The Louvre Hotels Group has selected NSF International to provide an external independent review of its Covid-19 safety protocols through the "Checked by NSF™" programme.
NSF International is a world leader in risk management solutions for public health, and Louvre is committed to having 100 per cent of its network audited by September.
The group, which operates almost 1,500 hotels in 54 countries, deployed its own Health Commitment Charter early on in the Covid-19 pandemic to offer reassurances to customers and employees.
Over 200 new procedures and training courses have since been brought into its establishments, and it has chosen to utilise NSF International to control the proper implementation of the new procedures by conducting audits throughout Louvre’s international properties, across over 50 different countries.
Sandrine Gosse, Louvre Hotels Group’s quality and customer service director, said: "This historic crisis has led us to be extremely responsive and agile in terms of quality, operations and customer experience. It seemed obvious to us to call upon two types of expertise: our internal teams, specialists in the hotel and restaurant business, and a trusted organisation like NSF International, with whom we have been working with since 2016.
"Our objective is to make new health standards a permanent part of the daily life of our teams and our clients and to offer similar quality standards in our 1500 hotels in 54 countries."
The role of NSF International will centre around ensuring that health procedures are properly applied in all of Louvre’s establishments across the world. The audits will be carried out over the summer.
Following the inspections, NSF International will provide each hotel owner with a verification of compliance document. In the case of minimum compliance not being satisfied in an initial audit, another audit will be carried out within a window of a few weeks.
The NSF programme is flexible in that it allows some of the audits to be remotely conducted where necessary. Remote audits also provide hotel owners with self-assessment guidelines prior to a conference call with one of NSF’s experts.
Werner Linders, NSF International’s global lead for the “Checked by NSF™” programme, commented: "Covid-19 may be new but infection control and good hygiene requirements are not, and the public deserve to know that their health and safety are top priority. A "Checked by NSF" badge on the door provides that reassurance.
"At NSF we have been doing this sort of public health and safety work for over 75 years. Our new Checked by NSF™ program helps businesses to reopen and stay open by providing science-based expert guidance and ensuring appropriate preventive measures are in place.
"As an independent, global organisation, we tap into a worldwide network of experts in public health and the environment – from microbiologists and toxicologists to medical doctors and engineers. We are proud to support hospitality leaders and Louvre Hotels Group recognise that a trusted third party reviewing their processes adds value to their operations and delivers customer confidence."
