By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com)
Imagine this scenario. A guest arrives after a short flight
for a five-night stay. A few days later, not feeling well, she goes to a local
hospital for a COVID-19 test. She returns to her guestroom, advises the general
manager of the situation, and immediately goes into self-isolation there.
Observing protocols, staff does not enter her room. Those staff who had come
into contact with the guest go for their own Covid tests and are told to
self-isolate at home.
Then, the test comes back positive for the guest (and
fortunately negative for all the staff). How would you manage this situation?
While all properties have updated their sanitization
checklists and sick leave policies during the initial stages of the pandemic,
the extended duration of this crisis means that the fight is hardly over for
hoteliers. In fact, now that the news cycle has shifted away from constant
coverage of outbreak after outbreak, working at a business where someone –
anyone, guest or staff – tests positive for Covid will be picked up by local or
national media in a heartbeat, thereby casting your hotel in a highly negative
light which may impact bookings.
This abovementioned scenario was one facing a property on
the West Coast – name withheld at their request. At the time it happened in the
early summer months, they had no specific playbook for this type of situation.
The nitty gritty of it is actually quite a headscratcher. The guest has rights,
after all; you cannot reveal their status to others. At the same time, there is
a responsibility to safeguard your staff and all other visitors.
The approach the general manager pursued was undertaken with
input from local medical and legal staff. It was decided that the guest could
not be moved; there was no place for her to go as she could not travel. With
symptomology that was not of a severity that would allow her to be
hospitalized, such a move to an intensive care facility was also not possible.
Protocols were thus put in place to ensure that the guest
was well taken care of. Room service meals were delivered regularly; the
service carts rotated in the hallway. A local physician kept up regular
telephone contact with the guest. There was no need to have the physician visit
as the symptoms continued to be minor, although the assigned doctor remained on
standby. Rooms on either side of the guest were blocked off, as were rooms on
the opposite side of the hall. Fortunately, occupancy levels were such that
this did not cause any displacement.
Managers and directors were all advised of the situation.
One key decision, though, was whether to tell all of the associates. It was
agreed that an all-staff meeting would be held, outlining the situation and
protocols. A physician was in attendance to respond to questions.
For two weeks, the Covid-positive guest remained in her room
with no issues. With an apparent recovery, a physician conducted additional
tests and deemed the guest fit to travel. After the guest’s departure, the room
was kept out of service for 48 hours then thoroughly sanitized and put back
into service. Speaking to the general manager, he considers himself lucky;
there was no spread to any staff or other guests while all employees remained
discrete and sympathetic.
But questions remain. Should other guests have been told?
What would have happened if the Covid-positive guest had been more severely
compromised?
With second waves still happening around the world, senior
executives have a bit of a Damocles Sword over their heads in that we all want
to put the coronavirus behind us and start ramping up occupancy again, and yet
we must stay ever vigilant about the optics of having a guest or staff member
test positive. This situation could happen in your property; none of us can
guarantee that our properties will remain ‘in a bubble’.
Upon reviewing your pandemic operations playbook, you must
factor in positive test case identification protocols for both associates and
guests, including room reallocations, emergency procedures, additional medical
resources, government contacts and manners of approach for each department. For
instance, besides barring room attendants from cleaning a room housing a
Covid-positive guest, what happens if there is a maintenance issue? Consider
all possibilities.
Second is how you approach telling the public – that is, your
crisis communications plan. Anything you develop must first and foremost be
designed to minimize further risk and give express assurances to your team that
the hotel is still a safe place to work. Next, while underscoring the need to
protect the Covid-positive guest’s identity, would you then enforce a policy of
‘radio silence’ or would you allow open communications from your team?
There are many details to review here. And while we all have
numerous other issues pertaining to growing revenues in a highly depressed
travel landscape, we nonetheless cannot ignore these types of scenarios which
can severely impede reservations if handled incorrectly.
About Larry Mogelsonsky
Larry Mogelonsky
One of the world’s most published writers in hospitality, Larry Mogelonsky
is the principal of HotelMogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice. His
experience encompasses hotel properties around the world, both branded and
independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Larry is
also on several boards for companies focused on hotel technology. His work
includes five books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012), “Llamas Rule”
(2013), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “The Llama is Inn” (2017) and “The Hotel Mogel”
(2018). You can reach Larry at larry@hotelmogel.com to discuss hotel business
challenges or to book speaking engagements.
Media Contact:
Larry
Mogelonsky
Email: larry@hotelmogel.com
Website: http://hotelmogel.com/
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