Boecker World Holding CEO Michel Bayoud speaks about how hoteliers can tackle the issue of pest management.
The hospitality industry is booming. The flow of guests, employees and goods coming in and out is constantly rising and triggering a higher risk of exposure to pest infestation.
In a competitive environment, where reputation is of the utmost importance, hotels place very high standards on guest experience and any sign of pest infestation is detrimental to business. As such, proactive pest management is crucial to providing a clean, safe and hygienic environment for customers.
Due to the large size and complexity of hotels, and the high turnover of food and guests, it is essential to provide high-quality service in a very efficient manner. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a fast and effective strategy to resolve all pest-related challenges.
Hotels are the ideal place to apply IPM for three reasons: It is an advanced, logical and effective method for reducing pest problems; it minimises exposure to chemicals; and it satisfies many customers and staff who prefer hotels that demonstrate environmental awareness.
Public health and hospitality premises are mostly exposed to cockroaches, flies, rodents and, increasingly, bed bugs. The latter are difficult to spot and, in today’s highly interconnected world, these parasites can make their way into hotel rooms via guests by clinging onto their luggage and clothes unnoticed.
Infestation can happen everywhere, even in building foundations. IPM treats any form of pest problems and can be applied in the pre-construction phase. For instance, treating building foundations that are susceptible to termite soil infestations will protect the building from any future defects.
Boecker Public Health has devoted many years to developing comprehensive protocols to address pest management. At Boecker World Holding, we know that the one-size fits all strategy doesn’t work, so we devise customised plans as different environments have different ‘hot-spots’ and face different challenges.
IPM is a pre-emptive solution that prevents pest infestation before it occurs and uses chemical treatments only as a last resort. The proper implementation of an IPM programme includes thorough understanding and careful documentation of pest proliferation to take the necessary corrective actions and resolve any issues.
The IPM approach provided by Boecker offers a scientific, safe, certified and guaranteed solution to all types of pests. Boecker services are all assured by the Charted Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), UK, for providing world-class pest management solutions that apply the highest quality of chemicals and control systems, employ highly-trained and certified professionals and use high-tech equipment and tools.
Moreover, in situations where chemical pesticides are necessary, preference is given to materials and methods which maximise public safety and reduce environmental risk.
The hospitality industry has very high standards when it comes to pest management. More importantly, so do guests. This means that providing pest-free and safe lodging and dining experiences is critical and mandatory. Any incident of pest sighting may drive guests away for good, no matter how courteous the service or attractive the property.
