Following other major hotel companies, Hilton Worldwide today
unveiled a global cleanliness and customer service programme for its meetings
and events. Dubbed Hilton EventReady with CleanStay, the programme uses the
company's overall cleanliness initiative, Hilton CleanStay, as its framework,
but adds elements specific to group gatherings, such as sealed meeting rooms,
additional sanitisation stations in meeting spaces and a meeting-room
cleanliness checklist.
Thirty minutes before an event is scheduled to begin, the
planner can break the meeting room's seal and use the checklist to inspect and
approve the cleanliness of the facilities. Hilton also created the EventReady
Playbook, a proprietary resource and reference. Sections of the document
address room set-ups, food and beverage, hybrid meetings, wellness, creative
networking, transportation and additional logistics, and community service.
In addition to cleanliness protocols, Hilton has simplified
and expanded the availability of its Express Agreements for small meetings.
Hilton had offered flexible terms for group business up to US$20,000, but the
company has increased that amount to US$50,000 "to accommodate a broader
range of events and customers with these flexible terms", said Hilton EVP
and president of the Americas Danny Hughes in an email. "Given the public
health concerns and the subsequent local and federal regulations, small
meetings will be even more critical as groups start to meet again. Organisations
and businesses still need to meet, even at a distance, and currently are doing
so in smaller groups."
The Express Agreements, designed for meetings booked and
consumed within six months, allow for cancellation up to 14 days prior to
arrival, Hughes said.
Hilton created the EventReady programme based on feedback
from its top meeting and event planners and its owner community through
customer and owner advisory forums, he said. One priority was for transparency
on policies and procedures, another was for flexibility and "understanding
of the constantly changing landscape."
"At the end of the day, we are here to partner with our
meeting and event planners," Hughes said, "which includes creative
solutions to their needs and having the flexibility to change as we all
navigate through this new state of conducting business."