Los Angeles Launches Initiative to Become First Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED™ Destination in US

LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board today announced an initiative powered by digital health company Sharecare and Forbes Travel Guide, the global authority on hospitality excellence, to verify the health security of all hotels with 50 or more rooms in the City of Los Angeles. By making health security verification a universal standard across this category of hotels, Los Angeles is set to become the first Sharecare VERIFIED™ destination in the U.S.

Developed by Sharecare and Forbes Travel Guide, Sharecare VERIFIED™ is a comprehensive verification process and designation that assures guests and travel planners that Los Angeles hotels with this distinction have appropriate safety procedures in place. All L.A.-area hotels must comply with public health guidelines, however specific protocols and programs vary across hotel brands and product categories. VERIFIED™ hotels are making the additional commitment to promoting transparency and creating confidence for guests, travel planners and team members by achieving and maintaining this designation. By becoming Sharecare VERIFIED™, each property is also ensuring that their protocols will continue to comply with evolving, expert-validated standards.

The verification process for each hotel covers more than 360 standards across health and hygiene protocols, cleaning products and procedures, ventilation, physical distancing, the guest experience, and health safety communication with guests and employees. Hotels also are required to verify their health protocols on an ongoing basis to ensure continued compliance with the most up-to-date health standards.

This news arrives at a critical moment for tourism in the City. Los Angeles is starting its comeback, having moved to the state's less restrictive orange tier, which allows the safe reopening of museums, indoor dining, theme parks and live outdoor events, including spectator sports, with appropriate capacity controls and safety protocols. As Los Angeles Tourism invites visitors to start their comeback, health and safety remains paramount.

"Los Angeles has been incredibly deliberate and thoughtful in its reopening, and we are grateful for our ongoing partnership with state and local health department officials in developing appropriate protocols to ensure that we can safely and responsibly reopen our local visitor industry. Our strategic partnership with Sharecare allows visitors, planners and hospitality employees alike to feel confident in our hotel community's commitment to their health and safety," stated Adam Burke, President & CEO for Los Angeles Tourism.

"The pandemic has made it clear that hotels and resorts must, first and foremost, assure guests of their safety," said Filip Boyen, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. "By becoming VERIFIED™, hotels with 50 or more rooms in the City of L.A. are demonstrating their commitment to creating a culture of accountability and following global best practices to heighten health security, verified by a third party."

This verification comes with an easily identifiable "seal of approval" – the Sharecare VERIFIED™ with Forbes Travel Guide badge – that qualifying hotels can use on their websites and other communications to let guests know that they've completed the verification process, which hotels with 50 or more rooms in the City of Los Angeles are expected to complete by April 30, 2021. For a complete list of hotels and resorts that currently are Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED™ with Forbes Travel Guide, please visit www.forbestravelguide.com/verified.

To learn more about how Los Angeles is safely reopening for residents and visitors alike, and how you can #TravelResponsibly, visit discoverlosangeles.com.

About Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board
Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (Los Angeles Tourism) is the official non-profit destination marketing and sales organization for the City of Los Angeles. Through its brand marketing and sales efforts in the U.S. and abroad, Los Angeles Tourism works to inspire travelers to choose Los Angeles for a vacation, meeting or convention and, in turn, advance the city's economic prosperity. Los Angeles Tourism is the ultimate resource for where to stay, play, shop and meet throughout the L.A. area, from Hollywood and Downtown to the Valley, Westside, South Los Angeles and Beach Cities. For more information, visit discoverlosangeles.com/corporate.

About Forbes Travel Guide 
Forbes Travel Guide is the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas. Started as Mobil Travel Guide in 1958, the company created the first Five-Star rating system in the United States. Today, Forbes Travel Guide's incognito inspectors travel the world, evaluating properties based on up to 900 rigorous, objective standards. Forbes Travel Guide also supports the hospitality industry and other service-oriented businesses such as luxury residential, healthcare and private clubs with bespoke training solutions, evaluation services and the creation of custom service standards. For more information, please visit partner.forbestravelguide.com.  

About Sharecare 
Sharecare is the leading digital health company that helps people – no matter where they are in their health journey – unify and manage all their health in one place. Our comprehensive and data-driven virtual health platform is designed to help people, providers, employers, health plans, government organizations, and communities optimize individual and population-wide well-being by driving positive behavior change. Driven by our philosophy that we are all together better, at Sharecare, we are committed to supporting each individual through the lens of their personal health and making high-quality care more accessible and affordable for everyone. To learn more, visit www.sharecare.com.  

SOURCE Sharecare and Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board