The tourism industry has been profoundly affected by the pandemic. With most flights grounded for an unspecified period of time, hotels and accommodation providers have lost significantly, with some smaller independent owners potentially having to give up their livelihood.
With no business travellers or tourists, hotels are starting to market their services to different audiences. While safety has always been important for travellers, in recent times safety has taken on a whole new meaning and now it’s more important than ever to position your hotel as a safe environment for customers and staff.
Top tips for getting Hotels safely back to business
Property upgrades
The central focus for many during quiet periods is property upgrades. Measures may include installing hand sanitizers, setting elevator restrictions, installing protective screens, and reducing or eliminating common areas.
From a commercial perspective, it may make sense to improve the aesthetics of your facility at this time to make them more attractive when reopening is encouraged.
However, this doesn’t need to come at the cost of public safety. Ensuring commercial growth in a pandemic is possible, for those who can be most flexible and adaptable about their service provisions.
Virtual tours
Taking steps to encourage safe future travel can be a great way to generate business post-COVID-19. This can be done through virtual property tours and highlighting what steps your business has taken to ensure risk is kept to a minimum.
It’s important for hospitality companies to build trust so customers can see and believe that you are taking new measures seriously. Showing off special areas of your hotel and new design layouts will help facilitate customer loyalty.
One London hotel has designed a virtual walkthrough of their spaces since the pandemic hit, taking you through their restaurants, lounges and lobby, and a superior double room.
Keeping guests safe
In hotels especially, it may be appropriate to consider what guests may like in their rooms to help them stay safe and COVID-19 free. This may include offering a package of face masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves. It could also be a good idea to remove amenities that are difficult to be sanitized correctly, so books, magazines, and pens.
Implementing a rigorous cleaning schedule is imperative for every hospitality owner, and may have to be reviewed every hour, or even more, depending on the amount of guests.
Travelodge, a UK-based hotel chain, says that it has already begun installing Perspex glass on front desks and placed two-meter/six-foot tape markings in the reception area in the 50 Travelodge hotels that are still open.
Global giant Hilton Hotels are exploring the use of electrostatic sprayers, which uniformly mist disinfectant across large areas, as well as potentially using ultraviolet light to sanitize surfaces and objects.
New protocol for staff
Supplying PPE for cleaning staff is paramount, as is the requirement for deeper cleaning of bed sheets, towels, and other communal-use items.
So how will hotels and B&B’s manage with these new guidelines?
It may mean restructuring daily regimes so that more time is allowed for cleanings between bookings, and that there is a strict protocol to follow during checkout that covers specific hygiene standards.
Using a digital checklist can help everyone in your organization become accountable, and quickly spot actions that need to be taken under the new guidelines.
Featured Hotel Safety Checklists
Get safely back to business with SafetyCulture’s free hotel reopening checklists you can download, customize, and use as you work to reopen safely.
COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Task Sheet
COVID-19 Hotel Operational Guidelines Checklist
COVID-19 Hotel Safety and Security Inspection Checklist
Legionella Risk Assessment Form
Hospitality Industry Task Sheet COVID-19 Checklist
Hospitality – Hotel Safety & Security Inspection Checklist
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