NEW YORK, N.Y.—With a global shortage of N95 masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, N95Maskco has stepped in to fill the supply gap with its KN95 mask. The company has been producing KN95 masks for medical professionals, government workers, hospitals, and first responders. Now, it is making excess inventory available to the public to help prevent the spread of the virus from all angles. N95Maskco firmly believes that all citizens should be empowered to take charge of their well-being during these dangerous times. Distributing the excess inventory furnishes the public with the resources to do just that. The adjustable KN95 mask...

AMBLER, PA.—With stay-at-home orders in place in most states, public health structural pests like bedbugs, roaches and rodents are proliferating because of increased accessibility to food sources. All of these contribute to worsening asthma conditions and related breathing complications, which may lead to more severe cases of COVID-19 for the 25 million asthmatics in the United States. Although pest control has been deemed an essential service by Homeland Security and the vast majority of states during the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns over maintaining social distancing and possible exposure to the coronavirus has significantly slowed, or stopped, treatments for these internal structural...

A little more than two weeks ago I added a wellness section to Green Lodging News. Just a few days ago I added a COVID-19 news section. You can find the link to the new section at the far right of the green navigation bar on the Green Lodging News website. There are already 90 articles in the section—focusing on topics ranging from new cleaning and maintenance procedures to new technologies, to socially responsible steps companies are taking in their communities and within their companies. Be sure to bookmark this section as I will be adding new articles to it...

I will be chatting soon with someone from Dyson about the importance of handwashing and, just as important, proper hand drying—both extremely important in this new COVID-19 world. According to the PR person who contacted me about handwashing and Dyson, damp hands can transfer up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands. I found a press release from 2009 that backs this up. The hand dryer versus paper towel for public restrooms debate has been going on a long time. I have written about it previously for Green Lodging News. With COVID-19 everything is about touch points and of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) introduced Safe Stay, an industry-wide, enhanced standard of health and safety protocols designed to prepare America’s hotels to safely welcome back guests and employees as the economy reopens. Safe Stay represents the top priority for the industry, the health and safety of guests and employees. The standards of Safe Stay were developed under the guidance of an Advisory Council, comprised of industry leaders representing all segments of the hotel industry, and in conjunction with public health experts to advance best practices for protecting against the coronavirus. This initiative represents a new level...

PHOENIX—Best Western Hotels & Resorts (BWHR) was the first hotel brand to set a high level of cleanliness with the roll out of the I Care Clean program in 2012. The program was developed through a partnership with innovation and design firm, IDEO, and required its hotels to focus on guest high touch items and areas with standards such as usage of ultraviolet sterilization wands and TV remotes that can be disinfected. At the onslaught of the global COVID-19 pandemic, BWHR immediately rolled out enhanced cleaning protocols and breakfast standards. Recognizing that travelers are now more concerned than ever about cleanliness, BWHR is launching...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—EcoSure and Lobster Ink, Ecolab divisions focused on food safety and public health, are offering COVID-19 assessment and training programs to help food service and hospitality customers protect their employees and guests and restore safe and profitable operations. “Prevention is the best protection,” said Mandy Sedlak, EcoSure manager for Food Safety and Public Health. “By training frontline employees on COVID-19 prevention, providing coaching on best practices and enhancing standard operating procedures (SOPs), we will help arm food service teams with the right knowledge and tools to combat this pandemic.” In addition to Ecolab’s cleaning and disinfecting, hygiene and warewashing...

With all the precautions you are taking to protect your guests and staff against COVID-19, you should pay special attention to your drains and pipes. The interconnection of all parts of a hotel building by the wastewater plumbing system makes it vulnerable. The plumbing can be the conduit for the spread of the virus and stagnating water could increase the growth of Legionella bacteria and other pathogens. A recent article published in The Lancet explains how wastewater plumbing systems have the potential to enable airborne transmission of COVID-19. Buildings that have gone dormant for long stretches of time are especially...

CHICAGO—Hyatt announced a Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment to further enhance its operational guidance and resources around colleague and guest safety and peace of mind. The multi-layered commitment builds on Hyatt’s existing rigorous protocols and will include an accreditation process by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) at all hotels around the world, colleague training and support resources, and a cross-functional working group of medical experts and industry professionals that will contribute to various aspects of the hotel experience. “The world as we knew it has been fundamentally changed by COVID-19 and when we are all ready to travel again,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) launched “Safe Stay,” an initiative focused on enhanced hotel cleaning practices, social interactions, and workplace protocols to meet the new health and safety challenges and expectations presented by COVID-19. Safe Stay will seek to change hotel industry norms, behaviors and standards to ensure both hotel guests and employees are confident in the cleanliness and safety of hotels once travel resumes. “Every hotel guest and employee should know that their health and safety are our top priority,” said Chip Rogers, President and CEO of AHLA. “Safe Stay represents a new level of focus...