by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:20 PM ET, Tue April 21, 2020
Marriott International announced Tuesday a new, multi-faceted approach to cleanliness standards and hospitality protocols to meet the latest health and safety challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak.
The hotel giant revealed the creation of Marriott Global Cleanliness Council, a group tasked with developing the next level of global hospitality cleanliness standards to minimize risk and enhance safety for travelers and employees.
The Marriott Global Cleanliness Council will be led by chairman Ray Bennett, who will oversee both in-house and outside experts, including senior leaders from across Marriott disciplines like housekeeping, engineering, food safety, occupational health and associate wellbeing.
"We are living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and center for our guests and our associates," Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson said in a statement. "We are 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," Sorenson continued.
In addition to advanced cleaning techniques and developing a group to handle the company's approach to the viral pandemic and its aftermath, Marriott is rolling out enhanced technologies, such as electrostatic sprayers with hospital-grade disinfectant.
Travelers will also notice changes to Marriott's cleaning regimen in the coming months, including rigorous cleaning protocols in public areas, reduced person-to-person contact, enhanced sanitation guidelines for the company's food safety program and more.
While Marriott tries to ensure its buildings are safe for visitors, company officials revealed last week that roughly 25 percent of its 7,300-plus hotels worldwide remain temporarily closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, with further hotel closures expected.
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