Top 175 ‘fully Covid-compliant’ hotels

As we say goodbye to summer and as many look to book an Autumn staycation, a list of 175 fully Covid-compliant UK hotels has been released by the hospitality industry’s Safe to Trade Scheme.

The body helps holidaymakers to identify which hotels, bars, restaurants and cinemas are going the extra mile to ensure the safety of both their staff and guests.

Chains including Malmaison, Hotel du Vin, Handpicked Hotels, Amaris Group and Almarose Hotels have all signed up the hotels within their groups alongside smaller chains and individual outlets.

The Scheme, has been launched by top-ranking hospitality safety experts, including the former CEO of the Health and Safety Executive and Food Standards Agency and the ex-Head of Local Delivery at Food Standards Agency, and is an independently verified safety standard for hospitality businesses that are not only compliant with, but also implementing measures that go above and beyond the government’s guidelines for trading during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The list which features hotels from right across the country, and includes staycation hotspots such as Manchester, Edinburgh, Brighton, Blackpool, Cardiff, Cornwall, Devon, The Lake District, Stratford upon Avon, York, Chester, London, Harrogate, Oxford and St Andrews has been released to help holidaymakers identify which hotels, bars, restaurants and cinemas are going the extra mile to ensure the safety of both their staff and guests, by implementing Covid-safety measures that go beyond the government’s guidelines.

The is working with venues on an ongoing basis to both advise and audit their safety practices to ensure that they are running a Covid compliant operation and makes this information available to the public so that they can make informed choices about where they patronise. Every hotel, bar, restaurant or cinema approved by the Scheme is independently audited by its team of experts against its Safety Charter, passing a strict approval process and adhering to stringent health and safety guidance to achieve ‘Approved’ status.

Then once approved as Safe to Trade, each establishment features on a national register that holidaymakers can consult to see if their chosen stay features. This register of members is also made available to local and national safety regulators, to assist with their requirement to risk rate businesses.

Mark Flanagan who chairs the Safe to Trade Scheme governance board comments: “Consumer confidence in the hospitality sector has taken a huge hit, as our research shows that 96% of
industry guests want to see venues rated in terms of their COVID compliance before they consider visiting and nine out of ten respondents intend to choose one venue over another if it clearly shows that it conforms to, or surpasses, government safety standards.”

“For those customers looking to make the most of what’s left of the summer with a UK staycation but who want to do so as safely as possible, it provides peace of mind.

Flanagan adds: ‘If a customer sees something concerning at a venue or wants to share a positive experience, then they can simply scan the QR code on the venue’s Safe to Trade window sticker, or visit the Safe to Trade Scheme website, search for the business to feedback anonymously as well as rate the business. This is then fed back to the hotel, and outlet managers and owners are encouraged to adjust and adapt their practices to ensure that their business stays COVID compliant and safe.”

The Scheme’s register of approved venues is continuously evolving as hundreds of hotels have already signed up and many more continue to do so on a daily basis.  You can find the full list of approved venues at https://safetotrade.org.uk/safe-to-trade/search/