Harrogate's Cedar Court Hotel reopens to key workers as lockdown restrictions eased

Harrogate Bus Company insists buses are clean and safe to use as new face mask rules introduced

Wayne Topley, Managing Director of Cedar Court Hotels, says the business is 'raring to go' after taking all necessary precautions and putting social distancing measures in place.

He said: "‘We have come out of the gate ‘fighting fit’, my senior team have performed admirably during the lockdown and we’re raring to go. We’ve revisited all our operating procedures and we cannot wait to welcome guests back through our doors.

"Cleanliness and hygiene have risen to a totally new level of business-critical importance and will be hugely visible. Our teams now have different ways of meeting and greeting people; visors, face coverings and gloves will be an integral part of our business. Communication will become more guided which is difficult and uncomfortable for the hospitality industry - hotels that never locked their front doors will have to operate with restricted access. We will be advising guests and colleagues where to stand, and how to walk a bedroom corridor that will have to have one-way systems and passing places.

"In our Cedar Court Hotels, we had already invested in self check-in systems, which means we already provided our guests the option of choice upon arrival. I think many more hotels will now go with that option, the usual hotel reception check in will still exist, but we will all now have to offer our guests that choice.

"There will be far more visible cleaning. How a hotel was cleaned and maintained used to be all part of the mystery and the housekeeping efforts were pretty much hidden from view - you will now see our housekeepers with the confidence to be able to explain to our guests the efforts and procedures that they are undertaking to make their stay safe and Covid-clean. We are extremely confident in our new procedures and we now look forward to welcoming guests back again who can stay and dine with us with complete peace of mind."

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Plans are now being put in place to welcome all guests as soon as possible.

For more infomation, visit the Cedar Court website.

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