Following the announcement of Marriott International’s Commitment to Clean campaign and Global Cleanliness Council, Marriott has introduced digital content about redefined processes and reimagined spaces guided by cleanliness experts and best practices to help hosts, organisers and attendees plan and execute meetings and connect with confidence. Recognised as an industry leader for quality and exacting standards for over 93 years, Marriott is introducing changes which include enhanced sanitation guidelines, new operational training for associates, and increased use of conference technologies to ensure that customers are able to come together when they are ready.

Meeting planners may now reference a series of new materials including customer stories and resources that provide additional context and information for designing successful events in the current environment. Available on MarriottBonvoyEvents.com, these tools illustrate Marriott’s approach to delivering high-quality meeting experiences across its full portfolio of hotels and resorts.

The planning process

The primary focus of the hotel events team is to help our planners understand what a meeting in today’s environment will look like and ensure they can do their jobs swiftly and easily with events designed to serve their meeting objectives.

From planning through contracting, the hotel teams consult with clients to review new practices including social distancing requirements for attendees in their markets, and enhanced offerings such as virtual or hybrid meetings, contactless registration, and catering solutions. The Marriott Bonvoy Events’ portal houses best practices, testimonials, and visuals of actual meetings to bring the experience to life for the experts pulling the meetings together.

The Marriott Bonvoy Events team has created a series of physically distant floor plans that enable event planners to visualise room configurations that allow for socially distant gatherings while still supporting the meeting’s purpose and goals. Consultations, pre-convention meetings and site tours can all be conducted virtually and adapted to include hygiene and safety briefings.

Meeting and events

Attendees can anticipate the following adjustments during meetings and events at Marriott properties:

• Across Europe, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International requires that all associates wear a face covering as a part of their uniform.
• In some European, Middle East and African markets government measures stipulate that that all hotel guests must wear a face covering.
• Seating capacities have been reduced according to local laws and government regulations specific to each market, and where possible, outdoor spaces will be utilised.
• Frequent and more in-depth cleaning is conducted to disinfect meeting spaces and high-touch areas such as elevator buttons, doorknobs, and handrails as often as every hour.
• Hand sanitiser stations are provided throughout meeting spaces.

Meals and breaks

Redesigned food and beverage experiences follow recommended standards of service and food safety. Both meals and breaks are set in dedicated, socially distanced spaces reserved for a specific event and its attendees, to prevent co-mingling with other groups. Catering menus are also being adjusted to include a wide range selection tailored to group size, including new options for individually pre-packaged meals, canned and bottled beverages, and plated service. Buffets will also be modified to include servers, shields, hand sanitisation and queue management. Hotels are also leveraging technology and digital solutions to create contactless service where appropriate, such as the use of QR codes and digital menus. Non-essential items, such as linens, pre-set plates and glassware, and décor will also be removed.

“Our commitment to clean is guiding everything from how we keep our guests and associates safe to how we begin to welcome back event and meetings business across Europe, Middle East and Africa,” said Neal Jones, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Marriott International, EMEA. “Our Global Cleanliness Council is working with us to tackle the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic and what that means for an event or meeting at a hotel. Having experts in the area of hygiene, food safety, infectious disease, and infection prevention has been enormously beneficial in helping us think through everything we can do to support organisations as they begin to envision, plan and execute future meetings and events of all sizes.”