Global Healthcare Accreditation® today announced that it is collaborating with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, to support hotels seeking formal accreditation for their cleaning programs, as well as guest safety and satisfaction for medical and wellness travelers. The GBAC STAR™ / GHA WellHotel® Program, which provides assurance and external validation of a property’s risk mitigation protocols and guest experience, includes two remote accreditation options: GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel® for Medical Travel and GBACSTAR / GHA WellHotel® for Well-being.
“Before the pandemic, global wellness and medical travel generated over $700 billion of revenue annually, making it an important focus for many hospitality properties,” said GHA CEO Karen Timmons. “In the wake of the pandemic, there is a growing consensus that consumers will turn to trusted sources as safety increasingly becomes a brand differentiator. GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel® Accreditation ensures hotels comply with recognized industry-wide hotel cleaning and sanitation standards required by COVID-19, as well as customer experience and safety protocols specific to the needs and expectations of medical travel and wellness guests. GHA is proud to partner with GBAC to align the WellHotel® programs with GBAC STAR and build trust and confidence on the part of guests traveling for medical care and well-being.”
GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel® for Medical Travel helps hospitality properties of all types, such as luxury, boutique, extended-stay, and airport hotels, put the appropriate safety protocols in place to care for medical travel guests. Meanwhile, GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel® for Well-being is a framework that enables hotels to meet the needs of wellness-minded tourists. Properties can also achieve both accreditations at once through a combined application process.
The program is based on 38 elements, 20 associated with GBAC STAR and 18 for GHA WellHotel®. Each have specific performance and guidance criteria that hotels must fulfill. Accredited hotels will receive a co-branded GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel® seal to display in guest and employee areas to further build trust and confidence.
“Both GBAC STAR and GHA WellHotel® Accreditation are built upon a strong commitment to cleaning, disinfection, infection prevention and guest experience, in order to protect facility visitors and employees,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “By aligning our programs with one another, we’re able to offer hotels a comprehensive approach to accreditation and give both medical and wellness travelers greater peace of mind that these properties are safe and focused on their unique needs.”
GBAC STAR is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation for facilities. The performance-based program is designed to help facilities of all sizes establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for bio hazard situations like the novel coronavirus.
For more information, visit wellhotel.org
About GBAC, a Division of ISSA
Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training, Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ facility and service accreditation programs, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.
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