Austria
- All the RIU establishments audited by Preverisk have passed an intensive verification programme that ensures compliance with all the preventive measures implemented at the chain
- The consultant has certified that the main procedures for mitigating the possible spread of outbreaks have been applied appropriately and effectively
Preverisk Group, the international consultant specialising in health and safety consulting, auditing and training for the tourist industry, has guaranteed the effectiveness of the health and hygiene protocols in place at the RIU chain of hotels by issuing 62 COVID-19 Hygiene Response certificates. This certification guarantees that the chain’s hotels audited by Preverisk have passed an intensive process of verification of the 17 protocols that were created by the RIU team in collaboration with the consultant and that served as a guide for operations as the hotels reopened post-COVID. In addition, this certification guarantees that all the measures aimed at preventing or mitigating the possible spread of COVID-19 outbreaks among guests, staff and visitors have been implemented satisfactorily.
The consultant is auditing RIU hotels to verify whether they meet the minimum requirements for each department for COVID-19. All of the 62 hotels that were audited achieved certification that validates their compliance with all the preventive measures that the chain is implementing. The consultant has commented that this result is “very positive”.
The intensive verification process developed by Preverisk covers not only the necessary measures to prevent the spread of the disease in the hotels, but also considers the health and hygiene requirements that should be implemented in the establishments in order to open safely to the public. Those measures meet the relevant national regulations and also have a basis in the international recommendations issued by official organisations such as the World Health Organisation and other international bodies such as the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Using an approach based on risk assessment to examine operations, Preverisk ensures these measures have been implemented in the various departments and activities of the audited RIU hotels. Likewise, the consultant confirms that the main procedures for mitigating the possible spread of outbreaks implemented in RIU hotels have been applied appropriately and effectively.
These procedures are divided into two lines of action. One focuses on reviewing tasks prior to openings, including essential aspects such as fire safety, gas safety, food hygiene, staff policy, water systems, pool safety and hygiene, waste water treatment plants and the use of waste water for irrigation in green areas, laundry and pest control. The other covers the specific COVID-19 measures based on social distancing, environmental hygiene (cleaning and disinfection), personal hygiene and the use of protective equipment, and crisis management procedures and quarantine in suspected or confirmed cases of infection.
At the start of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, RIU had to close its 99 hotels in 19 countries. Today, however, the chain has 45 hotels in operation in 15 countries and all of them have the guarantee of having satisfactorily passed the intensive verification process developed by Preverisk.
In this way, all the procedures and key preventive measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the hotels RIU currently has open are guaranteed.
