In addition to the Promise of the State’s Bed & Breakfast Association below, I take additional steps. There is a station by the door guests use with hand sanitizer, gloves and I keep a mask in case a guest needs one. There is a bottle of hand sanitizer in all the guest rooms. I have always trained my housekeepers how to properly clean a guest room. In addition to the antibacterial cleaner we use in the bathrooms, the final step is to mist all bathroom fixtures with a bleach solution and then the guest room door knobs are sanitized as well.

I was Executive Steward at Resorts International Casino (a $35M/year food and beverage operation) and was responsible for the cleanliness of the kitchens. When I took over, one of the kitchens had a white sticker the others had conditional yellow stickers. Within three months, all kitchens had white stickers and that remained so for my tenure there. I have brought these skills with me into my own Inn and even enhanced them since the pandemic started.

 

PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF BED & BREAKFAST INNS ISSUES PROMISE TO GUESTS

“The Bed & Breakfast Inns Promise” – ensures safety measures for COVID-19 recovery period 

 

HARRISBURG, PA (May 2020) – The Pennsylvania Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns (PABBI) and health officials have developed an initiative for bed & breakfast owners and innkeepers to implement a set of voluntary commitments to ensure the safety of their staff and guests during the COVID-19 recovery period.

 

Named “The Bed & Breakfast Inns Promise,” the set of voluntary commitments is available for any bed & breakfast or inn that is reopening its property to guests. Upon arrival, guests can view the commitments at the entrance of the property.

 

“Participants will continue to comply with federal, state and local guidance as a reopening process begins,” Carl Kosko, PABBI board chair said. “With bed & breakfasts, inns, and guests working together, we can make the bed-and-breakfast industry as vibrant as it was prior to the impact of COVID-19.”

 

The promise includes: safe sanitation practices; staff participation in daily health survey; indoor and outdoor seating organized through social distancing guidelines; hand sanitizer stations; and daily sanitation in the guest rooms and linens. In addition, PABBI recommends creating protocols that best fit the needs of each bed-and-breakfast or inn. For example, owners are encouraged to offer contactless payment options and self check-in, limit table capacity, and post the commitments on their website.

 

“Bed-and-breakfasts and inns should take steps to communicate their enrollment in The Bed & Breakfast Inns Promise by posting the required notice at entrances, on their website and social media channels, so their guests understand the proper protocol,” Kosko said. “By partnering together, we can keep everyone safer.”

 

“Bed-and-breakfasts and inns are a safe lodging option because they provide smaller properties, serve fewer people and have a higher level of cleanliness. This enable a better practice of social distancing,” Kosko said.

 

If guests do not wish to travel during the COVID-19 recovery period, there are PABBI gift certificates available that make wonderful wedding, anniversary or birthday gifts available for purchase. The gift certificates do not expire and can be used at any bed-and-breakfast or Inn associated with PABBI.

 

To view The Bed & Breakfast Inn Promise or purchase a gift certificate, visit www.painns.com.

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About PABBI

The Pennsylvania Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns is a 501 (c) (6) trade organization established in 2011. The mission of PABBI is to elevate and grow the B&B industry in Pennsylvania by providing support, guidance, and education to innkeepers; building strong relationships with key industry leaders; and lobbying for state laws and codes that fairly deal with the needs of innkeepers and guests.

 

Contact

Jill Helsel Gingrich, [email protected]