MIAMI—SMARTLINEN has converted some of its production to produce CDC approved washable face masks. After receiving an overwhelming response, the company identified a way to raise awareness and money for a great cause. Historically, hotels have celebrated October as breast cancer awareness month with select promotions that make a small difference. This year SMARTLINEN challenges the industry to embrace its campaign BE SMART, WEAR PINK and outfit your team in Hot Pink Signature Antimicrobial Face Masks for the month of October. SMARTLINEN will donate a portion of each purchase to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Fundraiser. Go to www.getsmartlinen.com...

CHICAGO—All Hyatt hotels in the Americas will require face coverings within indoor public areas, which include meetings and events spaces, restaurants and bars, and fitness centers. Guests are also required to wear face coverings while moving around in outdoor areas. Some guests may be exempt from this mandate, including but not limited to people with medical conditions, consuming food or beverages in restaurants, and children under the age of two years. Guests who are not wearing face coverings indoors will be asked to wear one, and at all Hyatt hotels, face masks will be made available to guests who do not...

SAN DIEGO—TrustYou, the company dedicated to helping companies win through the power of listening, launches the exclusive hotel Relief Pack to support hoteliers in their mission to prioritize cleanliness and turn it into a key strength. The Relief Pack includes two exciting new features of the TrustYou platform: the Trusted Cleanliness badge and the Public Health review category. As part of their new Recovery Race campaign focused on COVID-19 recovery resources, training, and expert guidelines, the company now launches product features that leverage today’s most important hotel amenities: cleanliness and safety. TrustYou’s exclusive Trusted Cleanliness badge is available for any...

QUITO, ECUADOR—After three-and-a-half months with its doors locked, curtains drawn, and only a skeleton crew onsite, Mashpi Lodge has begun welcoming explorers to experience the beauty of the rainforest again. A cocoon in the clouds within the 6,000-acre Mashpi Rainforest Reserve near Quito, Ecuador, Mashpi Lodge has spent the pandemic pause productively, implementing more than 30 protocols and measures designed to prioritize the health and safety of guests and staff, surpassing even the “Safe Travels” protocols recommended by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Team members of Mashpi Lodge have been thoroughly trained and tested on every new detail...

NEW YORK—Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, announced a fully contactless suite of applications for the hospitality industry, specifically designed for hotels and resorts, casinos and gaming, restaurants and food services, and event sales and table reservations. With guest and hotel staff safety in mind, Infor Hospitality Cloud Solutions are designed to address hotel operational needs for social distancing and contactless processes—including mobile check-in/check-out, digital keys, and the ability to order room service via one’s own device. “Guests are seeking frictionless options that will allow them to circumvent long lines or crowded lobbies, preferring self-service...

The Pandemic Action Network, WHO, Africa CDC, CDC and CDC Foundation, Facebook, Google, Global Citizen and 40+ partner organizations just announced the launch of World Mask Week from August 7 to 14, an effort to increase the use of face coverings in public across the globe. These organizations join many others, including hotel companies and hotel industry associations, that have committed to face mask wearing to wipe out COVID-19 as much as possible. Given the alarming exponential increase of infection rates across the globe, sustained community masking in public is critical to stop the spread of COVID-19, even as situations...

NATIONAL REPORT—One thing that COVID-19 experts agree on is this: the fewer the touch points, the fewer the opportunities for infection. Much has been written so far about touchless check-in but another touch point beginning to receive attention is the water filtration system. Earlier this month, Vero Water, a leading provider of luxury still and sparkling water, introduced its VERO+4 featuring Touchless Technology to meet the heightened sanitation and safety requirements for HORECA establishments because of COVID-19. Similarly, FloWater announced the addition of a foot pedal mechanism to its already self-sanitizing FloWater Refill Stations, making them fully “Touchless.” In the...

FORT WASHINGTON, PENN.—Sofidel, a leading global provider of paper for hygienic and domestic use, launched its Papernet Heavenly Soft Door Tissue and Defend Tech hand towel dispensers. With heightened concerns around hygiene in public facilities—particularly in restrooms—the Door Tissue promotes cleanliness by turning restroom doors into touchless exits and eliminating contact with other high-traffic touchpoints such as elevator buttons. The Defend Tech dispensers feature unique silver-ion technology that repels germs and helps further reduce the risk of contaminated hands and surfaces. “Some customers form perceptions of a business based on the level of hygiene in the facility, especially its restrooms,”...

TRENTON, N.J.—Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has proven indispensable in the wake of COVID-19 but this surge has led to littered PPE flooding streets and marine habitats. To address this unintended public health crisis of potentially hazardous litter, TerraCycle Regulated Waste has launched an easy-to-use recycling solution for single-use gloves and masks through their line of EasyPak Containers. Designed as a recycling system for businesses in need of a turn-key solution for hazardous waste disposal, the PPE EasyPack Containers allow property managers to easily recycle used gloves and masks on-site, thereby allowing staff to responsibly dispose of their protective gear instead...

ATLANTA—AAHOA, the nation’s largest hotel owners association, in partnership with P&G Professional, is pleased to announce the launch of a free new training in hotel sanitization and cleanliness. The online training is designed to help hotel owners and employees follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations to mitigate virus transmission. “As our industry progresses on the road to recovery, it is imperative that hotels offer guests clean, safe accommodations so they feel confident as they resume travel,” said AAHOA President & CEO Cecil Staton. “We are grateful to partner with P&G Professional to...