HAMILTON, ONT.—Reduce the chances of slips and falls on surfaces throughout hotel settings with the new TracSafe Anti-Slip Sealer from Daich Coatings. With anti-slip ratings up to twice the OSHA standard, TracSafe provides aggressive anti-slip performance with all-weather durability for both interior and exterior areas around any hotel. New TracSafe Anti-Slip Sealer performs double-duty, as both a high performance clear coat that strengthens and protects surfaces, while also helping to protect the hotel guests and employees who walk on it from slip and fall mishaps. Its high-performance, odorless water-based technology bonds firmly to all types of flooring materials, from concrete,...

CARY, N.C.—Washington Representative Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34) joined the Association of Washington Cities and INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, in applauding Governor Inslee’s signing of HB 2565, a law intended to address the labeling of certain disposable wipes. The law, spearheaded by Rep. Fitzgibbon, Chairman of the Washington House Environment and Energy Committee, represents a months-long cooperative effort between a coalition of Washington wastewater and municipal sector stakeholders led by the Association of Washington Cities and INDA, the trade association representing the wipes industry. The groups came together to tackle the problem of consumers flushing baby wipes, surface cleaning...

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.—While restaurants, gyms, schools and other buildings are closed indefinitely to prevent the spread of COVID-19, water left sitting in pipes could change in quality. It’s possible that water left sitting for long periods of time could contain excessive amounts of heavy metals and pathogens concentrated in pipes nationwide, say researchers who have begun a field study on the impact of a pandemic shutdown on buildings. Purdue engineering professor Andrew Whelton holds up a water sample from a building faucet. The pink color indicates the presence of chlorine, a disinfectant. Whelton’s team is investigating how water quality might change...

When you open your property again (I know some are still open), will it be certified clean to the level of standards that travelers in a COVID-19 world expect? I ask this because of several developments I came across this past week. First, Accor announced that it had joined forces with Bureau Veritas, a provider of testing, inspection and certification, to develop a label designed to certify that the appropriate safety standards and cleaning protocols have been achieved to allow businesses to reopen. The label will apply to Accor hotels in Europe and first to Accor hotels in France. The...

NEW CASTLE, PENN.—First impressions start from the ground up according to new research from Whittaker, a leader in low-moisture carpet cleaning. The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Whittaker March 26 to 30, 2020 among 2,012 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, found that a majority of Americans (93 percent) say dirty carpet with stains, animal hair or food residue in a facility would negatively impact their perception of that business/organization. Dirty carpet in a hotel would negatively impact four in five Americans’ (80 percent) perceptions of the business. “Hotel guests are observant of the way properties maintain their interiors,” said Joe Bshero, Director...

READING, PA.—As the country continues to face the threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the health and safety of employees and customers is of the utmost importance. Ambius, a global leader of creating enhanced commercial spaces, launched a new disinfection service to help provide peace of mind and create safe work environments. The Ambius Disinfection Service is ideal for businesses implementing precautionary cleaning, those required to perform disinfection before reopening and for businesses with confirmed cases of COVID-19. “We’ve seen such a high demand for disinfection service with our commercial customers,” said Ambius President & CEO, John Myers. “The protection of their...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, which for 92 years has been recognized as a hospitality leader for its commitment to quality, exacting standards, and rigorous training, announced that it will be rolling out a multi-pronged platform to elevate its cleanliness standards and hospitality norms and behaviors to meet the new health and safety challenges presented by the current pandemic environment. “We are living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and center for our guests and our associates,” said Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International. “We are grateful for the trust our guests have shown us through the years. We want...

MCCOMB, OHIO—Crushproof Tubing launched its Simple Drain product (see video), an easy-to-clean and self-plunging drain trap, to the hotel industry. The decline in customers throughout the hotel industry is resulting in rooms being empty for extended periods of time. This can result in a very dangerous situation called “dry trap” where the water evaporates out of the traps that are critical in keeping sewer gasses from coming into living spaces through drain pipes. “We have heard from several hotel chains that they are paying people to flush toilets and run water in their sinks and showers to avoid the potential...

PARIS—Accor, a global leader in augmented hospitality, and Bureau Veritas, a world-leading provider in testing, inspection and certification, have joined forces to develop a label designed to certify that the appropriate safety standards and cleaning protocols have been achieved to allow businesses to reopen. Franck Gervais, CEO Europe Accor, said, “Welcoming, protecting and taking care of others is the very DNA of Accor and at the heart of what we do. Today, more than ever, our employees, customers and partners need to be reassured of our ability to offering them the best welcome possible. As the European leader in hospitality,...

ATLANTA—ASHRAE has published two statements to define guidance on managing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease (Coronavirus) with respect to the operation and maintenance of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems in buildings. “In light of the current global pandemic, it’s critically important that ASHRAE responds with guidance on mitigating the transmission of the virus, as well as ventilation and filtration recommendations,” said 2019-20 ASHRAE President Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng. “ASHRAE has a significant role to play in ensuring safe and healthy building environments and these statements offer the expert strategies needed at this time.” ASHRAE developed the...