Corporate lodging platform HRS has partnered with global inspection, verification, testing and certification company SGS to develop a new cleanliness program for the hotel industry that provides labels for properties that meet hygiene standards.
The Clean & Safe Protocol sets out standards for hotel cleanliness during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond, and includes recommendations from the World Health Organization, World Travel and Tourism Council and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as guidelines for meetings and groups as defined by the Research Institute for Exhibition and Live Communication.
According to HRS, a recent survey of its corporate clients revealed 86 percent will only consider using hotels that can demonstrate enhanced cleaning measures as travelers prepare to get back on the road.
Measures included in the protocol include improved hygiene services in public areas, guest and meeting rooms; extended infection prevention measures; guaranteed minimum distances; implementation of revised training programs for employees and suppliers; regular control and monitoring; and other measures.
According to Louis Fernandes, HRS managing director of Northern Europe, the Clean & Safe Protocol allows smaller independent hotels to follow a standard similar to programs being introduced by larger chains. "We will take individual protocols into account," Fernandes told BTN Europe, "but we wanted to provide a standard for all of our partners."
Hotels can receive a label that shows corporates they have met the standards set out in the Clean & Safe Protocol, with two distinctions available: "Self-Inspected," whereby properties can fill out an online assessment form that is then rated through an algorithm to determine if they pass or fail, or the "Expert Inspected" option, which involves a digital or onsite assessment by an SGS representative. Hotels that have implemented their own measures and had them validated by an external audit partner can also receive this label. The Expert Inspected label can be displayed in the property and on its website and marketing materials.
Francesca Cerchia, global product manager at SGS, told BTN Europe the company, which already partners with a number of hotels on both the property and chain level, collaborated with HRS to create 46 main questions for the Self-Inspected option. Questions cover measures such as how often high touch-points are disinfected, which cleaning products hotels are using and what properties are doing to limit contact among guests and staff, particularly in public areas. "There's a certain level of flexibility built into the assessment because every property is different; we just wanted to develop a minimum level of protocols they should be following to reassure guests of their safety," Cerchia said.
Cerchia also said she believes the new protocols will be a permanent fixture in hotels. "I think it would only be social distancing guidelines that go away if we get a vaccine for coronavirus. Really, these standards should always have been in use, and I think they have but maybe haven't been monitored or vetted the way they will be moving forward. Covid-19 is just one of many possible infections, and I think a lot of hotels already had plans in place for outbreaks."
HRS said there are already hotels in more than 40 countries listed on its sourcing and booking platforms with the Clean & Safe labels.
When asked whether he thought the certifications would go some way to reassuring travel managers and their travelers as businesses start to send employees back on the road, Fernandes said: "It depends on the company's risk attitude, and it would also depend on their sector. For instance, the oil and gas industry has fairly strict risk protocols because that's what they specialize in—keeping employees safe on the job—whereas other sectors might be a little more flexible.
"The point of Clean & Safe is to give both our hotel partners and our corporate clients the ability to choose what works for them. At the end of the day, the best way to fill rooms as hotels reopen is to gain consumer confidence, and we think the labels will help with that."
HRS chief executive Tobias Ragge said: "Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world of business travel. In times of pandemic and beyond, corporate travel managers are rigorously weighing their duty-of-care responsibilities and traveler safety as their colleagues get back on the road to see clients and sell to prospects. Hoteliers around the world are investing significant amounts into new cleanliness procedures. We intend to make their efforts transparent, as this is needed to restore the sentiment of trust for business travelers and corporate buyers."
Originally published in BTN Europe.