When will hotels reopen in the UK?

LOCKDOWN measures are beginning to ease and Brits are now able to travel further, visit beauty spots and even pop to the beach.

With summer already here and foreign holidays off the cards for the foreseeable future, will hotels across the UK be open in time for people to take a well-deserved staycation?

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When will hotels re-open in the UK?

There’s been no confirmed date yet for the re-opening of hotels in the UK but it looks like July could be the earliest date permitted by government officials.

The second phase of the lockdown will see some primary school years returning as well as some non-essential shops being allowed to re-open June 15.

The final phase will see hotels among the last to re-open as well as most of the hospitality industry.

Although no concrete date for UK hotel openings has been set by the government, the Prime Minister stated that he hopes “to reopen at least some of the hospitality industry and other public places provided they’re safe and enforce social distancing” in phase three of the lockdown exit plan, which would be July 4 at the earliest.

Big hotel names such as The Dorchester have already. began to prepare to open their doors again from July 4 depending on lockdown regulations.

However, as the government has stressed earlier this month, this is all conditional on there being no second wave of Covid-19.

Boris Johnson said in his nation-wide address last month:

“At the earliest by July – and subject to all these conditions and further scientific advice; if and only if the numbers support it, we will hope to reopen at least some of the hospitality industry and other public places, provided they are safe and enforce social distancing.”

The re-opening of the hospitality industry relies solely on five conditions being met.

1. Enough NHS capacity to deal with patients
2. A falling daily death rate
3. A rate of infection which is below 1
4. Enough PPE for those working with patients in hospital and
5. No risk that the second wave of infections could result in the NHS being overwhelmed.

Until all of these criteria have been met it’s looking like the hospitality industries, including hotels and holiday getaways will remain closed.

In the recovery strategy document revealed last month, “hospitality” is defined by the government as food service providers, pubs and accommodation.

The document states: “Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to re-open safely at this point, or may be able to open safely in part.”

Businesses such as hotels and the like will have to be able to meet “Covid-19 secure guidelines” and if they cannot, may not be permitted to reopen.

When can we travel again in the UK?

According to new recently relaxed guidelines, people “may drive to outdoor open spaces irrespective of distance, so long as they respect social distancing guidance while they are there because this does not involve contact with people outside your household.”

But “when traveling to outdoor spaces, it is important that people respect the rules in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and do not travel to different parts of the UK where it would be inconsistent with guidance or regulations issued by the relevant devolved administration.”