THE OLD RECTORY, CHICKLADE, CORONAVIRUS ACTION PLAN

We know that not everyone is ready to travel or take holidays yet: but when you are ready, we will be there to welcome you and do everything we can to keep you safe.

Cleanliness is always a priority in a hotel or B&B, and we have taken steps to go even further, with strengthened procedures, which are designed to keep both our guests and staff protected.

CURRENT STATUS – OCT 2021

We are operating normally but with additional hygiene measures to ensure we keep the risks of COVID-19 transmission to an absolute minimum.

GOOD PRACTICE

We’re following World Health Organisation (WHO) and UK Government guidelines and have been actively following industry best practice, as they have developed their strategies for us to adopt. We have our own Risk Assessment, which identifies the possible risks and then develops the mitigations and strategies needed to reduce them. We have invested in extra safety equipment and implemented a number of new procedures into our site to reduce the risk of infection and demonstrate to our guests, that we offer an environment that is safe. Please note that the guidance is changing constantly, so the following guidelines will continue to be adjusted as guidance is updated.

COMMUNICATION

Good communication is vital: it is important that you know what to expect when you come to stay:
Our Coronavirus Health and Hygiene policy will be kept updated and published on our website. Please check back regularly.
We have thought hard about where our guests go and what they can do to assess how we can keep you as safe as possible.

1. PRE-ARRIVAL

You can book direct online at oldrectorychicklade.co.uk or by calling us on 01747 820000

We have implemented a new system for credit card pre-authorisation on line. You card details will be taken when you book and the card pre-authorised but you will not be charged until your arrival.

We request that if you are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 that you call us to postpone your stay. Symptoms include; A high temperature, a new and persistent cough and loss of taste and smell. Find out more on the NHS coronavirus web site. We will not charge you if you have to postpone because a member of your party is displaying symptoms.

If you have been asked to self-isolate by the ‘Track & Trace’ service as a result of having been in contact with someone who has been tested to be suffering from Coronavirus, please call us to cancel or postpone. Again we will not charge you a cancellation fee if you are cancelling for this reason.

2. ARRIVAL & CHECK-IN

We request that if you are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 that you do not enter the building. These include a high temperature, a new and persistent cough and a loss of taste and smell. We will check your temperature on arrival using a contactless thermometer and any guests displaying COVID-19 symptoms or a temperature greater than 37.8 degrees C, may be asked to leave the premises and return home.

In order to manage social distancing, we will ask you to give us your planned arrival time and may ask you to amend it slightly should we already have other guests arriving at the same time. Customers are requested to then contact us on arrival to ensure we are able to meet and greet and are on hand to assist with your check-in.

Check-in is between 4pm and 9pm except by prior arrangement.

If you have any questions or need assistance during your stay, simply phone us on 01747 820000 from your room.

A hand sanitising station is provided in our entry/exit hallway (and several other locations in the common areas), and we request that all customers sanitise upon entering and leaving the building.

Our check-in process has been streamlined to allow for a fast and reduced-contact experience. All surfaces, door handles and equipment will be regularly cleaned and sanitised throughout the day.

We will thoroughly clean and disinfect keys and tags between guest stays.

If you have any special requirements please let us know before you arrive so we can make the necessary preparations with everybody’s safety in mind.

Staff will be wearing masks where required.

3. GUEST AREAS

We have heightened and enhanced our cleaning procedures to include cleaning of shared surfaces throughout the day.

We have set up hand sanitising stations for you to use and we ask you use these when entering the building and regularly whilst enjoying the guest areas.

We have retained our communal customer toilet for hand-washing but ask that guests who are staying with us use the bathrooms in their bedrooms wherever possible.

When walking through the building, we will ask that you please use your discretion and consideration by keeping a social distance of a minimum of 1+ metres between yourself and other guests.

4. BEDROOMS & BATHROOMS

Our usual high cleaning standards have been enhanced and updated in line with the latest official guidance.

Every guest bedroom and en-suite will be fully sanitised before each stay and not accessed afterwards, to ensure no contamination occurs prior to your arrival.

We have removed non essential furnishings and electrical items which are difficult to clean.

Fabric items such as mattresses, pillows, cushions, carpet, chairs and other furniture are sprayed with an approved sanitising solution, which is effective in killing COVID-19 but otherwise harmless to you and us.

All surfaces are thoroughly wiped down and cleaned prior to your arrival.

Our linen and towels are washed using an additional disinfection agent.

All unnecessary printed material has been removed from your room to avoid cross contamination.

TV Remote Controls are sanitised between guest stays.

Our housekeeping teams undergo strict sanitisation prior to starting work and will wear the appropriate PPE during cleaning, as per the most recent Government guidelines and recommendations at the time of your stay.

Daily servicing by our housekeeping team will only be available upon request, Should you require this service, rooms will need to be vacant for at least four hours, windows left opened and personal items including toiletries stowed away. Linen and towel changes for longer stays will still take place, in consultation with you at the time.

5. BREAKFAST

We have re-organised our breakfast room and other public spaces to ensure that social distancing can be adhered to. For many, our breakfast is the highlight of a stay at The Old Rectory and we intend to ensure that we maintain our high standards.

Breakfasts will continue to be prepared to order. We won’t offer a buffet service with sharing plates or bowls , however, items such as muesli, fruits, seeds etc, will still be offered on the menu – with options on portion size – and served to your table.

We’ll split breakfast into time slots so we can ensure that social distancing is maintained.

At the moment, in line with current Government guidelines, the majority of our local restaurants and pubs will be operating with new protocols, and you will need to make a Reservation in advance. Please be proactive and make your Restaurant/Pub bookings prior to your stay, to enhance your stay experience with us in Chicklade.

Please be advised that we do not permit eating in our Lounge or Bedrooms.

A Hand sanitising station will be set up at the entry/exit point to use and should be used every time you enter or exit the Breakfast Room.

6. CHECK-OUT

An invoice can be provided and sent to you via email, upon request. If you did not book directly with us, you will need to supply an email address, if you require a copy of your bill.

We ask that you use the hand sanitiser before leaving the building.

7. OUR TEAM: TRAINING, HYGIENE & PROTECTION

All of our team have undergone comprehensive hospitality-focused training on how to prevent the contagion of COVID-19. We will continue to revise our training as best practice evolves.

We will check our own temperatures and that of staff on a daily basis. Staff will be sent straight home to self-isolate for 14 days prior to returning to work, if they have any sign of symptoms and be required to take a test. We are providing PPE, tests and face masks for team members, and this will be used in line with the current Government guidelines and recommendations, to keep you and our team safe.

Hand sanitising stations are located at all entry and exit points back of house for the staff to use.

We will ensure we keep up to date with any changes to government guidelines, and therefore, subject to the latest guidelines we will be constantly reviewing our processes and precautions. This guide will be constantly updated to give you the very latest information.

8. GUEST HEALTH

It is essential that you do not travel if you are unwell or are demonstrating any COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, loss of taste or smell).

Please let us know if you are worried about your symptoms ahead of your stay and we will move your booking to a future date to suit you.

We will check your temperature on arrival, and if you are showing symptoms of a fever, we will ask you to head back home.

If you develop symptoms during your stay, we ask that you immediately head home to self-isolate and seek a test.

We ask you to download and use the track and trace app when (if) it is fully operational. The opening up of the economy following the COVID-19 outbreak is being supported by NHS Test and Trace. We are required to assist this service by keeping a temporary record of our customers and visitors for 21 days, and assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed.

9. ENJOYING THE LOCAL AREA

Many of our local attractions are now open for visitors, but some are restricting entrance to pre-booked guests. We suggest that you pre-book where possible to avoid disappointment.

Similarly the popular pubs in Hindon, which many guests choose for their evening meal, require pre-booking. Please see their web sites for the latest information:
www.lambhindon.co.uk
www.grosvenorarmshindon.com

If you have any further questions on our policies and procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tim & Helen Pollard
Owners
The Old Rectory, Chicklade