Wyndham Destinations & MGM adopt new hygiene standards to fight Covid-19

MGM employees are reconfiguring spaces at the Bellagio in Las Vegas to encourage physical distancing.

Wyndham Destinations and MGM take steps to up their hygiene game and keep guests safe in a post-Covid-19 world.

With hotels around the world eager to reopen as soon as possible following the Covid-19 pandemic, introducing new and improved hygiene standards is certainly a hot topic in the industry right now.

Quite apart from the fact that they need to reassure guests about the safety of coming to stay, properties also want to protect their staff, and show the authorities that they are doing everything in their power to prevent a second wave of cases.

We find out what steps Wyndham Destinations and MGM have announced to get back on track.

Wyndham Destinations launches ‘Vacation Ready’

Wyndham Destinations, the vacation ownership and exchange company, has recently introduced ‘Vacation Ready’, a set of new and more stringent hygiene procedures. This will be rolled out at all 230 properties when they reopen in late May 2020, covering brands such as Club Wyndham, WorldMark by Wyndham, Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham, and Shell Vacation Club.

‘Vacation Ready’ was developed in partnership with Ecolab, a hygiene services company which has been assisting the hospitality and food service industry for over 100 years.

The new measures include steps like enabling pre-arrival check-in and organised room key drop-offs, hand sanitiser stations throughout the resorts and hotels, increased frequency of cleaning high-touch surfaces, and using the latest technology developed by Ecolab to disinfect areas frequently.

“The Ecolab service team is our expert partner, providing the resources and products needed to meet the highest cleaning standards to ensure peace of mind for our valued owners, members, guests and associates,” said Geoff Richards, chief operating officer of Wyndham Vacation Clubs.

“We are committed to maintaining these exceptionally high standards so that our owners, who look forward to vacationing with us year after year, can feel confident that their resorts are ‘Vacation Ready’ while they continue to make great memories with us.”

MGM implements Seven-Point Safety Plan

In preparation for the reopening of its US properties, MGM Resorts International has put in place its ‘Seven-Point Safety Plan’, which aims to ensure properties are safe for guests and staff and fully compliant with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

MGM worked together with Dr. Shannon Magari, vice president of health sciences for Colden Corporation, as the lead health and safety advisor. The new safety plan can be broken down into the following steps: screening, temperature checks and training for employees, mandatory masks and personal protective equipment for staff and guests, physical distancing, enhanced sanitation, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning quality controls, new incident response protocols and digital innovation.

“Preparing for the moment we can reopen our doors, MGM Resorts focused on developing a plan that puts health and safety at the center of everything we do. Our ‘Seven-Point Safety Plan’ is the result of months of consultations with public health experts and outlines our comprehensive approach to welcoming guests back safely,” said MGM Resorts’ acting CEO and president Bill Hornbuckle.

“Our properties will not look the way they used to for a while, and that’s not only okay, it’s critically important. We will continue providing the hospitality experiences we are known for, but we must do so safely. We will continue working with experts and following guidance from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and government officials and regulators as we evolve these protocols based on the latest information.”