The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, India’s premier luxury hospitality brand, announces the launch of SURAKSHA in partnership with Bureau Veritas India. This comprehensive program builds on The Leela’s rigorous cleaning protocol and is aimed at elevating sanitisation, hygiene and safety procedures to deliver a safe environment for guests and associates.
“The world around us has changed fundamentally and it has become imperative that we take even more stringent measures to ensure our guests and associates feel safe as we prepare to welcome them back again,” said Anuraag Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.
“SURAKSHA reiterates our commitment towards the safety and wellbeing of our guests and associates. It redefines our processes so our guests can continue to enjoy our indulgent services and distinctive experiences with peace of mind. While the new Leela experience, as we embrace the new normal may look different, we want our guests and our associates to know that it is thoughtfully curated so they can continue to feel as welcome and comfortable as they did before.”
For the last three decades, the brand has come to be known for delivering an uncompromising level of personalized services with the true graciousness of Indian hospitality. SURAKSHA is grounded in genuine care and is backed by unobtrusive technology so guests have trust and confidence as they begin to travel again and continue to experience the renowned Leela service.
The Leela is taking a holistic approach and is working with Bureau Veritas India to develop and validate additional protocols and sanitisation procedures. These protocols will be reviewed regularly and certified by a team of hygiene experts from Bureau Veritas, India who will also contribute towards raising the level of awareness as well as provide training to associates as these initiatives get implemented across the brand’s entire portfolio.
Enhanced Cleanliness and Safety
The importance of cleanliness in today’s environment cannot be undermined. The Leela is introducing frequent cleaning and sanitisation of all public and personal spaces as well as high touch surfaces with hospital-grade EPA approved chemicals and disinfectants. This includes thorough sanitisation of hotel cars before and after every transfer.
Additional protective gear for all associates and frequent temperature checks for all associates and guests will be implemented across hotels. Adequate measures are being undertaken to rearrange furniture and restaurant seating to ensure social distancing protocols are followed at all times.
At The Leela, the associates are trained to maintain the highest standards in food hygiene and safety. Additional measures such as washing of all dishes at 80 degrees Celsius, preparation of fresh food in smaller quantities and immunity boosters on the menu are being introduced. The company is also relooking at its operational practices for in-room dining and designing new approaches to foodservice.
Technology as an Enabler of Experiences
The company will leverage technology as an enabler to deliver experiences that are important to its guests. With contactless check-in and check out, full access to digital news and e-papers as well as e-menus across restaurants, guests can have both choice and flexibility at their fingertips.
Technology will also be used to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness is maintained across the hotels. This includes the use of high bar pressure dry steam cleaners as well as electrostatic sprayers to clean rooms as well as restaurants and meeting rooms.
And all this under the supervision of a Hygiene Manager, a dedicated resource appointed at every hotel to ensure all protocols are diligently followed and processes implemented in real-time.
“In an industry that thrives on human interaction our biggest challenge is going to be how we reimagine the guest experience so personalized care and thoughtful service is not lost while keeping safety front and centre and limiting face to face interactions. This requires behavioural training and sensitization and we at The Leela are focussed on this,” added Anuraag Bhatnagar.