Guidance for hotels and accommodation

A summary of the current restrictions and other sources of information can be found here. Further restrictions will come into effect from 26 December 2020. The tourism and hospitality sector will be mandated to close, with a very limited number of exceptions. Full details can be found here. 

An update on these can also be found at NI Direct.

Tourism NI and the Department for the Economy has produced guidance called ‘Working Safely During COVID-19 in Tourism and Hospitality Businesses’. This document can be used for any business in the tourism and hospitality business as and when they are permitted to operate. It outlines ways in which you can operate your business as safely as possible during COVID-19. An update to the guidance was issued on 11th December 2020, amalgamating all previous versions.

The most up-to-date regulations can always be found at NIDirect.

This document sets out guidance on how to work safely within tourism and hospitality businesses. It takes account of practical considerations and recognises that the detailed arrangements may be different for each business. It has been prepared by the Department for the Economy, in partnership with Tourism NI and informed by the NI Tourism Recovery Working Group, the Public Health Agency (PHA), the Health and Safety Executive NI (HSENI) and key Executive Departments, and has been shared with trade unions.

This guidance should be considered and applied in line with:

• NI Executive’s roadmap for re-opening the Visitor Economy; and
• Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020.
• Business Closures and Restrictions in Northern Ireland

Businesses must adhere to the re-opening dates and restrictions relating to each part of their business. They should also take into consideration restrictions that may apply to its customer base.

The guidance provides key considerations that each business will need to translate into specific actions for its own unique circumstances. A site-by-site approach is essential and the risk assessment will differ for every business.

Each one of us must play our part in tackling the pandemic and there is an onus on individuals to operate responsibly, in line with the latest public health guidance. Owners are responsible for the conduct of their businesses and should consider how they communicate with both their staff and customers in this regard.

For further information, please contact our Helpline via our online form available here or call us on 028 9592 5313, lines open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

If you are calling outside these times, please leave a message or email and one of our team will contact you as soon as possible.

Sectoral Guidance - Hotels

As part of the Tourism NI Tourism Enterprise Development (TED) Programme, we took a look at specific guidance for hotels with expert Janice Gault from Northern Ireland Hotels Federation. These are available to download below.

Sectoral Guidelines – Small Accommodation

As part of the Tourism NI Tourism Enterprise Development (TED) Programme, we took a look at specific guidelines for small accommodation providers with expert Colin Houston from IQ International. The webinar and presentation are available to download below. 

Other Key Government Guidance

Restaurants, Pubs, Bars and Food Services
https://covid19.tourismni.com/businesssupport

Guidance from your Sector (Sectoral body guidance):

Further guidance has been produced across sector groups to provide businesses with best practise advice for reopening safely.

UKHospitality in partnership with Hospitality Ulster and NIHF ‘COVID-19 advice and risk assessments for hospitality businesses (Northern Ireland)’ for hospitality and visitor sector businesses in Northern, aimed at supporting the safe reopening of the sector in line with overarching Government Guidance. This includes advice for hotels; self-catering and short term lets; bed and breakfast; holiday parks; camping and caravanning and hostels.

UKHospitality, NIHF and Hospitality Ulster guidance
https://www.nihf.co.uk/
https://hospitalityulster.org/

British Holiday & Home Parks Association guidance:
www.bhhpa.org.uk/covid19hs/

National Caravan Council:
http://holidayparkshub.org.uk/article/ncc-guidance-to-help-parks-reopen/

Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers: https://www.assc.co.uk/policy/cleaning-protocols-for-self-catering-properties-in-the-context-of-covid-19/

Professional Association of Self Caterers:
www.pascuk.co.uk/

Short Term Accommodation Association:
www.ukstaa.org/

Disclaimer:
The information provided gives some guidance and assistance on Covid-19 (new coronavirus) for your tourism business. The guidance is not designed to be definitive but highlights areas that you should consider. Each business has its own requirements, depending on the type of business it is and the guests it attracts, therefore, if you require precise or detailed information on anything mentioned in this guidance, or on the legal implications for you in particular, you should seek professional legal advice.