Marriott International will be rolling out a multi-pronged platform to elevate its cleanliness standards and hospitality norms and behaviours to meet the new health and safety challenges presented by the current pandemic environment.
“We’re living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and centre for our guests and associates,” says Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International. “We’re grateful for the trust our guests have shown us through the years. We want our guests to understand what we are doing today and planning for in the near future in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene and social distancing so that when they walk through the doors of one of our hotels, they know our commitment to their health and safety is our priority. It’s equally important to us that our associates know the changes we are making to help safeguard their health as they serve our guests.”
Marriott has created the Marriott Global Cleanliness Council to tackle the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic at the hotel level and further advance the company’s efforts in this area. The Marriott Global Cleanliness Council is focused on developing next-level global hospitality cleanliness standards, norms and behaviours that are designed to minimise risk and enhance safety for consumers and Marriott associates alike.
The Council is chaired by Ray Bennett, Chief Global Officer, Global Operations, Marriott International, and will benefit from knowledge and input from both in-house and outside experts including senior leaders from across Marriott disciplines like housekeeping, engineering, food safety, occupational health and associate wellbeing.
It also includes advisory members Dr. Ruth L. Petran, Senior Corporate Scientist, Food Safety & Public Health for Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services, Dr. Michael A. Sauri, Infectious Disease Specialist at Adventist Healthcare, Dr. Richard Ghiselli, Head of the School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Purdue University, and Dr. Randy Worobo, Professor of Food Microbiology in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University.
“Marriott has a long tradition of emphasizing cleanliness in our care of guest rooms and in the public spaces of our hotels,” says Bennett. “Through the council and scientific advice of experts, we are taking a thoughtful approach to set an even higher bar of cleanliness and develop new guest interaction protocols. The Marriott Global Cleanliness Council is focused on more than just disinfection across the hotel, we are providing a holistic approach designed to take care of our guests and associates.”
Marriott is rolling out enhanced technologies over the next few months, including electrostatic sprayers with hospital-grade disinfectant to sanitize surfaces throughout the hotel.
Electrostatic spraying technology uses the highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to treat known pathogens. The sprayers rapidly clean and disinfect entire areas and can be used in a hotel setting to clean and disinfect guest rooms, lobbies, gyms and other public areas. In addition, the company is testing ultraviolet light technology for sanitising keys for guests and devices shared by associates.
Over the next few months, when guests are in hotels within the Marriott portfolio, they will notice a number of additions to the cleaning regimen designed to set an even higher standard of cleanliness for the hotels.
