What to expect on your Shearings holiday

We can’t wait to welcome you on your upcoming Shearings holiday, and we want to ensure your experience is one to remember. In light of the current situation regarding Coronavirus, and with Leger Holidays recently acquiring the Shearings brand, this page is intended to provide you with relevant information for your holiday. Please find a breakdown of what you can expect below.

Coaches

Most of our coaches will be branded in blue with the new Shearings logo, however a selection of vehicles will not have this branding. All coaches will have a similar standard of interior and offer air conditioning, onboard toilets and reclining seats. Each coach will be clearly labelled at the front so you know that it is your vehicle.

Measures we’re taking to safeguard your holiday whilst on the coach:

• We will ensure that you will not be seated next to anybody you aren’t travelling with. Your seats will be allocated and will not change throughout the entirety of your holiday, giving you peace of mind before you depart.
• If you’re travelling alone, you are guaranteed to be seated at the window with an empty seat to the side of you.
• The front row seats behind the driver will not be occupied for the duration of your holiday. However, the front seats on the passenger side of the coach will be available for UK breaks.
• You will be required to bring your own face covering and to wear it throughout your journey on the coach, unless medically exempt – see ‘Face Covering Exemptions’ below. We will accept masks and visors as a form of face covering. You are allowed to remove your face covering if you need to take any medication whilst travelling.
• At your joining point, each customer will be temperature checked before entering the vehicle. Any customer who has a temperature above 37.5 degrees will be advised that they can’t travel. They will receive a full credit, to be used against another holiday, less a £20pp administration fee.
• We will provide hand sanitiser on board the coach that must be used upon entrance and exit of the vehicle.
• Onboard toilets will be out of use during all journeys, however, the facility can be used in an emergency, and regular stops will be made throughout your journey.
• During each night of your holiday, your coach will be treated with an antibacterial fogging machine that will disinfect all surfaces within the vehicle.

Drivers

Your coach driver may be a familiar face that you’ve travelled with before, or may be someone new. All of our drivers are friendly, professional and fully trained and aware of COVID-19 protocols, and are there to assist throughout your journey – they are always on hand. All drivers will be wearing a uniform with a Shearings badge.

Joining Points

As a high temperature is one of the main symptoms of COVID-19 as stated by the NHS, at your joining point, each customer will be temperature checked before entering the vehicle. Any customer who has a temperature above 37.5 degrees will be advised that they can’t travel. They will receive a full credit, to be used against another holiday, less a £20pp administration fee.

Interchange

At the interchange, all customers will be asked to carry their hand luggage off their transfer vehicle and have a comfort break in the services. You may be required to wear a face covering to enter service stations and use the facilities, and social distancing must be adhered to. During this time, drivers will transfer main luggage items to the relevant tour coaches. All drivers will be wearing disposable gloves whilst handling luggage, and social distancing measures will be adhered to.

Hotels

Many of our holidays are staying at Bespoke Hotels (formerly Bay and Coast & Country hotels) and we are working closely with them to ensure that all the hotels are a safe place to work, stay and visit. Some of these measures are outlined below, and on arrival at the hotels you will also be given a Welcome Letter with further information.

General

• There will be enhanced frequency of cleaning and sanitising regimes across the hotel, with particular focus on hand contact points.
• There will be provision of additional hand sanitising stations throughout the hotels.
• Disinfectant wipes are available to all guests at reception.
• All staff have received COVID-19 awareness training.
• All staff have signed a daily health declaration and undertake a daily temperature check prior to commencing work.
• All staff are provided with their own personal hand sanitising gel.
• There is enhanced provision and access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where appropriate.
• Every hotel will receive an independent third-party assessment by Environmental Health Professionals to verify COVID-19 standards are fully implemented.

Arrival and Departure

• Hand sanitiser and Perspex screens have been placed at all reception desks.
• Room keys will be sanitised between the use of each guest. Bespoke ask that you look after your key throughout your stay and do not leave it at reception.
• Contact-free payment will be taken where possible.
• Porterage is not currently available, but it will be offered if a guest is unable to carry their own bag, in which case a sanitising procedure is in place.

Guest Rooms

• All crockery has been replaced by disposable options that will be changed between guests. As an added precaution, all sundry items have been removed from the rooms.
• In accordance with Government guidance, Bespoke have suspended daily housekeeping in guest rooms meaning that your room will not be serviced during your stay. Should you require clean linen or towels, tea and coffee or anything else during your stay, please do not hesitate to ask at reception.
• Housekeeping trolleys have sanitisers for staff to use regularly and they will be required to change PPE between each room.
• Rooms are deep cleaned between guests with a focus on all hand-contact surfaces. All linen and towels will be washed with additional cleaning agents.

Public Areas

• Guests are requested to wear masks in all public areas and respect social distancing.
• Hand sanitiser stations have been placed throughout the hotel.
• Bespoke have significantly increased the cleaning schedule in all public areas, focussing particularly on high-touch areas such as door handles and lift buttons.

Bar and Restaurant

• Capacity has been reduced to allow tables to be spaced according to social distancing guidelines.
• Guests may be asked to reserve a time for breakfast and dinner at check-in to reduce the risk of overcrowding in the restaurant.
• On arrival at the restaurant, please wait to be seated at a sanitised table.

Entertainment

• Some hotels will still offer entertainment, on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday night. The type of entertainment will vary from hotel to hotel, and will be seated and socially distanced.
• The Pitlochry Hydro, The Derwentwater, The Windermere and The Imperial Exmouth will not offer entertainment.

For the other carefully selected hotels that we partner with (hotels not in the Bespoke brand), these will be assessed to ensure that they are following their own safety procedures with regards to COVID-19.

On Excursions and at Attraction Venues

All venues within our programme will be assessed to ensure that they are following their own safety procedures.

Optional excursions will need to be paid for in cash. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised to wash hands after handling money, and our drivers will follow this guidance and we recommend customers do the same.

Face Covering Exemptions

In settings where face coverings are required, there are some circumstances where people may not be able to wear a face covering.

Customers are exempt if:

• You are under 11 years of age.
• You have a physical or mental impairment, disability or health condition that makes putting on or removing a face-covering difficult, or a condition that could be affected by wearing a face covering, such as breathing difficulties, as confirmed by a medical practitioner.
• You have any communication needs that require you to lip read.
• You are visually impaired.

If you are medically exempt from wearing a face covering, please bring proof of this on your holiday. If you have a lanyard to show that you are medically exempt, we encourage you to wear this.

General Advice

All customers should follow sensible guidance to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19. Viruses can easily be passed from person to person, however, the best preventative measure to stop the spread of infections is to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap, then rinse them well under running water. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Always cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin and wash your hands with soap and water. Ensure that social distancing measures are followed and you stay at least 2 metres apart from others outside of your household.