Hoteliers explain: This is what vacation in the hotel looks like after the lockdown ends

May makes everything new – this saying actually seems to be true in relation to vacation. After more than seven weeks of lockdown, Germany wants to gradually introduce easing measures that will finally open up the catering and hotel industry in the coming weeks. Not just a ray of hope for all holidaymakers who are happy and ready to go on holiday, but also for the industry that Corona has hit particularly hard.

Because, according to the German restaurant and hotel association DEHOGA, the shutdown has threatened the existence of every third company and has therefore endangered hundreds of thousands of jobs. According to the association, the calculated loss of sales in the entire industry should have amounted to over ten billion euros net from mid-March to the end of April alone. An economically urgent step, therefore, to give this branch of business a basis again.

Hotelier: "Thank God we can finally open the gates again"

Sven Scheerbarth, hotel director and managing director of the renowned hotel "Das Tegernsee" in Bavaria, is therefore greatly relieved to see the opening soon. "Thank God we can finally open the gates again", he says in an interview with VIP News. Like all of his colleagues in the industry, he is happy to be able to offer his employees, many of whom have been taking short-time work to avert business damage, a new perspective. "We are thrilled to be able to meet our host passion again soon and to offer those looking for relaxation a carefree, pleasant stay," reports the hotelier.

So far, there has been a framework governing the requirements for overnight accommodation in Bavaria, but the government has yet to provide some details about the hygiene concept. The general distance and hygiene requirements in relation to Corona also apply here, of course. The manager has already adjusted the seating in the restaurants and on the terraces to maintain a safety distance of 1.50 meters. "As a concrete exercise, there was already a test of the new service process to convert our catering to the new conditions," he says.

To protect guests and employees, Scheerbarth has already installed a large glass surface at the reception as well as disinfection dispensers throughout the house and has provided sufficient masks and gloves for the staff. "For us, an honest, warm smile will go beyond the edges of a protective mask and will be recognizable by the radiance of the eyes," confirms the hotelier with great confidence and optimism.

Guests must also wear masks in the restaurant

However, guests will feel the greatest changes in the future in terms of gastronomy and common areas. Detlef Kruse, director of the Hotel Travel Charme Strandidyll Heringsdorf on Usedom, already knows exactly what to adjust to. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has the lowest number of corona cases (715, as of May 7) in Germany and announced the opening of tourism weeks ago with a step-by-step plan. "Our hotels are allowed to open again on May 18," Kruse told VIP News. Initially only for guests from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, but from May 25th also for travelers from all over Germany.

In cooperation with virologists from the University of Greifswald, the local hotel association has already elaborated measures to protect staff and guests. “In the common rooms, we encourage our employees and guests to wear mouth and nose protection. Disinfection dispensers are also available to disinfect your hands before entering the hotel, ”explains Kruse. Masks are also mandatory when entering the restaurant. “Only when the guest sits down at his table can he put it down,” says the hotel manager.

Buffets are a thing of the past – only a'la carte catering

Another important change, according to Kruse, is that guests will have to reserve a table for breakfast and dinner in the future. "In this way we can ensure that we keep the number of contacts as low as possible and that the guest can dine relaxed." Buffets are also a thing of the past: "We are completely changing our catering to a'la carte, because we have to make sure that the guests stay at their table as much as possible and that objects are not shared," says Kruse.

“In order to comply with distance regulations, the staff also brings food to the table with the serving trolley, which the guest then takes himself,” he explains. In addition, the number of people per table is limited to two – unless it is a family.

Swimming pool and fitness rooms are allowed to open

Also in terms of wellness, the offer in hotels will change after the lockdown: "We are allowed to open our indoor and outdoor pool for our guests, as virologists rule out a transmission of the virus in the water, but here too the number of guests is simultaneous allowed to stay there, limited, "said Kruse. In the future, an employee will ensure that there are never more than 16 people in the pools at the same time – a limit also applies to the fitness room. The sauna and steam bath must remain closed.

As far as the hygiene in the rooms is concerned, Kruse does not even change that much: "We have always set the highest hygiene standards and disinfect the bathroom, toilet and surfaces". The only thing that changed was that pillow cases and objects such as magazines were removed, remote conditions were welded in for better disinfection and the rooms were ventilated even more intensely – especially before new guests moved in.

Hotel can only occupy 60 percent of the beds

Even if there is great joy about the opening soon, there is still a huge drop of bitterness: "We can only occupy our hotels in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for the time being only 60 percent. If the number of cases in the state remains low, we can hopefully increase soon" says Kruse.

Despite these difficult conditions, the hotelier remains optimistic: "We are very happy to welcome our guests again soon and to offer them relaxing days on Usedom," said Kruse. "We hope that they will accept the new regulations well – because this is how we protect each other and ensure that we don't get locked down again. "

High costs for hoteliers for the protective measures

Even if the euphoria about the early easing is great, for hotels the new editions mean considerable additional costs as well as more personnel – and that despite huge losses due to the weeks of forced closings. That is why President Guido Zöllick demands from the federal association of DEHOGA that a rescue fund with direct financial aid for the entire industry be launched as soon as possible. "Most restaurants and overnight accommodations are in the eighth week of closure with zero sales and ongoing high fixed costs. The situation is dramatic, ”he said.