Meliá Hotels International, a reference in the hotel sector, and Bureau Veritas, a leader in testing, inspection and certification, have signed an international agreement for Global Safe Site certification. This is based on “Stay Safe by Meliá”, a program for compliance with preventive health and safety measures that establishments in more than 40 countries must carry out as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The certification scheme has been designed to verify that Meliá Hotels International has correctly implemented these safety standards and hygiene and disinfection procedures at its hotels.

Gabriel Escarrer, Executive Vice President and CEO of Meliá Hotels International, explains:

“We will be ready to open our hotels as soon as people are able to travel, and there is sufficient demand to guarantee minimum occupancy. To this end, we are pouring all our know-how and experience gained over the past few months at our hotels in China with the “Stay Safe by Meliá” program. Bureau Veritas’ certification confirms that our new processes and adaptation of spaces comply with the most stringent health and safety precautions and the most demanding international standards. This will be a key factor for operating in the post-COVID-19 era”.

The certification will cover the needs of the hotel and catering industry by setting health standards at all Meliá hotels which can be applied to other companies in the sector.

“We are very pleased to be able to work with Meliá Hotels International. Bureau Veritas’ mission is to shape a world of trust. Global Safe Site clearly allows us to meet society’s expectations in terms of health and safety. In this way, we will contribute to the reopening of hotels and restaurants in keeping with the highest standards of reliability. This certification will undoubtedly benefit the entire industry. This approach is part of the global Restart Your Business with BV initiative, which aims to ensure that all appropriate health, safety and hygiene conditions are in place for businesses to restart operations” says Bertrand Martin, Senior Vice-President of Bureau Veritas Spain and Portugal.

A final output of the certification agreement will be the creation of an operational guide. This will serve Meliá Hotels International as a roadmap, enabling it to rigorously apply the health and safety recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and public authorities in each country.