New Synergy research to be unveiled at “Restoring Traveller Confidence” event today revealing growth in demand for serviced accommodation.
Synergy Global Housing (Synergy), a leading global serviced accommodation provider, has unveiled SynergyCares – a wide-ranging global safety and health initiative.
Synergy, which provides best-in-class serviced accommodation in over 85 countries, developed SynergyCares in alignment with public health recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The initiative aims to reinforce the duty of care policies and procedures for guests, corporate clients, and business partners while maintaining a safe work environment for staff.
The introduction of SynergyCares comes as the company hosts a virtual roundtable event today entitled “Restoring Traveller Confidence” set to be attended by over 100 leading corporate buyers from across the globe. It will feature new research which will reveal that over a third of travel buyers plan to increase their use of serviced accommodation as an alternative to hotels as a result of COVID-19.
Synergy’s International President, Stephen Hanton, says: “The needs of business travellers and corporate clients are changing as we emerge from the pandemic, and we believe that serviced apartments provide one of the safest accommodation options for travellers. Our SynergyCares initiative lays the groundwork for some of the strongest and most comprehensive safety and health standards in the marketplace.”
Hanton added, “SynergyCares is more than simply medical grade disinfectant, electrostatic sprayers, and a housekeeping PPE policy – it’s an enduring, holistic approach to caring for our guests, staff, environment, and a model for the industry as a whole.”
SynergyCares is a measured, comprehensive initiative to re-instill global traveller confidence in the COVID-19 environment. At its core are nine safety and health commitments all designed to protect guests and staff. Over and above that, SynergyCares is a significant investment of funds and resource in the methods, products, and philosophy Synergy uses to care for its guests both now and in the future.
The Nine-Step SynergyCares Safety and Health Pledge:
- Sanitisation
- Guest Safety
- Our Staff
- Contactless Arrivals
- Housekeeping
- Control Your Space
- Public Areas
- Supply Chain Partners
- Duty of Care
Synergy’s U.S. President, Debra Christopher, says: “At Synergy, our apartments and cleaning standards are, and always have been, a priority. Synergy was one of the first operators to publish its diligent cleaning guidelines and apartment checklists to ensure transparency and accountability in not only our processes but the products we use. With SynergyCares, we didn’t just elevate a cleaning policy, we elevated our entire guest service philosophy to account for the evolving needs of global travellers.”
The SynergyCares initiative incorporates its already enhanced safety and health protocols (due to risks associated with COVID-19) with its people-first and environment-first business principles.
Hanton says: “To Synergy, little things mean a lot and are the mark of a well-considered, well-executed housing programme. These range from our internal training programmes, to the way we enter apartments, our lift protocols, giving the guest their choice of arrival method, and mid-stay guest check-ins – all the way to how we select and partner with our global supply chain partners.”
SynergyCares Safety and Health Enhancements:
Apartment Unit
- Hospital-grade disinfectant, or CDC/WHO recommended cleaning products
- PPE required of all housekeeping staff
- Electrostatic Sprayers
- Authentication/Sign-Off of apartment disinfection completion
- Synergy Seal of Approval
- Sealed extra towels and linens
- Additional complimentary toiletries and ancillary items
Apartment Extras
- Two face masks
- Gloves
- Hand sanitiser
- Sanitising wipes
- Quality hand moisturiser
- Sanitisation information
- Welcome/Arrival pack to include pre-packaged items only (no open fresh fruit)
Following the guidelines of the CDC, ECDC, and the WHO, Synergy partnered with world-renowned chemical supplier, Ecolab, to ensure the entire apartment is not only sanitised but disinfected as well. Moreover, Synergy increased the number of areas classified as ‘high-touch’ to 34 to guarantee each apartment unit is as germ-free as possible.
Serviced accommodation, also known as serviced apartments or corporate apartments, represent one of the safest accommodation options for global travellers. As emerging virtual life and work trends stand the test of time, serviced accommodation offers leisure and business travellers an optimal environment to safely balance work and life on the road.
Serviced accommodation offers guests a controlled, isolated and well-ventilated environment with all the major common lifestyle needs. This includes a full-sized kitchen and refrigerator, ample living and private spaces, and in many cases, in-unit laundry, and all accounted for in one turn-key product and service offering. Due to this robust and comprehensive living environment, there is less natural interaction between neighbours and guests in common areas.
Moreover, typical amenities offered with most serviced accommodation are frequented by a small, controlled population of guests. This fact lessens the likelihood of congestion and increases the ability of staff to control sanitisation measures and protocols. All in all, serviced accommodation offers leisure and business travellers the perfect environment for a safer, more controlled living experience.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
