Two months after implementing a comprehensive programme to protect staff and guests in the wake of the impact COVID-19 has had on the global tourism industry, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) is reporting approval from the travel trade.

“The reactions have been very, very positive,” Shawn DaCosta, the luxury all-inclusive resort chain’s chief operations officer, told journalists last Wednesday.

According to DaCosta, while travel agents have been seeing fewer walk-in customers, Sandals has been receiving “a lot more calls” at its call centre, and is dealing with increased traffic on its website and e-chat platform.

“One of the things that has done well for us is what we did prior to COVID, in how we took care of guests. If there was an issue at all we would go above and beyond to ensure that all is well with them,” DaCosta explained.

DaCosta, along with Jeremy Jones, SRI’s director of corporate services; Kevin Clarke, general manager, Sandals Ochi Beach Resort; Carl Beviere, general manager, Sandals Montego Bay; and other team members of the Jamaican-owned resort chain spoke to journalists at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort where a first-hand view was given of how the Sandals Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness are implemented across the group which closed temporarily at the start of April.

The Ocho Rios property was chosen for the demonstration as it is scheduled to be reopened by October. However, the majority of its 1,400 staff were out, getting the resort ready and showing just how the protocols are being implemented.

On entry each guest undergoes a temperature check and hand sanitisation procedure from masked and gloved staff.

Ramain Clarke from the Housekeeping Department was busy sanitising the public areas in keeping with the protocol which requires frequent sanitisation of all touch points.

Beviere spoke about the experience at his hotel, which reopened on June 16.

“So far, so good. We took the time [during the closure] to train all the staff in the protocols and it’s been really nice; the staff were excited and happy to be back at work,” he said.

“Because our hotel is couples only, we didn’t have to do too much to implement the social distancing protocol. Of course, we followed the protocols outlined by the Government and put the distance stickers out and we changed other things in the hotel, like arranging the restaurant reservations in a way to organise the dining experience. We lessened the load in each restaurant as well. We’re fortunate to have 12 restaurants in Sandals Montego Bay, so we have lots of space,” Beviere told the Jamaica Observer.

Asked whether his guests have been observing the protocols, Beviere said yes, adding that the guests have indicated that they are very impressed with the measures.

“The guests have come in and followed everything that we’ve asked them to follow. They have been having a great time. They are just happy to be back,” he said, pointing out that the visitors, after being inside their homes for long periods during lockdown in their countries, just wanted to experience some return to normality.

“They just want to sit on a beach, sip a cocktail, enjoy the sun, the sea once again. So we find the guests really having a good time, enjoying the company of Jamaicans once more,” he said.

“The staff have been great as far as keeping socially distant, wearing their mask at all times they’re working, washing their hands, sanitising, just following the protocols to keep them safe. We got used to the new protocols quickly. We have a protocol team in place, made up of management and staff, and their job is to ensure that the protocols are followed,” he added.

The 74-page protocols, DaCosta explained, were developed by the Sandals team in Jamaica headed by Gavin Palmer, group risk controller in the Group Risk and Insurance Department.

“This protocol was built in the early part of April and we perfected it with the health department,” DaCosta said.

The protocols encompass the integration of advanced hygiene practices across 18 key touch points, starting from the moment guests arrive at airport lounges through the entirety of their stay.

The touch points include the airport lounge; guest transfers to and from each resort; guest rooms, food and beverage experiences; housekeeping and laundry; elite services including butler service and Club Sandals concierge; maintenance; resort activities such as water sports; elevators; swimming pools, jacuzzis and spas; team members access points; fitness centres and the Red Lane Spa; public bathrooms; suppliers and receiving; all public areas including lobbies and beaches; back of house facilities such as storerooms and offices; Kids Camps and waterparks at Beaches Resorts; and HVAC systems.

Among the extensive list of measures is for bell stations to be disinfected every hour with approved chemicals, buses must be sanitised before and after each trip, LED black lights are to be used by executive houskeepers and supervisors for room inspections, all bed linen will be changed daily, bath tubs are to be disinfected with hospital grade disinfectant, and all equipment used for banqueting and events must be cleaned, disinfected and sanitised prior to assigning each shift.

One of the key features of the protocols is the placing of a seal on the door of each room to signify to guests that the room has been cleaned, disinfected, sanitised, checked, and double-checked before occupancy.

Each hotel also has two rooms designated to accommodate any guest who displays symptoms of COVID-19.

Those rooms are equipped with disposable plates and utensils, personal protective equipment, sanitising wipes, chemicals for cleaning, and special bags for biomedical waste.

“A small team from the hotel works with the guest in these rooms. That team stays with that person for the entire time they are here, because we want to ensure that we know who is in contact with that guest,” DaCosta explained, adding that the hotel will work closely with the health department to monitor any such guest.

“When we looked across the spectrum of hotels in the world, all the big chains, what their protocols are, by far Sandals Resorts has come out with one of the strongest protocols in the hotel industry,” DaCosta said.

“We’ve never been a company not known to take the first step. We’ve always taken the first step, and the protocols just show that what our team put together is the right thing. It is a document that is changing every week, based on the things we see, and as something comes new, we implement it,” he added.

The resort chain’s guests, he said, are pleased with the measures as the second thing they list on their comments sheet is “the protocols are being followed”.

That statement was corroborated by Julia Duhaney from the Butler Elite Department at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort who had a message for other people wishing to visit Sandals: “We’re open for business. We are well equipped with all the health and safety materials all over the property to ensure that all our guests and staff are safe. So welcome, and enjoy your stay.”