Hotels are ramping up safety and cleaning protocols to welcome back guests and staff in anticipation of a busier summer travel season.
Last week, the American Hotel and Lodging Association estimated 20,000 hotel jobs in Hawai‘i could be lost this year, and recovery to pre-pandemic levels could take years.
To ensure visitor and staff safety, the AHLA is promoting its CDC-approved "Safe Stay" guidelines for standard cleaning procedures, workplace protocols, and enhanced social interactions between guests and staff.
Outrigger Hospitality Group CEO Jeff Wagoner said initiatives like this are helping his company bring employees back safely and address their concerns.
"We’ve spent a lot of time with our employees. And in fact, every single employee that comes back goes through very rigorous training related to safety," he said. "We have not had cases come up in our employee base, and this hotel has been open through the entire pandemic."
Wagoner said his company has brought back half of its staff so far and he hopes to have more than 70% of employees back by the end of summer.
"We have been safe, we’ve been careful, we’ve made sure they have/are wearing masks, that social distancing is happening – whether it’s in a lunchroom or in their cleaning environment or their work environment."
