Maintaining a high standard of hygiene in your hotel is vital for the health of both your customers and your staff. In this article, Mike Hardman, from wholesale cleaning product supplier Alliance Online, shares his tips on how to maintain the highest hotel hygiene standards in the era of the new normal. 

As cases fall and the number of fully vaccinated people rises, it finally seems like the future is looking a lot brighter. However, despite the fact that restrictions are continuing to ease, it doesn’t mean our new standards of cleanliness should be compromised. Hotels need to maintain these strict hygiene standards, not just to reduce the risk of infection, but to ease anxiety among both guests and staff.

If you’re looking for ways to keep your hotel clean to the highest standard long after the pandemic is over, make sure to use the following tips.

Keep strict PPE guidelines in place

Personal protective equipment has been a lifesaver throughout the pandemic. When used correctly, PPE can significantly reduce the risk of not just COVID-19, but a range of other nasty illnesses too. So, to keep your staff safe and prevent the spread of germs and bacteria, make sure to provide them with appropriate, good quality PPE. Have the following equipment available for staff when necessary:

• Face masks: While it’s not legally required anymore, many establishments are still asking both guests and staff to keep wearing theirs. It’s a good idea to keep face masks mandatory at least for staff working with food, and those who enter the guests’ bedrooms.
• Gloves: These are important for anyone working around food, and also for cleaners to both stop the spread of germs and protect their skin from strong cleaning chemicals.
• Aprons: Not only do aprons keep uniform clean, but they reduce the risk of bacteria landing on clothes. Again, these are recommended for both cleaners and staff working with food.

Make sure your staff look sharp

Although this may not sound like it affects the cleanliness of your hotel, the way your staff dress actually has a huge impact on guests’ perception of your establishment. Customers make their judgements on your hotel based not just on their room, the restaurant, or the communal areas, but on the appearance of the staff too. If a patron sees your staff looking clean and tidy, they’ll have more confidence in the hygiene of the establishment, improving guest experience. A smart uniform can also help give your workers the confidence to do their job to the best of their abilities.

To keep your staff looking sharp, encourage them to regularly clean their uniform. Make sure to provide them with multiple uniforms so they aren’t forced to put a wash on every night. You should also set clear standards for personal hygiene, including showering every day, keeping facial hair well-groomed, and keeping long hair in a tidy updo.

Disinfect communal areas frequently

A lot of the cleaning in hotels is focussed on the guests’ rooms. Of course, this is incredibly important, as a clean room gives customers confidence in your establishment, and is vital for the comfort of their stay. But the cleanliness of communal areas shouldn’t be sacrificed for this. Regularly cleaning the communal areas is incredibly important — so many people come and go, and each of them brings their own set of germs with them. So, to keep both guests and staff healthy and happy, make sure these areas are cleaned thoroughly once a day. You should also wipe down the areas guests often touch, such as door handles, card machines, and counters, regularly throughout the day.

If your hotel has a restaurant, clean the tables and chairs after each use, and sweep beneath the table to keep the area looking tidy. If the menus are laminated, you should also wipe them down with disinfectant after each use. For hotels with leisure clubs, regularly clean pools and hot tubs, and ask guests to wipe down gym equipment with antibacterial wipes after each use. And don’t forget to give them a deeper clean at least every couple of days.

Make it easy for your guests to keep clean

Don’t just leave it to your staff to maintain the highest hygiene standards — let your customers help out too. Put up hand sanitizing stations around the establishment, and encourage guests to use them regularly. You should also let them know the hotel’s current precautions before they arrive, so they can properly prepare. Not only will this help keep everyone safe, but it will show your guests how seriously you take both cleanliness and customer safety.