At the start of the COVID pandemic many hospitality property owners were faced with a sudden requirement to ensure their guests and staff were safe & protected, as best as they could, from this deadly virus. Church Cottage is a traditional stone cottage, which is used as a self-catering holiday let based near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. Following the issued Government guidance on Coronavirus at the time, Jane Michie, owner of Church Cottage, invested heavily in PPE, additional cleaning products for high touch points and also a fogging system to decontaminate between visits and aid in the cleaning of the soft furnishings.
Jane is the a privileged position of being an experienced healthcare professional, as well as being the owner and manager of Church Cottage in Wall, Northumberland. She was keen to avoid unnecessary chemicals as she knew the damage chemical based disinfectants and cleaning systems can have on the environment as well as the building and furnishings in her cottage, so in May 2020 she wisely chose a chemical and toxic free electrolysed fogging system that would support her Covid secure requirements ready to open up after the first lock down.
Jane comments “I felt secure I was doing the best for my guests and also protecting myself and my cleaning staff who manage the property. What I didn’t realise was the effect a water based fogging system would have even when there is no chemical solution. After a few months of using it, the water residue was building up on the walls, soft furnishings and metals. Rust was starting to appear. I also found the machine a little temperamental which was annoying to manage. Although I had successfully protected guests and staff, I was starting to damage my cottage and furnishings which worried me. I knew this wasn't a long term solution, and I needed to find an alternative”
Fast forward to November 2020, Jane joined the HOST conference and listened intently to a panel of experts, lead by Deborah Heather from Quality in Tourism, discuss sanitisation at scale. A concept of chemical and moisture free air purification called AIRsteril was discussed, provided by experienced infection control company CorrMed
Jane and many others had the opportunity to learn how the Calcot Collection of hotels had deployed the CorrMed AIRsteril units which were designed to be chemical free, moisture free and run 24/7 in a room, rather than only protecting between guest visits. The units have been used for years in the healthcare environment, protecting vulnerable residents of care homes and were ideal for use in hospitality settings.
Jane contacted CorrMed who undertook a complete site survey of her property, ensuring that each room had the correct air purification units for their use and size. One size doesn't fit all: for a professional air purification installation, consideration needs to be made for air flow, contamination levels and the room function which all have an impact on results. Within a week, Jane had the full property evaluation complete and the AIRsteril units were installed shortly after.
As lockdown lifts once more and preparations are made for the 2021 season, Jane and Church Cottage has the confidence that guests, property and the environment are all being protected with a long term solution. The units are installed, running silently in the background. No longer does she have to fill up tanks of water, spray down rooms and worry about protecting guests mid stay, as the CorrMed AIRsteril technology does it all for her. The AIRsteril technology has been fully tested by the Health Protection Agency and Leeds University, proving its ability to kill up to 99.9% of virus and bacteria.
Jane comments: "I have invested in websites, air purification and 360 virtual tours all to help my reopening. However it is the air purification provided by CorrMed that is commented on in my bookings. One recent new booking commented 'I feel a little nervous travelling after all this time, but the air purification at Church Cottage certainly reassures me,'. This is by far the best cleaning and marketing I have invested in, and considering the cost is less than a single week booking, it has already given me a great return"
Checkout Jane’s beautiful cottage online > https://www.churchcottagewall.co.uk/
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