Is this the new normal for hotel hygiene? 

In a nod to the new realities of the coronavirus pandemic, Marriott has announced a series of dramatic new changes to the way it cleans its hotels — in what could be a portent of new standards across the hotel industry. 

Marriott has also launched what it’s calling the “Global Cleanliness Council” led by Ray Bennett, Chief Global Officer, Global Operations, Marriott International, joined by a number of public health experts and scientists. 

The mission of the council is to “tackle the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic at the hotel level and further advance the company’s efforts in this area.”

“We are living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and center for our guests and our associates,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International. “We are grateful for the trust our guests have shown us through the years. We want our guests to understand what we are doing today and planning for in the near future in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene and social distancing so that when they walk through the doors of one of our hotels, they know our commitment to their health and safety is our priority. It’s equally important to us that our associates know the changes we are making to help safeguard their health as they serve our guests.”

A major part of the company’s new cleanliness push will be in the form of enhanced technology, including “Electrostatic Spraying Technology,” which uses what the company says is the “highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the CDC.”

The sprayers clean and disinfect entire areas, and can be used to clean and disinfect rooms, lobbies, gyms and other areas. 

Marriott also says it is testing ultraviolet light to sanitizes things like keys and other devices. 

The company is making some major changes to its cleaning regimen across its properties: that includes “rigorous” cleaning protocols, and requiring that surfaces are treated with hospital grade disinfectants, with increased frequency. 

The company will also be reminding guests to maintain social distance protocols, even removing or re-arranging furniture to allow more space; that’s along with installing more hand sanitizing stations and allowing guests to use their phones to check in, access their rooms and even order rooms service in more than 3,200 hotels. 

And then there is the question of food safety; that includes enhanced sanitation guidelines and training videos for employees; all food handlers and supervisors will be trained, and the company is also changing its practices for in-room dining and “designing new approaches to buffets,” although it did not shed light on how the latter will change. 

“Safety for our guests and associates has always been a top priority for Marriott and today that discussion of safety is in the context of COVID-19,” said Bennett. “We want our guests to know that we are doing everything we can to welcome them back to a safe and clean hotel environment when they start traveling again.”

The post How Marriott Is Changing the Way It Cleans Its Hotels appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Next to smell, there’s nothing like music to spark memories. So
while we can’t bring you the fragrance of Frangipani (or even suntan lotion),
these 15 songs capture the memory of times spent relaxing on Caribbean beaches,
drinking rum drinks at resort bars, and dancing at sunset on party boats.

Of course the whole list could be Bob Marley and the Wailers tunes — and we really would have no problem with listening to Bob all day long — but we opted to include a range of songs that you almost certainly have heard if you’ve been to the Caribbean in the last few decades but might not know much about the artist or even the name of the song playing as the background of your island vacation. Big up to all the artists and here’s hoping the music takes you back to good times in the Caribbean!

Hot Hot Hot — Arrow

Thanks to MTV, many Americans of a certain age know the remake of
this song by David Johansen (as Buster Poindexter) better than the original.
But the song was born of the genius of Arrow, a calypso and soca star from the
tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat.

Bam
Bam — Sister Nancy

Pioneering
female Jamaican dancehall singer Sister Nancy recorded this slow-burn classic
in 1982.

Sean
Paul – Temperature

Kingston,
Jamaica rapper Sean Paul topped the international charts with the driving beat
of this 2005 dancehall hit.

Three
Little Birds — Bob Marley and the Wailers

We
literally could have included the entire catalog of this band on the list — One
Love, Buffalo Soldier, Jammin’, Redemption Song (my favorite). But if there’s
one song you’re nearly guaranteed to hear any day in the Caribbean, this is
it. 

The
Boat Ride Anthem  — Jason Benn and Pelf

We
defy you to stay seated when this soca song starts playing and the winin’ start
on a Caribbean party cruise.

Dollar
Wine — Colin Lucas

I
hear this song and immediately think of a conga line. Listen carefully and
Trini soca artist Colin Lucas will even teach you how to “chip down de road.” The
faster tempo remake by Soca Boys as “One Cent, Five Cent, Ten Cent, Dollar” a
few years later was perhaps even more popular.

The
Harder They Come — Jimmy Cliff

This
song and the film of the same name are widely credited with introducing reggae
to the world.

Night
Nurse — Gregory Issacs

Gregory
Issacs’ velvet voice propels this laid-back paean to sexual healing.

Follow
the Leader — Soca Boys

Put
yuh hands in the air and follow along with this distinctly Caribbean twist on
the Electric Slide.

Jump
in the Line — Harry Belafonte

“Shake,
shake, Señora” remains an irresistible call to the dance floor nearly 60 years
after Jamaican-American legend Harry Belafonte recorded this rousing calypso
song.

It
Wasn’t Me — Shaggy

Shaggy’s
inimitable singing style makes any of his songs instantly recognizable,
including this irresistible tale of a playa who gets caught.

Chase
the Devil — Max Romeo

You
may or may not know this as the “put on the iron shirt” song. Jamaican reggae
artists Max Romeo says the shirt represents the human strength of spirit needed
to “cast out the devil” — perhaps right to outer space.

You
Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) — Dawn Penn

Sixties
rocksteady artist Dawn Penn scored a global comeback hit with this seductive
dancehall song in 1994.

Big
Bamboo — Horace Peterkin

Does
anything say Caribbean vacation like a calypso ode to sexual prowess sung by
the general manager (Horace Peterkin)
of a Sandals resort in Jamaica? We think not.

Pressure
Drop — Toots and the Maytals

This
1969 song by one of the kings of Jamaican ska and rocksteady music rode the
soundtrack for The Harder They Come to worldwide fame, and is still commonly
found on Caribbean resort playlists. The song title refers to the drop in
barometric pressure that occurs when a hurricane is approaching.

See the full playlist here on Spotify:

The post A Caribbean Music Playlist That Will Take You to the Beach appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The sky is pink, then purple; the umbrellas and the palm trees darken against a twilight canvas. 

There’s nothing like sunset in the Caribbean, a ritual of renewal, a nod to a day enjoyed. 

Take yourself for a moment to Frederiksted, St Croix and the pool deck at The Fred boutique hotel; it’s a calm, tranquil 20 seconds of Caribbean sunset. 

See it in the latest Caribbean Moment below:

The post Caribbean Moment: A Purple Sunset in St Croix appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It’s the Caribbean capital of windsurfing, one of those seminal spots where a few intrepid surfers turned an empty beach into a Mecca. 

And it’s easy to spend a moment daydreaming about the breezy, fun-loving vibes of Lac Bay in Bonaire, a place where the waves seem to get you whether you’re on a board or not. 

It’s all there: the toes-in-the-sand beach bar, the energetic, youthful vibe and the marvelous, shallow turquoise waters of Bonaire’s southeastern corner. 

So take yourself there digitally right now, to the cool winds and the surf shacks and the smiles. 

At least you won’t have to worry about losing your balance. 

See the latest Caribbean Moment below:

The post Caribbean Moment: Feeling the Breeze in Lac Bay, Bonaire appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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