COVID-READY helps hotels during and after the pandemic

With hotels reopening after the corona lockdown, there is a lot to consider for them to protect their guests and employees as well as possible. Hotel Resilient, a spin-off from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), supports hotels around the world with its free “COVID-READY” offers. It includes hygiene and protection standards, self-audit software, an e-learning module and the possibility of certification. In mid-June, Hotel Resilient’s COVID-READY program has been launched in cooperation with 75 hotels in Phuket/Thailand.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a major challenge for every country in the world. Tourism is one of the hardest hit sectors in this crisis. Travel restrictions and infection control measures led to a drastic decline in bookings; many hotels had to close temporarily. But even after the measures are relaxed, it will still be a while before tourism can return to “business as usual”. Travelers will remain cautious and prefer accommodations with convincing hygiene and protection concepts. Hotel Resilient, a KIT spin-off, supports large and small hotels around the world with their new “COVID-READY” offers, aiming to protect guests and employees as well as possible.

“COVID-READY offers a comprehensive package including several modules, i. e. standards, software, e-learning and certification,” explains Dr. Bijan Khazai, CEO of Hotel Resilient. “All content is free and openly accessible for hotels.” The standards consist of 50 steps that cover the prevention and management of SARS-CoV-2 infections in all areas – from safe hygiene to enhanced cleaning to physical distancing to COVID-19 response strategies to new protocols signage and response plans for accommodation services and amenities such as hotel restaurants, gyms and spas.

Using the self-audit software, hotels can assess to what extent they already meet the required standards and what they can do to further improve their concepts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The e-learning module enables companies to train their employees accordingly. Furthermore, hotels can apply for a COVID-READY certification to demonstrate that they meet the standards. The latest scientific findings, international guidelines and best practices from the industry went into the development of COVID-READY. “Hotel Resilient has drawn on its extensive experience in risk-based evaluation and adapted it to COVID-19,” says Khazai. In mid-June, COVID-READY has been launched in cooperation with 75 hotels in Phuket / Thailand. Hotel Resilient is already working with the tourism authorities in the Philippines, Palestine, Ecuador and Panama to support hotels in these destinations.

Hotel Resilient, a subsidiary of the company Risklayer, and has emerged from KIT’s CEDIM – Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology. The initiative had its beginnings in a KIT as research project through a large consortium science and industry partners, and funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Bijan Khazai led a group of scientists and practitioners in developing international standards for hotels for disaster risk management and adaptation to climate change. A grant from the EXIST funding program by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy allowed Hotel Resilient to complete these standards and to develop software modules and training tools contribution to disaster resilient tourism. From this, not only the companies themselves, but also the regions and their residents will benefit.

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For further information please see https://hotelresilient.org

Press contact: Dr. Martin Heidelberger, Press Officer, Phone.: +49 721 608-21169, Mail: [email protected]

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