​Nordic Choice Hotels first to introduce certification performed by own guests

Nordic Choice Hotels has engaged with selected guests to report back on infection control measures in their hotels throughout the Nordic region. The assessments will be visible on their website.

When the pandemic became a fact in the spring of 2020, Nordic Choice Hotels immediately introduced infection control measures in all its hotels. This extensive work was named Safe Stay. The new everyday life for hotel operations naturally made creative employees ask themselves the question of who they would have the most confidence to judge how safe and secure a guest felt in a hotel during a pandemic. The answer was instant: "Feedback and assessments made by other guests". The idea that guests should perform checks at Nordic Choice hotels was thus born and was named The Chosen by Nordic Choice Hotels.

Successful recruitment
To find motivated and committed inspectors, the hotel group approached guests through the Nordic Choice Club as well as social media. After a successful pilot last summer, the recruitment of several inspectors began in the autumn of 2020. Over 500 applied and 200 were selected to become part of The Chosen by Nordic Choice Hotels.

– Our most important task is to offer safe experiences for our guests. This has always been a focus for us, but for natural reasons has become top priority during the pandemic. In addition to other certification collaborations, such as with ISO and Det Norske Veritas, we are launching our own Safe Stay assessment. It contributes to transparency and trustworthiness for other guests, says Torgeir Silseth, CEO of Nordic Choice Hotels.

The inspectors check in as they would normally do, without stating that they have a special assignment during their visit. As true undercover agents, they answer over 100 questions about how they experience Safe Stay measures during their hotel stay. Only after the inspectors have checked out do the hotels become aware of the visit by sending them a thorough report. The report highlights any shortcomings that should be rectified, but also focus on praise.

Safe Stay rating of all hotels
Everyone who books on the Nordic Choice Hotels website will now be able to see a Safe Stay rating for each hotel. All hotels are marked with the result of guest satisfaction in relation to infection control measures, which all guests are given the opportunity to respond to after completing their hotel stay. In addition, the results of the inspectors, the Safe Stay score, are visible at the hotels that have been visited so far.

In total, more than 200 inspections have been carried out, 130 of these so far in 2021. By the end of 2021, Nordic Choice Hotel will have received more than 1,000 feedbacks from its guest inspectors. The goal is for each of the more than 200 Nordic Choice hotels to be visited by an inspector up to six times a year.

– Getting such a large volume of feedback on what we can do better, and what we do right to ensure the safest hotel experience, is a win-win for both guests and employees. Going forward, we believe the Safe Stay assessments will be particularly important for the international market, which wants confirmation on how the hotels work with infection control. The selected inspectors certify our hotels, help to ensure a safe experience for future guests and a safe working day for our employees, Silseth concludes.