Cars, just like human beings, need regular maintenance and checkups occasionally. This is to improve and maintain vehicle performance. For most people, servicing and maintenance usually happen after every three months or 3,000 miles. Regular maintenance on hotel vehicles helps cut back on costs due to wear and tear. A smooth running and well-oiled machine is cheaper to run and also more reliable. Besides, regular car maintenance helps conserve the environment. It reduces the chances of oil spills or leaks from brake fluid or radiators. Vehicles owners can do this by properly disposing of materials such as engine oil and battery...

SAN IGNACIO, BELIZE—With Belize reopening for international travel on October 1, 2020, The Lodge at Chaa Creek is offering tips that help make arriving easy, and visiting carefree. Bryony Fleming Bradley, Chaa Creek’s Managing Director, said that Belize’s new entry requirements are designed to safeguard everyone’s health and safety, and help make “visiting here a breeze.” “These simple new requirements were put in place to protect travelers, hospitality workers and local communities, but they were also designed to be easy to follow, and help visitors enjoy the same exciting experiences and relaxed vacations Belize has always offered,” she said. The new health...

PARIS—Accor announced its continued action to lead the hospitality industry with the most stringent cleaning standards and operational procedures concentrated on guest safety. Following operational disruptions stemming from COVID-19, Accor has successfully reopened most of its hotels with 95 percent of them having already adopted the Group’s trusted ALLSAFE cleanliness and hygiene protocols jointly developed with Bureau Veritas. To date, Accor has successfully certified 65 percent of these hotels with the ALLSAFE label through a third-party review and accreditation process with professional auditors like Bureau Veritas, SGS, Clifton and Ecolab, and is working to have additional hotels independently verified...

NEW YORK—When Hotel Zena opened its doors this month in downtown Washington, D.C., Volara was there to get guests talking via Google Nest Hubs in each of its 191 guestrooms. Implementation of Volara’s contactless guest engagement and touchless room controls solution is part of a systemwide rollout by Viceroy Hotels & Resorts to voice-enable all guestrooms at its luxury boutique hotels. This is the fifth Viceroy hotel to add Volara-powered voice assistants to guestrooms, and the second property to feature Google’s Hotel Solution. Viceroy Los Cabos added Amazon Alexa devices powered by Volara in 2018, followed by Hotel Zetta San...

ATLANTA—Rats have taken to the streets of Chicago, yet again. Orkin released its Top 50 Rattiest Cities List, and for the sixth consecutive time, the Windy City takes the top spot. New to the Top 10 this year is Baltimore, taking the eighth spot, and moving into the Top 20 is San Diego, rising 13 spots to secure the #19 ranking. Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments. 1. Chicago 26.  Raleigh, N.C. (-2) 2. Los Angeles 27.  Hartford, Conn. (-2) 3. New York 28. ...

NATIONAL REPORT—Deciding to close or remain open during a pandemic can be one of the most difficult decisions a hotel company will ever have to make, especially if multiple assets are involved. Many factors need to be analyzed, including the financial, brand, and human resources sides of the business to determine which action is the most fiscally responsible. At Sixty Hotels, we are “Always Open” to show our customers that we are there for them in good times and bad, no matter what. This is especially challenging considering that our hotels are in the heavily populated tourist destinations of...

MONROVIA, CALIF.—VivoAquatics, a leader in providing innovative and sustainable aquatic solutions, has achieved Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code (CMAHC) Certification for CDC safety standards for its aquatic management platform. Core to this platform is VivoPoint, a smart technology program that connects commercial pools, spas, and water features to chemical automation and real-time monitoring. VivoAquatics’ program delivers increased guest safety while decreasing operating and capital costs for leading hospitality, fitness and real estate brands, such as MGM Resorts International, Marriott, The Irvine Company, and In-Shape Fitness. Launched in 2018, the CMAHC certification program helps educate the public about products...

SKOKIE, ILL.—UMF Corp. announced the recipient of the company’s first annual Guest Room Attendant Excellence Award, which acknowledges the contributions of guest room attendants (GRAs) at hotels across the United States. Katrina Minnis, a GRA at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, is the recipient of this year’s award, which celebrates the workers who serve as the first line of defense in ensuring a safe hotel environment. “At Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, the safety and security of our guests and colleagues are top priorities,” said Chris Carter, Director of Operations, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. “Ms. Minnis has served as a...

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—PlasmaGuard, LLC introduces two NEW “indoor air purification and pathogen destruction systems”—PlasmaGuard PRO and PlasmaGuard ELITE. These commercial strength patented UL rated technologies are the “best available” solutions to destroy 99.9 percent of viruses, bacteria, mold/fungi, allergens, asthma triggers, VOCs, odors and more, within any occupied environment on the market today. Awakened by the Coronavirus pandemic, we understand human health can quickly be affected negatively by airborne pathogens; 1) through the recirculation of harmful polluted air; 2) through harmful surface contamination; and 3) through human-to-human contact and interaction. PlasmaGuard has the best-proven technology to tackle two of these three...

BERKELEY, CALIF.—Last week, Procter & Gamble shareholders sent a resounding message with a 37 percent vote supporting an As You Sow shareholder resolution calling for diversity disclosure. Investors are asking Procter & Gamble for goals, metrics, and trends related to its promotion, recruitment, and retention of protected classes of employees. Shareholders want Procter & Gamble to show that its internal practices match its extensive advertising campaign focused on race relations in America. “Today’s vote shows shareholders want more data from P&G,” said Meredith Benton, Workplace Equity Program Manager for As You Sow and Principal at the consultancy Whistle Stop Capital....