WHY IT RATES: Travelers can feel comfortable staying at a Best Western property.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.

Best Western Hotels & Resorts continues to enhance its industry-leading cleaning program, We Care Clean, through its partnership with P&G Professional, the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble.

BWHR announced the addition of Microban 24 Professional to its cleaning protocol. Starting this fall, all 2,300 Best Western-branded locations across the U.S. and Canada will have access to Microban 24 Professional, adding an extra layer of protection for hotel guests.

"Now more than ever, there is nothing more important than providing a safe and clean home away from home for our guests, and creating a healthy environment for our hotel associates," said Ron Pohl, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for BWHR. "We are constantly working to enhance our cleaning practices and protocols, and we are proud to bring an added layer of protection to our hotels through this partnership with P&G Professional."

A recent survey from P&G Professional found that 70 percent of hotel guests have a more stringent definition of "hotel cleanliness" since COVID-19. In addition, over 60 percent rated overall cleaning and housekeeping procedures as extremely important attributes to their guest experience.

For nearly 75-years, BWHR has been an industry leader in its reputation for providing clean, well-maintained accommodations and the We Care Clean program is no exception. Based on guidance from leading health and safety agencies, the program addresses everything from guest room and common area cleanliness, to streamlined processes that minimize contact between guests and associates while maintaining the high level of customer service BWHR is known for. Through the partnership with P&G Professional, Best Western-branded hotels are equipped with trusted and recognized brands of cleaning products.

"P&G Professional has been a long-standing partner and endorsed supplier with Best Western for over a decade," adds Pohl. "Hundreds of Best Western-branded hotels across North America leverage P&G Professional's safe, simple, and effective solutions to create a clean and healthy environment for guests and employees. We are thrilled to introduce Microban 24 Professional as an option for our hotels, adding to the list of other well-known brands such as Tide, Dawn, Comet, Febreze and Swiffer."

Like many of the core products already in use as part of the We Care Clean program, all Microban 24 products are on the EPA List N, which is a list of products for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and Health Canada's guidelines for inclusion on List of Disinfectants with evidence for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Powered by Microban antimicrobial technology, Microban 24 Professional products have the unique capability to continue killing 99.9% of bacteria for up to 24 hours, even after multiple touches.

"In our more than 10 years of working with Best Western Hotels & Resorts, we've seen their commitment to providing a safe, healthy and comfortable place to stay through their robust cleaning and disinfection programs," said Paul Edmondson, Vice President North America, P&G Professional. "With the lingering pandemic, and as we enter cold and flu season, it is more important than ever that hotels maintain a high level of cleanliness and disinfection. With the addition of Microban 24 to their We Care Clean program, BWHR has shown that ensuring the health and safety of their employees and guests is a top priority for them."