This Is What You Should Expect When You Check Into These Major Hotels

As they reopen around the world, all hotels will have to guarantee safety to their guests in terms of cleanliness, decontamination and social distancing. Some are adopting practices that are especially thorough and state of the art. The Four Seasons Hotel New York underwent a swift transformation in April, closing to regular guests and opening to health care workers in need of a place to stay while fighting the city’s COVID-19 outbreak. Apparently that experience, successfully guided by experts at the companies EcoLab and International SOS who also worked with the company’s hotels in Mumbai and Riyadh, is spreading to the rest of the company’s properties. Executives at Four Seasons recently announced that it will collaborate with Johns Hopkins Medicine International to help formulate and monitor its new health and safety program called Lead With Care which will be implemented in hotels around the world.

“Along with already-commonplace measures such as more sanitizers, masks and heightened cleaning and hygiene, our collaboration with Johns Hopkins equips our property teams with access to leading international experts and real-time COVID-19 information, enhancing our tools and training to deliver an experience grounded in safety and trust,” says Christian Clerc, President, Global Operations, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “While the Four Seasons experience may look different in this new environment, it will ultimately feel the same – our dedicated people will continue to deliver the same intuitive service and personalized care for which Four Seasons is known and trusted for the world over.”

Phase One involves analysis: a comprehensive review of health and safety procedures already in place on a global, regional and property level. Phase Two will use Johns Hopkins’ worldwide research into current COVID-19 developments to adjust operating procedures and develop standards to ensure future infection control. The two organizations will also create a Joint Response Team that will allow infectious disease experts from John Hopkins to provide on demand guidance to hotels facing specific COVID-19 situations.

EcoLab and International SOS will also be involved in Lead With Care outlining procedures that guests will notice as well as enhanced safety procedures behind the scenes. Among them: the appointment of a Hygiene Officer in each property, room disinfection daily with EPA approved products, public areas cleaned hourly with an emphasis on highly trafficked areas and the possible implementation of other technological procedures such as electrostatic spraying, ozone technology for air purification and UV technology.

Guests at hotels currently open, among them: the Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island, Hotel des Bergues Geneva, and on June 1st, Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus will likely notice a number of changes as well: the masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes placed in every room, reduced capacity in restaurants and bars, digital menus whenever possible, single use packaging and contactless in room meal delivery and use of the Four Seasons App and Chat for contactless communication with hotel staff. Enhanced training of that staff is also part of the program.

Over at another major international brand, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, the We Care Initiative unfolds in several stages. Following directives from the World Health Organization and local health authorities, cleaning and disinfection is being increased in all hotel areas from elevator buttons to guest room soft furnishings and telephones. Hotel staff and suppliers are being trained in enhanced health and safety measures and guests will see staff wearing personal protective equipment.

Hotels are opening gradually—among the currently open ones: Mandarin Oriental hotels in Bodrum, Turkey, Dubai, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and on June 1st, Canouan. Before arrival, guests will be asked their preferences for service levels and staff interaction. Upon arrival, health declaration forms and temperature checks are necessary for both guests and staff to ascertain that temperatures are below 37.5 Celsius/99.5 Farenheit. (Temperature checks will also be conducted for guests of the restaurants, where there will be table distancing.) Thermographic cameras to detect temperatures will be in place at most of the hotels as well. And face masks, hand sanitizer and gloves will be available for all guests—not to miss a promotional opportunity, they’ll be branded “We Care.”