Tag: Accor Hotels

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How hotels are introducing new hygiene standards post COVID-19

Hilton's CleanStay door seal

One of the most important factors in the recovery of the events industry is confidence of attendees, post COVID-19. How soon are they going to want to travel, mix in groups and stay away from home?

All the major hotel groups are introducing new hygiene standards to reassure their guests, but these will also provide proof to governments considering loosening lockdown restrictions that safety measures have been put in place.

Hilton Hotels

Hilton has taken advice from the Mayo Clinic and is collaborating with RB, makers of Lysol and Dettol, to rise the standards of housekeeping and hygiene in their hotels. The programme is called Hilton CleanStay which uses infrared and electrostatically charged disinfectant mists. Hilton is focusing on cleanliness that will be visible to guests throughout their entire stay, in the bedrooms, restaurants, gyms and other public areas.

Guests will also be encouraged to use the Digital Key contactless check in system. It works with the Hilton Honors mobile app. Guests can choose a bedroom, access it with a digital room key and check-out using a mobile device.

The CleanStay programme includes:

  • A room seal on the bedroom door to indicate to guests that their room has not been accessed since being thoroughly cleaned.
  • Extra disinfection on the most frequently touched guests room areas – light switches, door handles, TV remotes, thermostats etc.
  • Removal of pen, paper and guest directory and replacing them with digital information.
  • Improved disinfecting of the hotel gym, possibly closing for cleaning multiple times daily and limiting the number of guests allowed in at one time.
  • Increase the frequency of cleaning public areas.
  • Disinfecting stations at primary entrances and high traffic areas, eg a station to allow guests to wipe the elevator button before pressing.
  • Hotel staff will be provided with personal protective equipment and better training designed to protect themselves.

Marriott International

Marriott has created the Marriott Global Cleanliness Council to develop a programme to minimize risk and enhance safety for guests and staff. In the next few months, the hotels will introduce electrostatic sprayers with hospital-grade disinfectant to sanitize surfaces in bedrooms, lobbies, gyms and other public areas. Also, the company is testing ultraviolet light technology for sanitizing keys for guests and devices which are shared by staff.

Marriott’s new policy includes:

  • Disinfectant wipes in each room for guests’ personal use.
  • Signage in the Lobby to remind guests to maintain social distancing and removing or re-arranging of furniture to allow more space.
  • Partitions at front desks to provide an extra level of distancing and making masks and gloves available to staff.
  • Hand sanitizing stations at the hotel entrances, near the front desk, elevator banks and fitness and meeting spaces.
  • Check-in and access to the bedroom by phone.
  • Specially packaged food for room service which is delivered to the door without contact.
  • Changes in food safety and service in restaurants and alternatives to a buffet.

Accor

Accor, which is Europe’s largest hotel group has entered into partnership with Bureau Veritas, a testing and inspection company. They will provide third-party testing of the hygiene certification programmes in each of Accor’s 4,800 hotels. The standards will cover accommodation as well as catering and will be introduced in France and then rolled out worldwide.

Once each property has passed an inspection by Bureau Veritas, it will be awarded a certificate of safe hygiene. The operational guidelines for cleaning and staff training were developed in conjunction with epidemiologists and sanitation experts. These procedures will also be made available to any hotel, meeting venue, or restaurant looking for best practices or who would like to enrol in the certification program. Clients will be able to check if a property has been certified by going to the Bureau Veritas website.

For more information on these hotel groups’ hygiene programmes follow the links to Hilton Hotels, Marriott International and Accor.

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ibis Styles rolls out new tube-chic design at Gloucester Road hotel

Guests checking into ibis Styles Gloucester Road can now take a trip on the tube in their pyjamas, as ibis Styles unveils its new hotel design.

The 84-bedroom Victorian hotel has had a stylish makeover from the ground up, breaking the mould of a budget stay. Minimalist furnishings have been paired with luxe fabrics and natural wood finishings to create a welcoming and unforgettable design.

Re-imagining the lobby space, the ground floor is now a relaxed and airy open-plan hangout space where guests can kick-back after a day of meetings or exploring and settle in with a good book or enjoy the hotel’s free unlimited super-fast Wi-Fi.

Staff will offer a new level of hospitality, personality and service as they check guests in via a mobile phone, freeing them up to talk more about their stay, their needs and enjoy their time in the hotel. ibis Styles Gloucester Road is a stone’s throw away from Gloucester Road tube station in South Kensington, and counts the Victoria & Albert Museum, Science & Natural History Museum and the Royal Albert Hall as neighbours.

Whether a Londoner or visiting the city, guests will get a kick out of the witty ways tiny tube logos and station names have been used down to the finest details. They’ll find pillows with travelcard tickets printed on them and even be reminded to ‘Mind the Gap’ on the carpet as they step out of bed in the morning.

What’s more, with its own ‘Platform 9 ¾’ and coloured District and Piccadilly lines running through corridors, the property’s fresh interior draws on playful cues from London’s world-famous underground. Guest bathrooms have also been re-imagined as ‘Water Loos’ – a nod to one of the city’s busiest stations.

Guests are guaranteed a good night’s sleep on a comfy Sweet Bed™ and a great start to the day with a hearty all-you-can-eat continental breakfast. The hotel also offers specially designed family rooms and has its friendly team on hand to make stays for all ages memorable.

Cristina Cavaco, General Manager for the hotel commented: “Thousands of people travel on the tube every-day, and every line and station has a different character that Londoners know and love. We’ve brought this to life for guests in such fun and surprising ways so they will enjoy a unique stay every time.”

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Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Accor dominating global hotel pipeline

The global pipeline for new hotels is being dominated by four groups, according to a new report by Lodging Econometrics (LE).

At the end of 2018 Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Accor accounted for over half (55 per cent) of all projects, according to the Global Construction Pipeline Trend Report, which compiles the construction pipeline counts for every country and market around the world.

Marriott International had the most pipeline projects with 2,544, followed by Hilton with 2,252, Intercontinental Hotels Group with 1,716, and Accor with 966. In terms of individual brands, IHG’s Holiday Inn Express had the most pipeline projects with 731.

Analysis shows that the total global construction pipeline hit 13,753 projects at the end of last year, up 7 per cent year-on-year.

Over 5,500 of these projects are in the US, with over 2,700 in China. The two countries between them accounted for over 60 per cent of all global projects, while the UK had a total of 266 pipeline projects (38,590 rooms).

The individual city with the most projects was New York with 171, followed by Dubai with 168, Dallas with 163, LA with 147 and Guangzhou with 132.

LE forecasts that a total of 2,844 hotels will open in 2019 (compared to 2,675 in 2018), with this figure growing to 3,088 in 2020.

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Take a look at Vancouver for your events

Vancouver recently came top of a survey of event organisers, who voted it the city where delegates feel safest. I recently visited Vancouver and Whistler on an educational trip with Accor Hotels to look at their Fairmont properties and the Convention Centre and see what it can offer for conferences, meetings and events.

After a 9-hour flight from London, the transfer from the airport to the city centre is around half an hour, so quick and easy. It’s a wonderful city with mountains, water and a great destination for both conferences and incentives. The waterfront hotels are just steps away from the Convention Centre, which has two sections, East and West.

Vancouver Convention Centre & views of the city

There are plenty of activities for groups in and around Vancouver, it’s the only place where I know that you can travel on the top of a cable car or hire Grouse mountain for exclusive use. But for the less adventurous, there is a food tasting tour of Granville Market, float plane flight, e-bikes, harbour cruise or suspension bridge walk through the woods.

Whistler is less than two hours from Vancouver and a beautiful drive along the shore.  The town was host to the winter Olympics in 2010. There’s a convention centre and variety of hotels with meeting facilities as well as unusual venues for dinners or team building. The skiing is extensive in the winter and summer activities include ziplining, walking, cycling, scavenger hunts and other outside activities.

Suspension bridge, float plane and cable car

All the hotels and venues that I visited had good meeting facilities and accommodation, here’s a few things that made them memorable:

  • Fairmont Waterfront Hotel – has a roof terrace and paved gardens, which can be used for groups who want outside space.
  • Fairmont Hotel Vancouver – the first hotel to open in Vancouver. It has: two hotel dogs, who come to work for 5 days to welcome guests; there’s a ghost, the lady in red, who appears from an empty lift shaft; Fifty shades of Grey was filmed in one of the suites
  • Fairmont Pacific Rim – has a destination cocktail bar in the foyer with live music every night.
  • Vancouver Convention Centre – the building uses a lot of wood and glass and is bright and airy. The meeting space is surrounded by large foyer areas which have views of the water and mountains and there is a terrace looking over the bay.
  • Pan Pacific Hotel – this hotel is built over the water and has sea views all the way around.
  • Westin Bayshore Hotel – offers guests water yoga (on thick mats in the swimming pool) in the summer. Yoga is inside in the winter.
  • Fairmont Chateau Whistler – has two ballrooms and a large permanent marquee, so it is easy for a large group to meet, eat and have a different venue for dinner.
  • Whistler Conference Centre – feels like you’re in the mountains, th ebuilding uses wood and stone and has a fireplace in the entrance foyer.
  • Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre – this museum explains the art, history and culture of the First Nations in the Whistler area. It has inside and outside event space which can be used for dinners and a chance for attendees to learn about the first nations culture.
zip wire, Whistler Olympic rings & museum

If you’d like more information about holding a meeting, conference or event in Vancouver, please contact enquiries@edgevenues.com or call 01780 484051.