Standards of hotel cleanliness, hygiene and sanitisation will be reviewed globally by Hyatt Hotels Corporation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with employee training and accreditation to be introduced to ensure compliance.
As part of the strategy, more than 900 Hyatt group hotels around the world will undergo assessment to obtain Global Bio-risk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation, with hygiene practices and protocols upgraded under the direction of a cross-functional group of medical experts and industry professionals.
GBAC is a division of the International Sanitary Supply Association – a leading worldwide cleaning industry collaboration comprised of experts in microbial and pathogenic threats and mitigation which deals with global health crises on a real-time basis.
A performance-based cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program will be implemented, focusing on establishing and maintaining hotel environments which are sanitary, safe and healthy.
Employee training will be boosted in line with new protocols, while Hyatt will implement regular internal and third-party auditing to ensure standards are met and exceeded consistently. Daily colleague surveys will be introduced for internal reporting, which will also include standards for hotel working order and customer service, allowing management to make adjustments and improvements as necessary.
In addition, by September 2020, every Hyatt hotel will have at least one person trained as Hygiene Manager who will be responsible for ensuring the property maintains Hyatt’s mandated operational cleanliness procedures.
Hotels will place hand sanitiser stations in highly-visible public places and employee entrances. Air quality will be boosted through purification devices, while social distancing will be maintained for the short to medium-term, with face masks available for hotel staff.
Hyatt President and CEO, Mark Hoplamazian, said he wants to ensure every Hyatt guest and team member feels safe within each hotel and that all aspects of a hotel’s operation has been refined with their safety in mind.
“To do this, we must critically examine the hotel experience from every vantage point – from our rooms and our lobbies to our spas and dining – bringing in the latest research, technology and innovation to make that happen.”