SINGAPORE, 15 October 2020: Travellers are ready to pack their bags and head out on trips, but not before checking the accommodation’s hygiene and safety measures.
Globally, a robust “daily room disinfection” followed by “daily disinfection of general areas” figure as the most critical hygiene measures travellers expect to be implemented by hotels and other accommodation providers.
Other measures in the top five include “providing hygiene standard listings”, “providing personal hygiene kit (masks, gloves)” and “hygiene certification from the government”, according to research from the digital travel platform, Agoda.
The popular booking site is launching HygienePlus, a new verification feature that shows travellers the health and hygiene measures taken by accommodation providers on its travel platform. As travel resumes, HygienePlus will give travellers the added assurance of identifying hotels or homes that meet a checklist of standardized measures.
For travellers from South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, the “daily room disinfection” tops the priority list, while travellers from Taiwan, the US, Thailand, Australia and Saudi Arabia prioritize the “daily disinfection (general areas)” as the most important measure to get them booking again.
Younger travellers in the 18 to 24 years old category are more inclined to prioritize “daily room disinfection”, while “daily disinfection (general areas)” is critical for global respondents in the 35 to 44 years old age group.
The “Hygiene Standard Listing” remains a priority for Thai and Taiwanese travellers, and the most important hygiene measure for travellers age 18 to 24 years old globally.
Hotels that provide “personal hygiene kits (masks and gloves)” are valued most by Indonesians, Saudi Arabians and Vietnamese travelers. But in contrast to the global trend, only Indonesians value “hygiene certification from governments” as one of the top three measures to start travelling again
Agoda HygienePlus’ feature includes an extensive checklist is based off international healthcare standards that hotels set as their benchmark. These include staff training in safety protocols, contactless check-in/out, temperature checks for staff and guests, staff wearing face covers, protective screens in common areas, daily disinfection at property and room level, provision of face masks, sterilizing equipment and hand sanitizer for guests, safe dining set up and signs to ensure physical distancing.
