Clanard Court ring the changes to make the hotel safer and more enjoyable for guests with a dozen new initiatives
'Reinvention' is something every business is now taking on and making happen for The New Norm. Here at the Clanard Court Hotel we are going through the 'Corona Coaster' like everyone else with our weekly Zoom Meetings becoming therapy sessions as much as strategic planning ones! So now with the re-opening of the hotel in sight from Thursday 2nd July, we are embracing change and are full steam ahead working our way through the just released Government Guidelines and Protocol.
So we now know what we have to do and rest assured we are going to leave no stone unturned to create a clean and safe haven for our guests and customers…but what else are we up to that will make folk smile and keep our very special Clanard Court brand essence, that has led to us being consistently ranked as #1 Hotel on TripAdvisor in County Kildare.
We have devised new products and services, added extras and bonus’s for guests along with an innovative and specially devised Covid 19 safety App for guests and staff.
Here is what we are rolling out...
1) NEW Private Guest Garden - created at the back of the hotel, complimentary to all guest, very much outdoors, with beautiful views of our adjoining rolling country fields and large enough for social distancing. Breathe in That Countryside!;
2) NEW Revive Garden Spa & Beauty Rooms - the launch and big reveal will be on 20th July to feature 2 Treatment Rooms, Beauty Area with Nail Bar, Pedi Chair & Blow Dry Bar, Relaxation Area with direct access to a Private Outdoors Garden (hot tub and sauna to be installed and open when time is right) + al fresco dining and new VOYA treatments on the Spa Menu. Overnight Pamper Packages for 1 & 2 Nights including treatments and Afternoon Tea are now live and selling too;
3) Special Staycation Offer for Summer 2020 - DBB and added-value specials offers for 1, 2, 3 Nights that also feature our excellent and well sized Family Rooms;
4) Extra 'Extras' have been added on to our rates and special offers/packages - so guests can now also book the likes of an Afternoon Tea Take Away* Box to take out and an Artisan Picnic Lunch!;
5) NEW Secure Bike Lock-up - Bring Your Own Bike (+ new bike trails and local walking maps which feature Athy Waterways/ Blueway routes);
6) Discounts for local Top Attractions such as Irish National Stud, Burtown House & Gardens and Kildare Farm Foods - Ireland's Only 'Free Zoo' (don't you know!) + special golf fees for nearby Athy Golf Club. Our ' 'Top Things To Do' guest info is available online as well as in a flyer format - discover South County Kildare, Shackleton Museum, Local Waterways, Gardens, Quaker Heritage, Ireland's Ancient East.
8) *TAKE AWAY Service - this Friday, Saturday & Sunday Service was launched in the earlier days of Lockdown and we learnt-as-we-went (this on top of the daily 70 Meals on Wheels deliveries through a local group that was set up to help out the elderly community). We sourced an online platform (TY IHF for directing us to Flipdish!) and a new brand of Bailey's Bar & Bistro @Home was created. This now offers an extensive Take Away Menu, that can be ordered online via www.clanardcourt.ie or by phone, with a Delivery Service on Fridays & Saturdays - new branding & packaging was created and it has been a very good success so far. The Afternoon Tea Take Out Boxes have especially been popular for birthdays & special occasions (€25 for 2 persons). We will continue with this for the longer term and will also be extending our online shop to feature other Clanard Court merchandise items - watch this space!;
9) VIDEO showrounds - we captured two new wonderful new ones a Virtual Wedding Showround (click here) and a short Generic Hotel one (click here);
10) WEDDINGS - a very important market for us, we have seriously handheld the wedding couples that were already booked in with us, with many pushing out their wedding dates to next year and we have been really flexible with all of this! The above Virtual Wedding Showround video has helped tremendously to keep the wedding sales pipeline going and our Wedding Team have been able to conduct over the phone virtual wedding tour showrounds every Friday & Saturday throughout whereby they literally walk around the hotel over a scheduled video call with the wedding couple, answering all their questions too - the hotel was kept set-up in wedding mode for a good part of being closed so wedding couples could see the hotel in all its wedding glory;
11) A Staff and Guest Safety App was developed. The hotel is using a new COVID App, developed by Foresight Hub, to ensure that all agreed C19 actions and safety procedures are recorded, tracked and management alerted to any divergence from the agreed steps. This innovative App was specifically devised for Clanard Court Hotel and all documentation including staff back to work protocols are recorded here and available for inspection if required. Staff prior to returning to work can complete a Return to Work declaration remotely with a digital signature. Staff temperatures can be recorded in this system. Contact tracing is built into the App.
12) Refresher Customer Care training for staff. It will be challenging for staff to engage with guests in the New Era with all the procedures needed for guest and staff safety. Staff will take part in a customised training programme to ensure that guests have a wonderful experience and enjoyable time at the Clanard Court in the near future.
Thursday 2nd July here we come! We just cannot wait to be able to welcome our guests and customers again.
Anna Wood, Marketing awood@clanardcourt.ie www.clanardcourt.ie