About three months ago in America, hotel without in-room bars and coffee stations was not believable to many citizens but, in these days of the pandemic, we can see the amendments in hotel safety policies including cleanliness of rooms, dining and check-in and out.
After observing the recent situation Chekitan Dev, a professor of marketing and branding, brought our attention towards hotel safety steps taken by the Four-season hotel of New York that could be getting soon across the country.
Hotel general manager Rudy Tauscher compared the hotel to a guinea pig and performed every possible experiment to facilitate guests by maintaining their standards. The actual work came up when the property owner announced that he would welcome medical officials who are fighting against pandemic at the front not even for them but other than them can also stay. Tauscher was also describing the changes they have made in the hotel that they almost don’t have touch-points in the entire hotel which was not always the case. They were known for being hands-on and kind which was counted as hotel nature but nowadays they are about no-touch!
- Monitor guest’s check-in and out virtually without human interaction.
- Limit the elevator ride to a person per car.
- No excess to restaurants, bars, and coffee stations.
- Room services are also not provided.
Option due to safety concerns is the hotel’s new dining is pre-made boxes are available in an industrial refrigerator in the lobby.
According to Tauscher, the tradition of breakfast buffet and communal tables are disappearing by the time nobody knows how long?
FOCUSES THE OUTBREAK OF THE CORONA VIRUS
The strategies of hotel safety measures in Four season hotel New York are making other hotels aware of circumstances. As per Taucher, they have 125 rooms for guests in total half of them are for medical personnel.
Other than that, hotels from around the world are asking about the safety protocols implemented at the Four Seasons. As per Robert Quigley, senior vice president of international SOS “Here in New York we’re leading the charge, but now the phone is ringing off the hook with calls from hotels from all over the place,” the group of Four seasons advised them to follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The hygiene is the priority for both the hotel and the guests who are going to stay in it. So, the measures they have taken to ensure it are quite impressive. Leaving behind their traditions of offering breakfast buffet and communal tables, they have instead opted for single-serve options for the guests who are staying at the hotel.
Phil Cordell of the Hilton also mentioned:
- the virtual key program and encouraged guests to take advantage of that and use their phone to check-in and interact with the front desk.
- The gyms are offered to guests for specific time slots.
- There are nurses present at the entrance who monitor the temperature of all the staff and the guests entering the hotel and deny entry to anyone with a fever.
The cleanliness of the rooms is taken very seriously. The guests are offered plastic bags upon entry which can be used for placing soiled towels and sheets. The bags are then placed outside and are collected by the housekeeping staff without ever entering the room. Many services and luxurious stuff such as mini-bars and extra pillows have been removed to minimize the things which can transfer infection. The rooms are only entered by Hazmat-wearing cleaning staff after the guests have left, and there is a 24-hour gap before the room can be occupied by any other guests. The rooms occupied by the medical staff working on COVID-19 cases are left empty for up to 3 days before the cleaning staff is allowed to enter for sanitizing the room.
HOTELS IN ASIA CAN HAVE A LOOK AT IT
Asia consists of vast, diverse, and ancient places that attract tourism. Some of the places which are known as the best travel destination such as Thailand, Maldives, and many more. Many of their economies depends on tourism so the hotel business enhances good financial deals. Many hotels announce their staying packages and their services according to tourist needs. But after the outbreak of coronavirus, the situation is getting worse as time passes. Most hotels have closed due to no visitors, some are dealing with challenging circumstances and severe declination in hotels markets.
Although dealing in this strenuous situation is quite difficult at times but by making smart steps, we can reduce the effect. Some of the hotels have started working on the suggestion that the hotel may serve as a medical field hospital for coronavirus patients, but they have to look at each and every step for safety assurance.
Hotels in Asia can have a look at the suggestions from hoteliers of the Four-Season Hotel which is gaining immense recognition in implementing safety measures in their hotel. Hotels need to put total check and balance on each and every safety health measures from the entrance to exit of the guest.
Chekitan Dev also said that the hotels have not taken hygiene very seriously in the past. In his words, “Duvets should always have been washed between guests. Minibars were always sources of germs. Sneeze guards [at breakfast buffets] were always very old-school. These things need to be changed.” So, in the future, many of these safety measures may remain in place even after the threat of the virus has passed.
Source: NBC News
