All your summer travel questions answered
William McIntyre, the regional director for Sub-Saharan Africa at Radisson Hotel Group, answers some commonly asked summer travel questions:
Must travellers be fully vaccinated or do a PCR test before checking in?
It depends on your destination if you’re travelling internationally. Most countries require you to either be fully vaccinated or to show proof of a negative PCR test before you depart. Vaccinations are not currently mandatory for domestic travel. Try to test for Covid-19, even on domestic trips.
Do South African hotels require travellers to quarantine?
The majority of hotels strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of the countries they are operating in. This means that if the government requires travellers to quarantine, the hotel will expect guests to do so.
What happens if a guest contracts Covid-19 while on holiday?
Radisson, for example, has stringent hygiene and safety protocols in place that allow guests to quarantine when they stay at any of our hotels.
Will contracts for business meetings, events and conferences now include health and safety clauses?
Many establishments introduced health and safety measures at the start of the pandemic. While some of these are the standard regulations like social distancing, wearing of masks and regular sanitisation, other establishments have introduced more stringent measures. These include new cleaning and disinfection procedures, increased attention to safety in communal areas and personal protective equipment.
Service offerings saw a decline at the start of the pandemic as travellers preferred social distancing during their stays. Can guests expect services as usual when they book their next hotel stay?
As restrictions ease, the travel and hospitality sector adapts accordingly. A key focus remains adhering to safety protocols to ensure peace of mind for our guests from check-in to check out. Many hotels in South Africa have reintroduced their service offerings depending on the lockdown level, so it’s always a good idea for a guest to check with reception beforehand.