Marriott opens doors to travellers across SA

Image Supplied - Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! by Marriott Menlyn

Volker Heiden, area vice president sub-Saharan Africa, Marriott International, comments: "We are excited to welcome back our guests and look forward to providing them great experiences across our diverse portfolio in the country.

"The government and authorities continue to do an amazing job to safeguard public health and we thank them for their ongoing guidance and collaboration to provide a safe and comfortable environment as we reopen the doors to many of our properties."

Half of the company’s portfolio of hotels, featuring brands such as Protea Hotels by Marriott, Autograph Collection and Sheraton Hotels, has recommenced operations across markets in South Africa. These locations include Cape Town, Johannesburg, Roodepoort, Pretoria, Durban, Bloemfontein, Garden Route (Mossel Bay and George), Mahikeng, Nelspruit, Kimberley, Upington and Rustenburg.

Offerings at these properties will include non-sharing accommodation and food and beverage offerings in line with current regulations.

Health and safety remains a top priority

The company continues to roll out a multi-pronged platform to elevate its cleanliness standards and hospitality norms and behaviours to meet the new health and safety challenges presented by the current pandemic environment in each market around the world.

Each property has implemented extensive health and safety protocols to ensure the safety of guests and hotel associates. These protocols include, among others, implemented guidelines on chemicals and equipment to be used that are effective against viruses and increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfection at high-volume areas and regularly touched surfaces.

Cleaning and disinfecting protocols are in place to sanitize rooms after guests depart and before the next guest arrives, and there is also an increased frequency of cleaning in the ‘Back of House’, where hotel associates work behind the scenes. In addition, measures have been introduced to minimize contact and reinforce social distancing and ongoing staff education is taking place.

Minising risk and enhancing safety protocols

The company has also created the Global Cleanliness Council to tackle the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic at the hotel level and develop the next level of global hospitality cleanliness standards, norms and behaviours that are designed to minimise risk and enhance safety for guests and hotel employees.

"We understand that health and hygiene will be at the forefront of our guests’ minds as they consider travelling and staying at hotels. With our increased measures, we want them to see and understand what we are doing and why we are doing it – so that when they walk through the doors of one of our hotels, they know our commitment to their health and safety is our priority, whichever one of our brands they are staying with," adds Heiden.