Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has entered into a collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine International that will see the health care and research leader review and validate Four Seasons’ new global health and safety program, Lead With Care. The collaboration will also provide the luxury hospitality company with ongoing, real-time guidance on the evolving COVID-19 situation.

“Within this new environment, our singular goal is to provide guests, residents and employees with the confidence and assurance that their health and safety is our first priority,” says John Davison, president and chief executive officer, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “We are incredibly proud to work alongside the renowned experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, leveraging their global expertise to strengthen our already stringent health and safety measures through our new Lead With Care program.”

To support the development of procedures to be verified by Johns Hopkins, as well as the procurement of supplies and equipment for Lead With Care implementation, Four Seasons will also work closely with EcoLab and International SOS, both of which were critical in the transformation of the Four Seasons hotels in New York, Riyadh and Mumbai that housed medical personnel.

New board to inform health and safety decisions

As part of the collaboration, Johns Hopkins and Four Seasons have established a COVID-19 advisory board designed to evolve with rapidly changing discoveries. This board will create, enhance and review current procedures, along with virtual and in-person training to guide implementation of Lead With Care across Four Seasons’ global portfolio. This builds on the early experience of Four Seasons Hotel New York, as well as Four Seasons hotels in Riyadh and Mumbai, all of which have provided accommodation to high-risk medical personnel fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grounded in health care expertise

Lead With Care is focused on providing care, confidence and comfort to all Four Seasons guests, employees and residents within the new COVID-19 environment. The new program outlines clear procedures that educate and empower Four Seasons employees to take care of guests and each other.

“Along with already commonplace measures such as more sanitizers, masks and heightened cleaning and hygiene, our collaboration with Johns Hopkins equips our property teams with access to leading international experts and real-time COVID-19 information, enhancing our tools and training to deliver an experience grounded in safety and trust,” says Christian Clerc, president, Global Operations, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “While the Four Seasons experience may look different in this new environment, it will ultimately feel the same—our dedicated people will continue to deliver the same intuitive service and personalized care for which Four Seasons is known and trusted for the world over.”

The collaboration will ensure the review and validation of Lead With Care in two phases.

1. Review and Validation | The first phase involves a comprehensive review of Four Seasons existing health and safety procedures along with enhanced protocols in response to the current situation at a global, regional and property level.
2. Ongoing Guidance | The second phase provides Four Seasons with ongoing collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Medicine International team, including direct access to curated critical updates, relevant COVID-19 research outcomes and expert advice to ensure real-time adjustments to operating procedures. Customized through on-property Hygiene Officers, this will allow Four Seasons to respond quickly and anticipate future needs, providing assurance that all appropriate infection control safety measures have been taken.

Four Seasons and John Hopkins will also establish a joint Response Team where senior experts in infectious diseases from Johns Hopkins will provide on-demand response and guidance to hotels facing COVID-19 situations.

Some of the features of the Lead With Care program are:

• the appointment of a Hygiene Officer at each Four Seasons property, who will be focused on implementing enhancements to already stringent procedures;
• rooms disinfected daily with EPA-approved products and blacklight inspection by room attendants;
• public areas cleaned hourly with extra attention to high-traffic areas including front desk counters and public restrooms;
• exploration of the latest tools and technology (electrostatic spraying, ozone technology for air purification, UV technology for HVAC systems) by the COVID-19 Advisory Board;
• Lead With Care kits (masks, hand sanitizer and sanitization wipes) in each guestroom, with additional masks supplied on demand;
• social distancing measures embedded in all services, including appropriately spaced fitness equipment, modified spa menu and services, contactless check-in and housekeeping services;
• in-room dining offering contactless delivery outside guestrooms along with sustainable, single-use packaging;
• Four Seasons App and Chat providing guests with real-time, contactless interactions with employees from their own device on nine global platforms and in 100+ languages;
• and Lead With Care training focused on educating and empowering employees to deliver the enhanced health and safety program.