Reopening Dates

We are delighted to be able to welcome guests back to stay with us from May 17^th. It is on this day that the hotels bar, lounges, and restaurant will also reopen, exclusively for our residents until restrictions are further relaxed on June 21^st. From June 21^st we will look to accommodate non-residents with reservations subject to availability.

The Voyage Spa will be opening to offer treatments only from April 14^th to non-residents. From May 17^th Hotel residents will have exclusive use of the Spa facilities that we are permitted to open which will include both our indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Non-residents may still be able to book a spa treatment only, but this will be subject to availability. Country Club members will be invited back to use our facilities from June 21^st.

The Village Inn is currently offering a food takeaway service on Friday and Saturday evenings as well as Sunday Lunchtimes. From April 14^th it will be extending its opening hours and once again allowed to serve food and drink to seated guests outside only (subject to the rule of 6 / 2 household limit on table sizes). We will also continue to offer a takeaway service during all opening times. Please refer to the Villages Inns page for updated opening times. From May 17^th we will be reopening the indoor areas of the Village Inn, adhering to the prevailing government guidelines regarding group / table sizes.

Please be assured our reservations team are continuing in contacting guests who have bookings prior to 17^th May. Please bear with us as we are continuing to receive a high volume of calls and emails but be assured, we will get back to you as soon as possible with your enquiry. Please do make use of our online contact form which can be found here as this is seen and responded to by our reservations team.

Factsheet

Covid-19 Factsheet

We understand that many of you may have some apprehension about your visit so, for the sake of clarity and your peace of mind, we have put together the following document to inform you of the measures we have put in place ready for your stay.

Please note with the Government Coronavirus Restrictions in place it is each individuals responsibility to check the requirements specific to them and their party prior to making a reservation and travelling to Thurlestone Hotel.

So, a few general points to start:

We would ask you that this factsheet be read in conjunction with our Guest Charter.
We will be operating the hotel on a reduced capacity when we reopen on May 17^th and only increasing this in line with the change in government guidelines as and when we feel it safe to do so.
Please note that it is a legal requirement to wear a face mask in all public areas of the Hotel and Village Inn except when you are seated at a table to eat or drink.
We expect that some of the measures listed below will change as time goes by and all aspects of COVID-19 safety protocols are constantly under review.

Our Staff

We will perform temperature checks for all staff at the beginning of their shift.
All team members will be washing their hands (or using hand sanitiser) at regular intervals from the moment they arrive at work.
The team will follow a policy of no physical contact and maintain social distancing, wherever possible…. please do not think we are being impolite!
You may see some staff wearing enhanced protective equipment where necessary. Much of this will be behind the scenes in areas such as the kitchen and housekeeping. We will do as much as necessary and required whilst trying to avoid portraying too much of a clinical environment.
All our staff have undergone comprehensive hospitality-focused training on how to prevent the contagion of Covid-19. We will continue to evaluate our training as best practices evolve and refresher sessions will be run prior to a return to work or if guidelines are changed.
Any staff member who shows symptoms will be told stay at home and will follow the current government guidelines before returning to work.

Booking and Pre-Arrival

Prior to your arrival we will contact you by phone or email to confirm and double-check all the details of your stay.

It is particularly important that we have a full and detailed understanding of your specific requirements particularly regarding bedroom configurations and allergies at this point.

We will also need to understand the set-up of any larger groups to ensure that social distancing rules such as the rule of 6 / 2 household limit can be observed across your dining reservations and throughout the hotel. Timings and table sizes will be confirmed with you prior to arrival for all breakfast, dinner, Village Inn and afternoon tea bookings, if multiple tables are required, we will aim to have these situated adjacent to each other.

Our current housekeeping service will also be exampled and how to access this during your stay, further details of this are detailed in the bedrooms and bathrooms section a little bit later.

We can also answer any further queries you may have regarding our safety plans.

Your Arrival

Face masks must be worn in all public areas of the hotel, except when seated at a table to eat or drink. Hand Sanitising stations are situated at all entrances and throughout the hotel – please make use of these to sanitise your hands before coming inside. Reception has a supply of small personal bottles of sanitiser which can be issued on request. You will also find these supplied in all our bedrooms.

To reduce congestion in the hotel lobby we are requesting that, where possible, you bring only one member of your party into the area to complete the check in process. If there is more than one person, only one of you should approach the desk with the others making use of the seating area adjacent, moving through to wait in the bar or lounge or remaining outside to wait until you have completed the process and collected your bedroom keys. If you have more than one bedroom that will be settled on the same account one member of the party can complete the check-in process for all the rooms.

If you require help with your luggage please leave it in your vehicle and we shall arrange for it to be to be taken to your room once it is ready. Only Suitcases, holdall and closed bags can be handled by our Staff. If you do have more than one or two bags but do not require assistance, we would recommend leaving this in your vehicle and collecting this once you have your bedroom keys issued as staff will be unable to assist with luggage that is brought into the lobby and only take luggage directly from your vehicle to your room. We are currently not able to offer a luggage storage facility. There are porters trolleys available that you can use on request.

The Reception area has been reconfigured and we have some screens on the desk.

Public Areas

Our public areas such as the lounge and bar have been reconfigured where necessary to ensure social distancing can be always maintained.

In the corridors and lobbies the general rule of thumb is to keep left as you would on our Devon lanes and use the passing places as indicated.

All screens, door handles and shared surfaces (‘touch points’) will be cleaned and sanitised throughout the day. We have enhanced our cleaning procedures and are increasing our housekeeping teams to manage with the extra processes.

We have equipped our cloakrooms with sanitising handwash at the basins, as well as contact-free hand dryers and disposable hand towels. To avoid overcrowding and unnecessary contact we ask that guests who are staying with us - where possible - use the bathrooms in their bedrooms.

Signage has been put in place with guidance on usage of our lift. You are welcome to use the lifts and we will ensure they are regularly sanitised but please follow the advice provided. We ask that you do not share lifts with people from outside your household or bubble.

Bedrooms & Bathrooms

Every guest bedroom and en-suite will be deep cleaned and fully sanitised before each stay - this may take a little longer than normal, so we ask for your patience if your room is not ready by 4pm.

Bottles of hand sanitiser will be placed in all our bedrooms for use during your stay and this will be replenished as required. For further peace of mind, we shall also supply each room with surface sanitiser and paper towels (which should be disposed of in the bin rather than the loo).

Fabric items such as mattresses, pillows, cushions, carpet, chairs and other furniture are misted with an approved sanitising solution, which helps to combat Covid-19 but is otherwise harmless to you and us.

All consumables will be replaced before each stay and all printed material has been removed from your room to avoid cross-contamination.

For the safety of you and our housekeeping team we will not be offering a daily cleaning service until restrictions are relaxed further from June 21^st. For guests staying before then we will provide, in your room, an order form which should be completed and left hanging on the door handle outside of your room by 11am daily. Our housekeeping team will then leave the requested items outside of your room for you. For guests staying for more than three nights a linen change can be arranged with our housekeeping team. This should be requested, with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice by speaking directly with our head housekeeper or with reception, and ideally be discussed and planned for during your pre arrival calls and emails. Your room will need to be unoccupied and personal items stowed away whilst this takes place.

From June 21^st onwards we will start to operate a daily cleaning service with a linen change completed on the 3^rd night of longer stays. If you would prefer us not to enter your room or to reduce the frequency of this happening please confirm this during your pre arrival calls. The request system for the replenishment of items that we have been using before June 21^st can still be used if you would prefer. Despite the return to a more ‘normal’ daily service we would still request that your room be unoccupied when our staff are in your room and that personal items are stowed away as we will not be able to handle and move these to complete the cleaning and replenishment of your room.

In the event a guest has symptoms during their stay, they will be asked to return home as soon as possible, the room will be sealed for 72 hours and not let until it has been deep cleaned.

Food & Drink

The hotels’ restaurant, bar and lounges will be available to Hotel residents exclusively until the relaxation of rules on June 21^st. These areas have been reconfigured where necessary to ensure social distancing can be always maintained.

To better manage the service at mealtimes and to reduce crowding we have extended the times for breakfast and dinner. Reservation times for both dinner and breakfast are essential and will be agreed with you during your call prior to arrival. We respectfully request that guests endeavour to adhere to times to always ensure flow and guest safety.

Between reopening on May 17^th and June 21^st the rule of 6 / 2 household rule will apply to table sizes and groups sitting both inside and outside. When booking your dining times, we will ask for confirmation that this is being adhered to and where required will offer multiple tables to accommodate larger parties. Where possible we will aim to place these tables adjacent to each other. If you are sitting at tables in the bars, lounges or outside we ask that you respect the current guidelines on table / group sizes and set-ups.

Please be aware that even after the relaxation of rules on June 21^st booking times for dinner as well as breakfast will still be required, and we will ensure the configuration of these areas fit with the prevailing government guidelines.

We will not be offering drinks service at the bar, instead; we will offer a full table service throughout the hotel's bars, restaurant, and lounges.

Single-use or wipeable menus will be offered across all our food and beverage outlets. The wipeable menus will be sanitised after each use.

Spa & Leisure facilities

We are delighted to say that from May 17^th our Voyage Spa will be open exclusively to hotel residents however please note the following restrictions.

Indoor pool:

Only 10 people allowed in the pool at any one time
Please keep your time within the pool to 30 minutes.

Outdoor pool:

Only 14 people allowed in the pool at any one time
Please keep your time within the pool to 30 minutes.

Grey towels for use in the leisure facilities will be left in your room prior to check-in. They are not available within the spa and leisure facilities. Please ensure you take these towels with you and after use take them back to your bedroom or place them in the used towel basket at the exit of the facilities or in the changing rooms. If you require replacement of the towels during your stay this can be done using the daily housekeeping order form. They can also be requested in person from the hotel reception desk.

Gym:

Before entering the gym, we require a health questionnaire to completed, these can be obtained from reception along with the key code for the door. Please note that only 3 guests can use the gym at any one time, and we would like to politely remind you to respect social distancing guidelines. We ask you to refrain from using the gym facility for longer than 45 minutes at a time. Please sanitise all equipment before and after use with the sanitiser provided.

Hydrotherapy pool:

Only two people at any one time or up to 4 people from the same household or bubble

Sauna

Only two people at any one time or up to 4 people from the same household or bubble

Our steam room and laconium remain closed until government regulations permit their opening.

Changing rooms
Our changing rooms are available within the Voyage Spa, maximum of two people at any one time or up to 4 people from the same household or bubble. Please note that the shower facilities are closed in this area. Where possible we would request hotel residents limit the use of these areas and change in their bedrooms making use of the robes that are provided to walk to the spa and leisure facilities.

Treatments

We are now able to carry out treatments with strict guidelines in place. Treatments only are available from April 14^th and these will continue to be offered to non-residents from May 17^th, subject to availability.

All our therapists have carried out Covid-19 training and have relevant certification to endorse this. They will be happy to discuss your requirements during your stay. To book a beauty treatment please contact reception. Please note guests will be required to wear a mask during their treatment.

Sports Facilities / Golf:

The squash, tennis courts and the golf course are available for you to use and the courts can be booked by contacting reception. No bookings are required for the golf course. Groups playing should adhere to the current guidelines in terms of group size, for example the rule of 6 / households. Any equipment that is borrowed will be sanitised before it is issued. Please ensure it is returned to reception after it is used.

Children / Kids Club

From May 17^th The Big Breakers room for older children will be open for console games and table football.

The Little Rollers room will be open for younger children but will be unable to supply any of the toys or games as usual. We are happy for you to bring your own toys or games to play with in this area.

We ask that parents always supervise their children in both these areas and consider the importance of appropriate social spacing. There will be surface sanitiser, disposable towels, and hand sanitiser available in both rooms to be used before and after play.

During the May half-term, we will be unable to offer our usual kids club group programme. Details of outdoor household activities will be published and made available to guests staying during this time.

Our aim is to offer a programme of group activities during the school summer holidays and we will review this and publish details closer to the time based on the government guideline. A decision to return the toys and games to the Little Rollers room will only be made once guidance has changed.

Check out /departure / payments

We will not be processing cash transactions for residents in the hotel so charging to your room, cards or contactless payments are the way to deal with your extras. Card machines will be wiped down with a disinfectant wipe after each use. The Village Inn will continue to accept cash payments although we would prefer cards / contactless to be used whenever possible.

To avoid crowding in the lobby at check out times this process can be completed without coming to the reception desk, from your bedroom.

A printed room bill will be placed under your door early on the morning of check out. To settle the bill or discuss any queries please call reception by dialling “0” from your room. Payments can be processed securely over the phone using a credit or debit card.

If you require help with your luggage please leave your luggage in your room and contact reception when you have vacated the room and are ready to depart. Only Suitcases, holdall and closed bags can be handled by our Staff. These must be taken directly to your vehicle and cannot be stored by the hotel.

As General Manager, I am responsible for all aspects of our ‘COVID-19 Secure’ operating plan. You can contact me and my team at any time prior to, and during your stay, should you have concerns related to this or any other matter.

We look forward to seeing you very soon.

With my warmest wishes,

Alex McEwen
General Manager