COVID-19 and Restroom Care

As your property has recently reopened or is getting ready to reopen, your customers’ expectations are higher than ever before in terms of safety and cleanliness. Restroom cleanliness has traditionally been important in the world of hospitality, even before the current pandemic. However, the importance of the cleanliness and sanitation in these mission critical areas has been elevated to an entirely new level.

According to a recent Tork survey of 1000 people, nearly 8 out of 10 people in the United States feel more unsafe going to facilities with unhygienic public restrooms today than they did prior to COVID-19. This heightened awareness will likely persist for some time, and hotel managers will need to adapt to meet guests’ increased expectations.

The fact that your restrooms “look” clean is not enough. The discerning traveler will want assurances that restroom surfaces are sanitized and the products utilized for this process, are effective. Your guests’ want to know that they are going to be staying in a safe and sanitary environment. To that end, you must have a clear, concise and documented cleaning protocol for your restroom space and your staff must be appropriately trained to the standards outlined in your protocols, and provided with the necessary hygienic supplies to do the job.

Below is a list of restroom best practices for your consideration:

• All restroom cleaning personnel will be instructed to wear gloves and face masks during their shift.
• All restroom cleaning personnel will practice social distancing as much as is possible.
• All restrooms cleaning chemicals and disinfectants will be EPA certified.
• Restroom cleaning personnel will use clean mop heads and buckets, towels and scrubbing pads.
• A detailed checklist will be developed and used daily to address all touch points and high contact areas.
• Restroom cleaning personnel will apply disinfectant to entire surface and adhere to the prescribed dwell time.

Additionally, your guests’ are going to expect that restroom paper towels and soap dispensers are constantly filled and maintained. Empty soap and paper towel dispensers in your restrooms today, will only serve to drive guest dissatisfaction and remove any peace of mind about staying in your hotel. Constant attention to these high impact areas is critical to the overall health and safety of the guests staying with you. As such, restroom cleaning frequencies will need to be increased daily. You may consider adding additional hotel housekeeping staff to support that effort, or hire a contract labor service to provide the hotel with day porter personnel to focus specifically on cleaning and maintaining your restrooms. This would include filling all soap, paper towel and toilet paper dispensers, as well as cleaning, maintaining and disinfecting all high touch points in the restrooms. Your guests’ will want to see active cleaning taking place in your restroom facilities and the additional staffing in these areas will help accomplish it.

Hotel Cleaning Services is here to help. We can provide restroom porter personnel to help augment your efforts to maintain the constant, daily cleanliness and sanitation in your restrooms.

As for your front of house areas we can also provide a solution with our new “Wellness Butler” program. This service provides for the daily, constant disinfecting of the high contact touch points throughout your lobbies, public space and pre-function areas. Your guests will see your proactive approach to ensuring their safety and wellness when they stay with you.

For more information on either service, please feel free to go to our website at www.hotelcleaningservices.com or call Gene Montavon at the 602-588-0864.”