Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide
Let the bewilderingly divisive medical mask be the icon of the global coronavirus pandemic – the Sharecare VERIFIED® badge is poised to become the symbol of health security in travel and hospitality moving forward. Known formally as Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide, the badge and the tech-savvy program behind it address the now-critical need for industry players to establish confidence with guests and travel planners in the age of COVID-19 and beyond.
Created by Sharecare, the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, and backed by Forbes Travel Guide, the global authority on genuine Five-Star service, Sharecare VERIFIED® is an easily identifiable “seal of approval” for hotels to display on their websites and on-property to let guests and employees know their facilities are health secure.
The VERIFIED® platform is simple but powerful, employing chatbot technology to enable hotels and other travel, hospitality, and entertainment outfits to confirm their health-secure status as easy as, say, texting a message. VERIFIED® is not about telling hotels how to clean, that is – there are many ways to do that effectively – it’s about confirming that hotels are doing the right thing to ensure an appropriate standard of cleanliness.
The first 18 hotels to become Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide received their badges in early December 2020. Their locations range far and wide: from New York to California, Hong Kong to Mexico, and Cayman Island to Costa Rica, with Hawkins International client Carillon Miami Wellness Resort and Maverick Creative client Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, California among them.
Internova Travel Group, one of the world’s largest travel services companies, has selected Sharecare and Forbes Travel Guide to validate the procedures and protocols at more than 50,000 hotels booked through its systems, each of which Internova expects to receive their VERIFIED® badge by the end of Q1 2022.
Given the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, restoring guest confidence is critical. While hotels have invested heavily in setting up health safety procedures, the burden of assessment and ensuring that those procedures are being followed has fallen upon the guest or travel advisor.
Getting VERIFIED® offers plenty of upside for hotels, giving them credit for all they’ve put into protecting guests and staff, and amplifying their message of health security for travelers longing to hear it. After all, even with COVID-19 vaccinations now underway, the topic of health security to overcome future health challenges is here to stay.
To learn more about Sharecare, find the full story on Forbes Travel Guide, or contact us.