Travelodge has announced it will begin a phased reopening of
its hotels starting 6 July with a new set of cleaning standards and protocols
in place.
The hotel group has kept 62 of its properties open
throughout the pandemic to offer rooms to key workers and to support local
authorities needing emergency accommodation. A further 68 hotels will reopen to
the public on 6 July and the company plans to open 100 hotels per week after
that.
To reassure travellers, the company has launched its
Travelodge Protect+ programme, which includes social distancing measures and
new hygiene protocols throughout its hotels. Cleaning measures include thermally
disinfecting all linen and towels, using antiviral disinfectant cleaning
products, increased cleaning frequency of high-touch areas in public areas and
guest rooms and additional post-clean room checks with “digital tracking” in
place. Staff will receive comprehensive training on the new cleaning, hygiene
and social distancing measures.
Hotels will also have hand sanitiser stations in key
locations, while contact-free check-out and payments will be encouraged.
Reception areas will feature floor signage to promote safe social distancing,
while reception desks will have protective screens and all team members will be
supplied with personal protective equipment. In addition, housekeepers will not
enter guest rooms while they are occupied.
Travelodge said its restaurants and hot breakfast buffets
will remain closed and it will instead offer guests a new version of its breakfast
box, which can be purchased online or from reception.