Hygiene: The ‘X’ Factor

The second wave of COVID-19 outbreak has hit the country with a greater force, challenging the industries once again to cope up with the new curbs. While the hospitality industry was struggling with the first wave’s aftermath, from lockdown to unlock, but the industry reinvented itself as per the guidelines and is yet again geared up for the new challenges.

Due to the black swan event, the hotel industry faced a total revenue loss of approximately INR 90,000 crore in 2020, as indicated by HVS Anarock’s report.

To stay afloat and survive, hoteliers readjusted strategies and revamped their standard operating procedures. Keeping the hygiene and cleanliness factor in mind, the industry implemented best in class hygiene, sanitisation and cleanliness measures to provide a safe and seamless experience for its valuable guests. Every brand rolled out its own set of measures in partnership with leading cleanliness and hygiene players to combat the coronavirus outbreak, namely Marriott International’s ‘Commitment to Clean’, InterContinental Hotels’ ‘Clean Promise’, The Oberoi Group’s ‘Stringent Health and Safety Standards’,  Radisson Hotel Group’s ‘Hotel Safety Protocol’, Hyatt’s ‘Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment’, and Lemon Tree’s ‘Rest Assured’.

Marriott International’s ‘Commitment to Clean’: The programme creates transmission barriers, enhances sanitisation, promotes health screening and nourishes the new normal.

InterContinental Hotels’ ‘Clean Promise’: Using new, science-led protocols and service measures, the brand redefined its cleanliness and hygiene procedures, and supports guests’ personal wellbeing throughout their stay.

The Oberoi Group’s Stringent Health and Safety Standards: Grounded in the principles of The Oberoi Dharma, with the guest at the heart of everything; the group listed in detail all measures that is being followed at every step of the hotel operation.

Radisson Hotel Group’s ‘Hotel Safety Protocol’: The company conducted a thorough review of all existing health and safety processes and worked with a team of experts to develop and validate additional protocols.

Hyatt’s ‘Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment’: Every Hyatt hotel has at least one person on property trained as a hygiene manager, who will be responsible for their hotel adhering to new operational guidance and protocols.

Lemon Tree’s ‘Rest Assured’: As a part of this initiative, the brand extensively researched, benchmarked and implemented stringent cleanliness, sanitisation and social distancing protocols across all properties, in India and abroad.

A TOUCHLESS HOSPITALITY

According to Hemant Tenneti, Senior Area Director Operations – South Asia, Marriott International, one of the key reasons for the industry’s success is ‘hygiene and safety’. He says, “Post covid the intense scrutiny on hygiene and safety is expected to continue, and hotels will have to maintain new heightened standards. It is extremely critical that the guest perceives the hotel or brand as safe and a secure before anything else.”

To provide a sense of security and safety to guests as well as its employees, the hotel industry quickly adapted the new norms and standards. With a focus on enhanced cleaning practices, the brands also started practising touchless services to maintain social distancing.

Barring the challenge of contactless service, the industry stayed true to its roots and provided touchless services infused with personalisation.

Sunjae Sharma, Vice President & Country Head, India, Hyatt, explains, “At Hyatt, our primary focus is to make our hotels safe havens for guests and colleagues. We have been thoroughly examining the hotel experience at every vantage point – bringing in the latest research, technology, and innovation to make that happen.”

“For instance, the guest room décor and amenities are being curated to remove some extraneous high-touch items, while still providing high-quality Hyatt experience, including engaging art and distinguished design,” he adds. 

Furthermore, Rattan Keswani, Deputy Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd., informs that the Group has limited the touchpoints and adopted digital solutions wherever possible. He shares, “We always ensure that at the end of the line, there is a person for every guest to connect with – a person who can understand their queries/problems, empathise with their situation, and provide real-time, well thought out, personalised solutions. The real difference is that it is now being done over a contactless platform rather than face-to-face as earlier.”

CUSTOMER TRUST IS MORE VITAL

While pandemic-era policies vary across brands, the one thing that they all strive for is “gaining customer trust”. The current crisis has entirely changed the guest expectations and preferences and the future of hospitality depends on it.

Elaborating on the consumer behaviour and future of hospitality, Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President Operations, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group says, “Evolving with this new normal, consumer demand for contactless hospitality is omnipresent in every service rendered. Guests today expect non-touch devices/services from their arrival at the hotel till check-out. They demand end-to-end digital integration at every touchpoint.”

“Keeping health and safety at the forefront, guests want additional assurance on various hygiene measures undertaken by the brand. We make sure our communication regarding safety and hygiene is clear and consistent. Safety is not only restricted to room stay, maintaining the highest standards of hygiene in Food and Beverages (F&B) operations is also critical. Guests, today, expect that our team operates in accordance with the highest standards of health and hygiene, including personal protective equipment (PPE), sterilised bento boxes, and contactless delivery,” he adds.

To gain trust of its valuable guests, the hotels provided exclusive training and guidelines to its associates and offered all necessary resources to combat the ongoing crisis in order to give a seamless experience to customers.

Talking about IHG’s model, Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South West Asia, IHG, asserts, “All our hotels are regularly undertaking covid-specific training and implementing best practices for operating procedures, aligned to regularly monitored advice from global and local health authorities. We have assessed every step of the guest experience – from check-in to check-out so that they are assured of a safe and reliable environment when they visit our hotels. We are also using technology in different ways to minimise physical interaction amongst guests and staff at our hotels.”

REDEFINING DINING EXPERIENCE

The new protocols are not only restricted to check-in or check-out or rooms or lobby but also play a crucial role in the food and beverage services.

The restaurants already have to maintain stringent food safety standards and hygiene regulations but now extra precautions have been put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of the guests. The hotels have reimagined the dining experiences by introducing QR-based display menus and individual buffet-style meals to maintain the social distancing norm.

Giving insights on F&B operations, Silki Sehgal, Vice President – Corporate Communications, The Oberoi Group, apprise, “All our team members wear disposable gloves, mask and a face shield that are changed after every meal period or break. The hostess greets all guests with folded hands. The temperature of in-house guests is checked at the restaurant entrance during breakfast service. Guests are offered hand sanitiser or disinfectant wipes, once seated in the restaurant and are encouraged to view the menu on their own electronic device with the help of the QR code on the table. The server maintains a safe distance at all times whilst communicating with guests. All beverage cans are disinfected prior to service. Food is covered with a cloche before pick up which are removed at the table. The server checks with the guest while taking the order if they would prefer the food served on the table or placed on the adjacent table. Clearance from the table is done expeditiously while minimising contact with the table.”

The guest’s expectations are not only limited to safety, hygiene and cleanliness now, but they are also looking for rich immunity-boosting dishes and beverages. The hotels’ chefs picked upon the demand and need of the hour and curated a special menu by experimenting with immunity-boosting ingredients for the wellbeing of the guests.

Zubin Saxena of Radisson Hotel Group informs that they utilised the lockdown period to curate food menus rich in antioxidants and vitamins, enhancing their ongoing offerings. These special dishes are made using ingredients with antimicrobial and antiseptic properties, as guests today are looking forward to healthier alternatives. He further lists a few initiatives by the brand, “We introduced immunity-boosting welcome drinks on arrival and post-dinner, along with ‘any-time’ citric beverages full of vitamin C. ABC of immunity - Apple Beetroot and Carrot juices are blended in right proportions to create a healthy drink which is infused with flavour of celery has become a regular in our breakfast menu. Haldi Latte, a golden hot beverage with goodness of turmeric, a bedtime beverage has become a favourite of the kids and elderly guests. Basil Mojito is a popular virgin mocktail for all age groups and high on demand on any time of the day.”

Rattan Keswani also feels that immunity-boosting ingredients have become a part of everyday vocabulary with today’s guests. In order to help build guests’ health and immunity, the Group has incorporated these ingredients into its menus at Lemon Tree. “In the first three months of the pandemic, we had worked very closely with the central and state governments across many locations to host quarantine guests at our hotels. An important learning at that time was from the panel of doctors and nutritionists regarding which items help strengthen a person and can keep him healthy and safe. We use these in our buffet menus today as well as in some à la carte dishes,” he explains.

Contradicting with other hotels’ feedback, Hemant Tenneti opines that ‘eating choices have not changed purely because of covid as even in the pre-covid era, the guests were moving towards healthier and organic food options. He explains, “The menus in hotels have evolved wherein there is a dedicated section with curated options for guests who are health conscious. We do not see a specific demand for immunity-boosting menus in particular, as immunity strengthening menu items can mean different to different customers. As a standard across our hotels, we do focus a lot on our breakfast offerings, where there is an emphasis on immunity-boosting beverages and superfoods.”

While the pandemic created many challenges for the hospitality industry, hoteliers are finding innovative ways to navigate through these crises, redefining how they do business, to recover and thrive again.