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ONLY 10 star rated hotels in Metro Manila have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to offer stays.
These are: Grand Hyatt, Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Okada Manila, Shangri-La at the Fort, Nobu Hotel-City of Dreams, Joy Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila, Edsa Shangri-La Manila, Solaire Resort, Hyatt Regency-City of Dreams and Nuwa-City of Dreams.
In Calabarzon, there are four: Pico Sands Hotels. Acuatico Beach Resort and Hotel inc., Twin Lakes Hotel and Club Punta Fuego, according to a Facebook post from DOT-Region 4.
At a press conference Wednesday at the Grand Hyatt, which she inspected, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat emphasized that hotels that are used as quarantine facilities cannot offer stays at the same time. “If they really insist [on offering staycations], then maybe they can think of their infectious disease doctors to say it’s safe [to host staycationers alongside quarantining guests]. But so far, the IATF medical experts [Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases] say it is not safe to mix [both types of guests]That’s why we stick to it. “
The Department of Tourism (DOT) recently published Administrative Order 2020-006-A, which outlines the guidelines for staying at lodging establishments in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas. Under these guidelines, accredited hotels of stay may also operate their restaurants and other food and beverage outlets, excluding bars; gyms; and swimming pools.
(See “‘Staycations’ now allowed under GCQ, but quick tests required” in BusinessMirror).
Alfred V. Ty, President of Federal Land Inc., owner of the Grand Hyatt in Taguig, said: “The hotel was fortunate to participate during the early days of ECQ. [enhanced community quarantine] Due to the BPO industry, they had to stay in a location close to their workplace. But after GCQ was implemented, you haven’t really seen a single soul. So it has been very difficult for the business, but nevertheless, we understand the dangers of this virus. That is why we are implementing all possible measures to guarantee the safety of our guests, but let’s not forget that the safety of our associates is equally important.
According to the hotel’s general manager, Gottfried Bogensperger, “They hadn’t fired a single person in six or seven months. We were able to keep our workforce. “
Whether on vacation or quarantined
The Philippines Hotel Owners Association Inc. (PHOA) and some members of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association Inc. proposed allowing stays even for properties that are used as temporary quarantine facilities for Filipinos and contract workers who they return abroad, using separate wings or floors to quarantine guests and visitors.
In a letter to PHOA President Arthur López dated October 2, 2020, a copy of which was obtained by BusinessMirror, DOT’s Under Secretary for Regulation, Coordination, and Revenue Generation, Arturo P. Boncato Jr., He said: “Although separating the different classes of guests per floor seems to be an appropriate measure, the IATF-EID, together with health experts, consider it safer to avoid any opportunity for interaction with our mix of guests, which are not completely avoidable especially in common areas of accommodation establishments ”.
The DOT recently issued a warning to two hotels for violating health and sanitation guidelines by allowing newly arrived guests to mingle with quarantined guests and allowing quarantined guests to leave the venue to eat out.
(See, “DOT Chief Hits Hotels Violating Health and Safety Protocols,” in BusinessMirror, August 5, 2020.)
Boncato also clarified that vacation stays can be registered in hotels for stays within their province, and not in residential areas or the barangay where they live, as expressed in Section 8 of the DOT stay-in-stay guidelines.
He also stressed that hotels can operate with an occupancy of up to 100 percent “provided that the operational capacity of the workforce and other restrictions for guests according to the Omnibus Guidelines are observed. Under GCQ, for example, accommodation establishments are allowed up to 50 percent of operations, meaning they can deploy up to 50 percent of their workers, even if 100 percent of their rooms are open for occupancy.
To attract guests, Grand Hyatt will launch special stay packages that include free antigen tests, according to GM Bogensperger. Without the antigen test, the hotel charges around P10,000 per night and more, depending on the size and class of the room.
