`SKY-HIGH STANDARD OF CLEANLINESS' AT MARRIOTT
The hotel industry is frantically adapting to new norms, à la 2020.
“A sky-high standard of cleanliness is in our DNA,” said Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive officer of Marriott International, one of the world's largest hotel companies.
“J.W. Marriott, the man who founded this hotel group 93 years ago, used to personally inspect kitchens and guest rooms for cleanliness, and now we have entered a new era with that tradition in mind.”
Marriott's portfolio includes more than 7,400 properties under 30 brands in 134 countries and territories. Courtyard, AC Hotels and Aloft are at the budget end; the posh list includes the Luxury Collection, Ritz-carlton and St. Regis. In Canada, Marriott has 252 hotels with 22 familiar banners such as Delta, Sheraton, Westin and the cool, fashion-forward W hotels. There is lots of news, including in Montreal.
W Montreal: The 2020 transformation of the stylish W Montreal on Victoria Square includes the new Living Room bar-lounge, a new restaurant called Tbsp., as well as an innovative meeting “playground,” with spaces such as the Gallery, the Studio and the Promenade.
The Living Room serves customized cocktails and bar bites. Tbsp. is serving breakfast and lunch only for now, but — gourmet
alert — the W is down the street from Toqué!, the illustrious French restaurant.
Pandemic: Marriott Hotels of Canada has adopted the Safe Stay practices of the Hotel Association of Canada, and Marriott has appointed a Global Cleanliness Council of experts in food and water safety, cleanliness and infection prevention.
I asked Don Cleary, president of Marriott Hotels of Canada and previously chief operations officer for Marriott Asia Pacific,
about the changes travellers can expect.
Q What is happening behind the scenes?
A Marriott has instituted a multi-faceted platform to elevate hygiene standards and modify practices. Our considerable size gives us an advantage — we have an extensive, rigorous training program for our employees and we have appointed a “cleanliness champion” at each hotel to be the in-house expert.
Our new technologies include electrostatic sprayers to sanitize lobbies, gyms and other public areas, and we use the highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S., and the World Health Organization.
The company also is testing ultraviolet light technology to sanitize room keys.
Q What new measures are guests actually seeing?
A We are building confidence with every new measure, including signage and rearranged furniture for physical distancing. All employees and guests wear masks. Guests will find disinfectant wipes in their rooms and hand sanitizer at all important points, including elevators and escalators.
Q Has housekeeping changed? A Between guest visits, we do a deep cleaning in each room. We use hospital-grade disinfectants on all surfaces — tabletops, door and furniture handles, light switches and thermostats, drapery pulls, telephone keypads, TVS and remotes, alarm clocks, safety latches and peepholes, and bathrooms, top to bottom.
Q What about food?
A We are following provincial regulations and have added servers at buffets or replaced buffets with grab-and-go items.
All food-and-beverage employees wear masks and gloves that are changed according to guidelines. The mini-bars are evolving, but we have a new system of packaging and delivering meals and beverages to each guestroom door.
Q How is check-in different?
A Our goal is to make the experience as seamless and flexible as possible. We have Plexiglas partitions at the front desks, so guests can still interact with staff if they want to. But technology also enables contactless check-in using mobile phones. Currently, guests at more than 50 per cent of Canadian Marriotts can use the Marriott Bonvoy app to check in, access their rooms, make requests and order room service. By the end of 2020, all Canadian Marriotts will have that technology.
Q Part of hotel life is privacy. But a big part is mingling, too. Are we still going to have fun? A We have had to modify food and activities, but our staff have been very creative. For example, the Delta in Fredericton has set up a drive-in theatre in the parking lot and they deliver dinner, so there still are exciting happenings.