Celtic Manor hoping safety will pull back guests as major job losses loom
HOLIDAY parks, hotels, and B&B owners began the process of getting back on their feet after getting the goahead to reopen yesterday as further lockdown restrictions were eased.
The five-star Celtic Manor Resort in Newport announced it will be reopening to a reduced number of guests from today amid a tranche of job losses.
New safety measures include thermal imaging cameras to monitor guests’ temperatures at entry points, new cleaning and sanitising policies focused on “high-impact touchpoints” in bedrooms and public areas, and advanced training and health screenings for all staff.
The Celtic Collection, which includes the Celtic Manor Resort and the new International Convention Centre Wales, informed staff of a redundancy programme last week.
The company said it would be cutting 450 jobs from a total permanent workforce of 995 following the “catastrophic effect” of the coronavirus pandemic.
Vice-president of operations Matthew Lewis told the Western Mail 610 employees are “at risk” of redundancy, but the final figure will be based on “how many guests we bring back into the business” in the next few months.
Mr Lewis said: “The intent at this stage there may be up to 450 redundancies. The 610 figure is those people whose roles are currently at risk.
“That is a result of the process itself in that where a role is shared by multiple people, all of the employees within that role would be at risk.
“The final number will be based on how much business and how many guests we bring back into the business in the next few months.
“The consultation process is until the end of August. We are talking to the staff consultative group who have been set up with employee reps from teams across the business.
“We will meet with them every ten days and there will also be individual consultations with the team members effected.
“Clearly, the intent from our side is to keep as many people employed as we possibly can.
“Like every other business particularly in the hospitality industry, we have been hit dramatically by Covid19
but we will do everything to bring this business back on its feet as quickly as possible which will allow us to reduce the number of people who we do have to make redundant at the end of that period.”
And the hotel is hoping its safety regime will entice vguests back.
Cameras, placed at entry points to the hotel, are monitored centrally and detect when a person’s temperature is above 380C.
If a guest is picked up by the camera, they are allowed 15 minutes to cool down in case their high temperature is temporary and not a symptom of illness.
If a guest maintains a high temperature they may be asked to leave.
Floor markings, signs, and digital displays have been installed across the hotel to help enforce physical distancing measures.
Hand sanitising stations have also been placed in lobbies and near lift and stairways.
Guests can only use a lift with members of their party who are staying in the same room or on their own. A one-way system is in place on stairways.
Visitors to the Celtic Manor will also see differences in their rooms.
Many soft furnishings and other objects have been removed from bedrooms to minimise the number of “high-impact touch-points” in guests’ rooms.
Rooms are cleaned thoroughly by cleaning staff before being sanitised using an electrostatic sprayer.
A positive charge is placed onto the cleaning fluid which causes it to stick to surfaces.
A small paper seal is placed on each room door after it has been cleaned and sanitised to show guests their rooms are safe to enter.
Guests will be encouraged to use the hotel’s new “restaurant in your room” service, which will feature dishes from popular restaurants within the resort.
The resort will also open some of its restaurants from today.
The outdoor dining terraces have been prepared with tables kept a safe distance apart and screens in place allowing guests to queue safely.
Some seating areas have been covered to allow for adverse weather.
The company said that it is making preparations to reopen restaurants indoors from August 3, providing the Welsh Government’s guidelines allow it.