COVID-19 has altered the way we live, work and socialize for a long time. Cleanliness and hygiene have taken priority now more than ever. With the outbreak of COVID-19, most of the hotels had taken a responsible decision to suspend their operation to avoid any health risk for their guests and staff.

However, every major hotel brand has now announced to resume operations in a bid to welcome their guests back and revive their revenue. But as hotels prepare to get into the new normal, it is mandatory to monitor updates from the Central & State Governments & local health departments regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and adhere to the guidelines issued by the said authorities from time to time.

In our two-part blog series, we will be covering various aspects of the hotel industry that require various precautions and measures for sanitization and hygiene practices to ensure a safe stay for the visitors and guests and prevent the spread of infection during regular operations.

Reception & Lobby: The reception and common lobby area are where there is usually a maximum crowd where the front desk staff and visitors are in continuous movement. Hotels must ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection of these areas with effective solutions that can be done parallel along with the regular operations. Buzil Rossari recommends the use of ROSS FCS BR-201 surface disinfectant that is most suitable for broad-spectrum disinfection which can be used for spraying, mopping or wipe. It requires a low dosage for application and acts very quickly to eliminate bacteria and viruses from surfaces and ensure the safety of your guests.

Food Preparation Area: As mentioned in the World Health Organization (WHO) interim guidance report for COVID-19 management in hotels, it is stated that transmission of the covid virus may also occur by touching objects. Hence it is a must to take precautions to sanitize and disinfect all fruits and vegetables and other edible items before they are used for preparing the food. Products like ROSS TAB BR 504 make it easy to sanitize the fruits and vegetables and make them safe for consumption for your patrons. It is a versatile product that can be used in many areas for interim disinfection like utensils, glassware, cutlery, crockery and others.

Kitchen Area: Fresh food prepared most hygienically is always of prime importance and beneficial for health. Hence, all kitchen areas in hotels must be sanitized at regular intervals. Our product Ross Clean Advanced is an all-purpose cleaner that is perfect for cleaning kitchen areas that usually contain a lot of grease and stains. It is a highly concentrated detergent liquid that is suitable for one-step cleaning and disinfection of hygienically sensitive areas like hotel kitchens. All staff working in the kitchen areas must also be properly trained as per the WHO guidelines for regular cleaning of hands, sanitizing, using gloves, masks and other kitchen uniforms as provided as well as maintain physical distancing.

Restaurants: In areas like restaurants, cafeterias and lounges, detailed guidelines and SOP need to be followed. Hotel owners should pay attention to arrange the seating in such a way that social distancing is maintained. Use of all disposable materials like menus, paper, plates, spoons, napkins are encouraged. Implementation of contactless orders and digital payment systems are the new normal which all restaurants should adopt. Using Rosa DC another strong surface disinfectant product by Buzil Rossari range of cleaning solutions, can help to keep the restaurant area surface and other related areas clean and sanitized.
Public TouchPoints: Cleaning and regular disinfection of frequently human touched surfaces like doorknobs, elevator buttons, staircase railings, handles are to be followed mandatorily in all common public areas and guest service areas. Multi-purpose surface disinfectant Sodium Hypochlorite 5% is effective for such functions as a spray/wipe/ mopping/ fumigation/misting, as stated in SOP on preventive measures in Hotels and Other Hospitality Units to contain the spread of COVID-19 by Government of India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Along with all the above, other generic safety guidelines need to be followed. It is essential to follow physical distancing measures, regular temperature and health check-ups of staff, providing safety kits to staff that should include masks, gloves, sanitizers, PPE kits, etc. Hand sanitizers and dispensers should be placed at all strategic locations and all guests entering and leaving the hotel premises, restaurants and other common areas like the lobby or recreation canter must clean their hands with alcohol-based hand rub or sanitizers that are formulated according to WHO guidelines.