Mexican Caribbean’s Top Hotels & Resorts Implement New Health and Safety Plans

The Mexican Caribbean is getting ready to reopen to travel and tourism around the beginning of June, and as the date approaches, the hospitality sector is announcing new protocols to ensure guests are safe and in a secure, virus-free environment.

Mexico’s secretary of tourism released new protocols for the industry to clean hotels with guidelines for cleaning all surfaces, including linens, walls, windows, beds, shelves and other installations, but resorts are going above and beyond to reassure visitors.

As popular tourist destinations such as Quintana Roo and Los Cabos make plans for welcoming visitors again, travelers should prepare for airports with health screenings as well as temperature checks and thermographic imaging.

Hotels may also introduce some of these measures. Following is a list of properties that have enhanced safety standards.

Posadas

Posadas announced elevated safety and sanitization protocols for its new Travel With Confidence promise. The new measures are being applied to all of the group’s 180 hotels and resorts in preparation for summer travel.

“We understand that travelers will be more cautious than ever once they begin to travel again, and so will we at all our hotels in the Posadas portfolio. That is why we want to be proactive and transparent with all the measures being implemented to keep our guest and employees assured that every facet of our properties and operations have been addressed from guest services and amenities to operational procedures,” said COO of Posadas, Enrique Calderon. “As we enter a new reality, we will be more than prepared to welcome guests in confidence.”

Playa Hotels & Resorts

Playa Hotels & Resorts announced its Playa Safe Stay initiative on May 4, 2020, focusing on preventive anti-viral measures aimed at reassuring guests.

“With Hyatt and Hilton, our guests are assured new standards of cleanliness while enjoying Playa’s unmatched experience of all-inclusive, worry-free, luxury,” said CEO Bruce Wardinski.

Playa’s Safe Stay initiative includes the safety standards of Hyatt and Hilton properties. Hilton has collaborated with RB, the maker of Lysol and Dettol, and the Mayo Clinic for its new safety protocols, Hilton CleanStay.

Hyatt also recently announced new Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment that includes an accreditation process by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), at all hotels around the world.

Palladium Hotel Group

Palladium has launched new safety protocols that will protect guests during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new guidelines are being put into place at its 48 properties in Europe and the Americas, including Mexico.

A task force has been put in place to put new safety measures in place, and its Palladium Hotel Group Global Customer Experience and Safety Council ensure compliance with the new directives, which include enhanced cleaning, social distancing and more.

Sandos Hotels & Resorts

Sandos Hotels & Resorts, with nine all-inclusive properties in Spain and Mexico, is instituting the Mexican government’s Clean Stay standards. Enhanced cleaning is accompanied with guidelines for visitors on hand-washing, proper sneezing and coughing techniques and suggestions for social distancing.

AIC Hotel Group

AIC Hotel Group includes All-Inclusive Hard Rock Hotels, Nobu Hotels and UNICO 20 87 Hotel Riviera Maya.

Each hotel has developed a comprehensive, enhanced cleanliness and sanitation plan that consists of added precautionary measures throughout all aspects of the guest and team member experience, following best practices and guidelines put forth by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.

“As our industry gears up for its return, it is imperative we take every necessary additional precaution to keep our guests and employees safe,” said Frank Maduro, Vice President of Marketing at AIC Hotel Group. “Our hotel teams have worked hand in hand with local and national authorities while adhering to globally recognized guidelines to devise a number of added measures to provide a world-class vacation experience.”

RIU

RIU has also announced enhanced cleaning procedures.

Staff training is an essential part of these protocols, as it ensures that all employees know what they need to know in order to act appropriately in every task they undertake in their role. Another key part of this plan’s success is monitoring staff and ensuring they only attend their place of work if they are in good health, as well as ensuring that no members of staff who belong to risk groups are in charge of hazardous jobs such as cleaning items or areas with suspected cases of COVID-19.

There are updated measures that include changes at reception and plans for reduced hotel occupancy, as well as limited amenities in rooms to avoid cross-contamination and a new “disinfection team.”

Restaurant seating will be rearranged, and guests would need to wear masks and gloves at buffets.

Pools will have capacity limits, frequent cleaning and more.

Velas Resorts

Velas Resorts has created new post-COVID-19 hygiene protocols for its Stay Safe With Velas program and offers 100 percent sanitized resorts. The new guidelines include special training, physical distancing measures, touchless sanitizer stations, sanitizing mats, frequent hand washing and personal protective equipment for staff members.

In addition to enhanced cleaning of guestrooms and resort areas, the hotel will take guest temperatures and ask guests to use the sanitizing mat, wash hands and use hand sanitizer. Velas will sanitize luggage, high-touch points and provide guests with personal protection kits.

Barceló Hotel Group

Barceló Hotel Group has introduced the We Care About You commitment to safety. The policy institutes new safety measures in every facet of the company, from digital experiences and communication to sanitization and sterilization and new protocols for food and beverage operations, meetings and events and more.

The resort company announced that it would have “a continuous awareness program for self-protection of employees and training on the new operative protocols against COVID-19 and other infectious-infectious diseases. These programs will be reinforced by our expert team/hygiene collaborators’ modules.”

Iberostar Group

Iberostar Group, which operates a number of resorts in Mexico, has created a new team to work on post-COVID-19 policies.

“As an international hospitality company, people and the environment have always been a priority for Iberostar Group,” says Vice Chairman and CEO Sabina Fluxa. “We face new times and we need new solutions to promote circular economy policies in this scenario. Only resilient companies that are capable of meeting these challenges will be able to compete.”

The hotel group now has a Medical Advisory Board that includes experts in public health and safety in the tourism sector.

Palace and Le Blanc Spa Resorts

Palace and Le Blanc Spa Resorts have announced new safety measures that include enhanced preventive actions across all points of contact.

“In light of Covid-19 and to reassure future visitors, this new program will go above and beyond the stringent quality controls already in place, ensuring the health and safety of all guests and team members,” said a statement from the resort.

AMResorts

AMResorts has announced its new COVID-19 cleaning protocol. The new CleanComplete Verification program is a comprehensive, 360-degree quality, safety and hygiene system that is backed by one of the industry’s highest-level, third-party certifications for quality and safety—Cristal International Standards.

“As the world reopens to a new normal and travelers begin to plan vacations once again, the health and safety of guests remains a top priority through these elevated efforts,” said Gonzalo del Peón, AMResorts’ President. “Guests should feel well-informed and reassured knowing that AMResorts-branded properties have implemented best-in-class practices.”