SAFE HAVEN “ From the outset , it was all about taking care of our people ,” says Ashley Horsley , the company ’ s CEO . “ Our guests , homeowners , our employees — we had to keep them safe .”
The first order of business for the 360 Blue leadership team was to develop protocols to ensure the safety of everyone within the company ’ s orbit — an effort that required a top-to-bottom review of all processes .
“ We had to find out where we were vulnerable and fix it ,” says 360 Blue Chief of Staff , Meaghan Sneed . “ It was a massive project , as we had to go through every aspect in every department and address every potential issue .”
The Housekeeping department was ground zero for the effort . If the company couldn ’ t ensure the safety of the homes it managed in the face of the growing threat , then it was difficult to see a way forward . But Shawn Cosson , the Director of Warehouse Operations , had good news on this front .
“ I could report that we were already way ahead of the game ,” Cosson says . “ Three years earlier — long before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19 — we had instituted the Clean Linen Program . It had been a huge investment at the time , but now , out of the clear blue , it was our saving grace .”
The Clean Linen Program is a comprehensive process whereby , after every guest checkout , all linens in all 360 Blue homes are brought to the company ’ s state-of-the-art laundry facility and laundered to hospital standards .
Cosson had one other piece of good news to report : The Housecleaning Department was already using high-grade cleaners that were not only antibacterial but antiviral .
Elsewhere , however , the news was far less hopeful . Beyond 360 Blue , beyond the Florida Panhandle , the world was buckling under the imminent threat posed by the virus . Italy and Spain were now on lockdown , while New York City and Washington state were about to be hit hard .
THE LARGER PICTURE By mid-March , the U . S . economy was in freefall , with the travel industry leading the way . Airlines were canceling thousands of flights daily while cruise ships were forbidden from leaving port , and in some cases , denied reentry . The Dow Jones Industrial Average would tumble 11,000 points
“ We had to find out where we were vulnerable and fix it ... It was a massive project , as we had to go through every aspect in every department and address every potential issue .”
- Meaghan Sneed
TRAVEL IN THE TIME OF COVID F E A T U R E beachLIFE 15