CHICAGO & BETHESDA, Md. — Following medical-expert guidance to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, beginning Monday, July 27, two major hotel chains are making face coverings mandatory in all indoor public areas.
Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson announced in a video earlier this week that the world’s biggest hotel chain has required employees to wear masks for months, but effective July 27, the rule will also apply to customers in all indoor public spaces.
“Health experts have made it clear that wearing face coverings in public spaces is one of the easiest steps we can all take to protect one another and reduce the spread of COIVD-19,” he said, adding the move adheres to safety guidelines for guests during the pandemic, published in the past week by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. The guidelines call for social distancing and frequent hand-washing and ask travellers to try to forgo daily housekeeping and opt for contactless services whenever possible.
For the foreseeable future, all Hyatt hotels in the U.S. and Canada will also require face coverings within indoor public areas, which include meetings-and-events spaces, restaurants and bars and fitness centres.
Some guests may be exempt from this mandate, including but not limited to people with medical conditions, those consuming food or beverages in restaurants and children under the age of two years.
Guests who are not wearing face coverings indoors will be asked to wear one and, at all Hyatt hotels, face masks will be made available to guests who do not have one. Additionally, Hyatt hotels request all guests practice proper social distancing in indoor and outdoor public areas and social-distancing guidelines are prominently placed throughout all hotels.
Hyatt will continue to require colleagues to wear face masks — and additional personal protective equipment based on job specifications — at all Hyatt hotels globally.
