NH Hotel Group And SGS Announce Collaboration On A Global Disinfection Assessment Seal

NH Hotel Group, a consolidated multinational operator and one of the leading urban hotel companies in Europe and America, and SGS, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, have combined their experience and knowledge in the development of a protocol of measures and assessments, which will allow the Group's operations to be reactivated with maximum health and safety guarantees

Madrid - In order to preserve the safety of travelers and team members, as well as to comply with and generate confidence in the face of society's new expectations in terms of hygiene and protection, NH Hotel Group and SGS are pleased to announce their collaboration on a project that redefines and extends the health protocols applicable to the operations of the Group's hotels and that will enable them to be assessed as clean and safe environments with a view to their reopening.

The new processes, which will include the revision and adaptation of all hygiene and disinfection protocols of the facilities, specific training for employees and control and monitoring of the measures, will be implemented in the hotels so that they are ready to receive their assessment seal as they recover their activity. Effective immediately, the NH Collection Barbizon Palace hotel in Amsterdam, currently in operation, and the NH Nacional in Madrid, will be the first establishments where the Company and SGS will apply these health standards for them to be monitored.

Ramón Aragonés, CEO of NH Hotel Group, has pointed out that "in the current context, the Company's main determination is to provide an agile and efficient response to the security needs of travelers and internal teams during the process of hotel activity reactivation. The experience, global reach and independence of SGS as a world leading inspection, testing and certification company, will allow us to take the maximum precautions and apply specific and reliable procedures, aimed at offering safe hotels throughout all the geographies where we are present".

Frankie NG, CEO of SGS, has added that "SGS global leadership in the Travel & Hospitality sector has enabled our network of health and safety experts to develop a comprehensive and straightforward protocol to check management procedures and disinfection status of hotels. SGS goal is to ensure that maximum hygiene standards are met, to protect both guests as well as NH Hotel Group employees".

Developed by specialists in verification and certification and endorsed by experts in occupational health and safety, the new measures will enable hotels to readapt their facilities' cleaning and disinfection processes and increase staff control, hygiene and prevention initiatives, as well as reinforce procedures for food safety and space and mobility adequacy, among others. The protocols will also include the recommendations of global and local health authorities and take into account the health regulations in force in each country. The new seal will allow tourists from all over the world to know in advance of their trips those SGS-assessed hotels where the most stringent sanitary measures have been applied.

Customer Experience Redesign

In addition to reinforcing hygiene and disinfection measures at its hotels, NH Hotel Group is simultaneously working on redesigning its customer experience with the aim of ensuring that safety and social distancing requirements are met in its facilities. A project in which all the traditional operational processes - such as the check-in, customer service protocols or the buffet concept - are being reviewed, and in which digitalisation will play a major role. Moreover, all members of the Company will receive detailed training and preventive medical evaluation controls will be carried out daily for all employees and collaborators upon their arrival at the hotels.

Well-being and safety is paramount for NH Hotel Group, which plans to involve its employees, owners, suppliers and other stakeholders in the entire process of transforming the customer experience of its hotels, with the goal of being the most reliable option for leisure and/or business travelers once normality is restored.

About SGS

SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 94,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world. www.sgs.com