Application of Hygienic Standards and Health Protection in Hotel Wellness Centers in the Republic of Croatia

Wellness se pojavljuje posljednjih godina na svjetskom turističkom tržištu kao jedan od značajnih hotelskih proizvoda. Vrlo oštra konkurencija nameće postizanje i održavanje određene kvalitete hotelskih wellness centara. Kvaliteta i diferenciranost hotelske wellness ponude kao i higijenski standardi hotelskih wellness centara elementi su opstanka i konkurentnosti na svjetskom turističkom tržištu. Značajan broj hotelskih wellness centara u Republici Hrvatskoj ne odgovara svjetskim standardima na koje su zahtjevni inozemni turisti navikli. Cilj ovog rada je ukazati na nužnost izrade pisanih protokola kao obaveznog dijela u provedbi higijenskih standarda u wellness centrima u Republici Hrvatskoj, Hipoteze u ovom radu glase: H1 - većina hotela (više od 50%) ne posjeduje certifikate ISO 9001-2008; H2 - većina hotela (više od 50%) ne posjeduje definirane higijenske standarde u wellness centrima; H3 - većina hotela (više od 50%) ne posjeduje zapis o higijenskom odravanju wellness centara uz potpis odgovorne osobe. Navedeno ima za posljedicu ugrožavanje konkurentnosti hotelskih wellness centara u Republici Hrvatskoj na međunarodnoj razini. Jasna definicija i primjena higijenskih standarda povećava kvalitetu hotelskih wellness centara i utječe na zdravstvenu sigurnost korisnika usluga, a time i na ukupno ostvarene prihode hotela.During the course of the last few years wellness has appeared on tourist markets worldwide as one of the most significant hotel products. Strong competition imposes the achievement and maintenance of certain quality of hotel wellness centers. The existence and competitiveness of hotel wellness centers on global tourist markets depend not only upon their quality and specific distinctive features of their offer but also upon reached hygienic standards. Notable numbers of hotel wellness centers in the Republic of Croatia do not comply with demands of global standards that foreign tourists have been used to. The aim of this work is to point at the need for making and applying hygienic standards in Croatian hotel wellness centers. The hypothesis of this work is as follows: hygienic standards in Croatian hotel wellness centers have not been clearly defined although there are Regulations regarding safety and health protection in hotel wellness centers in the Republic of Croatia. Such a policy consequently endangers competitiveness of Croatian hotel wellness centers on an international level. Clear definition and the application of hygienic standards improve the quality of hotel wellness centers and positively influence safety and health protection of customers thus enhancing competitiveness on an international level and increasing total hotel revenue