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To the Editor:

As a longtime member of the hospitality industry and an occasional commentator on what we do, I implore you that, when you report on the various brands’ announcements of their new “cleanliness & sanitation” plans, you hold their feet to the proverbial fire on transparency of the process and the attendant costs related to them. I have been convinced that the announcements we have seen have been premature due to their lack of specificity and transparency—like the out-of-control real estate developer telling the neighbors how great the project is going to be without actually revealing what the project is. It will be a significant disservice to the industry and our guests for the brands to hide behind “proprietary brand standards” that impact the health and well-being of the guests, the employees and, ultimately, the owners and operators who will be mandated to comply.

Too many articles in both trade and general public publications have lauded the brands for their announcements—of blue-plate “cleanliness counsels,” relationships with experts in the field, and their expressed concern about guest and employee well-being—without delving into the specifics of the plans. I am all for gold-star cleaning and sanitation, which we as an industry need, but the proof is in the actual plan, not the announcement of it.

Michael C. Shindler

President, Four Corners Advisors Inc.