Guest information update Summer 2020
Covid-19 and Hartpiece
Sunday, 19 July 2020
Dear guest,
COVID-19 has brought changes to every walk of life. For us, our whole approach to welcoming guests to Hartpiece has changed, and so, in fact, have the obligations on our guests.
We remain confident however that we will be able to take Covid-19 in our stride. We have been offering 4-star accommodation for 20 years, with consistently good hygiene ratings (100% from VisitEngland in 2020). But best practice since Covid-19 means that our priority is now not simply to assure our guests a relaxing holiday, but also to work together with them to keep everyone – staff, guests and hosts – remain safe as well.
There have been few cases of Covid to date in North Devon. Our guests will want to make sure to keep it that way and to avoid bringing the infection along with them on holiday.
Hartpiece is well laid out for coping with Covid. The property is spacious, with the adjoining Farm, Hall and Tappen offering 11 airy bedrooms, nine of which have direct access to outside doors; there are no pinch points or central lobbies. Added to that there are five kitchens and four indoor living/dining areas, an outdoor BBQ, marquee and 200’/60m of patio/decking. Please review the layouts to see how easily it will be to balance keeping a safe distance and socialising while at Hartpiece.
This letter contains information on how Hartpiece has been adapted. Covid imposes responsibilities equally on guests, staff and hosts and while we are responsible for adding sanitising protocols to an already stringent normal cleaning regime, guests too are asked to go that second mile for safety.
In particular, guests are asked to sign a form before arriving. The form includes an undertaking the agree to comply with current guidelines, to limit themselves on holiday to a two-family bubble, and to check that no one has symptoms before setting out. In the event that anyone develops symptoms during your stay, you are to depart immediately in order to self-isolate at home. In the event, we need to be informed of the situation.
Covid-19 is a notifiable illness and we will need, in turn, to inform the authorities.
A disposable digital forehead thermometer is provided to allow you to check should anyone in your party be suspected of coming down with fever.
All items likely to be touched will need to be fully sanitised before and after your visit. We will make sure that light switches, keys, TV remotes, broom handles, coat hangers, curtains, and sofas will be treated for potential contamination. In the kitchens, utensils, pots, pans, cups, plates and cutlery will be run through a dishwasher hot cycle to assure they are sterilised before and after your visit. Everything indentified as a “touch point” is a potential source of contamination and will be cleansed with either soap and water, UV-C light or EN14476 virucidal cleaning product before and after each booking.
Many niceties have had to be removed as are now seen as “non-essentials”. Guests are being asked to bring their own books, games, hairdryers and any special kitchen items, as well as amenities such as tea and coffee and salt and pepper which would be difficult to sanitise. If this gives Hartpiece something of a stripped-down look, removing scatter cushions, decorative bed coverings and extra furniture, allows us enough time to fully sanitise everything provided in the relatively short time between turns.
Please note that because of the additional cleaning, arrival and departure times have been adjusted and are now:
5:30 pm – arrival
9:30 am – departure
The properties will be open and ready for your arrival. Sterilised keys and TV remotes will be laid out. Chris and I, your hosts, will then either ring or welcome you from a safe distance outside. Everything in the cottages will have been sanitised for your arrival. Sterile dishcloths will be left over tableware and anything left out on open shelves.
Upon departure guests are required to:
- Bag up rubbish and deposit it in the receptacles located near the Games Room;
- Fill dishwashers with used cutlery, plates, pots and cooking utensils which will need to be sterilised upon your departure;
- Strip beds and bag sheets, towels and bathmats along with used sheets, towels and dishcloths in the laundry bags provided;
- Open windows to allow property to air;
- Wipe down bathroom sinks and toilets with the sanitiser and disposable cloths provided;
- Please leave the keys where you found them when you depart.
- The proprietors will be waiting and ready to go in to spray the premises with sanitiser. Then will leave the premises open for 20 minutes before allowing cleaning staff in.
Items we continue to supply during Covid:
- Bathrooms: Towels: one set per guest and one bathmat per bathroom;
- Bedrooms: Sheets: beds are made up with one pillow per person and blankets or duvets. If extra blankets are required, please request this prior to your arrival);
- Kitchens: dish soap, dishwasher tabs, sink cleanser, a good supply of sterile tea towels, floor cloths, disposable cleaning cloths and one roll of paper towel; one set of plates, cutlery and glassware; stick blender, set of pots, pans and oven-ware in line with the number of guests in the property.
- A disposable digital forehead thermometer will be left with the keys for you.
During the pandemic, we are advised to supply only essentials and have temporarily removed:
- irons & ironing boards
- games & books
- extra sets of plates, cups, glasses, and silverware
- Specialty kitchen items (electric knives, mixers, extra bowls and servers)
Chris and I are sending you this letter in order to reassure you that we take Covid-19 seriously and have put in place sensible measures and procedures which will, we believe, be effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19.
We look forward to your safe visit to Hartpiece this summer.
Kind regards,
Chris & Heather Baker
Hartpiece.co.uk
