COVID-19 crippled the tourism industry, leading to hotel closures and ruined travel plans. Jamaica Inn, a luxury hotel in St Ann, wasn’t spared the effects, but they’re already looking forward to travellers returning and have implemented serious health and safety protocols.

Yello caught up with Emmanuella Owens, Sales and Marketing Manager for Jamaica Inn to find out how the hotel is adapting post-COVID-19. 

Firstly, please tell us how Jamaica Inn has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis?

In the months preceding COVID-19, we had just experienced one of the most successful festive seasons we’ve ever had.

Jamaica Inn has been adversely affected by COVID-19, experiencing mass cancellation and loss in revenue. However, we are anticipating in the next few weeks as we know there will be a high demand for future vacation stays.

We had to aggressively change gears. We implemented a social media campaign with live virtual experiences to showcase some of our most popular activities on and off the property. This serves to keep the brand at the forefront of people’s minds once guests were able to re-book.

We knew that COVID-19 was not indefinite, and there would be a heavy demand to travel once all this was over.

How have you been able to help your staff through this difficult time?

We were able to give staff members care packages, and we also offered internal stock items at discounted prices for staff.

How do you envision the hotel re-opening, and what safety measures are likely to be put in place?

We are working steadily towards re-opening on 15 July.

COVID-19 has imposed a new normal for Jamaica Inn and hoteliers around the world that will likely become a permanent mode of operation.

In light of this, we have created the Pinwheel of Safety Protocols made up of nine key areas highlighting the procedures in place to ensure the highest standard of safety. In creating this, we used the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our national Tourism Product Development Company mandates. As protocols and guidelines from these authorities evolve, so will our processes and procedures.

The Pinwheel covers staff, cleanliness, social distancing, arrival experience, amenities, food and beverage, response and protocols, spas, and housekeeping. These mandates are passed to each department, as well as disseminated to agents and partners to increase assurance of hotel safety standards.

Some of the protocols include luxury single-use amenities provided in each guest room, enhanced disinfecting of high-touch items, vehicles sanitised after every transfer, and all bags sanitised upon arrival.

International travel came to a halt, but countries are slowly re-opening borders. Do you expect that international guests will return over the remainder of 2020?

Absolutely. We anticipate an influx of visitors in the upcoming weeks. We’ve already had a high number of re-bookings for the festive season. I think the luxury market is quite resilient and guests are greatly looking forward to travelling as soon as possible.

Will Jamaica Inn be targeting more local tourists?

We’ll be targeting both local and international guests. We have a fantastic local villa rental programme giving locals the opportunity to stay with us on property throughout the closure period.

How do you see the hotel business changing in a post-COVID-19 world?

I think there will be mass changes:

– More regimented controls and safety procedures all across the board.

– The birth of virtual experiences. Jamaica Inn has an aggressive social media campaign with daily live videos on social media, highlighting our favourite activities on the property.

– New levels of quality control. On property, we have a Diamond Clean programme – an internal control to ensure timely checks of cleaning processes in rooms.

– Marketing and business strategies are going to more collaborative, including networking with industry partners such as TPDCO, Ministry of Tourism, and Ministry of Health, more than ever.

Be sure to check out Jamaica Inn on Facebook and Instagram or head over to their profile right here on Find Yello.

If you liked this article, you’d love our interview with local restaurant Broken Plate on their post-COVID changes.