Certified, the independent testing institute for hotels and event locations, has developed an objective hygiene check in recent weeks. As a result of the corona pandemic, all tourism companies had to develop new concepts in order to meet the official requirements with regard to hygiene and safety.
Qualifizierte Umfragen bestätigen den aktuellen Wunsch der Kunden, eine verlässliche Angabe über den Hygienestandard in Hotels und Locations zu erhalten. 72% der Befragten gaben sogar an, dass sie ein Hygiene-zertifiziertes Haus zukünftig eher wählen würden.
Seitens der Hotellerie gibt es daher Bedarf an der externen Zertifizierung. Auch Dorint-Geschäftsführer Jörg T. Böckeler hat den Wunsch formuliert, die Einhaltung der internen Vorgaben für die Hotels durch eine unabhängige Instanz überprüfen zu lassen. Als einer der ersten Kooperationspartner beim Certified Hygiene-Zertifikat ist er sicher: „In der aktuell weiter vorherrschenden Corona-Pandemie und der damit verbundenen Verunsicherung unser Gäste und Kunden, steigert eine unabhängige Zertifizierung die Glaubwürdigkeit unserer ganzheitlichen Maßnahmen.“
Qualified surveys confirm the current desire of customers to receive reliable information about the hygiene standard in hotels and locations. 72% of the respondents even indicated that they would rather choose a hygiene-certified property in the future.
The hotel industry therefore needs external certification. Dorint Managing Director Jörg T. Böckeler also expressed the wish to have the compliance with the internal guidelines for the hotels checked by an independent body. As one of the first cooperation partners for the Certified Hygiene Certificate, he is certain: "In the currently prevailing corona pandemic and the uncertainty which arises as a result for our guests and customers, independent certification increases the credibility of our holistic measures."
High standard through up to 45 samples
The "Certified Hygiene Check" is completely different from the previous certificates of test institutes. In the future, up to 45 samples will be taken annually during unannounced visits to sensitive and highly frequented areas, the so-called “high touch areas”. These include elevator buttons, banisters, light switches, doorknobs, control panels of air conditioning systems and also toilet seats. In all these places wipe samples will be taken and the exposure to possible pathogens determined.
The certificate, the tests and the analyzes with the certified device "Lumitester" from Kikkoman were developed together with the expert for infection protection and hygiene, Dr. Thomas Menn, specialist for public health.
The aim is to independently confirm that customers and guests have good cleaning and hygiene services in the hotel or in an event location. Only those who reach the limit values in the unannounced test receive the specially developed certificate. In a negative case, the hotel or the location can remedy the lack of hygiene by increasing the intensity of the cleaning, changing the detergents or training the employees more intensively. After three months there is another check and only when a satisfactory result is achieved does the house receive the coveted certificate.
Specialized doctor attests reliability
When entering a room, no hotel guest can guess how thoroughly and professionally it had been cleaned, how often the rags were changed and whether or not germs still stick to glasses, the remote control or the washing tap in the bathroom, ”explains Dr. Thomas Menn. "The new Certified Hygiene Check now provides reliable information that the cleaning intensity is correct and the cleaning result is flawless."
Of course, the reviews are always snapshots of the tester's unannounced visit. However, the new certification system stipulates that if the achieved result is less than 75%, another sample will be taken already in six months. In any case, a repetition of the test is planned annually, so that continuous monitoring of the hotel or event location is guaranteed. All successfully certified hotels / locations are listed on the website www.certified.de.
Further information is available under www.certified.de/hygiene-check
About CERTIFIED
Certified is an independent testing institute that categorizes accommodations and locations in six categories. The "Certified Business Hotel" certificate is based on the special needs of business travelers. The "Certified Conference Hotel", "Certified Conference Ship" and "Certified Event Location" seals confirm that the special requirements for conference and event management have been met. Exemplary apartments and long-term accommodations are honored with the "Certified Serviced Apartment" award. Sustainable businesses can also be certified as a "Certified Green Hotel" in order to certify particularly ecological and socially responsible actions with transparency for the guest.
The critical examiners of "CERTIFIED" are practitioners from travel and event management who make a professional judgment objectively and independently. The exams in each category are based on an extensive catalog of criteria that corresponds to the current wishes and requirements of the respective target groups. Certified sees itself as a neutral test system to create transparency both in terms of service and quality verification on the supplier side and also with regard to the current expectations the respective target groups have of the service providers.
The seal of quality was created in 2002 by the German Travel Management Association (VDR) and in 2011 transferred to the specially founded BTME Certified GmbH & Co. KG. In order to meet the growing requirements and the necessary specialization, another restructuring took place in 2014 and the company changed its name to Certified Das Kundenzertifikat GmbH & Co. KG, which has four employees under the management of the managing director Till Runte at the company location in Bad Sobernheim.
The VDR transferred all rights (trademark and license rights) of the hotel certification to Certified in May 2020.
Media contact
Certified GmbH & Co. KG
Till Runte
Tel. +49 6751 1454125
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