Covid-19 Policy

“Stay Safely” Covid Confidence Measures

As part of our promise to reassure you of your safety when visiting the Knoydart House and Knoydart Hide, we have designed our ‘Stay Safely’ programme. This builds on our existing high standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

So, what does ‘Stay Safely” mean for you? Below, we have created an overview of our new procedures. So, you can relax safely in the knowledge at Knoydart Hide and House we are there for you.

Contact free Check-in 

To ensure a swift check-in that reduces contact and touch points, check-in will involve minimal contact. In this new normal, we will include all dining options prior to arrival in our communications with you via our new e-guide app sent to you with confirmation of your balance payment, and these can be discussed and arranged prior to your arrival.

Arrive and depart Safely

Upon your arrival of the ferry, we will meet you with a warm socially distanced Highland welcome where you can stow your luggage in our landrover for transport to the property. It’s only a 5-minute walk from the pier and we will direct you on arrival. Your luggage and any food shopping will be offloaded at your property door for you. We will not enter the property unless you require us to and on arrival, we will provide you with a new digital house instruction manual complete with all the fun stuff to consider doing while you are here on local activity providers. There will be information on walks and activities for during your stay with us. We have created an in-house welcome video which is already uploaded onto a mini-ipad in the property for your use, the video details what you can find in the property with instructions on how to operate the essentials such as the oven, hot tub etc. Please take time to acquaint yourself with this prior to settling in. It will ensure that everything works well for you during your stay. Its’ not a documentary I promise! and will make your stay run smoothly and let you get straight into relaxation mode. We will show you in the video where the first aid station in the house is and the fire protection equipment in case of emergency.

We have installed touch free 80% alcohol sanitiser dispensers outside each property for use each time, prior to entering.

We provide “DissolvaBag” water soluble laundry bags which are a non-toxic, compostable bag that breaks down in water and when disposed of, leaves only harmless components with very little impact on the environment. These soluble bags have been formally tested and approved by the National Health Service and are now in use every day in NHS hospitals throughout the United Kingdom and on departure we will ask you to kindly strip your beds including pillow protectors and mattress protectors and  place in the laundry bags. We also ask guests to leave the sliding doors in the bathroom and the living area fully open to encourage maximum air circulation in the property. These measures are in line with government cleaning protocols and our risk assessment for our housekeeping staff, thank you. Please do leave your luggage at the front door of your property wher it will be transported to the ferry departure point for you. Please make your way down to the ferry terminal just after 10.30am where there is a covered pier shelter waiting area prior to the ferry’s arrival. We will transport all luggage down (but not guests) maintaining social distancing and will deposit your luggage ready for your departing ferry sailing. In order to offer the maximum time to cleaning (50% more with extra deep cleaning procedures being employed) we cannot offer late checkouts at this point in time. Housekeeping will not enter the property until you have left.

Stay Safe Accommodation

You can be assured that every measure has been taken to ensure the cleanliness of your room. The property has been Risk assessed from arrival to departure every step of the way. Not only have we introduced complete room disinfecting measures and two stage cleaning protocol we have undergone approved Covid 19 Cleaning Training, aligned with Sawdays Clean and Safe Charter and AA Covid Confidence Accredited. All high touch point items are disinfected using industry-leading cleaning log 5 rated government approved products and procedures. We then fully steam clean the property, sanitise and disinfect your room so you can expect maximum hygiene standards from us.

All staff wear full PPE, gloves, masks and aprons during each changeover. All bed linen and laundry, including towels, pillow and mattress protectors will continue to be washed at a high temperature and in accordance with HSE and NHS guidelines, above 65 degrees Celsius and rotated with every changeover. Newly laundered pillow protectors and mattress protectors are also provided every changeover for added safety and duvets and pillows are removed from circulation from 72 hours on each changeover. We have also provided special disolveable laundry bags that guests can pop their sheets prior to departure into the laundry bag for minimal handling of laundry. Industry leading cleaning and disinfecting protocols are used to clean guest rooms, with particular importance paid to high-touch items including TV remotes, toilet seats and handles, door and furniture handles, taps, shower controls, nightstands, telephones, in-room controls, light switches and floors. Bedroom windows will be opened as fully as possible to ventilate the rooms allowing as great an air change as possible for as long as possible before arrival. Finally, all flooring has been steam cleaned and will not be re-entered after housekeeping, so you have the comfort of knowing that no-one has entered the room after it has been cleaned.

We have also removed certain gadgets and items, such as alarm clocks, pamphlets, free pour bubble bath, books, games and the decanter of house port to reduce cross contamination and touchpoints. However, these can be requested, should you require them.

Contactless Checkout

Finally, there will be no need for you to check out at reception as all balances are fully paid in advance. We would just ask that if you have pre-booked seafood platter that you leave the money for seafood and/or wood usage in the correct amount as no change will be given to minimise handling of cash thank you. Seafood Platters are payable on departure £30pp (2020) £35 2021 and wood usage is £12 per basket, thank you.

Our Promise

Please know that you are in dedicated, caring, responsible and approachable hands. To our old friends that we have missed over recent months, we look forward to welcoming you back. To the new friends we have yet to meet, we hope that our “Stay Safely” programme reassures you of our very best efforts to keep you safe and sound. And always with the magic of a Knoydart welcome, we have come to be known for – 2 metres can’t stop a Scottish smile!

We love making special people feel special and we want you to stay, safely.

Thank you Ian and Jackie

Knoydart House and Hide