Hotel Council of San Francisco Releases COVID-19 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines
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Hotel Council of San Francisco Releases COVID-19 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines Developed over Three Months of Work in Consultation with Dozens of Health & Industry Experts and Cal/OSHA Recommendations Exceed CDC Requirements
6 August 2020 — San Francisco, CA: The Hotel Council of San Francisco (www.hotelcouncilsf.org) today released its COVID-10 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines designed to make sure that all hotels are fully ready to re-open when regulations allow. The 44-page document, the result of more than three months of intensive meetings, input and interaction with hospitality industry leaders, health and safety experts including Cal/OSHA, the CDC, guidelines from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the California Hotel & Lodging Association in addition to the San Francisco Department of Health & Human Services is available online at:
“San Francisco’s hotel family is known around the world for their hospitality and their dedication to the health and safety of our guests, employees and visitors,” said Kevin Carroll, Hotel Council President and CEO. “While our protocols for cleanliness and hygiene have always been superior, in light of COVID-19 we have rededicated ourselves to going even further. These new guidelines actually build upon what is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.”
The coordinating leadership of the committee, convened on a weekly basis since mid March 2020 via online video conference, was comprised of Kelly Powers, Director of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, along with committee cochairs Karlene Holloman, CEO of Point Hospitality Group (www.pointhospitalitygroup.com) and Dan Richards, Vice President of Ideal Restoration (www.idealsf.com) and certified industrial hygienist Brent Weisbrod of Oakland-based company Peak Environmental Health Safety Engineering (www.peakohs.com)
“Hotel businesses recognize that in a COVID- 19 world, the two most important words for our teams and our guests, are health and safety,” said Powers. “Pre- COVID, as an industry, we were committed to these values. Now, living with COVID we have taken immediate action to research enhanced, scientifically based- cleaning protocols to protect our employees and guests. Our guiding principals were educate, protect and prevent.”
As soon as COVID-19 impacted California, it became clear to the Hotel Council that while there was a wealth of information online about what to do to protect individuals from the virus, there was a need for more information. . As a certified healthcare remediator in the cleaning industry, Ideal Restoration was the obvious choice to take part.
“The goal for these guidelines is to provide the tools to easily adhere to the protocols that are created for their facility.” said Richards of Ideal, a leader in providing COVID-19 disinfection. “The Hotel Council of San Francisco put together the ideal committee, from the industrial hygienists who developed protocols to follow, the healthcare remediator to provide best practices, the legal counsel to ensure that participants are legally compliant and dozens of hotel general managers to ensure that this can all be done realistically and practically. “
Over the last few months, the Hotel Council has hosted numerous educational webinars for its membership and others to fully explain the protocols and their practical application.
“As a professional who champions for worker and public health, partnering with the Hotel Council of San Francisco has been an absolute pleasure,” said Weisbrod. “They are fully committed to ensuring their members have the most current information and guidance pertinent to their industry so they can reduce risk of transmission and protect both workers and guests.
About the Hotel Council of San Francisco:
The Hotel Council of San Francisco is a non-profit membership-based organization advocating for the economic and social vitality of the hospitality industry in San Francisco. Their membership roster includes over 200 hotels, allied members, and partner organizations. The Hotel Council is dedicated to protecting the San Francisco hospitality industry and connecting its members to support the growth and success of the industry. As the largest industry in San Francisco, hotels and tourism directly impact the success of many businesses throughout San Francisco, supporting over 105,000 jobs.