01 Jun 2020
Words
Damon Lunardello
Why accommodation operators should act now as restrictions are lifted
The world has changed so much since March when the first cases of coronavirus were diagnosed in Australia. We're now used to terms like isolation, social distancing, non-essential travel. Even attendances at our weddings and funerals has been limited.
Our borders have been closed both domestically and internationally and major events have been cancelled including the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, Anzac Day ceremonies and major sporting events. In that time, you will have received a number of emails from ResortBrokers, detailing information on how COVID-19 is affecting our accommodation industry.
Many of us have spoken over this time in relation to announcements from both federal and state governments, including support to businesses, changes to insolvency laws, deferral of bank repayments, the commercial tenancy code, and JobKeeper programs. In late May, we've received an announcement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison detailing a pathway for Australia out of the coronavirus pandemic. And we're eagerly awaiting Victorian Premier Dan Andrews' response to this and how Victoria will follow.
For those of you who own accommodation businesses and freeholds, what you do next is crucial. As mentioned earlier, the world has changed and so has your customers' expectations.
Act now in preparation for easing of restrictions and the return of domestic travel. Never before has it been more important for your properties and your hotels and caravan parks to be clean and sanitized.
If you haven't already, engage your teams to assist you in deep cleaning your properties, spring clean all rooms, including grout cleaning and carpet cleaning and other tasks that will benefit from rooms being offline. Clean and replace all mattress protectors, pillow protectors, pillows, duvets, blankets. Reception still remains your first impression. Declutter your reception and repaint it if necessary. Remove all outdated signage and replace it with signage that shows how seriously you take sanitisation and cleanliness, because this directly translates to you caring about the safety of your staff and guests.
Put in place safety measures including safe distance markers and safe numbers of people that can be in your reception at any one time and remember to wipe down your reception desk after each customer.
Many of you have reached out and whilst isolation prevents me from visiting your properties, I'm more than happy to assist any of you any way I can. And if I can't assist you, I'll certainly be able to put you in contact with a subject matter expert that will be able to assist you. Stay safe and hopefully see you out at your properties before too long.
Damon Lunardello
0403 730 071
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