Hilton Rolls Out New Cleaning Initiatives to Reassure Guests

America’s top hospitality companies are working to improve the standard of cleanliness and disinfection to restore confidence in consumers when they’re ready to travel again.

Hilton announced a new program on Monday with a goal to “provide guests with assurance and peace of mind” and “meet evolving consumer expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Hilton CleanStay will be in collaboration with the company behind Lysol, Reckitt Benckiser, as well as consultation with the Mayo Clinic, to develop enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols for its more than 6,000 properties.

The multi-year partnership with RB will support awareness, training and education, and product delivery and systems. RB and Hilton are also exploring opportunities to expand the program into a global partnership.

Medical experts from the Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Response Team, meanwhile, will advise Hilton on new technologies, assist in training development, and create a rigorous quality assurance program.

The initiative will create a focus on cleanliness that will be visible to guests throughout their entire stay – in their guest rooms, restaurants, fitness rooms and in other public spaces. Full details for the program are still in development and expected to be announced soon.

Hotel brand standards under consideration include a seal on doors to indicate rooms have not been accessed since being cleaned, extra disinfection for the most frequently touched guests room areas (light switches, door handles, TV remotes, and thermostats), and the removal of pen and paper on nightstands.

Under the proposed guidelines, disinfecting wipes will be provided at primary entrances and key high traffic areas, for instance, by the elevator. Public areas will be cleaned more frequently, and fitness centers could be closed for cleaning multiple times daily and may cap the number of guests allowed in at one time.

Other measures include expanding Digital Key capabilities to include common doors and access points throughout the hotels and providing hotel employees with personal protective equipment and enhanced training.

Hilton is also exploring the addition of new technologies, like electrostatic sprayers – which use an electrostatically charged disinfecting mist – and ultraviolet light to sanitize surfaces and objects.

Hilton joins Marriott in rolling out sweeping changes to assure consumers their hotels are safe and clean, including electrostatic sprayers with hospital-grade disinfectants to sanitize throughout the hotel.

Marriott announced last week that it would be launching the Global Cleanliness Council, a platform deigned to elevate its own hygiene standards. Marriott’s council will include professors who study food microbiology, tourism and hospitality, and experts in hygiene and infection prevention, as well as the brand’s chief global officer Ray Bennett.

Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, has called for top hotel executives to come together to restore consumer confidence and help restore a level of normalcy to the travel industry. We’ve got to have a set of industry standards on cleanliness and health standards, and we’ll learn from each other,” he said.