COVID-19 – Take care of your guests
Covid-19 and hospitality industry
There is no doubt, the effect of COVID-19 will impact our industry
It is important to ensure you have policies and procedures in place to minimise the risk and impact upon your guests.
We have also created a blog on protecting staff here, and your business here.
Whilst the introduction of Coronavirus is indeed a learning curve for us all, there are some basic things we can be doing as an industry to take care of our guests. Below we have collated some useful tips, tricks and best practice that are being adopted by hoteliers across the world considering this new threat.
Additional cleaning routines, including light switches, remote controls and key cards are being adopted across the industry. Rooms and public areas can never be too clean so do review your rotas and policies. Housekeeping staff should wear gloves while cleaning and use alcohol hand rub before and after wearing gloves. Making hand sanitizer available on entry to each area, especially, but not limited to, the lobby and restaurant is also a great way to minimise the spread and risk.
Communication is key
This would be a good time to send your pre booked guests an email, advising them of the extra precautions you have put in place.
Preparation is equally important, so it is ok at this point to reconfirm the booking, and check if there are any additional requirements your guests have pre arrival.
Whilst guests should have already been given the information to self-isolate if they have been to an infected area, you can use this opportunity to request, if they have been required to self-isolate, that they rearrange their stay for a later date.
Sheryl Kimes, Professor Services Operations Management at Cornell University adds, if you need to cut costs, do so in areas of the hotel that have the least impact on customer service and the hotel image. If customer satisfaction and service quality are negatively affected, it will be more difficult to both maintain your current guests and attract new guests after the recession is over.
Be sure to brief all your staff on current cancellation policies, and a refresher session to ensure the whole team know how to manage a cancellation is advisable. This is a good place to review temperature control and, if applicable revaluate the current lay out in your restaurant. Could you spread the tables in a more customer friendly way to give personal space?
Visit the Hub
Check out our Coronovirus Hub for further articles and please do contact us if you have any questions.