JACKSONVILLE, FLA.—When crisis hits, fast thinking and a people-first attitude makes all the difference in how a company responds. That’s why, as early as March 17, family-owned Bacardi shifted gears to help produce much-needed hand sanitizers in response to the COVID-19 crisis. What began at one Bacardi-owned site in Puerto Rico quickly expanded to eight sites and, now, 14 Bacardi sites across countries and company brands, including BACARDÍ rum in multiple sites, GREY GOOSE in France, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE in England, MARTINI in Italy, DEWAR’S in Scotland, LEBLON in Brazil, and others have joined efforts to help. Each location is giving back...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands announced it will donate two million medical masks and 20,000 protective suits to help health-care professionals, first responders and nonprofit organizations in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Medical mask donations will be distributed in the company’s corporate headquarters of Nevada as well as New York, which has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Each state will receive one million masks. The 20,000 protective suits will be donated to hospitals and first responders in Nevada. “Hopefully our donations will help protect people on the front lines so they can continue their invaluable...

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,...

Malaysia’s Echo Resorts, the owning company for Gayana Marine Resort, Bunga Raya Island Resort and Borneo Eagle Resort, is keeping busy amidst the worldwide pandemic caused by the corona virus. While its hotel division is not operating due to global travel restrictions and the Movement Control Order imposed by the Malaysian government, it’s business as usual, if not more, for the other divisions. Organic Food Supply Its Borneo Eco Fish Farm by Bayu Aquaculture Sdn Bhd and Green-Os organic vegetable farm are seeing rising orders from consumers and restaurants since the pandemic began. Borneo Eco Fish Farm rears an assortment of...

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...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe team has released guidance to help restaurants restart when the nation begins reopening its businesses. Download the Restaurant Reopening Guidance. ServSafe partnered with the Food and Drug Administration, public health officials, industry representatives, academia, the Conference for Food Protection, and Ecolab Inc., to create protocols for restaurants to reopen safely. Additionally, the document incorporates recommendations from FDA’s just-released Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-Up/Delivery Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The guidance offers instruction on how to begin serving customers in partial and full-service capacities. The Association encourages combining the guidelines with existing corporate policies,...

BARRIE, ONT.—Busch Systems introduces recycling and waste receptacles made with CuVerro Shield protection, a U.S. EPA and Health Canada PMRA registered antimicrobial solution that kills greater than 99.9 percent of bacteria* within two hours. CuVerro Shield by Aereus Technologies is an antimicrobial copper alloy solution that kills greater than 99.9 percent of bacteria* within two hours and continues to kill more than 99.9 percent of bacteria* even after repeated contamination. The coating is tarnish-resistant, will not wash off, wear away or oxidize. In addition, CuVerro Shield is made from up to 100 percent recycled copper material and is 100 percent...