Guests should do their own cleaning – Are Your Surfaces Ready?
According to a recent article (Nov. 5th) by the Associated Press, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sticking to most of its previous directions: Staying home is the best way to avoid exposure to the coronavirus.
But, here’s what they recommend to those who will travel:
- Choose your lodging wisely
- With home rentals, you’re relying on the homeowner’s thoroughness in cleaning. That’s not saying home rentals are riskier, but cleaning is something to bear in mind. One the upside, home rentals usually mean less people have been in the space(s), and access to fresh air is more likely.
- Avoid hostels or other dorm-like lodging with shared sleeping areas.
- Ask about the hotel’s safety and cleaning protocols – many hotels have stepped up cleaning and are encouraging social distancing in common areas.
- Bring your own disinfectant wipes to clean surfaces like light switches, door handles and toilets.
- Hang the Do Not Disturb sign to reduce housekeeping staff coming into your room.
- If you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator to avoid touchpoints and social distance challenges.
According to Dr. Natascha Tuznik, an infectious disease expert at the University of California – Davis, there have been few reported outbreaks of coronavirus related to hotels. Still, vigilance is recommended by the CDC.
What does this means for your hotels or resort?
Even pre-COVID, it was a known fact that one of the biggest influencers of guest satisfaction was a clean facility, especially the guest room and bathroom.
However, with the pandemic, travelers have higher expectations that lodging providers are doing everything possible to reduce the risk of contamination and infection. This means the hospitality industry is being looked upon to ramp up cleaning protocols, which also means hotel surfaces are about to be put through the wringer.
Intelligent interiors prepared for more cleaning
From early on in the pandemic, Housekeeping teams have adapted their cleaning protocols; not only did the frequency of clearing increase, but staff also turned to stronger, broad-spectrum bactericides and virucides.
Building products and materials chosen for pre-COVID levels of wear and tear are now struggling to keep up with more frequent cleanings and stronger chemicals.
As we look forward, it’s going to become increasingly important to specify and purchase interior products that can stand up to the new cleaning demands.
Interested in more information on this topic? Review this recent industry roundtable, where business owners, designers, and manufacturers share how healthcare product designs are evolving to support infection control initiatives.
Here are just some of the products Inpro offers to help Hotels and Resorts keep it clean:
