June 18, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Experience Sioux Falls.

Guests are starting to return to Sioux Falls hotels, and they’re finding an experience that’s cleaner and safer than ever.

In managing through the COVID-19 pandemic, many hotel brands have partnered with experts from the field of medicine and public health to supplement their reputation of cleanliness and hospitality with new cleaning protocols throughout each step of their guests’ journey.

Marriott’s Commitment to Clean includes a Marriott Cleanliness Council that is redefining cleaning and safety standards, consisting of in-house and outside experts in food and water safety, hygiene and infection prevention, and hotel operations.

Marriott’s executive chairman, JW Marriott Jr., explained that the company’s Commitment to Clean new protocols work for all 30 brands.

“We are all facing a historic battle, and most days it is simply about rolling up our sleeves to fight that battle,” he said.

“There are countless moments of humanity and resilience – I see them in how our hotel teams and individual associates are responding to the crisis around them. And that fills me with tremendous hope for the future.”

While elements of the new practices may vary based on differing geographies, travelers should know that their hotels will continue to follow local government and public health guidelines and operate with health and safety top of mind.

Hilton recently debuted its CleanStay initiative, which was created in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and the maker of Lysol and Dettol. It includes new procedures to help Hilton guests enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay starting this summer.

Locally, operator Hegg Hospitality at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown has implemented measures such as daily housekeeping services only upon request, as well as providing extra sanitation in the dining areas. Seating has been arranged to allow for social distancing, and single-use menus are being utilized.

Across the city, hotel occupancy is starting to rebound.

The Sheraton Sioux Falls Hotel has recently seen an uptick in traveling for summer vacations.

“Each and every day is a little brighter than the last,” said Jason Peters, the hotel’s general manager.

“With the return of our economy on a steady ascent and some great booking successes next year, we look forward to continue receiving the support of the city and building our sports and meeting business back to pre-pandemic levels.”

The Best Western PLUS Ramkota Hotel, owned by Regency Hotel Management, rolled out a program dedicated to providing a peaceful and productive stay for guests.

The four primary initiatives include sanitization and environmental procedures, social distancing practices, dining and conference facility modifications, and team member personal protective equipment, hygiene and screening.

“Rest assured, we are giving extra special attention to your surroundings while you are with us,” said Tom Biegler, president and CEO of Regency.

The newly opened Glo hotel at Dawley Farm Village also is taking precautions for travelers’ safety.

“We all know people are thinking about travel differently now,” explained Kayleen Leonard, director of sales for the Best Western property.

“In order to provide a safe and healthy environment for those traveling and to create a fun but smart staycation environment, we have implemented the We Care Clean program at our property, which is a corporatewide cleaning and best practices requirement.”

Additionally, hotels ask that consumers take on the shared responsibility of following CDC guidelines to assist in keeping the spread of the pandemic under control and to provide feedback at any time.

There is hope on the horizon for the travel industry in Sioux Falls with the support of the Spark Sioux Falls initiative.

Spark is supported by Forward Sioux Falls and initiated by the City of Sioux Falls, Denny Sanford Premier Center, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Downtown Sioux Falls, the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, and Experience Sioux Falls.

On behalf of the Hospitality, Entertainment, Art and Tourism, or HEAT, task force commissioned under Spark Sioux Falls, Experience Sioux Falls will launch a campaign in the coming weeks to promote staycations through the promotion of travel packages in the Sioux Falls designated market area.  The overarching message to “get out there” will be carried into target markets outside of Sioux Falls.

While 2020 will look quite a bit different than 2019, South Dakota’s visitor industry and resilience are strong. In 2019, the southeast region captured nearly 40 percent of all visitor spending in the state, the largest of all regions.

Visitor spending grew 6 percent in 2019 to surpass $1.6 billion, with Minnehaha County capturing 29 percent of all visitor spending statewide, an increase of 0.8 percentage point, according to the South Dakota Department of Tourism’s Tourism Economics County Analysis for 2019.

“Hotel occupancy from the end of April to the end of May averaged an 8.6 percent increase, and the second week of June showed occupancy as high as 47.4 percent,” said Teri Schmidt, executive director Experience Sioux Falls. “That’s a trend we hope to see continue through the end of the year.”

To see more visitor industry updates from Experience Sioux Falls, click here.