The hospitality industry was severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis and shutdown. As the industry enters into a period of recovery, cleaning and disinfecting will become a major factor in making guests, diners, and employees feel safe.
KBS is working closely with hospitality clients to create healthy operations that go beyond cleaning with a broad range of solutions that include:
- Creating and executing strategies for touch point cleaning
- Verifying cleaning and disinfecting using advanced technologies
- Planning when cleaning will take place to maximize visibility and effectiveness
- Communicating cleaning protocols to guests and staff
- Planning for deep cleaning and COVID responses in the future
Revamping Cleaning Protocols
Today, protocols for cleaning need to address frequency and scope of cleaning as well as how cleaning is actually performed. For example, EPA registered cleaning chemicals that are rated to kill and neutralize a wide range of bacteria and viruses are essential. KBS cleaning teams are properly trained to execute cleaning protocols correctly, and also on how to protect themselves while performing those tasks.
For hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality venues, scheduling cleaning during opening hours should also be a factor. This can help assure guests that areas are being cleaned on a regular basis, but it also helps reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses as new customers continually flow in and out of hospitality venues. For hotels, new protocols for room cleaning will require flexibility in scheduling staff.
In many cases, staff will need to be re-trained on new cleaning and safety protocols that are a departure from pre-COVID standards. KBS and its subsidiary Hospitality Staffing Solutions (HSS) deployed hotel housekeepers to clean essential sites in the early part of the pandemic. Many of these workers are now trained on the revamped standards and protocols for safety and cleaning and disinfecting in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Verification
While chemicals, training, and proper techniques are effective, verification offers further assurance of the true impact of cleaning and disinfecting on surfaces. KBS uses advanced technology to measure the viral and bacterial load on surfaces. Teams evaluate the results and change procedures if necessary. Studies have shown that the use of these measurements can be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of hygiene intervention programs aimed at preventing viral spread. Performing before and after cleaning, measurements can help verify the efficacy of the cleaning and disinfection interventions and inform adjustments to protocols and frequency of cleaning if indicated.
Communication
Working hand-in-hand with keeping cleaning visible, hospitality operators need to inform employees and patrons about the strategies they are deploying. Signage, print outs and digital communication detailing the disinfectants beings used and the training and safety measures taken to protect employees and patrons are all important to creating a welcoming successful hospitality environment. KBS is working with its clients to inform and create these communications so that employees and customers are not just informed that cleaning is taking place; they are informed of all actions taking place to ensure healthy operations.
Response to Crisis
Hospitality operators need to have a plan to deal with outbreaks quickly and effectively. Early in the COVID-19 crisis, KBS executed a plan to respond to outbreaks with deep cleaning and disinfecting services. For these services, specially trained and equipped teams perform a deep cleaning and disinfection on all horizontal and vertical surfaces. The services includes HEPA vacuuming all carpeted areas, machine cleaning all floor surfaces with EPA registered disinfectant cleaning solutions, hygiene barrier cleaning, the proper application of virucides, and disinfecting furniture and fixtures. Workers for this service are equipped with head to toe level 4 PPE. KBS has performed over 120,000 COVID responses since the crisis began and can deploy teams nationwide.
Infrastructure for Health
For hospitality venues, cleaning and disinfecting are part of an entire infrastructure and strategy. The more these strategies are integrated, the more effective they can be. For example, KBS is working with clients to supply and install hygiene barriers. These barriers can be deployed to customer interaction areas such as front desks or places where guests may interact such as gyms or dining areas. Working with hospitality clients, KBS team members can work through touch point cleaning, guest and customer pathways and habits and make recommendations about where these barriers can be installed and how they are to be cleaned. Working with hospitality operators, our experts can test surfaces and determine high traffic areas in customer facing spaces and also in worker break rooms and other areas to make further recommendations around hygiene barriers and enhanced touch point cleaning.
Summary
Maintaining healthy operations will be a major factor for hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality venues moving ahead. Cleaning and disinfecting scope and frequency will need to be enhanced, advanced technologies to verify that cleaning employed, and entire infrastructures that will allow safe interaction between guests and staff implemented. True partnerships can help achieve these goals efficiently and effectively to be successful as hospitality establishments operate while the COVID crisis evolves.
For additional information, please contact us.
