As travel resumes, new reservations — as well as new expectations — are trending upward. Prepare your property for travelers’ return with these tips on how to disinfect hotel rooms and follow safety regulations.
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Three health and hygiene measures to help your guests feel safe
When travel fully resumes, people will travel with new expectations. Staying healthy throughout their journey will be top of mind.
Give travelers the confidence to book with you. Keep your hotel cleaning protocols updated and let guests know what you’re doing to protect them.
Ensure your guests feel safe during their stay by following these three health and hygiene measures.
1. Update hotel cleaning protocols
Cleanliness has always been important to travelers when booking a room. Now more than ever, guests will be sensitive to hotel hygiene. Since COVID-19, major airline and lodging brands quickly adopted new cleaning policies that earn travelers’ trust. Airlines are keeping the middle seat free. Hotels chains boosted sanitation standards for housekeeping routines. If you haven't already, it’s important to write up your health and safety plan of action to share with your staff.
The recommendations below are from the World Health Organization (WHO) and local agencies, such as the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Use these resources and follow your local government guidelines and restrictions as you update your policies and procedures.
How to disinfect hotel rooms:
1. Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in rooms and public spaces
- Use hot water and soap, followed by a disinfectant, to clean frequently touched areas.
- High-touch surfaces include doorknobs, handrails, light switches, remotes, wardrobe and cabinet handles, tables, chairs, desks, toilets, sinks, bedside tables, and kitchen and bathroom counters.
2. Wipe down low-touch surfaces with hot water and soap
- Clean all surfaces with hot water and soap. Use a mop or disposable wipes to clean thoroughly.
- Low-touch surfaces include floors, walls, blinds, etc.
3. Wash all soft surfaces and materials after each stay
- Wash items on the warmest setting and dry completely. If you use a laundry service, request the hottest setting.
- Don’t shake out dirty laundry.
- Spot clean fabric surfaces that can’t go in the laundry, such as the sofa.
- Soft surfaces and materials include towels, bedsheets, linens, soft or fabric curtains, sofa fabric, etc.
4. Use common disinfectants to prevent the spread of viruses
- Most common EPA-registered disinfectants work for cleaning. Please refer to the EPA’s website for a list of products approved to clean and prevent the spread of viruses or use your local government’s guidelines.
5. Practice social distancing
- Promote social distancing if your local government recommends it.
- Social distancing means keeping at least six feet between people. Discourage your staff and guests from hand shaking and close contact.
- Social distancing measures also include handwashing and respiratory etiquette.
6. Practice hand hygiene
- Regularly wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth until you can clean your hands.
7. Practice respiratory etiquette
- Wear a mask in public to protect others, even with no symptoms.
- Offer masks to your guests.
- When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose.
2. Keep staff safe and informed
Your employees are the face of your property. When guests see your staff wearing disposable gloves, face masks, and aprons — and following social distancing measures — they’ll feel reassured you’re taking every step to keep them safe.
Following these recommendations will protect your staff and put guests at ease during their stay. You may also want to consider additional measures and third-party certification on hotel safety.
Make sure employees can access this information on an ongoing basis. Consider repeat trainings and refreshers, as well as regular communications with latest news, COVID-19 updates, and how to communicate policies and procedures to guests.
How staff can protect themselves while cleaning
- Wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including disposable gloves, aprons/gowns, masks, or full-face shields.
- Wash hands for at least 20 seconds before and after cleaning.
- Avoid touching your face until after throwing away dirty gloves and washing your hands.
- Air and ventilate rooms and public spaces during and after cleaning.
- Throw away disposable masks, gloves, and aprons after one use
3. Put signs in guest rooms and public places
Let your guests know you’re taking every precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Make them feel more comfortable with educational signs posted in their rooms and public spaces. Remind your staff with similar signs in the back of the house. Post key messages with specific health, safety, and hygiene instructions for guests, staff, suppliers, and visitors.
Guest rooms
- Post signs that include items disinfected after each stay.
- Post scheduled cleanings of the room and corridors.
- Post handwashing instructions in the bathroom and kitchen areas.
- Suggest guests allow housekeeping to clean daily and don’t use the “Do Not Disturb” sign.
- Keep disinfected wipes, hand sanitizer and soap stocked in each room.
Public spaces
- Promote social distancing between staff to staff, staff to guests and guests to guests.
- Post signs of areas and items cleaned and disinfected and how often it happens.
- Post handwashing instructions in the bathroom and kitchen areas.
- Include hand sanitizer in high-traffic areas, such as the elevator and reception.
- Give reception a hygiene kit with disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer and disposable masks, gloves, aprons, and trash bags for staff to hand to guests as needed.
- Use hand sanitizer after exchanging objects, such as room keys, money, credit cards, etc. with guests.
Food services
- Take extra precautions in self-service food areas.
- Post signs of areas and items cleaned and disinfected, and how often it happens.
- Post signs to encourage guests to wash their hands before eating.
- Replace serving utensils, such as spoons or tongs, every half-hour.
- Remove shared items, such as cereal containers or snack jars.
- Include hand sanitizer at self-service food areas, restaurants and bars.
- Provide in-room dining options for guests.
Back of house
- Post signs that include cleaning schedules in shared areas, such as locker rooms, associate entrances, offices, etc.
- Post handwashing instructions in bathrooms and kitchen areas.
- Keep disinfected wipes, hand sanitizer and soap stocked in each room.
In addition to the above guidelines, if staff or guests report symptoms, use the CDC, WHO, and your government’s advice on the next steps. You can also refer to WHO’s operational considerations for COVID-19 management document. These health and hygiene guidelines are here to help you make your guests feel safe.
Get started on these health and hygiene measures
Like you, we value the well-being of your guests and staff. To help, we’ve compiled a checklist below of health and hygiene measures. If you’re an Expedia Group partner, add your health and hygiene policies to your listing today.
