Dalata Keep Safe Programme

RNS Number : 1238O

Dalata Hotel Group PLC

27 May 2020

 

The Dalata Keep Safe Programme

ISE: DHG  LSE: DAL

27 May 2020, Dublin | Dalata Hotel Group plc ("Dalata" or "the Group"), the largest hotel operator in Ireland with a growing presence in the United Kingdom, announces the introduction of the The Dalata Keep Safe Programme across its Clayton and Maldron brand hotels. The new programme has been developed to protect the health and well-being of guests and staff in advance of welcoming guests back over the coming months.

· The Dalata Keep Safe Programme ensures the health and safety of our guests, employees and suppliers is the utmost priority

· Protocols include advanced sanitisation, new technologies, and effective physical distancing measures

· Accreditation of all health and safety protocols and systems by an independent body, Bureau Veritas

A customer message from Pat McCann, CEO, Dalata Hotel Group plc

"At Dalata we are eagerly awaiting the day that we can welcome you, our guests, back to our Clayton, Maldron, and Partner Hotels. Our teams across the group are looking forward to getting back to what we do best -providing excellent and friendly service to all our guests. Over the past few months, some of our hotels have provided accommodation to front line workers and various other groups in need of support during these difficult times. I am delighted that our teams in Dalata were able to contribute to both the Ireland and UK Governments' efforts in helping to fight and restrict the spread of COVID-19 and I am extremely grateful to them for all their efforts.

As we closed our hotels in Ireland and the UK in March, over 3,500 of our people were laid off temporarily. This is the first time in my fifty-year career that I have had to close hotels and lay off such numbers of wonderful people and it was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do. Many of these people are like family and I have watched many of them grow and progress in Dalata. The number of people that have had life enhancing opportunities in the company is something to behold. I am delighted to see that during the lockdown, many of our people undertook various training programmes and as we now prepare to open, all of our people will go through further rigorous training on maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our guests, employees and suppliers. Over the past few months, we have developed the Dalata Keep Safe Programme, which has involved the introduction of a wide range of protocols and systems that will ensure as much as possible our guests will have an enjoyable and safe visit to all our hotels. We have been testing these protocols and systems in our hotels with great success.

While we would love to be able to keep things as normal as possible in our hotels, however, we will have to make some changes to the way we operate. We are lucky in Dalata that most of our hotels are large with very spacious public areas, so we will be able to manage social distancing well.

The Dalata Keep Safe Programme & New Guest Experience

Let me walk you through how it will work for you as a guest. Before you arrive at our hotels, you will have the option of checking in online, so all you have to do is collect your bedroom key from our screened reception desk. Of course, you will have the option of checking in the usual way, should you choose to do so. Online check-out will also be an option. You will walk through our spacious public areas that will be thoroughly cleaned continuously throughout each day. While I am on the subject, cleaning is extremely important, but it is not enough. We have introduced thorough systems of sanitisation to ensure, as much as possible, that these areas are safe. You will then have the option of using the lift or staircase to access your bedroom. Strict protocols on lift usage will be displayed on each floor. As you arrive at your bedroom door, it will have a seal that will break on entering. After each room is cleaned thoroughly and key touchpoints are sanitised, we will fog the room with a special device that deals very effectively with viruses and other air and surface contaminants. This device is used in "Clean Room Technology" throughout the pharmaceutical sector and in some hospitals. You will know your room has been treated by the unbroken seal on your door.

We will have a range of food and beverage options with in-room and main restaurant dining options available. Again, there will be protocols in place that will be explained by our team in our public areas.

The protocols that apply to you will equally apply to all our employees both front and back of house. Our employee safety and health is as important as our guest safety.

There are numerous other initiatives we are undertaking to ensure as much as possible the safety and health of all our guests, employees and suppliers. Like for example, providing plenty of hand sanitizers around each hotel, providing nose and mouth masks to employees and clearly marking public areas to ensure social distancing.

Above all, we want you as our guest, whether you are on business or leisure to have a relaxed enjoyable stay with us.

 All of our new health and safety protocols will be accredited by Bureau Veritas¹, a world leader in testing inspection and certification in the Health and Safety area. So, we are doing everything possible to protect the Health and Safety of all our guests, employees, and suppliers.

Finally, I cannot overstate how much we are looking forward to having you stay with us."

ENDS

¹ Bureau Veritas is a recognized world leader in testing, inspection and certification services, founded in 1828. It is headquartered in Paris and is present in 140 countries through a network of over 1,500 offices and laboratories, and more than 78,000 employees." https://group.bureauveritas.com/

About Dalata Hotel Group plc

Dalata Hotel Group plc was founded in August 2007 and listed as a plc in March 2014. Dalata has a strategy of owning or leasing its hotels and also has a small number of management contracts. The Group's portfolio now consists of 29 owned hotels, 12 leased hotels and three management contracts with a total of 9,208 bedrooms. In addition to this, the Group is currently developing 11 new hotels and has plans to extend two of its existing hotels, with a total of 2,871 bedrooms due to open over the next three years. This will bring the total number of bedrooms in Dalata to over 12,000. For the full year 2019, Dalata reported revenue of €429.2 million and a profit after tax of €78.2 million. Dalata is listed on the Main Market of Euronext Dublin (DHG) and the London Stock Exchange (DAL). For further information visit: www.dalatahotelgroup.com.

Contacts

Dalata Hotel Group plc	Tel [phone]
Pat McCann, CEO	[e-mail]
Dermot Crowley, Deputy CEO, Business Development & Finance
Shane Casserly, Corporate Development Director
Joint Company Brokers
Davy: Anthony Farrell	Tel [phone]
Berenberg: Ben Wright	Tel [phone]
Investor Relations and PR | FTI Consulting	Tel [phone]
Melanie Farrell	[e-mail]

 

END

 

 

MSCFLFIEERIDFII