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Re-opening right - summer 2020

We’re ready for you…

Very soon we’ll be reopening our doors. We can’t wait to welcome you back.

Since the day we had to close, we’ve been working hard on a rigorous re-opening plan that balances hygiene, health and happiness for all our guests and team.

We’re proud of the plan we’ve developed and the ways we’re rolling it out across our business. Streamlined face-to-face communication. Regular pre-stay updates. More space. More cleaning. And creative touches too. This plan is about giving you the freedom to enjoy your holiday, the confidence that your health is our top priority and the guidance on how to stay safe, reassured and happy from the moment you book, to the moment you leave.

Our hotel may look a little more stripped back, the services may have changed a touch, our team might be in face coverings, but underneath it all the heart and soul of Watergate Bay has stayed the same. Now, as always, we’re here for you whenever you need us, working hard to make sure you find happiness – toes in the sand, drink in hand, open sky above you. Just as it should be.

See you soon,

Ben Harper
Managing Director

Planning makes perfect.

Your holiday is important. You want to know it’s going to be the break you deserve. But you want to feel safe too. We are here to help you strike that balance.

From suggestions and guidance on what to plan and bring, to booking in activities, restaurants, childcare or sunset cocktails using our guest app, we’ll make sure your holiday feels like a holiday – simple, relaxing, seamless.

If in doubt, talk to us, we’re always here for you.

Before you arrive

14 days out: you’ll receive an email with everything you need to know about staying safe and our guest app to download

7-10 days out: we’ll be in touch to talk you through your upcoming stay, help you plan and book restaurants and activities, settle your balance and answer any questions

6 days out: you’ll receive another email with helpful tips on what to pack and any additional things you might need to bring

2 days out: you’ll receive check-in details, a reminder about downloading our guest app and a pre-stay questionnaire

10 minutes out: you’ll give us a call to let us know you’re near by

On arrival

You’ll pick up your keys from our lower lobby, where one of our team will be on hand to answer any questions

Distance does it.

We’re blessed with boundless space at Watergate Bay and through a complete review of all areas of the business, we’ve really maximised it. In line with government guidance you’ll find markers around the hotel to keep guests a safe distance apart, there’s a guest flow to follow when you’re moving around to iron out pinch points, and our toilets are single use only.

You’ll find:

  • Signage and focus points across the site to help remind and clarify
  • More space between seating in our shared areas and restaurant
  • Markers to help you keep your distance and find your way around


We love our visitors as much as our guests, but for now, the hotel is not open to non-residents. Pizza on the beach from the new Watchful Mary pizza deck, a summer pop up from Emily Scott in the former Fifteen restaurant, breakfast, lunch or dinner at The Beach Hut – day visitors and locals can still enjoy what we’ve got to offer away from the main hotel building and as soon as we can welcome you back safely, we will.

Taking clean to a new level.

Health and hygiene have always been a top priority for us, but now we’re pushing our standards even further, with a focus on key risk areas. Alongside this we’re leaning on technology to minimise paperwork, taking cash out of the equation and creating sanitiser points across the hotel.

This means:

  • Less ornaments, games, books and magazines, so you might want to make a note to bring some of your own
  • Deep cleans for every guest room, with heightened attention on high-touch points.
  • All the housekeeping team in PPE that’s changed after every clean
  • land&water alcohol-based hand gel at dedicated sanitiser stations throughout the hotel
  • Less admin, more tech to keep contact low, from our guest app to our paper-free check-in
  • Card only payments

Your own space.

Your room is the heart of your stay, your private space to retreat, kick back, sleep well and take time out. The measures we’re taking mean you can rest easy knowing that you’re somewhere clean, safe and risk free. While you’ll find fewer magazines and high touch items, in their place are a few nice surprises.

You’ll also find:

  • Baby monitors in your room rather than on request
  • Daily servicing as normal and a more rigorous cleaning process
  • Your own specially formulated land&water alcohol hand gel for you to use throughout your stay

Restaurants, in your room or open air: new eating options.

Food and drink can make a holiday. Dishes too hard to choose between, laidback dining, alfresco drinks, and of course our famous waffles are all still on the cards. We want you to enjoy eating here as much as you always have, so we’ve made a few changes to keep you safe and happy. From advance bookings and more space, to pop up offerings, pizzas and picnics we’re thinking creatively.

This means:

Your hotel stay:

  • All our restaurants will be set up to meet social distance guidelines
  • We’ll ask you to book in advance so we can manage the flow of guests


Breakfast:

  • Your breakfast table will be yours for your stay, either in the Living Space or Zacry’s
  • Breakfast will be served at your table – our famous waffles are now made to order


Dinner:

  • You can reserve a table from 5pm either in the Living Space or Zacry’s
  • You can choose from a combined menu which includes a new children's offering too
  • You can have dinner in your room whenever you like, with a new room service offering
  • Or you can order from our new picnic menu and take your dining experience out onto the sand


Across the Bay:

  • The Beach Hut will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner bookings with all new dishes to enjoy – we can’t wait for you to try the breakfast pancakes.
  • Our new Watchful Mary pizza deck is open.  You can now take freshly-made pizzas and drinks down on to the sand. Simply order online and book a collection time.
  • A new pop-up from Emily Scott opens from 9 July to October in the former Fifteen Cornwall restaurant. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Sunday.

 

Keeping Swim Club safe.

Swimming to the horizon, splashing with the kids, going for a surf – active relaxation is a vital part of what makes your stay here special. We are making plans to open Swim Club, but with a few tweaks to help you make the most of it.

Swim Club

  • We plan to open the pool as soon as possible and we're reviewing guidance daily.
  • When we do open the pool we will be offering private, bookable, sessions for you and your family, one session per household/bubble per day
  • To book your 30 minute swim session dial 0 from your room phone to speak to our host team 
  • Change in your room using the towels and robes provided so you can come to the pool swim-ready as there are no poolside changing rooms available
  • The hot tub and sauna are currently unavailable

Cardio room

Following government guidance, the Cardio room will not be available at this time.

Treatments

Following government guidance, we are currently unable to offer treatments.

A safe and clean Extreme.

Smaller groups, sterilised suits, touch-free training, we’re following guidance from Surf England to keep our Extreme Academy activities safe, so you can get out in the great outdoors.

  • Tuition will be in smaller groups, with no more than five guests per instructor
  • Wetsuits available for guests through a pick up and drop off service located in the studio
  • All wetsuits are sterilised at the end of each day
  • Equipment hire will be available from the Extreme Academy
  • Paper-less online forms for lessons and hire to reduce contact

 

Kids' Zone.

We are awaiting further government guidance on 4th July and will update this section as soon as we can.

While currently we aren’t able to offer supervised sessions or babysitting, families can book the Kids’ Zone spaces for private use.

Our approach.

Reassuring you with the insights and actions that make our plan possible

Research-based, business wide.

We’ve always taken health and safety seriously. Our risk-based approach has kept our spaces clean and our guests safe year after year. But the new normal calls for new measures and, using our existing approach as a foundation, we’ve enhanced our practices and protocols in response.

What this means in practice:

ELIMINATE – We communicate extensively with teams, partners, visitors and guests to prevent the virus entering our premises

REDUCE – We run a totally redesigned operation to reduce the risk of transmission

CONTROL – We clean and sanitise to industry-leading standards to control the risk

PROTECT – We use PPE across our site, work at distance and remote work to protect our staff and visitors from contamination

Measures for reducing risk.

As a business, we want to know that everyone who visits us and works with us is healthy and safe. Our new VisitBritain-validated risk assessments and twice daily checks will help us do just that, with all processes monitored and measured using our online health and safety platform.

We’ve followed the Government’s Covid-19 secure workplace guidance. On a practical level this means:

  • Handwashing every 15 minutes at new handwashing stations
  • Regular back of house cleaning throughout the day
  • Staggered staff breaks and small teams on shift
  • Personal protective equipment (required) for front of house, housekeeping, kitchens and (optional) back of house
  • One way flow for back of house
  • No team meetings in public areas
  • Reconfigured work spaces and keeping some teams home-based

Preparing our people.

We’re all in this together, which means everyone in all our teams has been briefed, trained and prepared for re-opening and the new levels of health and hygiene we’re working to. We’ll have on-site reminders to keep the team on track and regular team briefings to outline cleaning standards, processes and changes for returning team members.

48 hours prior to opening, our HR team will complete a full health check of the team to make sure everyone is ready and able to return. Ongoing vigilance and health checks will be covered by departmental managers to ensure everyone who comes into work is symptom-free and fit to do so, this includes a daily temperature check on arrival to work.

Beyond our immediate team, we’ve been working with our partners and suppliers to communicate our new processes and approaches. We’ve introduced protocols for deliveries and access and will regularly assess measures in line with government guidance.

 

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