In the midst of a global pandemic, many people hold different levels of concern and take their own precautions to stay protected against the virus. Some are worried about contact with others, work hard to stay home, wear masks at all times, and maintain distance. Others aren’t as concerned and may be actively continuing their lives as normally as they can – going to restaurants, attending small gatherings, and more.
When it comes to deciding on social distancing policies for your hotel, it is important to build them with the most conservative guests in mind. Smart and easy to follow guidelines can give you confidence and keep all guests safe. Read on to discover how to properly encourage social distancing at your hotel.
Check Guidelines
The first step in creating social distancing guidelines should always be reading local, state, and national requirements. At each level, there may be restrictions on capacity that require you to make adjustments in spaces of different sizes. This may include changes to indoor versus outdoor options that you will need to comply with. If guests know you have consulted with government guidelines to develop your social distancing plan, they can take comfort in knowing that you put their safety at top-of-mind. They may also be more likely to adhere to your recommendations.
Be Realistic
It may be difficult for your guests to social distance at all points of their stay. While you should always create guidelines with national recommendations and the safety of all in mind, you will also need to write them in a way that provides some wiggle room. There are areas of your hotel where you can enforce distancing and others where you can only encourage it. It is important that you understand there will likely be a disparity between what you ask of guests and what they actually do; building a plan with this in mind will help you create regulations that are most effective in maintaining a sanitary environment.
Get Visual
The best way to properly encourage social distancing in your hotel is to show people what you need from them. Distancing floor signs should be placed anywhere a line may form to keep parties separated, and mobile sneeze guards can be implemented in restaurants, bars, and other sitting locations. Additionally, standing signage outlining your specific distancing requirements should be placed at the entrance of any high-traffic areas that remain open such as your lobby, pool, or bar and restaurant. Showing guests what you expect from them gives them confidence in following your guidelines and keeps both guests and employees safe and healthy.
A successful hotel reopening needs to include thorough social distancing guidelines to keep guests safe. Having proper PPE in place is vital to keep everyone protected and ensure your hotel functions efficiently.
Unsure about how to fully prepare for reopening during these changing times? Download our Free Hotel Checklist. This list provides your hotel with information on how to open up your doors safely and successfully.
Many of the items on our checklist are available for purchase on our new website.
In order to keep our team healthy and safe, we have taken precautions, and all team members that are not needed in producing or warehousing activities are working from home. Further, we have built additional redundancy in our supply network. Although we have not experienced any significant delays in our supply chain, we will continue to monitor changes and will utilize alternate vendors if needed to ensure we can hold to our normal lead times. We are in close contact with our shipping partners and will advise our customers of any widespread issues affecting delivery.
Front Desk Supply is here to support your hotel. We encourage you to reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns about us, our team, or our products.