ECOLAB WEBINAR

Cleanliness is critical when it comes to protecting your brand. It impacts your customers’ experience and perceptions, affects their loyalty, and influences what they tell friends and family. That’s why it’s important to consistently deliver a clean, fresh and healthy environment.

Did you know that ninety percent of travellers avoid hotels labelled as ‘dirty’ and  a single negative online review can cost a hotel over 30 customers!*  In addition, 80 percent of travellers are concerned about finding bed bugs in a hotel and 12 percent of travellers have altered or cancelled trips due to concerns about bed bugs**. 

Today Ecolab held a free webinar on the importance of housekeeping and delivering outstanding guest satisfaction where, Ian Lamb Regional Technical Manager, Ecolab and Dr. Joelle F. Olson, Lead Entomologist, Pest Elimination, Ecolab, talked about maintaining housekeeping standards and its impact on brand perception, steps that help maintain a cleaner, safer and healthier housekeeping operation keeping employees, customers and guests safe and healthy and  gave an overview of top tips to help increase guest satisfaction through improving cleanliness.

Key takeaways from the webinar were;  

1. Housekeeping standards have a huge impact on guest satisfaction with cleanliness a top priority for customers
2. When it comes to maintaining your reputation never have we been in a more dynamic time for news to spread with many people make and change their travel plans after browsing social media and online review sites looking for peer to peer recommendations
3. Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces are both important in maintaining cleaning standards
4. Having procedures, tools and trained associates can help you to enhance your brand image and protect your assets.
5. There is in increase in public awareness of bed bugs with 80% of travellers concerned about bed bugs**
6. Bed bug activity rises during summer months – May-September
7. There is no way to prevent bed bugs from getting introduced into a room it is all about being proactive and looking out for the signs of bed bug activity
8. Ecolab’s five tips to maintain a cleaner, safer and healthier guest room, and delivering outstanding guest satisfaction through improving cleanliness are:

• Ask for and track guest feedback to identify and target problem areas
• Utilise your hygiene/pest management partners expertise by asking them for help
• Say goodbye to germs by cleaning and disinfecting surfaces
• Be proactive with pest management
• Focus on training, ensure all staff are skilled in delivering improved cleanliness

Additional information and resources are available on Ecolab’s website:

Download our free Norovirus pack from: http://en-uk.ecolab.com/pages/Norovirus-be-prepared

Bed Bug Training Toolkit: http://bedbugtoolkit.com/

Cleaners and Disinfectants: http://en-uk.ecolab.com/solution/housekeeping-and-janitorial/?application=hotel-and-facility-cleaning

Virus Primers - Norovirus: http://en-uk.ecolab.com/expertise-and-innovation/microbial-risks/norovirus 

*LateRooms, November 15, 2012, Convergys corp

**NPMA Bed Bugs in America Survey