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Peak Industry body, the Accommodation Association today reinforced the commitment of Australia’s hotels including those supporting the Government’s mandatory Isolation Program to the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene.

Accommodation Association CEO Dean Long is calling for greater transparency from Government and authorities to assist participating hotels continue to safely accommodate guests and keep team members safe.

Logistics and responsibilities

  • A combination of 4 star and 5 star properties volunteered to participate in the program to support returning travellers – isolation stays are not a hotel stay;
    • Participating hotels are vetted by the NSW Government and must maintain a minimum standard;
    •  Wearing of PPE including by security guards is overseen by police;
    • Catering is provided by an external company that is contracted by the NSW Government ie complaints about food should not be directed to or at the participating hotels;
    • Rooms are rotated, rested and cleaned to an enhanced protocol between stays. Where there is a positive case, the room is cleaned by a specialist cleaning contractor to a mandated NSW Health protocol;
  • Hotel staff have and will continue to go above and beyond to make these mandatory stays as comfortable as possible however in order to keep both guests and staff safe, hoteliers are not able to deliver their normal hospitality
    • We understand that people don’t like being forced to isolate for two weeks on returning to Australia but we also need everyone to recognise the tremendous effort and commitment of hotel staff who are also on the frontline, supporting returning travellers, as well as medical professionals choosing to isolate in hotels to keep their families safe, plus the most vulnerable in our community;
  • The level of consumer acceptance has changed noticeably since the introduction of the requirement that consumers must self-fund their two-week isolation stay.
    • Of the $3000 that consumers pay, the participating hotels receive an agreed nightly rate of around $120. The rest is used by Government to cover the costs of isolation including catering, security and medical staff.

The Travelodge Sydney on Wentworth Avenue
There has been not one safety breach that the hotel has been notified of. If there has been an issue which resulted in the decision to rotate the hotel out of the Isolation Program, the hotel needs to know so that it can make sure its frontline team members are safe.

  • The hotel was one of the first hotels to step up and volunteer to support the Government’s mandatory Isolation Program;
  • Since March, it has hosted around 2000 rooms. During that time there has been a mountain of compliments and just a handful of complaints which, when bought to the hotel’s attention have been dealt swiftly and in a safe manner;
  • During that time there have been a number of audits on security personnel which the hotel has not been involved in. A hotel site inspection with police and health authorities was conducted on July 28, and the hotel was deemed compliant and retained on the isolation program.
  • Where guests have raised concerns upon check-in, the hotel has immediately addressed them; while the property is an older property, standard rooms are 20-22sqm, which is standard for a four-star hotel room.