Covid 19
In the Twin Trees Hotel & Leisure Club we are proud to present our Covid-19 Prevention Plan for Health, Safety & Operational Information for public view. We have published this plan to assure our team of their safety while at work and also to give assurance to our guests on what measures we have in place throughout our property to ensure safety.
Our team, in all departments, have worked hard to produce this plan to meet all the necessary HSE, Failte Ireland & Government directive guidelines.
We thank all our team for their commitment to hygiene excellence and to our many guests for your understanding during these challenging times.
HOTEL PUBLIC AREA POLICY
• The hotel has hand sanitisers readily available throughout the property
• Floor foot markings will be available to guide guests on where to stand and in some areas which directions to walk
• Our public toilets have a maximum capacity of 2 people at any one time.
• If you enter the toilets and notice two toilets are already in use please step back outside and wait for someone to come out of the toilet area before re-entering.
• Hand washing and hand gel facilities are available in all toilets for use
• All lift exits will have sanitisers at the entrance so that guests and staff can sanitise their hands as they enter and exit.
• The maximum capacity of the lift is 2 people at any one at a time, or if not sharing accommodation together, only one person at a time.
• All touch surfaces will be cleaned with antibacterial wipes every 15-20 minutes
• Relevant Covid-19 signage is display throughout the property
• All soap dispensers, towel dispensers and hand sanitisers will be refilled regularly
OUR TEAM
• Have all completed Hygiene Excellence Training in June 2020
• Will maintain social distance at all times
• Will wash their hands every 30 minutes or as frequently as possible
• Handwashing will be for a duration of 20 seconds or more
• Hand sanitisation will be done during each and every task of service
• We will use disposable service cloths throughout the property
• Only 3 team members will be permitted in the canteen area at one time
• Scheduled breaks will be assigned by department HOD and must be to time
• No congregation/groups of staff is permitted in any area of the hotel
• Will declare weekly that they are illness free and able to work
• On arrival at work, staff will use hand sanitiser before clocking-in or using keypads
• Our team will not use public toilets
GUEST RESPONSIBILITIES
• We ask all guests to maintain social distance from staff and others at all times
• On arrival guests will be asked to follow our floor markings on arrival at reception
• Guests will need to declare that they do not have a temperature or are unwell on arrival
• We kindly ask guests to phone reception from their bedrooms with any queries
• We kindly ask guests to use their bathroom facilities during your stay
• Detailed guest information will be provided on arrival which we urge all guests to read
• Breakfast will be served in The Brosna Restaurant and by table service only
RECEPTION POLICY
• The reception area where customers enter the property will be a safe zone for reception staff at the rear of the counter
• No other staff to access the reception area during shifts
• The staff area needs to be sanitised in advance and any staff returning to this area need to sanitise their hands to maintain safety
• The Reception area will have a Perspex screen
• The Reception team will have the option to wear face masks/shields/visors
• Key cards & welcome letter will be dispatched to guests by leaving on the counter for the guests to take
• Credit card machines will be wiped clean with sanitised wipes after every use
• Hand washing of staff should take place every 30 minutes
• Hand sanitisers will be available for the Reception Team at all times
• Gloves will be worn for any cleaning duties or disposing of bins
• Our team will operate a strict non-contact greeting for guests and work colleagues
• A credit card will be required to enable credit (room charges) during guest stays
• All keys should be returned to the desk before 11am on the day of departure
• Any outstanding room charges will be billed to the credit card on file
• Invoices can be emailed to the guest
• We encourage guests to use contactless credit cards for payments where possible
FOOD & DRINK SERVICE
• Tables will be distanced from each other
• If sufficient distance isn’t available, we will close off tables to allow space
• All service (for food & drinks) will be done based on table service only
• All tables will be cleaned and sanitised after use
FOOD PREPARATION & KITCHEN POLICY
• Chefs and Kitchen Porters will wear their uniforms at work only and will change before they commence duty and before they finish.
• All clothing/personal items are to be kept in personal locker only.
• Hand gel dispensers are available at the entrance and exit of all doors, on front of all preparation surfaces, pot wash, dish wash and still areas and at all hot passes.
• Hand sink will be available at all times with soap and paper towels connected.
• Work surfaces will be cleaned every 15 minutes on the quarter hour with a sanitiser spray and will be left on the surface for the longest possible contact time.
• Hand washing will take place every 30 minutes on the half hour to ensure that it complies with Covid-19 safety procedures.
• If gloves are to be used, they are to be removed every 30 minutes and hand washing must take place. If gloves are to be continued to be used after that time a fresh pair of gloves will be provided.
• Only Chefs and KPs will work in the main kitchen areas and waiting staff may enter as far as the hot passes or wash up set down.
• Masks will be provided for all kitchen members and to be used in accordance with social distancing government recommended guidelines.
• Sanitisation of cutlery and crockery will be carried out by the Kitchen Porter and all items that the kitchen staff handle will require the step of hand sanitising before handling.
• Chefs should not share their utensils with any other member of staff.
• Chefs and KPs leaving their own immediate work area must hand sanitise and also when they return.
• Frequently used touch points will be cleaned and sanitised regularly.
BAR POLICY
• All staff have the option to wear masks or face shields if they choose
• Uniforms will not be worn to work and will be put on at work and be removed before leaving. All clothes/staff belongings will be kept in each employee’s locker
• Hand sinks in the bar are fully equipped with soap and paper towels. Sinks will operate as hand sinks only
• Sanitisation of glasses will be carried out by your glass washer and all the steps that the bar staff handle will require the step of hand sanitising first. This means glasses will be taken from the glass washer with hand sanitisation first, glasses to be taken from the storage area to be dispensed to a customer with hand sanitisation first. If a waiting staff member has to bring the glass to the customer, hands sanitisation first.
• Customers will be seated and will not choose their seating at random
• Tables will be set up according to social distancing rules
• Draft dispenser handles, bottles, ice tongs etc. all require a sanitising step before use particularly when the bar is being shared by another bar member
• Tables & condiments will be pre-sanitised and set before the customer sits
• All service of Food & Drink will be done by Table Service only
• All glasses /crockery and cutlery are given to customers sanitised
• Menus are sanitised after ever use
• Drinks menus will be cleaned after each use
• The bar will have a sanitiser spray/degreaser spray clearly labelled with antibacterial wipes also available to be used when required
• Any member of staff leaving their area of work needs to hand sanitiser
• Every staff member will be allocated one role per day and are required to remain at that role to avoid cross contamination
• Credit Card Machines/Touchscreens/Pads will be wiped after each use
• Staff hands must be sanitised every time after handling cash
• A box for customer pens will be created and labelled “Contaminated pens for sanitation”
• Each staff member to have their own pen which is not to be shared
HOUSEKEEPING/ACCOMMODATION POLICY
The Covid-19 Accommodation Policy is designed to ensure guest and team safety at all times as well as meeting Covid-19 Prevention and Government Guidelines.
Sadly, we cannot service stayover bedrooms. Our Accommodation teams are not permitted to enter or clean an occupied room during a stay. This means that beds will not be made and towels will not be changed during a stay.
If guests would like to request clean linen or towels, they can do so by calling Reception. If a guest would like used linens or towels removed from their bedroom, the guest can place all used laundry into a laundry bag which is available from reception. All used items should be placed in the bag, the bag should be left in the hallway by 13.00 hrs where our accommodation team will collect it.
The following measures are in place for our teams:
• Our accommodation team will have the appropriate PPE
• Hand sanitisers are available for staff use on each of their cleaning trolleys
• Disposable aprons & gloves are provided for use. These need to be changed after each room is cleaned
• Once an Accommodation Assistant has left a room their PPE Equipment will be disposed of. A specific bag will be provided to dispose of used PPE items on the accommodation cleaning trolley
• Masks & Visors are provided and are of optional use
• Upon entry of a bedroom for cleaning, the room will be sprayed with sanitizer spray
• All dirty laundry and towels must be stripped and placed in blue laundry bags as a first task of the cleaning procedure
• All bedrooms & bathrooms will be deep cleaned after every departure
• All door handles & doors will be washed with bleach and cleaning agents daily
• All linen & towels will be washed with additional bacterial cleaning agents
• The Accommodation Team will follow our Covid-19 Accommodation Hotspots Checklist to ensure all key areas of the bedroom have been sufficiently cleaned
• After a bedroom is cleaned, our Accommodation Supervisor, completes their checks
• After checks, the entire bedroom and bathroom areas are sprayed with Sanitiser Spray
• The PPE that the accommodation staff use is to be single use, per room
• Accommodation staff that have been requested to attend an occupied bedroom with an incident to clean up will only be carried out when the room is unoccupied
HANDLING OF A CONTAMINATED ROOM:
Disinfecting of a room that a person with suspected/confirmed COVID-19 has isolated in:
• The room will be sealed with no entry for at least one hour before cleaning.
• The room will be clearly marked out of order
• The person assigned to clean the area should wear all available PPE items.
• Upon entry to the room, the window should be opened.
• Cleaning of all the space and the furniture will be done using disposable cleaning cloths and sanitising spray.
• All of the Covid–19 Hygiene Hotspots will be deep cleaned.
• All waste that has been in contact with the occupant; including used tissues, masks and other items, will be placed in a plastic rubbish bag which will then be sealed.
• All PPE/Aprons/Gloves worn by the Accommodation Assistant will be discarded into a waste bag.
• All waste will be then placed in a second plastic bag and sealed.
• Sufficient handwashing and sanitisation will take place of the Accommodation Assistant.
• Store the bag in a safe waste area until the result of the test is available. If the occupant tests negative, place the waste in the normal domestic waste bins. In the event the occupant tests positive, the HSE will advise us on how to handle the waste.
• Once the room has been cleaned and disinfected and all surfaces are dry, the room can be put back into use.
• If a the person spent time in a communal area or they used the toilet or bathroom facilities, then these areas should be cleaned with household detergent followed by a disinfectant as soon as is practicably possible.
We are working in a unique situation. We are monitoring and implementing all government directives. We are constantly reviewing our operations to ensure guest and staff safety are our number one focus. We look forward to welcoming you to The Twin Trees Hotel.
Rachael & David Smith
Proprietors
