Lord Baltimore Hotel Earns GBAC STAR™ / GHA WellHotel® Accreditation for Medical Travel

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lord Baltimore Hotel has now earned both GBAC STAR™ Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council^™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, and GHA WellHotel® Accreditation for Medical Travel from Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA). This means the property is the first in the United States to achieve the joint GBAC STAR™ / GHA WellHotel® Accreditation for Medical Travel, ensuring that it complies with cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention standards, as well as customer experience and safety protocols specific to the needs and expectations of medical travel guests.

"Hotel cleanliness and safety is of the utmost importance for guests traveling to receive healthcare," said Patricia Olinger, executive director, GBAC. "This joint accreditation assures guests that their wellbeing is a top priority while staying at the Lord Baltimore Hotel."

Prior to the pandemic, the medical tourism industry was valued by VISA and Oxford Economics at $100 billion with a projected growth rate of up to 25% year-over-year for the next 10 years. Despite the slowed growth due to COVID-19, medical travel is returning due to pent-up demand for healthcare services.

The GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel Program aligns GHA's WellHotel program with GBAC STAR, the cleaning industry's only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation. The virtual accreditation is performance-based and requires documentation for 38 elements, including cleaning and disinfection chemicals; goals, objectives, and targets related to guest satisfaction for medical travel; audits and inspections; and emergency planning and response.

"While concern for hotel cleanliness increased worldwide during the pandemic, medical travelers have always experienced unique health and safety needs," said Karen Timmons, CEO, GHA. "Our partnership with GBAC STAR ensures that hotels meet the highest standards of cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention, as well as customer experience and safety standards specific to the needs and expectations of medical travel guests. I would like to congratulate Lord Baltimore Hotel on achieving GBAC STAR / GHA WellHotel Accreditation for Medical Travel."

The Lord Baltimore Hotel is an iconic property in downtown Baltimore that combines late 1920's architecture and grace with a modern, private club aesthetic. Towering over the Baltimore skyline at 23 stories high with 440 guest rooms, the hotel offers more than 20,000 square feet of meeting, banquet, and event space. Since 1982, it has been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Located in the vicinity of Johns Hopkins Medical Center and other top U.S. hospitals, the hotel offers packages and services that meet the unique needs and expectations of medical travel guests.

"We are proud to be the first hotel in the United States to achieve the prestigious GBAC STAR/GHA WellHotel Accreditation for Medical Travel," said Onahlea Shimunek, General Manager, Lord Baltimore Hotel. "This accreditation provides assurance to guests and companions seeking medical treatment at top hospitals in the Baltimore area, that we have implemented protocols to meet their unique needs pre and post treatment. Additionally, the accreditation gives our guests confidence that we comply with internationally-recognized hotel cleaning and hygiene standards."

Learn more and apply for GBAC STAR Accreditation at gbac.org/star.

Learn more and apply for GHA WellHotel Accreditation at globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/wellhotel. 

Apply for joint GBAC STAR/ GHA WellHotel Accreditation at wellhotel.org.   

Find accredited facilities and those pursuing accreditation via the GBAC STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.

About GHA 
Global Healthcare Accreditation® (GHA) is an innovative accreditation body with specialized foci in medical and wellness travel, safety, and well-being. Founded in September of 2016, GHA's initial purpose as an independent accrediting body centered on improving the patient experience for medical travelers and supporting healthcare providers in validating quality, increasing visibility, and implementing a sustainable business model for medical travel. Since then, GHA has developed a variety of programs covering the entire spectrum of the care continuum and offers certification and accreditation for stakeholders in all aspects of health and wellbeing. For more information about GHA, visit www.ghaccreditation.com or contact Bill Cook at [email protected].

About GBAC, a Division of ISSA
Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response, and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial, and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address, and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization's services include biorisk management program assessment and training, infectious disease and biological material response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ Facility and Service Accreditation Programs, training and certification of individuals, and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.

About ISSA
With more than 10,500 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners, and associated service members—ISSA is the world's leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Milan, Italy; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit www.issa.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.

SOURCE Global Healthcare Accreditation