NH Hotel Group has launched a plan to gradually reopen its hotels around the world, in line with the easing of restrictions in most countries and with a view to reactivating activity as demand increases.
The Company plans to have 55% of its portfolio open during the month of June, around 200 hotels out of the 361 it operates worldwide. Up until now, only 12 properties have remained in operation in southern Europe, most of which were reserved for essential groups during the lockdown period. In the north of the continent, the Company has just over 40 properties open to date as a result of the faster easing of restrictions in these countries. In Latin America, the last region to be affected by the Covid-19 effect, the operations of most of the hotels continue to be suspended. It is expected that this continent will be the last one to recover its activity.
Southern Europe
As of June, the Company will progressively reopen 57% of the hotels it operates in this region (100 out of 177 hotels). Thus, NH Hotel Group plans to reach 60 operating hotels in Spain, 27 in Italy, 9 in Portugal and 4 in France by the end of the month. The first hotel to reopen at the beginning of June was the NH Nacional hotel in Madrid, whose facilities serve as a model for monitoring the new protocols implemented by the Company to ensure maximum health and safety in all its hotels.
Northern Europe
In recent weeks, NH Hotel Group has begun to resume its activity in the north of the continent, such as The Netherlands and Germany among others. In this Business Unit, the Company plans to double the number of hotels in operation by the end of June, reaching 83 hotels out of the 127 operating in these countries.
Latin America
The Group’s hotels in Latin America will be the last to progressively reopen their doors, as this continent was the last to be affected by mobility restrictions imposed by the health crisis. The Company currently has a limited number of properties open in some major cities such as Bogota and Buenos Aires, among others, and plans to begin reopening more hotels in July.
Feel Safe at NH
Under the Feel Safe at NH concept, the Company has completely redesigned the customer experience to ensure that safety and social distancing requirements are met in all its hotels.
With the collaboration of SGS, a world leader in inspection, analysis and certification, NH Hotel Group has developed a set of measures that redefines and enhances the health protocols applicable in the operation of its hotels and that will also allow monitoring to verify that they are clean and safe environments.
The Company has reviewed all its procedures and made nearly 700 adaptations to its operating standards, which will be progressively implemented in its 361 hotels worldwide. Grouped under 10 main lines of action and endorsed by specialists in different fields, the measures implemented cover the digitalisation of hotel services, the adaptation of sanitation processes, the incorporation of social distancing standards, the use of personal protection elements and the control of air and water purification, among others.