's clean, safe, disinfected, and well sanitized with strategically placed Sanitization points. Prioritizing cleaning and disinfection is the need of the hour for Hospitality organizations to attract, retain & grow the business.

Here’s a sneak peek into the New Age Measures or Protocols that Hotels have adopted to make their guest feel safe & assured

Decide cleaning protocols and their frequencies

The hotel should first decide and then implement enhanced cleaning protocols and safety measures as interpreted by The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The best way to develop a cleaning plan is to look for different types of surfaces and high-touch areas and educate employees on when and how to clean them properly.

Following are some of the cleaning points every hotel should consider keeping clean and hygienic premises

Tables and chairs should be sanitized before and after use. All the menus and POS machines should be sanitized.

The hotel must ensure that all common areas and touchpoints like door handles, electrical switches, and elevator buttons are sanitized at regular intervals. All the surfaces should be cleaned frequently using a disinfectant.

The hotel should provide sanitizer stations wherever necessary, especially at the entry and exit points. Guests must be instructed to sanitize hands at regular intervals.

The guest room should be sanitized with huge attention to detail as the health and wellbeing of guests are of the ultimate importance. All the appliances, electronic sockets should be thoroughly disinfected.

All the employees/staff should also undergo a strict sanitation routine. They should wear masks and gloves and work while maintaining social distance.

The focus must be on maximum contactless delivery at every possible touchpoint.

Educate and provide cleaning staff with PPE and hygiene essentials:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) refers to the equipment that will protect staff members against health risks at the workplace. It includes protective clothing, gloves, helmet, face shield, and mask.

Every staff member should be provided with PPE and a bundle of disposable masks, so in any case, the guest forgot to bring a mask, you can provide the same. Regularly ensure that the sanitizer stations are full of stock, especially those which are located at the entry and exit points.

Adopt new cleaning technologies:

Adopting new and improved technologies is also a great intention to minimize waste and maximize efficiency. If you are a large establishment, try to invest in electrostatic sprayers to disinfect surfaces effectively and rapidly.

The bottom line is hotels should try their best and ensure that the guest has a safe and healthy stay and this will be only possible by implementing cleaning protocols and hygiene procedures and making sure that the infection risks are effectively managed & mitigated.