Get it Right the First Time: Hawaii Tourism Watch
Hyatt Regency Waikiki
Dates of inspection: July 16, 2020
Was this hotel open for guests at the time of the July 16, 2020 inspection? No
Has this hotel committed in a written agreement with Local 5 to providing COVID-19 testing for workers? No
Has the hotel provided Local 5 with its policies/procedures/guidelines for contact tracing and tracking staff interaction with guests and other staff? No
July 16, 2020 Inspection Findings
| Area of inspection: | Inspection findings: |
|---|---|
| Masks | The safety inspection team spoke with the General Manager and another manager. They were wearing masks, but through most of the conversation, the General Manager’s mask fell below his nose and he did not adjust it. |
| Plexiglas (or other) barriers | There was no physical reconfiguring of Front Desk and PBX workspaces where workers would be in close contact with each other or guests (see photos below). |
| Hand sanitizer | 15 hand sanitizer stations were spotted, but every single one was empty. |
| Social distancing | Furniture by the front desk was not reconfigured to encourage social distancing (see photo below).
The back-of-house areas (employee locker rooms, human resources office, reservations/sales, housekeeping, and uniform area) are all located on the same narrow hallway. Before the hotel closure, hundreds of workers pass through here or work here. It is not clear how the employer intends to encourage and enforce social distancing in these locations (see photo below). |
| Signage | Signage observed at the front desk were two small placards, recommending (not requiring) masks. The employee locker rooms had no signage for social distancing. |
| Other issues | There were no signs or rules regarding social distancing in or around the elevator. |
Click here to see the employer response.
The hotel responded as of August 13, 2020 to concerns raised from the inspection:
- “All persons on property will be required to wear a mask in common areas and all colleagues, vendors, and contractors will be subject to a temperature and wellness check upon arrival. PPE will be provided to all colleagues as needed and required to be worn. Signage will be placed throughout the hotel in designated public locations targeting social distancing and mask requirements. Hand sanitizer will be available on each guest floor and in all public areas. Physical barriers will be placed in locations with high guest contact including, but not limited to, front desk and front drive kiosks.”
- “All persons on property will be required to wear a mask in common areas and all colleagues, vendors and contractors will be subject to a temperature and wellness check upon arrival. PPE will be provided to all colleagues as needed and required to be worn. Back of house areas will be equipped with signage to create one-way traffic areas; hand sanitizers are located in common areas such as time clocks, cafeteria, and key access points; elevators will be marked with safety capacity levels to ensure social distancing is being created. Cafeteria will be reimagined separating tables to maximize distancing and safety. Additional air purifiers have been added to colleague spaces.”
- “Start and end times will be evaluated to ensure minimal occupancy levels in locker rooms during peak times, signage will be placed throughout locker rooms for safe practices, cleaning and disinfection will continue on a regular basis ensure compliance up to standards as set forth by Ecolab recommended cleaning products for COVID-19”
- “Flexible cafeteria operating hours to reduce traffic flow during peak hours, signage indicating one-way traffic flow through cafeteria, socially distanced seating area with alternative seating options throughout hotel”.
- “Signage will be placed throughout the back of house areas, departments will evaluate pre-shift locations to ensure safe social distancing.”
You can view protocol documents the hotel sent in response to Local 5’s information request here, the union received these protocols approximately around September 3, 2020.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki: Sanitization station in the employee cafeteria.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki: No Plexiglas or barriers at front desk. No floor markings to encourage social distancing.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki: None of the furniture by the front desk was reconfigured to encourage social distancing.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki: No hand sanitizer station by the housekeepers’ time clock.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki: employee locker room. It is not clear how the employer intends to encourage and enforce social distancing in this small space.
Hyatt Regency Waikiki: PBX phone operator office. The work stations are less than 6 feet apart.