Hotels are spaces which have a lot of touchpoints, and the industry is also one that has suffered a serious blow due to COVID-19. In a world where these are opened up to guests, online hospitality player OYO has announced that its hotels would have sanitation and hygiene checks, and the hotels which have these would feature a ‘sanitised stays’ tag.
OYO said that in its first phase, it plans to implement these measures in 1,000 hotels within the next 10 days. When the lockdown is relaxed, it aims to implement these measures in all 18,000 hotels in the country.
For check-ins and check out, the company said that it is putting in place a minimum touch process system, where even submitting IDs and other formalities can be completed digitally. OYO said that it will also make its room service with minimum contact and that its housekeeping staff will be trained in the same.
“Hotels will go through regular background audit checks for sanitisation, hygiene, and protective equipment. Out of these, properties that have cleared the background check will display the ‘Sanitised Stays’ tag on the booking page. Furthermore, a guest audit will be conducted on the properties regularly to ensure that feedback, reviews, and recommendations are taken into consideration to ensure continuity of the ‘Sanitised Stays’ tag,” OYO said in a release.
In addition to this, OYO said that its on-ground teams will have new training modules, which will include health screenings for staff and guests, proper sanitisation, gloves at all times, in-room dining, distance markers, and guests handling their luggage as much as possible.
Rohit Kapoor, OYO India and South Asia said, “Customer behaviour is seeing changes across the hospitality industry with hygiene, safety standards and minimal-touch SOPs soon to become the norm. As a responsible hospitality chain, we at OYO, are working towards welcoming guests, post-lockdown and maintaining health, hygiene & well-being as our topmost priorities for all our stakeholders including our guests, partners & OYOpreneurs.”
The company said it was now cleaning doorknobs, railings, and mopping the floor by using approved disinfectants and solutions every few hours.
OYO added that it has set up a COVID-19 war room, for cases that require faster resolution and to assist guests, hotel partners, and employees.