Written by Grace McElroy – General Manager

Late March we closed our hotel – something that we had never done during peak times since we opened.  Whilst it was strange for the staff closure team to walk around in a hotel empty of guests, it was for all our safety.  Little did we know then that it would be July before we could reopen our doors again and welcome guests back to the hotel. 

Uncannily the week we closed the hotel we also launched our employee app.  This was a fantastic way to keep in touch and engage with all the team.  It certainly was difficult as we spend so much time at work with our colleagues, it was hard to suddenly stop seeing them.  The app proved pivotal in keeping our staff up to date with the business as well as once we had our re-opening date, sending videos to them to show them the changes that we had in place in our hotel.  Whilst an anxious time for all, this helped to ease the staff and re-assure them of the safety measures that we have in place. 

The safety of our guests and our team is always our top priority, which is why we have developed a five point “Stay Safe Stay Happy” customer commitment charter which details enhanced levels of cleaning, employee training and new protocols to reassure guests that we have thought about of all aspects of their stay. In a customer facing industry, we still need to smile and provide customer service – whilst this has changed in some of what we can deliver with the new guidelines, we are still smiling – you may not be able to see our mouths behind our masks, but our eyes say it all.