• by Tanya Gazdik , May 5, 2020

Hotel companies are looking for ways to assure consumers they're addressing health and safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Choice Hotels International is the latest to make consumer-facing changes in reaction to the pandemic. 

The company is launching an initiative called “Commitment To Clean” at nearly 6,000 franchised hotels in the United States with brands that include Cambria, Comfort, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion,  Mainstay Suites, EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn.

The program features an online resource hub for franchisees with operational best practices and training from Ecolab’s experts. Every Choice-branded hotel will designate a “Commitment to Clean Captain” to incorporate the new protocols.

High-traffic areas like the front desk, fitness centers and pools will feature hospital-grade disinfectant. An "on-demand” option allows guests to request delivery of additional toiletries, towels, linens or coffee without having a housekeeper enter the room. “Clean seals” will be featured on high-touch items in guest rooms to provide reassurance of sterilization.

Furniture arrangements in public areas have been altered to encourage appropriate social distancing, with plexiglass partitions at front desks for added protection, and key drops for guests’ use upon departure to facilitate contactless check-in and check-out.  Hotel staffers will wear masks and gloves.

The company will also be exploring the implementation of other technologies including mobile check-in and keyless entry to further facilitate the contactless guest experience, as well as ultraviolet light instruments, air purifiers and ozone generators to further enhance sanitation.

Hilton already offers its guests mobile check-in and keyless entry via its Digital Key technology. Guests can use the Hilton Honors mobile app to check in, select a room and access the room with a digital key. Capabilities will be expanded to more common doors. The hotel chain is partnering with Lysol for its Hilton CleanStay initiative rolling out in June.  The company already uses hospital-grade cleaning products, and the CleanStay initiative will make processes more visible.

Marriott has created a Global Cleanliness Council to develop new standards to minimize risk, and is adding electrostatic sprayers with hospital-grade disinfectant (pictured above) to sanitize surfaces throughout the hotels. The sprayers will be used in guest rooms, lobbies, gyms and other public areas. The company also is testing ultraviolet-light technology as a way to sanitize room card keys.

Hyatt is launching a program surrounding its Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment that builds on existing protocols. By September, every Hyatt hotel will have at least one person on property trained as a hygiene manager who will be responsible for their hotel adhering to new operational guidance and protocols, similar to Choice Hotels' “Commitment to Clean Captain."