Open all
Giving our guests the safety and flexibility they need
More so than ever, the health and wellbeing of our guests is of paramount importance, and we’re making sure our hotel teams have everything they need to keep everyone, including themselves, safe.
We’re monitoring developments daily and are in regular contact with all relevant authorities for country-specific requirements. All of our hotels have been given best practice guidelines, which have been supplemented with additional Covid-19 cleanliness-specific guidance, training and information, consistent with our own very high standards.
Bookings and loyalty
We also understand that not everyone can or wants to travel right now, so to make it easier for guests, we have:
- Waived cancellation fees and created a book now pay later option for the rest of 2020
- Launched special hotel rates for government workers, healthcare professionals, the military and other groups responding to this crisis on the frontline
- Made changes to our IHG Rewards Club loyalty programme to help members protect their status and points
- Given loyalty members the ability to turn points into financial donations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies and their Covid-19 Emergency Appeal
You can read more about this here.
We’re also working closely with our corporate customers, including managing Groups & Meetings bookings and adapting our service to continue to meet their needs during this difficult time. From healthcare organisations to logistics and delivery groups, we have been able to quickly help many clients find safe, high-quality accommodation for frontline staff.
Enhancing IHG Way of Clean
We want guests to have the peace of mind when they stay with us that they can be as confident in our cleaning procedures as they were before Covid-19. IHG has a long-standing commitment to rigorous cleaning, having launched the IHG Way of Clean programme in 2015, which was developed with Ecolab and Diversey, both world leaders in hygiene and cleaning technologies and services. We are now expanding this programme with additional Covid-19 protocols and best practices – many of which are already in place – to reflect the advice of the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and local public health authorities in markets around the world. IHG Way of Clean already includes deep cleaning with hospital-grade disinfectants and going forward guests can expect to see evolved procedures in every area of the hotel. These may include:
- Reception: Reduced contact at check-in, touchless transactions, front-desk screens, sanitiser stations, sanitised key cards, paperless checkout
- Guest Room: Visible verification of sanitised items (e.g., glassware, remote control), reduction of in-room furnishings/high-touch items, new laundry protocols, use of new technology
- Public Spaces and Facilities: Additional deep cleaning of high-touch surfaces, social distancing, ‘last cleaned’ charts, best practices for pools, fitness centres and lounges
- Food & Beverage: New standards and service approach to buffets, banquets, room service and catering
We are also working closely with a team of medical experts at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, to develop guidance and resources for hotel teams on returning to work and keeping guests safe in this new environment, which may include:
- Cleanliess information in hotels and on IHG’s booking channels
- Social distancing operating procedures and signage
- Guidance on the use of protective equipment as necessary by hotel colleagues
With updated measures in place, IHG is launching a Clean Promise. Rolling out globally from 1 June 2020, guests can be reassured that their room will meet IHG’s high standards of cleanliness. If not, the hotel will make it right. You can read more about IHG's Clean Promise here.
Being there for our hotel teams, owners and corporate colleagues
We know how incredibly difficult this challenge is for our hotel teams, owners and corporate colleagues around the world. As a company we stand beside them all, deeply committed to doing everything possible to help us get through this time together.
Protecting our business and hotels
Globally, we have taken measures to reduce costs and preserve cash that will give us the capacity to manage the business through this unique period. We are also working on many fronts to help ease the pressure on our hotels – from staying in regular contact with our GMs and owners, to providing market-specific employment and financial guidance, and a range of measures to help reduce costs and preserve cash. Most significantly, this includes a market-tailored fee relief package and options to defer payments, which give our owners a chance to use cash in other ways that protects their business during this difficult time.
Supporting our people
We want to do all that we can to help those colleagues who have been furloughed or lost their jobs as a result of this crisis and so we have created the IHG Hotel Colleague Job Center, which offers access to employment with hiring companies. We have also launched a Staying in Touch programme to make sure we keep connected with our amazing colleagues who have not been able to work while their hotel is temporarily closed.
As for our corporate colleagues, with the exception of Greater China, our business globally is being run almost entirely remotely. We know that in this unique environment, working in such a way brings with it many challenges, and we are doing all we can to support our teams’ physical and emotional wellbeing.
Alongside regular Q&A sessions with leadership, we’ve invested in digital resources designed to offer personal development and help create a work/life balance. This includes a wide range of study areas and masterclasses, covering topics including mental and physical health and wellbeing, leadership, and embracing new technology, and we have offered useful advice for parents and their line managers to make sure that little people remain a priority while we stay productive.
Advocating for our owners and our industry
We know we have an important role to play in advocating for both our owners and our industry. From the White House to Number 10 Downing Street, we’re working with governments in many markets to secure invaluable stimulus packages for the hospitality industry that will further protect our owners and jobs.
Providing True Hospitality to our local communities
Making a positive impact on the thousands of communities our hotels and offices are a part of around the world means so much to everyone at IHG, and we know that our care and support has never been needed more than it is right now. From donation drives, food deliveries and local messages of hope on social, to providing hotel rooms to frontline workers and society’s most vulnerable, and supporting charity partner relief efforts, we are stepping up in many ways.
Supporting frontline workers
From China and Australia, to the UK and US, we are working with governments, local authorities and our owners to help provide accommodation to those who need it most. This includes looking after thousands of healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses and physicians that are leading the relief efforts on the frontline, as well as delivery drivers playing a vital role in supplying and connecting millions of people having to stay at home.
One example is our support for the #FirstRespondersFirst initiative in the US. We’re proud to have donated 50 million IHG Reward Club points to this outstanding cause, which means frontline healthcare workers can access thousands of nights at IHG hotels for free in the cities where they are needed most. Across different markets, we are also providing for the most vulnerable members of society, such as the homeless, with some of our hotels offering a safe space to shelter.
Working with our charity partners
Alongside this work, we have a long history of working with humanitarian aid partners through our True Hospitality for Good programme to assist communities in times of need. To support Covid-19 relief efforts, we’ve donated to the China Red Cross to help build temporary hospital facilities, supported relief efforts through the British Red Cross Disaster Relief Alliance, and are helping the Salvation Army distribute hygiene kits to frontline workers and the homeless in Atlanta.
Working with ‘No Kid Hungry’ (US) and ‘Trussell Trust’ (UK), and supporting the Global Foodbanking Network and European Food Banks Federation, IHG is also supporting vital work in more than 70 countries by ensuring these providers have access to the funds, training and resources required to help provide basic provisions to those in need at the very grass roots level of our communities.
Of course, caring for others is part of our DNA and IHG colleagues around the world are finding new ways to offer some personal help – and True Hospitality – to their communities. From serving up meals to frontline workers and the elderly through deliveries and drive-thrus, to donating masks, beds and other supplies to healthcare workers and hospitals, our colleagues continue to show their incredible passion for making a difference in even the hardest times.
