NATIONAL REPORT—One of the main ways to slow the spread of COVID-19 is through the wearing of face masks. Face masks prevent you from spreading respiratory droplets and help reduce, but not eliminate, the wearer’s exposure to airborne particles. In recent months, many suppliers have emerged selling different types of masks. A review of supplier sites found at least a half-dozen different mask types. Ray Burger, President of Pineapple Hospitality, a company currently selling several mask varieties, says his customers are primarily buying 3-ply and KN95 for non-medical use masks. Both N95 and KN95 masks are available in the marketplace...

SOLON, OHIO—The month of May has been declared “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month” by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) to raise awareness about the effects of these diseases. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often two to five times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. Tarkett, a worldwide leader in innovative and sustainable flooring, understands the impact this can have on the health and wellness of those with asthma and allergies and remains the only flooring...

Here is what hotel managers need to know: After COVID-19, few things will be the same. Hotel guests are going to be concerned that not only are the hotels they stay in cleaned using green cleaning tools, methods, and equipment, but steps have been taken to ensure the entire property is healthy. And one way they will be able to determine this is if the property has been WELL certified. The WELL program is relatively new. The International WELL Building Institute, as it is officially known, is about six years old. It was started by many of the same people that...

A little more than two weeks ago I added a wellness section to Green Lodging News. Just a few days ago I added a COVID-19 news section. You can find the link to the new section at the far right of the green navigation bar on the Green Lodging News website. There are already 90 articles in the section—focusing on topics ranging from new cleaning and maintenance procedures to new technologies, to socially responsible steps companies are taking in their communities and within their companies. Be sure to bookmark this section as I will be adding new articles to it...

MIAMI—The Global Wellness Institute launched the first in a series of weekly Q&A interviews with wellness leaders and thinkers across the globe seeking to discover the impact of COVID-19—now and far into the future. The series is part of GWI’s PositivelyWell online resource and initiative to empower health and wellness in the age of Coronavirus; the interviews will be conducted and curated by Beth McGroarty, VP Research & Forecasting. In the first Wellness Q&A, world-renowned architect Bill Bensley explores how the travel industry will change post-virus and cites critical silver linings that will emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, not only for the tourism industry...

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...

NATIONAL REPORT—Whether in fixed areas such as air handling systems or in portable devices such as air purifiers or germ-killing robots, ultraviolet (UV) radiation is being used to help combat the threat of coronavirus (COVID-19). UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10 percent of the total electromagnetic radiation output from the sun. In manmade lamps, more highly concentrated UV rays can be highly effective at killing germs, bacteria and viruses. UltraViolet Device, Inc. (UVDI), in a press release issued this month, says coronavirus is highly susceptible to germicidal UV irradiation. The susceptibility of coronavirus to UV rays...

BHUTAN—Less than six months after the opening of the “Traditional Birdwatching Bridge” in Gangtey, Six Senses Bhutan has opened its fifth and final lodge, Six Senses Bumthang. This opening marks the completion of a circuit that will take guests on a journey across the western and central valleys of the Kingdom. As the gateway to the east and the site of some of the country’s earliest settlements, Bumthang is considered as Bhutan’s spiritual heartland and is home to some of its most ancient monasteries and sacred monuments. This region is known for its four valleys, covered in pristine forests and meandering rivers,...

HOUSTON—The Westin Houston Medical Center is the first and only hotel in the United States to utilize LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots to sanitize and disinfect its guestrooms and common areas to help combat the threat of coronavirus. The room disinfection technology, provided by San Antonio-based Xenex Disinfection Services, was developed by two epidemiologists in Houston, with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as their first customer. The Westin Houston Medical Center purchased two of the decontaminating robots, which are already at work sanitizing rooms inside the building. LightStrike robots have been proven to quickly destroy viruses, bacteria, and fungi using...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council says up to 50 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector are at risk due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “WTTC figures show the stark impact on the travel and tourism sector of the present COVID-19 outbreak with analysis now suggesting that up to 50 million jobs are at risk in the sector globally. When the time is right, WTTC and the global private sector will be ready to help and support the government and countries to recover.” Latest figures from WTTC, which represents the global travel...