A New Boss of Clean Will Ensure More Than Just Crystal Sparkles at New York’s Baccarat Hotel


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It's going to take more than a label to give guests confidence to book a post-pandemic hotel stay. Hoteliers need someone to make sure all the heightened cleaning standards are not only announced but also rigorously followed.

A heightened health and cleanliness standard is slated to be the ultimate five-star service when travelers return to hotels around the world — so much so that the Baccarat Hotel New York has created a new role to oversee its new hygiene protocol. Tanja Hernandez spent the last month training to be the Baccarat Hotel’s new director of environmental health and safety. A five-year veteran with the 114-room midtown Manhattan property named after the famed crystal company, Hernandez previously spent time managing special events and in-room dining. Most recently, she facilitated the partnership with two-Michelin-starred Chef Gabriel Kreuther, who serves as the hotel's culinary director. But when coronavirus hit New York City, the Baccarat’s owners suspended operations at the property — which is still closed — and decided a director to oversee a new health and safety standard was a necessary part in the path to reopening. “We have always thought of the hotel as a sparklin