CINCINNATI—Stay-at-home restrictions are being lifted across the country and more people will resume their routines of shopping at retail stores, traveling for work and fun, and eating out in restaurants. But as two new surveys from P&G Professional reveal, COVID-19 is still top of mind for consumers and it will be critical for businesses to reassure their guests that it is safe to return. Communicating that the space is cleaned and disinfected by brands they know, and trust will help instill this consumer confidence.
In May 2020, P&G Professional, the away from home division of Procter & Gamble, surveyed 850 frequent business and leisure travelers and 974 diners about how COVID-19 has impacted their expectations about future travel and dining experiences. The surveys revealed that more than 70 percent of hotel guests and 80 percent of diners believe COVID-19 will have a medium to large impact on their expectations, even as nearly 50 percent of each group plans to return to their routines within the next three months.
As businesses begin to reopen and welcome people back into their space, transparency around cleaning procedures and the products used can help guests feel more safe and confident and ultimately benefit a business’s bottom line.
Seventy percent of travelers and nearly 60 percent (58 percent) of diners respectively, said they would patronize a hospitality or foodservice establishment if they knew the business was using a manufacturer or brand of cleaning products they personally knew and trusted. In addition, 55 percent of travelers would be willing to pay more for a hotel room and one in three diners would be willing to pay more for a meal if they knew the business was using a personally recognizable and trusted brand of cleaning products. Each survey revealed that P&G Professional is the professional-grade cleaning manufacturer with the highest awareness and trust by respondents with nearly 50 percent saying they have extreme trust in P&G Professional to clean a facility most effectively versus 38 percent of the next leading competitor.
“For more than 110 years, P&G Professional has offered cleaning solutions that help protect businesses and communities,” said Paul Edmondson, P&G Professional Americas Commercial Director. “Now more than ever, it is critical that businesses achieve and maintain a high level of cleanliness and disinfection to help ensure the health and safety of employees and guests. Communicating the steps taken to achieve these new standards of clean is key to building trust with customers while rebuilding their business.”
P&G Professional has launched the CleanPLUS Experience to aide businesses in their recovery by offering resources and materials to help build trust with guests. Businesses who sign up for the CleanPLUS Experience will have access to co-branded digital and printed materials that showcase trusted name brands such as Dawn Professional, Microban 24 Professional, Safeguard, Spic and Span, and Comet to help give customers and guests confidence in the clean.
Travelers Expect More
- Bathroom cleanliness, odors, visible hair, and the condition of linens are top signals that a guestroom is clean, or not.
- Bathroom surfaces, high-touch objects, contamination from previous guests, and presence of invisible pathogens are top concerns.
- Fifty-seven percent expect more transparency around what hotels are doing to keep guests safe and rooms clean, both in-person and on the company website.
- Sixty-seven percent expect to see more thorough and frequent cleaning and 61 percent expect to see more visible methods of cleaning, like pamphlets and signage.
- Cleanliness and housekeeping procedures were ranked as most the important attributes for hotel guests, surpassing both the price of the room and location of the hotel.
Diners Raise the Bar
- Bathroom and kitchen cleanliness, spotless tables, chairs and surfaces and pleasant smells were the top signals that a restaurant is clean, or not.
- More than 70 percent expect more thorough and frequent cleaning, saying bathrooms, buffets, tables, chairs, and counters are the most important areas to clean.
- Diners support changes to staff procedures to ensure safety, testing sick employees before they return to work, and having employees wear masks and gloves.
- Cleanliness ranked as the second most important attribute for a diner’s experience behind only the quality and taste of food, however, 74 percent want to know how restaurants are cleaned and sanitized and what is being done to ensure food safety.
P&G Professional has many EPA-Approved Products on List N for use against SARS-CoV-2 with trusted brand names. These multi-purpose products are safe, simple, and effective to use, and clean and disinfect in one step so owners and operators can be confident that their business is safe for employees, customers, residents, and guests.
- Microban 24 Professional—The powerful disinfectant sanitizes in 10 seconds and kills 99.9 percent of bacteria on high-touch surfaces for up to 24 hours.
- Spic & Span Disinfecting All-Purpose Spray & Glass Cleaner—The multi-purpose cleaner combines three products in one and cleans with 50 percent fewer strokes than the leading competitor.
- Comet Disinfecting Cleaner with Bleach—The hospital-use disinfectant has a non-abrasive formula effective against tough kitchen and bathroom soils and cleans with 50 percent fewer strokes.
- Clean Quick Sanitizers—The no-rinse sanitizer is safe for all food contact surfaces, including cutting boards, tables and chairs, and for third-sink sanitizing.
P&G Professional can help businesses with infection prevention and control. To learn more or request a consultation from P&G Professional Experts, go to www.pgpro.com and download the free infection control guide or sign up to be the first to hear about new products and offers.
