NEWS


ng for the resumption of overseas holidays in Travel Weekly’s latest series of daily webcasts HOTEL REOPENINGS


Travel Weekly’s Katie


McGonagle


Joanne Peters


OPERATORS’ STRATEGIES Alex


Loftus


Watch these and upcoming T


ravel Weekly webcasts at: go.travelweekly.co.uk/webcasts


Ryan Estelle Giraudeau


Speakman, Got 2 Go Travel


Hotel operators draw up lists of hygiene measures


A


ll-inclusive resort operators revealed reopening dates and new hygiene measures.


Palladium Hotel Group senior


business development manager Joanne Peters said properties in Italy, mainland Spain, the Balearics, the Canaries, Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Brazil would reopen in line with local rules. “We’re hoping June 12 for


the Costa del Sol and Hard Rock Tenerife, June 19 for Hard Rock Ibiza and then July 1 for our hotels in the Caribbean and Mexico,” she said. Palladium has created a guide


outlining new hygiene procedures and set up a taskforce to implement measures. These include greater distancing between tables at restaurants, more individual portions at buffet restaurants, and encouraging guests to pre-book their dining times or to use complimentary room service at TRS (24 hours a day) and Grand Palladium (12 hours a day) properties for in-room dining. Guests will also be able to use online check-in and check-out


travelweekly.co.uk


services, a live chat service with butlers at TRS resorts to reduce the need for contact with staff, and to book golf buggies for transport around the resorts via an app. Club Med intends to reopen


European resorts by the beginning of July. Estelle Giraudeau, managing director for northern Europe, said four resorts in China had opened and had seen “strong demand”. She revealed a plan to reopen


European resorts from July 1, but stressed that was dependent on local authorities’ decisions, and the same in the Caribbean and South America. “But we have a strong hope that we


are closer and closer day after day to the end of the tunnel,” said Giraudeau. “It seems there is more and more hope that summer time will happen.” New Club Med hygiene measures include mobile check-in, glass screens at reception, floor markers to remind customers of social distancing, longer restaurant opening hours and more space between tables, changes to kids’ club activities to allow for smaller- group activities, and the wearing of face masks if required by local authorities.


Derek Jones


EasyJet Holidays awaits upturn before trade launch


E


asyJet Holidays has reiterated its intention to sell through the trade post-Covid-19, saying


the pandemic has highlighted how “helpful” agents can be. Commercial director Alex


Loftus said the operator needed to wait until the market starts to pick up before launching to the trade. “We’ve always had plans to work


with the trade and we’re very much still talking to future partners,” he said. “And if we can accelerate at all after this, we will do. We see a great opportunity. We’ve got some very well-known hotels and a great brand and we’re really looking forward to working with the trade.” But he added: “We would like


to wait until the market starts to actually pick up again, and we’re clearer in terms of what countries are open and what countries aren’t open. Then we will be working with the trade as soon as we can. That’s why the timescales are a bit more uncertain because we don’t know yet how things are going to evolve,


The timescales


are a bit uncertain but we’re looking forward to working with agents


but it’s very much on our radar and we’re really looking forward to it.” Asked if the situation had made


having a third-party distribution network more important, Loftus replied: “Absolutely. We see agents can be very, very helpful.” Der Touristik UK chief executive


Derek Jones said the trade share of Kuoni’s new bookings in the past month had been more than double their normal share. “Agents are also loving our


proactive approach to dealing with customers with bookings departing in July and August – almost everyone [80%-plus] is rebooking,” he said, adding: “There’s almost a direct correlation: the quicker you get into a customer, the longer before they are due to depart, the more likely they are to rebook.”


21 MAY 2020


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