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As we are gradually seeing more businesses reopening throughout the state, we have taken time to summarize key guidance provided for hotels and related businesses to date.
While Maryland hotels have always been essential and were never required to shut down, all hotels / businesses are highly encouraged to visit Maryland’s Back to Business webpage for specific industry guidance moving forward. Safety Best Practices for Accommodations, Restaurants and Bars, Golf, Retail, Swimming Pools and other business segments may be downloaded from this page. Additionally, Governor Hogan is encouraging Maryland business owners to take the Maryland Strong Back to Business Pledge, and display a signed pledge in your place of business. The pledge includes a commitment to follow industry best practices. MHLA has endorsed the national “Safe Stay” initiative, which was developed with input from major brands and industry leaders as well as subject matter experts. “Stage One is being implemented with a flexible, community-based approach that empowers individual jurisdictions to make decisions regarding the timing of reopenings, therefore it’s important that businesses consult guidance issued by their local jurisdiction.” At 5:00 today, May 29, 2020, the state will allow outdoor dining at restaurants to resume and outdoor pools may open according the requirements listed in Executive Order 5-27-20, but like all other easing of statewide restrictions this is ultimately subject to each jurisdiction’s guidelines. While hotels are not among the businesses subject to the statewide Executive Order requiring employees and/or guests to wear face coverings, (except for in restaurants or retail space within your hotel), the following is stated in the most recent Executive Order 5-27-20: “Any business, organization, establishment, or facility in the State of Maryland may require its customers over the age of two, visitors over the age of two, and/or staff to wear Face Coverings (as defined in the FaceCoverings Order). A business, organization, establishment, or facility that elects to do so shall post signage at each entrance advising customers, visitors, and/or staff about such requirements.” MHLA remains hard at work on behalf of Maryland’s lodging industry. We are constantly monitoring the state and local response to COVID-19 and are sharing relevant updates through email and at www.MDLodging.org. Please let us know if you have questions or any other ways we may be helpful throughout this challenging time. Together we will get through this! During today’s press conference Governor Hogan announced additional steps toward reopening in Phase 1, all taking effect this Friday at 5:00 P.M..
The following announcements may impact certain hotels:
Businesses have been directed to the following website for more information: https://open.maryland.gov/backtobusiness/ Governor Hogan stated we may move into Phase 2 as early as next week, based on continued monitoring of data. We will keep you informed as more information is received. Source: MeetingsNet (https://www.meetingsnet.com/event-design-ideas/meeting-setups-must-change-here-are-some-new-looks) PSAV has published a new guide to session-room formats, technology, and hygiene to minimize health risks at conferences.Rob Carey | May 20, 2020 Before COVID-19, meeting planners could comfortably fit 40 people in a 1,450 square foot meeting room that was set classroom style. When meetings start up again, however, those calculations will have to change dramatically—that room should be set to accommodate only 10 people.That’s just one bit of advice from “MeetSAFE Guidelines,” a new digital booklet created by audiovisual firm PSAV, a member of the Events Industry Council’s COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force. The booklet is intended to assist planners in redesigning event spaces and keeping surfaces and indoor environments clean in order to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.  The 21-page guide addresses meeting design, room layout, traffic flow, technology considerations, and enhanced cleaning procedures. In one section, there are sketches (as shown here) of several traditional meeting formats alongside new variations of those formats that allow for social distancing and fewer surface touches. It also addresses the need for more total event space and detailed, well-placed signage to make the new landscape work, and outlines the technological equipment and logistics required to hold a hybrid event that has remote attendees in addition to in-person attendees and presenters at one or more sites.
“The Events Industry Council applauds PSAV for its leadership in providing relevant guidance and tools to industry professionals,” said Amy Calvert, CEO of EIC. Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, added that “these tools, aligned with the hotel industry’s newly announced Stay Safe standards, will be critical in preparing us to safely welcome back guests and employees as the economy reopens.” To get a copy of MeetSAFE Guidelines, click here. We are pleased to share the resources below, researched and developed by one of MHLA’s Gold Partners, Ecolab. This information complements the national “Safe Stay” initiative endorsed by MHLA and AH&LA. We hope these additional resources may be valuable for hotels looking to reopen and/or enhance cleaning and disinfecting protocols.  COVID-19 RESOURCES (Click the links below) ABOUT ECOLAB:
A trusted partner at nearly three million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With annual sales of $15 billion and 49,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions, data-driven insights and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram. Visit https://www.ecolab.com/lodging to learn more.  Our partners at the American Hotel & Lodging Association released national industry protocols for industry-wide hotel cleaning and safety standards in response to COVID-19. The initiative, referred to as “Safe Stay,” is focused on enhanced hotel cleaning practices, social interactions, and workplace protocols, while ensuring transparency for guests. Importantly, the Safe Stay protocol is based on guidance from the Safe Stay Advisory Council, comprised of hotel industry leaders representing all segments of the hotel industry, including the top 25 hotel brands, ownership groups, and hotel management companies.
The protocols are laid out in four areas: employee and guest health, employees’ responsibilities, cleaning products and protocols, and physical distancing. This initiative represents a new level of focus and transparency for an industry already built on cleanliness. Hotels have always had rigorous standards for cleaning and safety. With Safe Stay, we are enhancing these standards to boost consumer confidence and doing so in accordance with guidance issued by public health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Read more and download the Safe Stay initiative here. (updated 6-4-20) |
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