271 | Clean Breaks: Hotels face new expectations of health and safety in the age of COVID-19

The U.S. hotel industry has begun its comeback as all states are reopening their economies. The numbers show that occupancy is slowly but steadily increasing as hotels get back to business. But, to be sure, it is not business as usual.

Relatively few hotels completely closed during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 80 percent remained open and found themselves serving essential workers, housing vulnerable populations or being transitioned into health care facilities. During this time, hotel owners and operators have discovered and introduced new health and safety protocols into their standard operating procedures.

This is probably reassuring to current guests, but it’s easy to be fooled into complacency.

People planning leisure or business trips this summer might believe every hotel and motel in America has undergone deep cleaning and now practices heightened housekeeping protocols. But one hotel CEO Lodging Leaders interviewed says he recently discovered that’s not so, and fears lackadaisical owners are in danger of losing their businesses to the coronavirus.

In this episode, Lodging Leaders looks at the new standard of clean and steps the industry is taking as a whole to reassure the public their properties are safe. We also talk to an industry supplier and other advisers who stress the importance of following product instructions and on documenting the steps your staff is taking to clean and sanitize your hotel.