SAN FRANCISCO—Is your hotel “Covid Clean?” It can be, thanks to a new app that gives housekeepers step-by-step cleaning instructions that follow Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to stop the spread of the virus. Beekeeper, a mobile-first communication platform for frontline workers, is now offering the “Cleaning Task Lists” by Whispr app free to its customers. The smart checklist will work on any Android or iOS device and can be activated by Whispr immediately if the hotel is an existing Beekeeper user. “We are extremely proud of our innovation partner, Whispr, for designing an app that will enable hotels...

What should our industry learn from the coronavirus? I thought about that a little bit this week and would welcome your thoughts as well. Of course, one lesson is everyone’s lesson: paying attention at a heightened level when a country thousands of miles away has people dying from a new virus and having a crisis management plan in place to prepare for it. Don’t wait for government to tell you what to do. Be prepared with your own action steps. Who would have thought front desk, housekeeping, and other personnel would need to have personnel protective gear such as face...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International announced an array of initiatives intended to support those impacted economically by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including a $1 million crisis and disaster relief pledge into an employee emergency grant fund and donating the equivalent of 400,000 meals across the United States. “As we confront extraordinary events and an unprecedented  global pandemic crisis, we know that this is an extremely challenging and uncertain time for many of our employees, their families, friends and neighbors and we are committed to help those in need,” said Bill Hornbuckle, Acting CEO and President of MGM Resorts International. “We have...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In an effort to support communities across the country during this unprecedented public health crisis, the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) announced a new initiative—Hotels for Hope—to connect hotel properties with the health community, struggling to find housing and support as the COVID-19 public health crisis grows. The newly launched initiative, just announced in partnership with AHLA partner state associations across the country, has identified over 6,500 properties nationwide located in close proximity to established healthcare facilities that are at the ready to assist government efforts and work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),...

TEMECULA, CALIF.—Dozens of giant 25-pound bags of onions, carrots and celery. Pallets of fresh ripe strawberries and blackberries. Thousands of pounds of cantaloupes and honeydew melons. Ten thousand dollars in milk (461 gallons) and dairy products alone. All of this and a lot more was sent last week by Pechanga to three charities in Riverside County that regularly support disadvantaged and homeless people in the region. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, these groups have been even harder hit. Pechanga Resort Casino’s temporary closure announced on Saturday, March 14 shut down the casino, hotel, spa, golf course, as well as...

MCLEAN, VA.—As the hospitality industry responds to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Hilton is partnering with leading companies to connect workers from temporarily suspended hotels with hundreds of thousands of short-term jobs created by the global pandemic. Hilton Team Members, and others in the industry seeking employment, will be given direct access and in some cases expedited access to temporary jobs on the Hilton Workforce Resource Center at companies such as Albertsons, Amazon, CVS, Lidl, Sunrise Senior Living and Walgreens. These partners recognize the power of a service culture and the value of hospitality skills training Hilton Team Members are known to receive. With a...

CINCINNATI—Due to the global pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Hydro Systems, a leader in chemical dispensing equipment, software and services, has published an educational white paper, “Dispensing Cleanliness During an Outbreak or Pandemic.” The white paper discusses the current state of the pandemic, cleaning best practices and the benefits of using chemical dispensing systems to combat an outbreak. The white paper is available for download at https://hydrosystemsco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-White-Paper_U.S._FINAL.pdf. “From schools to hotels to office buildings, every facility in the U.S. has been impacted by COVID-19 in some shape or form and now requires frequent cleaning to mitigate the spread of infection,” said...

Earth Hour will be marked globally this Saturday, March 28 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. locally. In the past hotels have extinguished non-essential lighting, created special drinks, held candle-lit dinners, etc. Earth Hour was part party, part reflection on the current state of the planet. Of course, this year’s Earth Hour will be much different with all focus on just staying healthy and safe. I suspect you have seen the numbers this past week—how devastating the coronavirus has been to the travel industry. According to the U.S. Travel Association, the coronavirus will cost the U.S. travel sector 4.6 million...

LAS VEGAS—After closely monitoring the risk and impact of COVID-19 on a daily basis, and speaking at length with members of its community, HD Expo + Conference, which had been scheduled for May 5 to 7, 2020, at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, has been officially cancelled by Emerald X, LLC. This is due to recent developments regarding COVID-19 that include, but are not limited to, the declaration of a National State of Emergency by President Trump, the Nevada State of Emergency announced by Governor Steve Sisolak, the latest measures, including travel restrictions placed on foreign nationals traveling to the United...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Amid the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, Earth Day Network, the global organizer of Earth Day, will mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with the first Digital Earth Day, a global digital mobilization on April 22 to address the most urgent threats to people and the planet. “At Earth Day Network, the health and safety of volunteers and participants in Earth Day events is our top concern. Amid the recent outbreak, we encourage people to rise up but to do so safely and responsibly—in many cases, that means using our voices to drive action online rather than in...