The health and safety of hotels is more paramount than ever. Hotels and venues all over the world are revamping their policies and guidelines to ensure the safety of guests and planners, especially where the virus is concerned.
InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) is a chain of hotels all around the world "committed to delivering True Hospitality for everyone". For this hotel safety spotlight, we spoke to Maria Hoffmeister, Area Director of Sales & Marketing, InterContinental Berlin to find out how they are keeping guests safe.
Find out how InterContinental Berlin are approaching hotel safety:
What steps are your venue taking to create a safe but engaging environment for guests?
IHG has a long-standing commitment to rigorous cleaning procedures and launched the IHG Way of Clean programme in 2015 – developed in partnership with Ecolab and Diversey – both world leaders in hygiene and cleaning technologies and services.
This programme is now being expanded with additional COVID-19 protocols and best practices – many of which are already in place – to reflect the advice of regional and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and local public health authorities in markets around the world.
How are you approaching health and safety in your venue?
- Reception: Reduced contact at check-in, touchless transactions, front
desk screens, sanitizer stations, sanitized keycards, paperless check-out - Public Spaces and Facilities: Additional deep cleaning of high-touch surfaces, social distancing, guidance to implement ‘last cleaned’ charts, and best practices for pools, fitness centers and lounges
- Food & Beverage: New standards and service approach to buffets, banquets room-service and catering
- Guest Room: Reduction of in-room furnishings/high-touch items, new laundry protocols, use of electrostatic technology (at select hotels) and the addition of in-room IHG Clean Promise cards with cleaning procedures
- Meetings and Events: Deep and more frequent cleaning of meeting and event spaces, access to ample hand sanitizer stations, socially distanced seating and meeting room layout, guidance on management of guest flow, single-serve and pre-packaged meal options.
Find out more about InterContinental Berlin
How are you approaching social distancing in your venue?
We implemented a signage system which enables every guest to follow routes leading one-way, so they do not cross the path of others. In addition, we put floor markers which show the minimum distance in place in all public spaces including elevators.
What challenges or obstacles have you encountered while setting your venue up for a post-pandemic environment?
Feeling safe is a very personal private sensation. The biggest challenge therefore is meeting everybody’s requirements. Implementing new protocols without having guests give feedback with regards to the services in place, the new policies and procedures implemented was a major dare.
Fortunately, this changed, and we’ve gained more and more of a routine and received positive feedback about our procedures in place.
What has been working well and what have your guests responded positively to?
During check-in or even before arrival, using pre-check-in messages, we inform the individual guest about actual restrictions and allowances, not only when it comes to the hotel, but we explain regulations for the destination as well.
In case they, for example, forget masks or anything else in this regard we provide them free-of-charge. Our guests feel well-informed and that is what they need first and foremost.
Very early we put a hygiene concept together which we proactively share with planners, not only when having business with us but to let them know that they partner with people they can trust and can give advice how to make events these days.
Have you been using any technology to help keep guests safe?
With our long-standing AV partner, KFP, we have experts alongside us who deliver tailormade offerings serving the needs and requirements our clients have. They not only respond to the request but act in consultative function.
While there is more demand in the direction of technology because of travel restrictions, every function can be made hybrid.
In addition to the meeting aspect, we certainly used technology to stay in-contact with partners and used digital site inspections and as alternative to face-to-face to face appointments.
How are you letting planners know that your hotel is open and safe for events?
Social media is key – we constantly share news, not only about COVID-19 “topics”, but in terms of the destination and IHG’s response towards the needs of our guests and clients. While meetings are fortunately allowed again, the latest news primarily talks about the IHG Meet with Confidence programme.
Has your property considered hybrid events/have you hosted any?
YES, we did host and all future bookings will have this component.
What challenges did you encounter? What went well?
The learning curve certainly is, that clients and us as hoteliers pretend to know what hybrid is and how it works.
Again, thanks to our long-standing partnership with KFP we have experts on our side who do.
Have you been leveraging CVBs/DMOs in any way since the pandemic?
Even before the pandemic, we worked closely with the Visit Berlin Convention Office. We partner in terms of hygiene concepts and give us a voice while inventing one or the other action and initiative to stimulate business.
Be it domestic or local offerings, marketing campaigns which focus destination factors which are highly appreciated and looked after (space, air, nature, safety) or special measurements in the course of congress funding, supporting one or the other client, it is great alliance between InterContinental Berlin and Berlin Convention Office.
Has Cvent helped at all? If yes, how?
Cvent immediately contacted their partners; first in order to let them know that they are there, open to help in various directions, and, something which is essential these days, showed how much they do care about the people they work ad partner with.
Cvent provided suppliers various help; be it meaningful conversations how to use systems in place, trainings offerings, market insights and customised solutions in regards to their contracts, mediating with clients and more.
These are uncertain times, but together we will succeed.
Event planners and venues must lean on eachother more than ever to be successful. New restrictions and COVID-19 guidelines are new to all of us. That means that it is key to collaborate effectively and to know what the other side expects.
Up next, check out our on-demand webinar on reconnecting planners and venues.
