The second half of June will see the scaled reopening of a selection of hotels in destinations such as Spain (in the Balearics, Canaries and Andalusia), Montenegro, Budapest, Greece, Portugal and Mexico. Iberostar Waves Cristina, in Majorca, will be the first hotel to open, allowing the company’s employees, members of the Group’s management team and the Fluxá family themselves to experience the new measures in advance.
The company is aligning with science to maximize health and safety, introducing more than 300 measures designed by the Group’s Medical Advisory Board, made up of experts in Public Health for the tourism industry.
All protocols comply fully with the circularity policies that the Iberostar Group has adopted to ensure a more resilient ecosystems. The hotel chain is working with SGS, the world leader in inspection, verification, analysis and certification services.
The Iberostar Group has announced the reopening of several hotels in June in various destinations, including Spain (Balearics, Canaries and Andalusia), Montenegro, Greece and Mexico, among others. The Hotel Iberostar Waves Cristina, on the island of Majorca, will be the first to reopen early next month, in a trial phase where employees, Group executives and members of the Fluxá family themselves, will have the chance to experience the new health and safety measures before welcoming the first guests.
Iberostar Group will resume operations, aligning with science to guarantee optimum care for people and ecosystems. Through its Medical Advisory Board, which includes biologists and doctors specialized in Public Health for the tourism industry, the Majorca-based company has developed more than 300 health and safety measures in coherence with the circularity policies promoted through the Group’s Wave of Change movement, for the protection of the environment and the oceans. The hotel chain is also working closely with its partner SGS, the world leader in inspection, verification, analysis and certification services, which has endorsed the disinfection and sanitization protocols for the hotels.
As Sabina Fluxá, the Group’s CEO, explains, “the difficulty lies not in designing safety protocols, but rather in doing so from a holistic, science-based perspective without undoing the progress we’ve made in caring for the ecosystems. We are proud of the measures we have introduced, particularly because they have allowed us to maintain our commitment to being a single use plastic-free company, as far as legislation permits, reinforcing our circularity policies and use of products that minimize environmental impact.” As an example, the new procedures include the use of masks made from recycled and recyclable materials and measures that encourage frequent hand washing to minimize the use of gloves.
Furthermore, the Iberostar Group has designed a training plan for all its teams, facilitating the transition to the new scenario, and the company will carry out regular audits of all its procedures and protocols. The training plan covers four key areas: general epidemiological instruction, application of protocols, coaching in new consumption habits and ad hoc training created by the Medical Advisory Board.
The measures implemented by the Iberostar Group include four main pillars, based on innovative and responsible solutions to guarantee a top quality experience:
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Strict compliance and permanent update of recommendations from local authorities and WHO.
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External certifications like Earth Check or Cristal International Standards, among others, together with the verification of protocols by SGS (the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company) reinforce the company’s commitment to healthy and safe environments.
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Secure access with sanitary controls for suppliers and employees.
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Permanent centralized medical service including isolation rooms and ambulance on standby.
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Inspection of all goods and products delivered to the hotels, to meet sanitary standards but, even more so, to support local businesses and minimize waste generation. This, in turn, reinforces the unique focus of the Group's Honest Food philosophy which ensures the traceability of consumption.
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Specialized training for employees, equipped with the new hygiene and protection measures stipulated by the Medical Advisory Board.
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Hygiene Standards with products that minimize the environmental impact.
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Guidance from virology experts for the adaptation of protocols, increasing the frequency and depth of disinfection in all spaces and establishing ongoing cleaning processes.
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New cleaning measures and protocols using certified products that ensure sterilization while guaranteeing minimal impact on the water and waste management systems, in line with our circularity agenda.
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Specific protocols for disinfecting rooms, employee access to these, and for cleaning of textiles in laundries.
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Excellence and safety in buffets, including a single touch procedure featuring individual presentation of the gastronomic choices while using the opportunity to reduce food waste.
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Social distancing, making the most of open and outdoor spaces.
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The extensive natural spaces at Iberostar resorts bring nature closer and protect employees and guests. People flow signage is also now in place.
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Hotel occupancy at maximum 70% of total capacity and enlarged distances between hammocks and furniture, among the many measures to enhance safety.
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Reduction of tables in à la carte restaurants, and increased space in buffet restaurants, taking advantage of outdoor areas and creating new exterior dining experiences.
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Eco-2-Go Star Café: encouraging the use of take away options using compostable or reusable packaging to reinforce our circularity policies.
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Room service to enjoy the best of Iberostar gastronomy in a more intimate setting.
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Entertainment experiences with workshops, activities and live outdoor music shows (or indoors with limited capacity), and family activities in smaller groups with advance booking.
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Innovative experience at the service of information and communication to facilitate contactless proximity.
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Digital pre-check in and online check out: safer and more recommendable while, at the same time, quicker and more convenient.
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Reinforcement of the paperless philosophy: the use of paper decreases by extending digital media in restaurants and rooms.
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Touch-less experience using the Iberostar App or 24 hour E-concierge: access to all services with one click to book a table, review a menu or search for leisure activities, among others.
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Doctor Superhero will teach children how to play together and interact in the new scenario.
All these new protocols and measures have enabled the Iberostar Group to consolidate its business vision and further improve its leadership in responsible tourism. “The UN has launched a call to consider this recovery as an opportunity to ‘build back better.’ As a company, we accept this challenge. Now, more than ever, there is an urgent need for responsible tourism that cares for people and the environment, and commits to creating healthy settings,” says the Group’s CEO, Sabina Fluxá.
Visit the How We Care website for further details of these measures.
(*) Note for editors: Photographs to accompany the information are available at this link. And here you will find a video about the new measures.
