CALGARY, ALBERTA—Patronscan, a leading manufacturer of I.D. scanning technology, has developed a contact tracing guest registry that can help the hospitality, sports and entertainment industry transition from an era of stay-at-home orders to open for business. “To restore economic growth and jobs, public healthcare experts are wrestling with how best to transition bars and restaurants from take-out to dine-in and how to reintroduce the public to gathering safely in public spaces as stay-at-home orders are relaxed,” said Alberio Bathory-Frota, CEO of Patronscan, a worldwide I.D. scanning firm. “To assure customers that a place of business has social distancing protocols in place...

Some random thoughts about a couple of matters after another interesting news week: A subtle but potentially significant change in how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discusses the importance of surface touching in the spread of COVID-19. Whereas it previously mentioned surface touching in the same breath as person-to-person contact, the CDC now lists touching infected surfaces under a section entitled, “The virus does not spread easily in other ways.” In a nutshell, touching surfaces or objects is now not thought to be a main way the virus spreads. “It may be possible that a person can...

GULF BREEZE, FLA.—Innisfree Hotels, Northwest Florida’s largest owner of beachfront hotels, announced that the company will donate up to 6,300 room nights to frontline medical professionals leading the fight against COVID-19. Innisfree will make rooms available without charge to doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics and other frontline medical staff who need a place to sleep, recharge or isolate from their families through the end of May. The initiative will be executed in partnership with Hilton and American Express’s commitment to donate up to 1 million hotel room nights across the United States. “In the spirit of hospitality, Innisfree is opening our doors...

WASHINGTON D.C.—With new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showing staggering job loss to the hospitality and leisure industry, the American Hotel & Lodging Association yesterday released  a “Roadmap to Recovery,” calling on Congress to prioritize relief for hotel workers and small businesses in the next stimulus package. The April Jobs Report showed the hospitality and leisure industry was the hardest hit, losing 7.7 million jobs—nearly as many jobs as the next four sectors combined. (Click here to read AHLA’s letter to Congress.) AHLA is urging Congress to provide immediate assistance in these four areas: Help hotels retain...

NEW ALBANY, MISS.—Refrigerated Solutions Group announced that after a full review of its business opportunities, market conditions and other options, it reached the difficult but necessary decision to begin the process of permanently closing its manufacturing facility located in New Albany, Miss. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused sudden, dramatic, and unexpected conditions outside of the company’s control. The unprecedented and major economic downturn and the governmental-forced closures of many of RSG’s customers have contributed to these unforeseeable business conditions. As a result, product manufacturing will be consolidated to RSG’s Hudson, Wisconsin facility by October 31, 2020. The RSG warehouse...

I have received many press releases from hotel companies announcing new protocols for ensuring hygiene and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the companies have put together videos that demonstrate some of the steps they are taking. Perhaps no other company has put together a more polished video that encapsulates their initiatives than Palace Resorts and Le Blanc Spa Resorts. Click here to access that video that explains many of the company’s initiatives that comprise its Purely Palace program. Here are some examples from Purely Palace: Each team member has his or her temperature checked before walking through a...

​​​​ORLANDO—Clean the World Foundation, a leader in global health dedicated to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and global sustainability, has joined forces with Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming to fight the spread of COVID-19. The organizations donated 350,000 bars of soap to Clean the World Foundation, which will be used to provide life-saving soap to individuals and families across the globe that are most vulnerable to hygiene-related illnesses. Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming currently participate in Clean the World’s Hospitality Recycling program. Through this program, room attendants collect the soap and bathroom amenities left behind by hotel guests and ship them...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Choice Hotels International, Inc. is teaming up with Serta, Inc. to contribute to its “Stay Home, Send Beds” initiative, which is providing bed donations to help address nationwide shortages at hospitals and temporary medical facilities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of Choice Hotels’ award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty program can donate their points towards beds for hospitals in need, and Choice will increase the impact by matching 100 percent of donated Choice Privileges points for a limited time. All Serta mattress donations are being facilitated through Relief Bed International, a nonprofit organization that provides beds to impoverished people and disaster...

LAS VEGAS—In a broad collaborative plan created by business and community leaders, Las Vegas gaming and resort properties will partner with University Medical Center (UMC), the Culinary Health Fund and the Las Vegas Convention Center to provide COVID-19 testing for gaming employees prior to their return to work. The testing will be conducted at the Las Vegas Convention Center as properties re-open following the direction of State officials. “The ability to safely reopen our properties has been our singular focus over the past several weeks,” said Bill Hornbuckle, Acting CEO and President of MGM Resorts International. “This testing partnership will...

LINCOLNSHIRE, ILL.—To help businesses relay important information to their employees, customers, visitors and patients, LG Business Solutions USA has introduced a suite of digital signage packages that allow businesses to dynamically communicate their policies, sanitization standards and real-time updates. Representing the first in LG’s all-new series of Health Protocol Solutions, these digital signage packages are designed for indoor and window-facing use in either landscape or portrait orientation. Each easy-to-use package includes a webOS Signage LG display, a Peerless-AV SmartMount Flat Panel Cart and a limited time free trial of content management software (CMS) that’s compatible with multiple webOS Signage software...