Millions of Britons are patiently waiting for lockdown to end so they can try and resume normal life.
The date on many lips is 4 July 2020, which is when many B&Bs and hotels plan to open their doors to guests again, with a boom in ‘staycations’ expected.
While travelling abroad is up in the air due to the current coronavirus restrictions, confusion over quarantine and travel bridges, many will look for breaks in Britain.
However, for hotels to be reopened and guests to start pouring back in, a large number of changes will need to be made to ensure the safety of both the customers and the staff.
Hotel guests will likely to have their breakfast in their room after lockdown, due to the virus
The same luxuries we once enjoyed whilst heading away for a few nights are likely to be no more – and the much cherished breakfast buffet could be a thing of the past.
From stopping guests using lifts to creating personalised check in times, This is Money reveals what alterations hotels will need to make to adjust to the new way of life.
Accor
Accor Hotels, which incorporate the ibis, Novetel and Mercure chains among others, have revealed a list of changes they have made to their properties to ensure the safety of their guests and staff members.
This includes joining forces with Bureau Veritas, a company specialising in testing and inspection, to work on safety standards and cleaning protocols to be implemented.
Accor insists that its hotels will follow ‘the strictest measures and guidelines’ for cleanliness, social distancing will be observed, there will be facilities for hand washing and sanitising and the hotels will be encouraging customers to check in and out online.
Cashless transactions will also be encouraged whilst there will be enhanced housekeeping procedures for the bedrooms and public areas.
It added that the hotels will be defining alternative routes through the hotel to help guests avoid the lifts and areas of confined space where possible.
One of the main changes includes all restaurants areas closing with the food and beverage offers for customers adapted to the new circumstances.
This means there will be no more breakfast buffet and rather the option of food to go or room service.
James Wheatcroft, vice-president of marketing at Accor Northern Europe, said: ‘The health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, guests and partners will be our top priority as the world progressively relaxes its lockdown measures.
‘Our considerations will take guests from street to room and around the hotel in the best and safest way – this will likely include the removal of breakfast buffets in favour of grab and go and room service; the use of stairways and more innovative technology to enhance the guest experience.’
Hotels will also likely divide its meeting rooms up to create private offices and find other ways to use its kitchens while normal restaurant service is paused.
‘We have a lot of NHS workers staying here’: How a hotel manager is keeping on top of the coronavirus
Sophie Gray, hotel manager at High Wycombe Central Travelodge, said that the hotel is open to help with the large number of NHS workers currently staying with them.
Sophie Gray is the hotel manager at one of the Travelodge’s that is still open
Gray said: ‘As our High Wycombe Travelodge is the closest hotel to Wycombe Hospital we do have a lot of NHS workers staying with us.
‘They are arriving at different times throughout the day and night so we have to ensure that we have a constant supply of clean rooms and comfy beds available for them.’
Since the start of the lockdown, extra measures have been put in place to ensure the hotels were all following public health and government guidelines.
She added: ‘We have signage in all public areas of the hotel advising customers and staff on the importance of washing your hands and social distancing.
‘We have floor markings highlighting the correct distance where customers need to stand in the reception area and all staff have gloves and hand sanitisers to use whilst working in the hotel.’
However, Gray revealed that the biggest challenge could be keeping the staff and guests spirits up in these challenging times.
She said: ‘You have to come to work with an extra burst of energy to ensure team morale is high. We are operating in unprecedented and uncertain times. We have to keep positive, be safe and focus on moving ahead – It’s the only way to beat this horrible virus and keep a sense of normality.’
One of the Travelodge hotels currently open has a perspex screen in place to protect staff
Travelodge
Travelodge, one of Britain’s most familiar hotel chains, is currently operating just over 50 of its hotels in locations across Britain, providing accommodation for critical workers such as the NHS workforce.
It has introduced more safety measures in these hotels in a response to combat the coronavirus including adding signage in all public areas of the hotel advising customers and staff on the importance of washing your hands and social distancing.
There are also floor markings highlighting the correct distance where customers need to stand in the reception area and it is monitoring how many customers can check-in at any one given time.
Travelodge added hand sanitisers on the reception desk for customers to use and perspex screens are also fitted on the reception desk. Staff are wearing PPE and the areas within the hotel, staff offices and equipment are being regularly sanitised.
Its hotel restaurants are currently closed, and will remain so for the time being, but it is selling breakfast boxes at reception which cost £5.25 and includes cornflakes, a pain au chocolat, a flapjack oat bar, semi skimmed milk and orange juice.
Travelodge is planning to re-open its other hotels from 4 July but said it is currently waiting further instructions from the Government.
Travelodge has also added signs into its hotels advising its guests to stand two metres apart
IHG
IHG hotels, which incorporates high end hotel chain InterContinental and the more budget friendly chain, Holiday Inn, has also made changes to the way it is cleaning its hotels.
Aside from using similar measures, including social distancing and perspex screens, to other hotels, it has improved its ‘IHG Way of Clean’ which already includes deep cleaning with ‘hospital-grade’ disinfectants.
From now on it will also include a reduction of in-room furnishings/high-touch items, new laundry protocols and use of new technology.
It will put in place ‘best practices’ for pools, fitness centres and lounges whilst also adding ‘new standards and service approach’ to buffets, banquets, room-service and catering.
This includes minimising interaction points at its food and beverage outlets and providing hotels with updated food handling and service guidelines, additional cleaning and sanitising protocols.
Specific examples include hotels moving to assisted serve instead of self-serve buffets, self-serve beverage stations replaced with beverage service and the introduction of disposable or laminated menus for sanitising/disinfecting.
All tables and chairs will be sanitised between each guest and social distancing will be practiced through placement of tables.
It also added it will be launching the IHG ‘Clean Promise’ from June 1 where guests can be reassured that their room will meet IHG’s high standards of cleanliness. If not, the hotel will ‘make it right’ – how it will do this, it did not explain.
Hilton Hotels is adding a room seal to doors to show no one has entered since its been cleaned
Hilton
Hilton Hotels, which has 6,100 hotels over 18 brands, meanwhile, said that it is adding a room seal on doors to indicate to guests that their room has not been accessed after being thoroughly cleaned.
It is also improving guidelines for disinfecting hotels Fitness Centres, possibly closing for cleaning multiple times daily and limiting the number of guests allowed in at one time.
Another major change will be to introduce contactless check in to avoid any unnecessary contact.
Guests can check-in, choose their room, access their room with a digital room key and check-out using their mobile devices through the Hilton Honors mobile app at participating hotels.
Hilton added that it is exploring the addition of new technologies, like electrostatic sprayers – which use an electrostatically charged disinfecting mist – and ultraviolet light to sanitise surfaces and objects.
This is Money also contacted Premier Inn for comment along with a number of spa hotels, but as yet has received no reply.
It is not clear whether all facilities will be open in hotels – especially pool areas and saunas, which are likely to seen as infection risk areas.
One upmarket chain, The Pig, which has six hotels in Britain, said this week that it is planning to reopen its hotels as of 4 July for NHS workers and carers that live within 25 miles of the properties.
However, as of 6 July, it will reopen to paying guests with new safeguarding and cleanliness measures in place.
Spa treatments will no longer be taking place, check in times will now be pushed back to 4pm to allow extra time for room cleaning and there will no longer be a buffet breakfast – replaced instead with table service.
The Pig is asking customers to use common sense when visiting their hotels, ensuring that they maintain social distancing at all times.
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