The hospitality & travel industry is preparing for its grand re-opening post Coronavirus this weekend. Many key steps are being taken across the Country to ensure the health & safety of the corporate traveller remains the top priority at all times. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen a monumental effort from suppliers to ensure social distancing is adhered to, including the introduction of many new protocols which are designed specifically with safety in mind. These brand-new initiatives have provided an added layer of confidence for many businesses as they return to travel imminently, with the overall outlook of the hospitality industry looking significantly more positive towards the final half of the year.
A New Way of Staying
Accommodation providers across the Country have been extremely busy implementing many changes to their already excellent services to reinforce their health & safety protocols ahead of the reopening from 4th July 2020. Ground breaking steps have been introduced across many accommodation suppliers which include self-service check in, reimagined meal offerings, enhanced cleaning methods & contactless room entry. With these new measures being rolled out over the weekend, it is clear to see that the emphasis is being put primarily on the safety of all guests.
Full guidelines can be accessed directly through arrangeMY for each hotel group to give you complete confidence for your return to hotels.
The ability to test & trace is probably the most reassuring of all – with many hotel groups adapting the approach to managing the risks. As per government advice, any guest that may develop symptoms of Coronavirus are to alert the reception immediately via telephone, instantly self-isolate then request a test. If any positive tests are returned, that guest will immediately be required to safely arrange a return home where they subsequently will self-isolate for the further 14-day period. Above all, this added step offers incredible reassurance that the spread of the virus is very much controlled even when in a hotel environment.
Air & Rail Travel Returns
As first reported by Business Travel News Europe, corporate travel in Europe is expected to bounce back twice as quickly than North America. A recent study investigating the travel plans for businesses across Europe & North America concluded than twice as many people across Europe were planning to return to corporate travel within the next three months when compared to North America. This has been reinforced by comments from our existing customers, with the initial travel patterns indicating that Europe are starting to bounce back quicker than North America in general. The traveller confidence across Europe has likely been reinforced by measures introduced to ensure safety during air & rail travel. The return to travel will undoubtedly come with various restrictions for now, however much like hotels, the policies put in place by travel suppliers instill a huge amount of confidence for businesses as they ease back into somewhat of a normality.
One of the key requirements when taking any form of public transport is the mandatory introduction of the Face Mask Covering. The law requires a mouth & nose covering for now which is of course being heavily reinforced through all forms of travel. Health & safety guidelines also include the addition of more frequent cleaning of transport, social distancing with seating & a reduced number of passengers to again control the risk of contamination. It is heavily advisable to check with arrangeMY when planning your journey to map out the safest route all whilst obtaining relevant policies specific to that particular supplier before undertaking any journey.
Conference & Events Solutions
Mass gatherings unfortunately remain prohibited for now as we ease out of the lockdown restrictions. This presents a challenge to those events planned across the remainder of the year, with limited numbers allowed within a venue at one given time. Despite these challenges, many venues are able to offer safe meeting spaces that adhere to social distancing policies, meaning now may be the time to start thinking about a return to those small meetings. Current policies allow for meetings of up to 30 delegates to meet within a safe environment, of course all whilst observing full social distancing restrictions. Whilst these will naturally come with a set of guidelines for health & safety such as sitting a safe distance apart, deep cleaning of all spaces & takeaway food options, it does present an excellent opportunity to begin meetings for up to 30 delegates as restrictions ease.
Larger conference & events do present a slightly more difficult hurdle to overcome, however Events Professionals are urging bookers to consider alternative options instead of cancelling plans for the year. Many virtual & hybrid event solutions are now readily available in the current market which with today’s technologies can accommodate huge numbers of guests with innovative & engaging content proving key to a memorable event. Virtual events are a fantastic solution to ensure regular plans are able to go ahead as planned & businesses are able to work towards their goals as usual – albeit in a virtual world!
At arrangeMY, we remain fully committed to offering our full support to our clients in times such as these. Whilst the last few months have proved to be extremely challenging for the travel & accommodation industry, there is now clearly a light at the end of the tunnel. We are very proud to be supporting our clients as they return to normality whilst providing market leading advice on how our suppliers are acting to ensure safety is of the upmost priority. arrangeMY have also extended their services to offer to support to clients when rewriting their travel policies, providing an extra layer of support which will ensure the health and safety of your travellers. Our company motto, ‘We Care Where You’re Going’, has never been more relevant than now & we look forward to continuing to care for your business over the next few days.
Get in touch with our expert team for a friendly chat about your return to travel or with assistance in rewriting your travel policy ahead of the easing lockdown:
Email – bookings@arrangemy.com
Telephone – 01905 610016
Website – www.arrangemy.com
