Update January 2023
We have worked hard to put in place a Covid 19 Secure Policy to ensure you have a safe stay with us. We will keep working to these guidelines as we live with Covid 19. In case you haven’t got time to read this full policy, we have summarised the main points here:
- We are keeping you and us safe by continuing with a cautious distanced approach.
- We will have hand sanitiser stations on entrance.
- We are still washing our hands a lot, not that we didn’t anyway!
- Our cleaning has always been thorough but we are still paying extra special attention to areas like ensuite.
- Some things have changed, like our breakfast sideboard, it has been adapted so you can still enjoy it and feel comfortable with it.
- We won’t be servicing your room daily, it is no longer the norm in many serviced accommodation and we certainly would not want to spread anything from room to room! Everything will still be replenished including the goodies and the odd extra treat because you are special!
- If you have any questions at all about your stay just ask.
The world is a very different place since the Coronavirus pandemic. We wanted to reassure you that you can have confidence when booking a stay with us. The health of our guests is the most important thing to us along side the enjoyment of your stay.
The Yorkshire Dales is an ideal location with so much clean fresh air and wide open spaces. Our relaxed café culture means many cafes, tea gardens, bars and restaurants have outdoor seating or they have adapted indoor spaces and there are many activities you can do whilst remaining socially distant.
Considering your safety and comfort at The House at Hawes we continue with a number of measures and will be constantly reviewing these.
We have always had great pride ourselves in our high levels of cleanliness. Our standards have always achieved 100% for cleanliness from both Quality in Tourism and Visit Britain, indeed our previous B&B was chosen as an example in their press release.
Our cleaning products have always been sourced professionally so you’re safe in the knowledge that they do the job above and beyond what is required. We have no staff so we are the only two people who have contact with you.
No guest glassware, crockery or cutlery is hand washed – it all goes through the dishwasher. All linen is professionally laundered.
We have achieved a 5 rating (the highest achievable) for food hygiene from Environmental Health for every year we have been in the hospitality business.
Our suppliers are carefully chosen by us, and have also achieved high standards of quality and cleanliness and are continuing to put in added measures just as we are.
Below you will find details of the actions we are taking to keep us all safe following completion of a risk assessment. This policy is based on Government guidance for hospitality businesses.
We have changed some of the things we do to ensure the safety of everyone in the building. Please read through the list as some of these will mean your stay is a little different from before. We have tried to retain our individualism and little touches where possible and can reassure you that a great experience will still be had and of course Tim’s sense of humour is unchanged!
Before you arrive
It’s a great idea to take out a simple travel insurance policy to cover you for this risk.
Its also a good idea to take a look at our digital guest information folder here.
Payment
We no longer accept balance of payment by debit or credit card. We therefore ask that you either pay the balance of your stay by bank transfer prior to your stay or by cash on arrival.
Arrival
Most of our guests arrive by car. We also applaud the use of public transport, especially as you can jump on the train to Garsdale and then support The Little White Bus service to Hawes. We have free parking available for each double room.
We would kindly ask that you consider use of the hand sanitiser by the door on entry.
Check in
Our check-in time is 4.00pm, we need this time to make sure everything is as safe as possible for you. We will ask you for a check in window.
We won’t be asking you to complete the previous registration form so there should be nothing to complete or sign. Your key will be placed in your room.
We happy to show you to your room on arrival. Our original Guest Information folder has been removed but all this information on our website.
You will find a specially prepared info sheet on your bed on arrival.
Common Areas and stairway
Please consider your fellow guests when moving about in all common areas, we keep things as aired as possible.
Your bedroom
A welcome letter on the bed will explain our room servicing policy, which has again changed industry wide since the pandemic.
During your stay we would encourage plenty of natural ventilation so please open windows as much as possible making sure they are always secure
All the white linen and towels in your room, are commercially laundered at high temperatures using strong cleaning chemicals.
Boxed amenity items are available on request. Should you need anything like a shower cap please ask us. We have replaced our gorgeous Temple Spa hand wash with an equally lovely sanitising hand wash. Our other reusable bottled Temple Spa toiletries are available or you may prefer to use your own. Our tea tray offering is back to pre pandemic levels.. Dirty crockery should be left out for us daily if you require it replacing.
Daily Cleaning
We’ve always had extremely high cleanliness standards using professional cleaning products.
We no longer clean your room on a daily basis. Industry wide this has now become ‘the norm’. We will however pop a little bucket outside each day to provide you with anything you require on a daily basis (eg toilet rolls, fresh milk, your daily treat, tea bags, coffee pods). Please do ask if you need anything at all.
We ask that if possible you empty your own bin, placing tied bags of rubbish outside your door for collection along with any dirty crockery, the milk bottle and empty goody buckets before you go out for the day. You will find clean bin bags underneath the old one. We will place a fresh milk bottle in the fridge in the hall for you to collect as you require.
COVID-19 is an ‘enveloped’ virus and as such is within a group of viruses deemed easier to kill, whilst outside of a living body, through the use of an effective sanitising agent. We use a sanitiser accredited to BS EN 1276 standard, purchased at a professional level. We will be carrying out additional regular cleaning where necessary, in particular on customer touch points like handles and stair rails.
Breakfast
We have arranged our Breakfast Room to give you plenty of space and comfort.
Our breakfast buffet on the sideboard has been adapted with covered and portioned options but still the same great choice.
Tim will take your order for breakfast.
We have held a 5 star food hygiene rating (the maximum possible) at all our B&Bs and please be assured we will always adhere to the highest standards of cleanliness and food safety.
Evening meals
All pubs and restaurants are now open and serving food. We strongly advise you book in advance to secure a table at your chosen time and venue.
We kindly ask you do not bring hot takeaway food back to the B&B.
Check out
Our check-out time is before 10.00am to ensure ample time for cleaning to make things safe for the next guests. Before you check out, please open all your windows for ventilation.
Where possible we would ask that you pay your invoice balance by bank transfer prior to arrival as we won’t be using a card processing machine any more. We will also accept payment by cash.
Your key can be left in your room.
General
Should you feel unwell during your stay with any of the common Coronavirus symptoms (ie fever, persistent cough, loss of taste or smell) then you must please notify us immediately. Should your symptoms become worse you should seek medical advice. If you need help to do this let us know. If you need to isolate at The House of Hawes you will be charged a whole house rate of not less than £500 per night plus any additional expenses as incurred.
Alcohol hand sanitiser is be available at all times.
Should you hear the fire alarm, please evacuate as normal and keep a social distance from other guests where possible and whilst standing outside on the car park.
Should we find coronavirus on site, or one of us as owners are tested positive we may need to cancel your booking at short notice. Should this happen, a full refund or alternate dates will be offered.
The above represents a sample of the current health and safety measures being implemented at The House at Hawes. This list is not intended to be all-inclusive, but to offer an overview of how we are working to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our guests and ourselves. All standards will be reviewed and re-evaluated regularly to ensure relevance and are subject to change based on the guidance of the WHO, local health and government authorities.
Should you require any help or have any questions before your stay, do please let us know by contacting us at [email protected] or call 01969 667 348 or 07833206924.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Fiona and Tim