Two weeks following the Fáilte Ireland launched COVID-19 Safety Charter for the tourism industry, the Athlone-based Hodson Bay Group is close to becoming the first hotel group in Ireland to successfully get the Safety Charter stamp of approval.
The first of the group’s four properties to meet the requirements was the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill where close to 100 members of staff have completed the Fáilte Ireland training to date.
The teams at the Hodson Bay Hotel, Hyatt Centric The Liberties and Sheraton Athlone Hotel aren’t far behind and expect to successfully meet the requirements set out in the Charter in the coming days.
The Safety Charter was developed to provide clear guidance regarding the best practices for organisations in the tourism sector as they began to reopen after the lockdown.
To be approved to display the Safety Charter symbol a business must commit to following both the terms and conditions of the charter and official guidelines and must also ensure all employees undertake COVID-19 Safety and Hygiene Control Training. The business also agrees to participating in random spot checks by Fáilte Ireland inspectors.
What that means for guests is complete peace-of-mind knowing that everyone from the Reception Desk to the Housekeeping Team and the Leisure Centre to the Kitchen are following key safety guidelines so that you can enjoy yourself in comfort.
“When our guests check-in they want to relax and unwind and we know that in order for them to do so with complete confidence they need to feel safe in our hotels. Before the Fáilte Ireland Safety Charter was announced we had already implemented our own Safe-Stay Code, a comprehensive set of 12 additional hygiene and cleanliness measures which included staff training. The work we had put in to the Safe-Stay Code makes it quite easy for our teams to digest and comply with the Charter,” the Hodson Bay Group’s Commercial Director, asserted.
