Signed by Governor Phil Murphy

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires sanitation and cleaning guidelines for hotels in the state.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the Commissioner of Health to issue protocols for the sanitization of each hotel in the state, including (Sec. 1):

• Maintaining continuous 24-hour, 7-day a week coverage of the front desk by at least one employee per 100 guest rooms;

• Training a front desk employee to respond to a guests’ inquiry related to health and safety, including but not limited to:

• The location of the hospitals in the vicinity of the hotel;

• Emergency telephone numbers; and

• Options for seeking treatment or testing for virus diseases during a public health crisis;

• Ensuring that every guest room is cleaned and sanitized every day and provided with an adequate supply of clean towels, sheets, and pillowcases prior to the occupancy by a new guest;

• Ensuring that every guest room is provided with an adequate supply of clean towels, sheets, and pillowcases that are changed no less frequently than once every day;

• Ensuring that all public spaces are cleaned and sanitized at least once a day, and that all guest touched-points are cleaned and sanitized throughout each day;

• Providing their employees with anti-microbial cleaning products certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency that are approved for use against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); and

• Training their employees on the proper use of antimicrobial cleaning products and on proper cleaning protocols that maximize the sanitary condition of each guest room, guest touch-point, and public space.

• Defines “guest room” as a private room made available by a hotel for occupancy by a guest, including several interconnected rooms such as a bathroom, living room, or multiple bedrooms in the case of a suite (Sec. 1).

• Defines “guest touch-point” as any surface in a public space in a hotel that is regularly touched by a hotel or motel guest, including (Sec. 1):

• Door knobs or handles;

• Counters, desks or tables; and

• Chairs, sofas, or electronics.

• Defines ‘occupied guest room” to mean that a guest is currently checked into a guest room regardless of whether the guest is physically present in the room or not (Sec. 1).

• Defines “public space” as any space accessible to a guest within a hotel including a lobby, bathroom, dining area, hallway, or elevator and specifies that it shall not include a guest room (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department of Community Affairs to distribute the aforementioned guidelines developed by the Department of Health and to inspect each hotel within the state (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that this act shall take effect 14 days following passage (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires sanitation and cleaning guidelines for hotels in the state.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the Commissioner of Health to issue protocols for the sanitization of each hotel in the state, including (Sec. 1):

• Maintaining continuous 24-hour, 7-day a week coverage of the front desk by at least one employee per 100 guest rooms;

• Training a front desk employee to respond to a guests’ inquiry related to health and safety, including but not limited to:

• The location of the hospitals in the vicinity of the hotel;

• Emergency telephone numbers; and

• Options for seeking treatment or testing for virus diseases during a public health crisis;

• Ensuring that every guest room is cleaned and sanitized every day and provided with an adequate supply of clean towels, sheets, and pillowcases prior to the occupancy by a new guest;

• Ensuring that every guest room is provided with an adequate supply of clean towels, sheets, and pillowcases that are changed no less frequently than once every day;

• Ensuring that all public spaces are cleaned and sanitized at least once a day, and that all guest touched-points are cleaned and sanitized throughout each day;

• Providing their employees with anti-microbial cleaning products certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency that are approved for use against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); and

• Training their employees on the proper use of antimicrobial cleaning products and on proper cleaning protocols that maximize the sanitary condition of each guest room, guest touch-point, and public space.

• Defines “guest room” as a private room made available by a hotel for occupancy by a guest, including several interconnected rooms such as a bathroom, living room, or multiple bedrooms in the case of a suite (Sec. 1).

• Defines “guest touch-point” as any surface in a public space in a hotel that is regularly touched by a hotel or motel guest, including (Sec. 1):

• Door knobs or handles;

• Counters, desks or tables; and

• Chairs, sofas, or electronics.

• Defines ‘occupied guest room” to mean that a guest is currently checked into a guest room regardless of whether the guest is physically present in the room or not (Sec. 1).

• Defines “public space” as any space accessible to a guest within a hotel including a lobby, bathroom, dining area, hallway, or elevator and specifies that it shall not include a guest room (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Bureau of Housing Inspection in the Department of Community Affairs to distribute the aforementioned guidelines developed by the Department of Health and to inspect each hotel within the state (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that this act shall take effect 14 days following passage (Sec. 3).

Full Bill Text