Advice on how to host key workers safely
& FAQs about Stays for Heroes
FAQs about Stays for Heroes
I’m not sure if I’m part of the High Risk category for COVID-19. Should I sign up to Stays for Heroes?
It is important you do not partake in any activities that might put your health at risk. Your household’s safety should remain your top-priority at all times. If you are unsure about whether you are vulnerable to COVID-19, find out here, and for the BBC guidelines for people over the age of 70 click here.
If these apply to you or someone you live with, please do not sign up for Stays for Heroes as it may put you at higher risk of infection.
What happens when I sign up to Stays for Heroes?
We will receive all the information you submit into the form and will endeavour to get your property listed on our Stays for Heroes directory as soon as we can. This will be a platform for key workers to browse available accommodation in their area. If they click on your listing, it will lead them to your own website or booking page where they may then choose to book.
If you are an eviivo customer:
We will also publish your property on our eviivo Stays for Heroes availability search. This will allow key workers to search available accommodation in their general location and book directly from your own website. The search will pull your content, rates and availability from your MyWeb Rate plans.
Does signing up for Stays for Heroes mean I have volunteered for the Government maintained central booking system for hotels to accommodate NHS staff for free?
No, Stays for Heroes is in line with the Government’s goals for accommodating key workers, but it is a completely separate initiative. The Government initiative has its own central booking system for hotels willing to volunteer their accommodation to NHS staff for free. Stays for Heroes is its own platform, meaning that submitting your property with us does not automatically register you into the Government maintained platform.
If you wish to volunteer your property to them as well or instead, you can contact them at: policy@ukhospitality.org.uk.
How do I price my property? Do I have to volunteer my rooms for free?
It is your choice entirely how you wish to price these stays. We recognise it is a challenging time for many businesses in the hospitality sector and suggest, given the community spirit of this initiative, you offer a discount or promotion to key workers if you feel that you are in a position to do so.
If you are an eviivo customer:
You can create offers simply through My Promo Manager, click here to see how.
Can I accept bookings from guests who are not key workers?
Government guidelines have stated that holiday accommodation must only remain open to provide beds for key workers. For more information on who qualifies as a key worker and how you may identify them, click here.
We recommend you:
- Clearly state on your website that you are ONLY accepting stays during this enforced period of closure from key workers.
- If you are an eviivo customer, and have already closed your availability to online travel websites, you will need to make your property available ONLY on your own website.
- Do NOT make it available across any other Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). Click here to see how.
If you use a property management system, we advise that you check how to close out your availability on OTAs whilst still remaining open on your own website. If you do not, you may have to do this manually by closing off your availability on each OTA.
If you are an eviivo customer:
You will have access to My Promo Manager to help make closing out your availability on other channels easy – click here to see how.
To clarify I’m open for key workers only, how can I ensure my property is only available on my website and through the Stays for Heroes directory?
If you are an eviivo customer:
You can easily close off your availability on all other channels through My Promo Manager. To find out how to do this, click here to visit eviivo university.
How do I know if someone is a keyworker?
For more information on who qualifies as a key worker and how you may identify them, click here.
Please ensure that you are following these Government guidelines by clearly stating on your website that you are currently only accepting stays from key workers. You may also want to personalise your booking confirmation and/or pre-arrival email to include a reminder for them to email you back with a picture of their ID or other documentation confirming they are a key worker. You may also check this on arrival.
If you are an eviivo customer:
Using My Guest Manager, which is now available to all our customers, you can personalise your pre-arrival email to state that you are only accepting bookings from key workers, as well as to advise them on how to check-in with as little contact as possible. Click here to see how to do this with My Guest Manager.
How do I set a promotion to only be available on my website?
If you are an eviivo customer:
You can easily set this up using My Promo Manager. To find out how to do this, click here to visit eviivo university.
Am I expected to provide meals during their stay?
You are not expected to provide meals for guests, especially if you lack the means to do so in a safe manner, following Government guidelines for social distancing. If you do wish to serve meals, you could offer room service, or pre-packed food boxes and leave them outside the guest’s door, so as to minimise physical contact that might put either of you in danger. Ensure you take all necessary protective measures when handling food.
General Advice & Tips
Have you seen our page dedicated to helping accommodation providers mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on their business? We constantly update this page with the latest information and communications from the UK Government, banks, insurers and OTAs. If you would like to find out more, click here.
Here are some tips on how to open up your property to
key workers safely:
- We know that many accommodation providers may already have key codes or key safes on the premises, which allow for easy and flexible guest access to their accommodation. If you do have these facilities, we would advise taking advantage of them during this time to make any check-in and check-out completely contactless, so as to avoid the spread of infection.
- If you don’t have a key safe in your property, it is still critical that you follow government advice on staying at least 2 metres apart from guests at all times and avoiding all but necessary contact. To do this, you could organise a check-in time to meet the key worker at the property, wearing a mask and gloves to protect yourself, and leaving the key in a safe & hidden spot for them to collect whilst you remain 2 metres away.
- Leave at least 24 hours between each booking to ensure the virus has time to die before anyone new enters the property. So when a booking is made, you can block out availability for the next night.
- Wait at least 24 hours after the key worker has left before you enter the room for cleaning. When cleaning the room, it is critical that you wear all necessary protective gear.
- Wash any bed sheets, pillowcases or towels used by the guest at 60°C. Make sure to wear all necessary protective gear while handling these items.
- For more detailed information on how to disinfect your property in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, check out our latest blog post.
- For more guidance on how to properly clean and disinfect your property in between bookings, visit the Government website here.