PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Summer 2020

34 •  PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters  •  Summer 2020 EDUCATION & TRAINING National Affiliates Establish New Safety Initiatives CLEANLINESS AND SAFETY have been at the core of the hospitality industry since the beginning. Long before the Coronavirus, hotels and restaurants were dedicated to the highest cleaning, sanitation, and safe food handling standards. The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the National Restaurant Association/ServSafe recently launched new safety initiatives for enhanced cleaning measures and safety guidelines to help the industry meet and exceed the concerns created during the pandemic. The AHLA Safe Stay initiative is a common set of cleaning and safety practices that can be applied to any and every hotel. Safe Stay was created in accordance with guidance issued by public health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All major U.S. hotel brands, travel and hospitality associations, and state hospitality associations have endorsed Safe Stay. The guidelines cover employee and guest health; employee’s responsibilities; cleaning and disinfecting products and protocols; and physical distancing. In addition, there is an online training program for hotel employees. Visit ahla.com/safestay to learn more about this program. See the sidebar on the next page for the guidelines in checklist format. The National Restaurant Association and ServSafe recently launched the ServSafe Dining Commitment, a program that allows operators to showcase their ongoing commitment to the health and safety of their employees and guests. Operators commit to following four best practices that are effective means to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as guests and employees return to on- premises dining, in return they receive access to a tool kit that includes a ServSafe Dining Commitment logo they can display in door decals, on menus, in marketing materials and through social media and advertising campaigns. Restaurants ready to make the commitment can go to ServSafeCommit.org. They’ll need their employees’ ServSafe certification information (name and achievement number) to begin the process. • ServSafe Dining Commitment—AHLA Safe Stay Initiative