UGANDA PUBLISHES STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE GUIDELINES BUT SOME HOTEL COMPANIES EXCEED THEM WITH ADDED MEASURES
(Posted 28th June 2020)
Uganda has now published what is commonly referred to as SOP’s, short for Standard Operating Procedures, applicable to restaurants and hotels when, after a nearly 3 months lockdown – incidentally with not a shilling in compensation offer from the government – reopen over the next few weeks.
In many countries including in Africa did governments make financial support measures available, like in the Seychelles or in South Africa while here in Uganda the hotel industry and the restaurant sector were bleeding money, driving some businesses to the brink of extinction.
The SOP’s are binding guidelines but some hotel companies, learned from direct feedback, are exceeding these measures.
Hotels linked to Marriott Internationals, here in Uganda the Protea brand and the Sheraton brand, are over and above using added measures put into place by the global hotel giant, which like in many other areas have clearly a better understanding of the situation compared to governments.
The same applies to the Hilton Garden Inn in Kampala, which over and above local guidelines also implements those standards prescribed by Hilton International and at the Kampala Serena too are group wide standards, developed over the past weeks, being added to the basket of measures hotels and restaurants will apply when opening their doors again to guests.
The Sheraton Kampala Hotel has been open throughout, though with limited room sales, concentrating on Food and Beverage and conferencing business already under physical distancing guidelines.
The Mestil Hotel & Residences too was open throughout for regular hotel business, advantaged by the fact that their residences were taken up by expatriates seeking a hygienic environment at the place where they stay.
The Kampala Serena Hotel will reopen next Wednesday, 01st of July and other hotels too are working towards a relaunch – financially drained and hoping that payments of fees, licences and taxes will be suspended if not waived for the time being until they have begun to generate some income again to pay staff, utilities and suppliers.
