Returning to Activity in a COVID-19 Context: Some Insights from BlueShift
It is certain that this pandemic will change the social and professional habits to which we are accustomed. Physical greetings such as kisses or handshakes will be avoided in the coming times and only slowly resumed when restrictions on our way of life are mitigated with progress in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. Until then, the fear of contagion will remain very present.
In recent weeks, we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel regarding the resumption of economic life, with the expected lifting of the State of Emergency. It is hoped that restaurants, hotels, cinemas, theaters, and other public spaces can reopen, even if in a limited and controlled manner. In this context, BlueShift has prepared this document with some key ideas to guide hotel owners and managers in preparing for the reopening of their spaces.
How to Start? A Multifunctional Task Force
A challenge of this complexity requires the intersection of views and competencies from all functional areas of the hotel. Therefore, the first step will be to create a task force, where all department leaders will be under the leadership of a project manager, who could be the Unit Director or another top manager ensuring a comprehensive view of the unit and sensitivity to the operational reality of each department.
Organize and Involve: The Procedure Manual
The first mission of this task force will be to produce a procedure manual that covers the operational adaptation needs of the hotel to the new scenario. This must be properly framed in the guidelines of the Directorate-General of Health (DGS) and in the specific regulations that may arise.
The procedure manual should include methods to reinforce cleaning and hygiene, management of reservations in dining spaces or others, definition and use of available Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), new norms of social contact among colleagues, reception of goods from suppliers, and a contingency plan in case of detection of suspected cases among customers or employees.
This procedure manual should then be widely disseminated among the teams, through clarification sessions or, when necessary, more specialized training sessions.
Reservations: Building Confidence from the First Contact
Operationally, this is where everything begins. Information protocols about the various available facilities should be accompanied by relevant additional information regarding the good cleaning and hygiene practices implemented in the unit. A brief text should be sent emphasizing the management of changed clothes, the availability of PPE for employees – not only for those in contact with customers but also for those in the back of the house – the provision of antiseptic solution at various access points for guests and employees, ensuring room ventilation for air renewal, and the cleaning of rooms and public spaces with certified hygiene solutions. The public demonstration of concern about cleanliness and hygiene at all levels is a trust factor that should be strongly reinforced through communication.
Front Office: A Reassuring Relationship
As a pivotal area in the guest relationship between arrival and departure, and a privileged interaction point during the stay, the front office typically includes reception, concierge, guest relations, and bellhops. Disposable masks should be available there, to be given to customers and guests who do not have them. Normal interactions with customers should also be used to reinforce information about the measures being implemented to mitigate the risk of contagion. An antiseptic solution should be visible and easily identifiable for use by customers and another for use by employees. In the guest welcome phase, it will be particularly important for employees to regularly apply the alcoholic solution, reinforcing the perception that the hotel is a safe place. The use of masks by employees is also advisable at this stage of operation resumption. Distancing between employee and guests should be promoted, and physical contact, even with regular customers, should be prohibited. A digital infrared thermometer for measuring body temperature on the forehead should be available, and the value should be recorded in a specific document if the customer allows it and/or it is recommended by the DGS. Luggage should be disinfected with the available antiseptic solution and handled with the use of disposable gloves. A suggestion that can reinforce the cleanliness of the lobby or reception is to equip front office teams with discreet cleaning equipment, such as washable cloths or wipes, so that they can repeatedly sanitize handles, elevator buttons, electronic payment equipment, etc., regularly.
For peak times, the hotel should plan additional locations for check-in and check-out, avoiding excessive proximity between guests. To streamline the check-out process, guests should also have access to the final bill the day before check-out, so that it can be processed easily and quickly. This could also be a good time to implement one of the many mobile check-in and check-out solutions available on the market.
Accommodations: Lowering Guard as at Home
Accommodation – room, suite, or other type – is, by definition, where the guest needs to feel confident to lower their guard and relax as if they were in their own home. Everything in the room should reinforce this feeling. First and foremost, the adopted cleaning and hygiene procedure should be available through a flyer or any other means of in-room communication, in a simple way and with the help of graphic elements. The customer should know, for example, that their room has been cleaned with certified products, that the bath and bed linen have been transported in sanitized bags or containers, and that housekeeping department employees are equipped with the main defined PPEs: disposable gloves and masks, or even protective glasses. Additional measures regarding the delivery and collection of customer clothing and room service should also be adequately communicated. It is also suggested to include, in the room’s amenities set, along with the usual shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, etc., a package of disinfectant hand gel.
Public Areas: Hygiene, Hygiene, and… Hygiene
The cleaning plan for public areas – corridors, stairs, elevators, meeting rooms, guest and customer bathrooms, etc. – should be reinforced with a more frequent presence of a housekeeping employee equipped with personal protective equipment. The cleaning and disinfection of contact surfaces should be done with a solution of sodium hypochlorite at a concentration of at least 5% free chlorine, or with 70% alcohol for metallic surfaces where the use of bleach is not possible. Bathrooms should be equipped with disposable paper towels and a dispenser of disinfectant hand gel. Vacuum cleaner filters should be cleaned in a ventilated area after each use. Whenever they are used, employees should use the defined PPEs.
Food & Beverage (F&B): Simplify and Organize
In the F&B department – restaurants, bars, and kitchens – all employees should be equipped with recommended PPEs, and utensils should also be disinfected frequently. It is advisable that the buffet service be replaced by à la carte service. However, if operational conditions do not allow this change, at least the shared cutlery should be replaced with individual cutlery, reinforcing the feeling of safety through the non-sharing of equipment between guests. The use of cloth napkins or towels should be minimized. Whenever possible, tissue paper that many companies offer today should be used. Like before the declaration of the state of emergency, seating should be reduced by the percentage suggested by the DGS. Predictably, the maximum capacity may be limited to 50% of normal. It is also recommended that guests and customers follow a reservation plan through an availability slot system that minimizes the risk of crowds. The menu offer should be reduced at the reopening to avoid large teams. As the weeks dictate the pace of contagion mitigation, teams may eventually grow in staff numbers, and the offer may also evolve to more normal parameters.
Events and Meetings: Socialize but from Afar
In events and meetings held at the hotel, adequate distance between participants should be ensured, and table capacity should be reduced to a maximum of 50%. For example, in a theater-style configuration, a room setup should be provided with two chairs’ distance between participants, or in a banquet, a round table of 1.80 meters typically suitable for 10 people should be set up for 4 or 5 people. The use of towels, skirts, or fabric napkins should also be avoided in this department. If, nevertheless, fabric napkins are used, they should be, after the event, collected by staff equipped with PPEs and delivered to laundries in identified proper bags or containers so that they can apply procedures created for the treatment of contaminated clothes, avoiding any risk. Meeting rooms should be vacuumed by employees equipped with PPEs, and surfaces – floor, tables, chairs, lecterns, etc. – should be cleaned and disinfected.
Spa: Perhaps Next Year
Because these are high-risk spaces, spas – body treatments, sauna, Turkish bath, indoor pool, etc. – should remain closed until further instructions from the DGS. Alternatively, yoga, pilates, walking, or cycling classes and other activities could be organized by prior appointment, ensuring the sanitary distance between instructors and clients.
Service Areas: Treat Employees like Guests
The concern and care of owners and managers should not be less in the areas reserved for staff. On the contrary, human resources are the most valuable asset in this industry, and it will be crucial for employees to feel safe and confident in relation to the people and organizations that welcome them. Service entrances, corridors, dressing rooms, elevators, etc., should be treated as if they were customer areas. Cleaning and hygiene should be carried out by employees equipped with PPEs, and the products should be of the same quality and effectiveness as those used in public areas. The service entrance guard (when applicable) should be trained to reinforce the rigor of their duties and add, to their list of duties, the measurement of employee temperature using an infrared thermometer. Employees with a temperature above 38 degrees should not enter service as a precautionary measure. The digital time clock should be cleaned diligently, and a dispenser of disinfectant hand gel and another of disposable paper towels should be available next to it. One of the most important focuses in this reopening is the organization of employee meal periods. More than ever, it will be mandatory to define access schedules to the cafeteria to avoid crowds. The solution may also involve extending the service hours of this space. The principle of lower concentration should be respected, reducing the capacity of the space to a maximum of 50%. Disposable paper and disinfectant hand gel dispensers are also extremely important in this area.
Human Resources: Training and Awareness
As mentioned earlier, the training component related to the new operational context is key, and the human resources department plays a fundamental role here. The procedure manual should be presented and explained in a classroom context, ensuring the understanding and internalization by employees of all defined norms and procedures. It is important that employees feel them as a top-of-mind concern of the hotel owner or manager for the well-being and safety not only of customers but also of the employees themselves, and obviously as a critical success factor for business recovery. Employees should also be sensitized to the importance of general principles of personal hygiene, and should, therefore, revisit their respective standards – when they exist – in light of the new operational context. The HR department should also promote the extraordinary visit of a mobile occupational health unit for biweekly or monthly viral screening.
Purchases: Ensure a Clean Entry
Employees in the purchasing department should have specific training in the reception and storage of goods. Whenever possible, delivered goods should wait for a 24-hour period in a ventilated location before being transported inside the unit. The reception date should be on an appropriate label for better entry management into the internal circuit. All goods should be sanitized before entering internal, positive or negative cold stores. The goods receiving area should be regularly cleaned with certified products, and employees should also be trained in their use. Like any other employee in the unit, they should always be equipped with appropriate PPEs – masks, gloves, and goggles. For better management of goods reception, the property should inform and reinforce with partners the most favorable delivery times to avoid crowds of suppliers and goods.
Sales: Building Confidence with Partners… Without Contaminating Them
Although their way of working is not particularly affected by the specific context of this recovery phase, the sales department is central in communicating to partners everything that is being done to defend the safety of customers. Sales agents should, naturally, ensure some preventive procedures. Visits to customers should be minimized, and whenever they occur, they should follow fundamental safety measures such as the use of masks and disinfectant gel. An original idea with a positive emotional impact could be for the sales agent to deliver to the visited customer a set of sanitary masks with the brand of the unit or hotel group, or even with a creative and fun phrase that can somehow deconstruct the constraint of the situation in which we find ourselves.
In Summary: Man and His Capacity for Adaptation
Certainly, some of the examples above will be part of this social and professional paradigm in which we find ourselves, and that, without any prediction, may unfold over the next few weeks or months. It will be clearly extremely important to wait for what the responsible authorities will have to share in the coming weeks so that, as adaptable beings that we are, we can also shape ourselves to this new cycle.
Written by Pedro Rodrigues Catapirra
April, 2020
This article was published in Ambitur. You can access the online version of part 1 here and of part 2 here.
