How to improve hotel hygiene

Creating the right environment and brand experience for your guests is essential. A poor experience could be damaging to your business, impacting customer loyalty, making them less likely to return.

Clean and hygienic facilities, communal areas and washrooms play a key role in turning an average stay into a great one, and are some of the most important factors when recommending a hotel to friends and colleagues.

Reception

A hotel’s entrance is one of the most visible and important areas, critical to creating the right first impression. From the moment a guest walks through the door, they expect a level of style and quality in keeping with your brand.

• Create the right ambience to make your hotel stand out by introducing custom scents to deliver a memorable experience and elevate your brand. 
• Quality floor care enhances your brand image and helps demonstrate an added level of consideration and care to your guests. 
• Ensure a regular cleaning routine with a focus on high-footfall areas as hygiene is one of the most important factors when recommending a hotel.

Hygiene is more than surface-clean. Clean the dirt you can see but also consider what is invisible to the naked eye – germs can be easily transferred from the bathroom to the rest of the hotel suite, putting the health of guests at risk.

• Ensure the cleaning staff are aware of the risks of cross-contamination. Gloves used when cleaning the toilet should be thrown away and replaced before contact with any other surface or object. 
• High usage items such as remote controls, light switches, drinking glasses and headboards should be cleaned thoroughly to limit the spread of bacteria.

Washrooms

The importance of a good washroom experience should never be underestimated. A good washroom experience could influence a hotel guest’s overall attitude towards your brand for the better, enhancing their perception of the business, quality of service and standard of hygiene it offers guests.

• Ensure adequate facilities are in place for the washing and drying of hands and sanitary waste disposal. No-touch solutions help minimise contact and reduce the transmission of germs. 
• Provide toilet seat cleaners to limit the number of germs spread from the ‘sneeze effect’. 
• Install air fresheners or air purifiers to maintain a pleasant smelling washroom.

Kitchens and dining areas

Cross-contamination and spread of bacteria in kitchens can occur easily if proper hygiene practices are not put in place.

• Train staff on correct handwashing procedures and glove usage policies to minimise the spread of germs from hands to food and surfaces. 
• Ensure adequate handwashing facilities are provided; well-stocked soap, paper or linen towels and waste bins. No-touch solutions will help reduce the risk of germs spreading. 
• Disinfect work surfaces regularly to ensure cross-contamination is reduced. 
• Handwash monitoring solutions can increase handwashing compliance and ensure your staff are washing their hands according to the relevant protocols.

Unhygienic conditions in public amenities can lead to the rapid spread of diseases, respiratory conditions and even intestinal disorders. Micro-organisms in sweat, urine, saliva and faecal matter thrive in poor sanitation and outbreaks can have a vast impact on guests and brand reputation.

• Ensure adequate hand washing and drying facilities are provided in the changing areas, with well stocked soap, paper or linen towels and waste bins. No-touch solutions will help reduce the risk of germs spreading. 
• Hand and surface sanitisers provided at key locations will help minimise the risk of cross-contamination amongst hotel amenity users. 
• Bad odours give the perception of an unclean environment, scenting solutions can help counteract malodours.

Conference centre

With high human interaction and heavy usage, conference rooms and business centres in hotels create a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. A clean meeting environment creates a pleasant guest experience and reflects well on your brand.

• Provision of hand and surface sanitisers will help protect guests within this environment. 
• Key locations which should be sanitised include: communal desks, remote controls, door handles and telephones.

What’s next?

We understand the importance of protecting your employees and guests from the risks of poor hygiene. Our award-winning integrated solutions will help to take care of your people and safeguard your business, so, if you’re about to re-open your hotel, why not get in touch with Initial’s experts today?