WASHINGTON—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has launched “Safe Stay,” an initiative focused on enhanced hotel cleaning practices, social interactions and workplace protocols to meet the new health and safety challenges and expectations presented by COVID-19. Safe Stay will seek to change hotel industry norms, behaviors and standards to ensure both hotel guests and employees are confident in the cleanliness and safety of hotels once travel resumes.
“Every hotel guest and employee should know that their health and safety are our top priority,” said Chip Rogers, president/CEO of AHLA. “Safe Stay represents a new level of focus for an industry already built on cleanliness. Hotels have always had rigorous standards for cleaning and safety. With Safe Stay, we are enhancing these standards to help create peace of mind. When travel resumes, hotels will be ready to safely welcome back the traveling public.”
AHLA has convened the Safe Stay Advisory Council of industry leaders representing all segments of the hotel industry, who will work in conjunction with public health experts, scientists and medical leaders to develop a series of best practices for the industry, including the following:
- Enhanced cleaning standards throughout the hotel, including guestrooms, meeting spaces, common areas and back-of-house spaces
- Superior cleaning products with a greater concentration of bacteria-killing ingredients, in accordance with CDC guidelines
- Social distancing practices and reducing person-to-person contact
- Increased transparency throughout the guest journey
Additionally, the Safe Stay Advisory Council enhanced guidelines will soon be released. Council members include representatives from the following hotel companies:
- Accor
- Aimbridge Hospitality
- Best Western Hotels & Resorts
- Choice Hotels International
- G6 Hospitality LLC
- Hilton
- Hyatt Hotels Corporation
- InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
- Loews Hotels & Co.
- Marriott International
- My Place Hotels
- Noble Investment Group LLC
- Omni Hotels & Resorts
- Radisson Hotel Group
- Red Lion Hotels Corporation
- Red Roof
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts