Despite the rise in coronavirus cases in many states, much of the country and the world are moving forward with plans to reopen in phases in accordance with local guidelines.
All-inclusive resorts are preparing for the return of tourism in places like the Caribbean and Mexico, and implementing a variety of new safety protocols and cleanliness initiatives to ensure the comfort and well-being of their guests and staff.
Below, we’ve rounded up a list of all-inclusive resort groups that have announced their scheduled reopening dates and plans.
If you are considering traveling this summer, be sure to consult local travel advisories and requirements first.
Atlantis
There are no active cases of COVID-19 reported on The Bahamas’ Paradise Island, and Atlantis is working to make sure it stays that way. As part of a phased reopening, the mega-resort will welcome guests back to The Royal and Harborside Resort as of July 7, and to The Cove beginning July 14.
Developed in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, they’ve established the Atlantis Clean & Safe Promise. In addition to offering express check-ins on a smartphone, the resort is requiring face coverings in certain indoor areas such as elevators and casino table games. Staff members, contractors and suppliers will complete daily health screenings, and common areas will be cleaned with hospital-grade disinfectants in addition to electrostatic sprayers and UV-C light technology.
Baha Mar
Baha Mar has postponed their reopening until October 1, and using the time to develop more safety protocols and practices to be implemented into the future.
They’re also working on some major additions to the sprawling resort located on Paradise Island, including an 18-hole miniature golf course called Mini Blue, new retail stores like Tory Burch, Mont Blanc and Christian Louboutin, and a location of the Sugar Factory candy store.
Sandals
The Sandals Grande Antigua Resort in Antiqua and Barbuda and Sandals Montego Bay in Jamaica are now open. Many more properties are set to open in July, with others remaining closed until November. The updated list is available here.
The luxury resort chain has launched the Sandals Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness, which will feature temperature checks upon arrival, increased social distancing and hygiene practices across all high-touch areas. There will also be online check-in and air-duct sanitization between guests. In addition to the installment of hand sanitizer stations across the resort, public restrooms will be sanitized and inspected every half hour, water quality tests will be conducted on all pools and hot tubs every hour, and hospital-grade disinfectant will be used daily to keep rooms clean. A UV LED light will be used to ensure cleanliness.
Palace Resorts
The company’s resort in Jamaica and nine properties across Mexico reopened in June and are ready to welcome guests.
Both the Palace-branded and Le Blanc Spa-branded properties are following new protocols called Purely Palace and Purely Le Blanc, which specify over 140 preventative actions that are in place to assure the well being of guests and staff. From personal hygiene kits in each room to sanitizing public areas with an electrostatic mist system and disinfecting all golf carts and other internal transportation every 30 minutes, a bevy of new protocols are in place to keep the hotel running as usual — just with an even deeper focus on cleanliness.
While swim-up pool bars will be closed and buffets are closed for now, the hotel will otherwise offer its typical wide range of amenities, just with capacity caps and social distancing measures in place at entertainment venues and other social spaces.
Playa Hotels & Resorts
The majority of Playa’s hotels and resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean are opening up on a rolling basis this summer beginning July 1, with three properties set to open later in the fall. GlobeNewswire reported a full list of Playa properties’ reopening dates, which can be found here.
The company has implemented the Playa Safe Stay program in partnership with Hyatt and Hilton, including sanitizing high-touch areas hourly, redesigned common areas and dining venues to accommodate social distancing guidelines, and enabling guests to request contactless room cleanings. Buffets will still be available, but with some modifications, such as protective barriers and staff assistance, while menus are now digitized to minimize physical contact. Amenities such as lazy rivers and water slides will still be in use as well, but with added social-distancing standards.
AMResorts / Secrets
AMResorts, the parent company of adults-only Secrets Resorts as well as family-friendly Dreams Resorts, is opening the majority of their Secrets locations across the Caribbean and Mexico on a rolling basis throughout July, with only Secrets St. James in Jamaica set for a later reopening date in January of next year.
Many of the Dreams locations in Mexico, the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic are also set to open July 1, with a few slated for openings later this fall. A complete table of reopening dates can be found here.
All AMResorts have implemented the CleanComplete Verification system, which features enhanced room cleaning and sanitization throughout the resort, as well as new staff dedicated to improving hygiene measures, regular tests of pools and water systems, and more. For dining, large groups will require a reservation, and there will be glass barriers at the buffet as well as staff service. The resort group has also received third-party quality verifications through the Cristal International Standard.
Hard Rock Hotels
While individual Hard Rock properties are opening in accordance with local guidelines, the all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Mexico, is set to reopen on July 1, implementing the global Hard Rock SAFE + SOUND program powered by Ecolab.
Increased sanitization stations and air filter replacements, temperature checks upon arrival and capacity caps on common spaces such as restaurants and lounges are just a few of the updated protocols. Additionally, night clubs will remain closed for the time being, as will pool activities. Menus and other printed materials will be made available only online or through a QR code, and Kids Club activities will be held in an outdoor area where social distancing is possible.
Karisma Hotels & Resorts
As of June 15, Karisma began to open its portfolio of hotels and resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, with another five resorts in Mexico set to open on July 1 alongside its Azul Beach Negril property in Jamaica. The company’s Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana will open on July 15, and its Allure Chocolat hotel in Cartagena will be the last to open, on Aug. 1. An updated list of their portfolio’s opening dates can be found here.
The resorts have introduced a new Karisma Peace of Mind™ initiative, for which they’ve partnered with a number of independent health and wellness organizations for certifications and have ultimately added over 100 new protocols to enhance their sanitization procedures, including ultraviolet sanitization, thermal cameras that monitor body temperature, app-based restaurant ordering and more.
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Source: Yahoo News
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