Covid-19 Safety Promise

May 30 2020

We are currently closed at present due to the Irish Government restrictions during this health crisis. The situation in Ireland is improving by the day with local transmissions falling. Following the Government’s roadmap to the easing of restrictions, we are looking forward to reopening Ballyvolane House to guests from the 20th July 2020.

The safety and well-being of our colleagues and guests is incredibly important to us now, more than ever. Rest assured we will follow and comply with all the Government guidelines to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

We are so sorry that so many of our guests from overseas won’t be able to make it here this year, but we look forward to welcoming them next year instead. This summer we look forward to welcoming lots of guests based here in Ireland, especially those who would normally rent a villa somewhere in Europe but due to COVID-19, have decided to ‘staycation’ at home this year.

Hygiene and Safety Procedures for guests and staff

We will ensure the following practices are followed when we reopen:

All our staff will receive full training on the implementation and maintenance of our Hygiene and Safety Procedures.
Hand washing every 30 minutes. Signage at entrances to remind staff and guests to wash hands with soap and warm water frequently, for at least 20 seconds each time.
Bertha’s Revenge ‘Herd Immunity’ Hand Sanitiser spray bottles will be made available at the entrances to the house and in the shared ground floor areas. All members of staff and guests swill be given a personal 50ml spray bottle of hand sanitiser.
Face masks will be available for guests and staff members.
Ban physical contact (no handshakes, hugs, high fives, fist bumps etc). We will ensure that social distancing guidelines are adhered to.
Pre-registration of guests where possible. If not possible, guests will be registered on arrival while keeping an appropriate distance.
Lidded bins with foot pedals and plastic bin liners will be available in the shared areas for guests use, bathrooms and at the entrances to the house.
Disposable paper towels will be provided in shared washrooms.
Light switches, door handles, doorbells, wardrobe doors, shared surfaces, counter tops, hard surfaces etc will be sanitised regularly.
Receipts/Invoices for guests will be emailed on departure.
Room keys will be disinfected on departure.
Preferred payment options are credit cards or electronic bank transfers only. Disposable gloves will be used by our staff members when handling cash.
Appliances in bedrooms such as Nespresso machines, Marshall bluetooth speakers, hairdryers etc will be disinfected prior to guests’ arrival.
No usage of menus. Menus will be written-up on a blackboard at the entrance of the dining room.
Dining and drinking. Table service only, no buffets. Minimal handling of glassware, crockery and cutlery. Service staff to wear disposable gloves and face masks during service. Salt, pepper, milk jugs and other condiment dishes will be disinfected after every meal sitting. Disposable napkins only will be used.
Kitchen food safety practices. Ballyvolane House is registered with the HSE as a food service establishment and we will continue to adhere to HSE guidelines and to implement HACCP practices.
All rubbish will be disposed of immediately into external commerical waste bins. Staff disposing of rubbish will wear disposable rubber gloves.
The ventilation at Ballyvolane House is good. Being an old house with draughty windows and doors, the rooms are always well ventilated.
In the event guests are feeling unwell or exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, self-isolation in their guest bedrooms and contact with our local GP will be mandatory.
All staff members will have their temperature taken on arrival to work daily with a contactless thermometer. Any member of staff with a fever or COVID-19 symptoms will be sent home and contact with their GP is mandatory. Keep safe and keep healthy!