In a bold move, the world’s the largest hospitality group, Marriott International has announced a fiscal incentive plan for staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

The company announced last week that it will be rolling out its new Vaccination Care Program, wherein employees across all brands in America and Canada will receive the equivalent of four hours of pay as compensation for being vaccinated for the pandemic. In a statement released to the media, Marriott, which has a broad portfolio of 30 hospitality brands encouraged its staff to take the COVID-19 jabs that are now being offered to protection them from the novel corona virus.

Marriott joining other brands compensating worker for being  vaccination

In providing a financial incentive to workers who get vaccinated, Mariott is joining some other prominent travel and leisure brands. They include Amtrak, which recently announced that the company will pay its roughly 20,000 workers the equivalent of two hours in wages to get vaccinated for Covid-19.

Another popular brand, McDonald’s is offering their workers up to four hours of paid time off to get vaccinated. In order its staff to get vaccinated, Marriott is also providing education on the benefits of vaccination and directing leaders to allow for schedule flexibility for vaccination.

The company, which manages hotel brands such as household names like Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Westin, Sheraton, Residence Inn, Aloft, Moxy and many more was quick to emphasize that getting vaccinated is strongly encouraged but not mandated. According to the hotel chain, “our goal for the Vaccination Care Program is to remove potential obstacles to getting vaccinated so our associates can put their health first and have peace of mind.”

In his statement, Marriott’s global chief human resources officer, David Rodriguez, advised that, “Marriott International is confident that vaccination is a key measure, along with mask wearing, social distancing and stepped-up cleanliness protocols and hygiene practices in minimizing the spread of Covid-19.” The company has argued that as vaccines become more widely available, this will create a safer environment for all associates, expressing the belief that consumer confidence to travel again will increase significantly and help the rebound of the travel and tourism sector.

Marriott is encouraging franchisees to offer this incentive

Rodriguez points out that Marriott is encouraging franchisees to offer this incentive to their associates. This incentive initiative comes as the world’s largest hotel group suffered record losses last year, as a result of COVID-19, which paralysed global travel.