Talk It Over With The Tiny Troubleshooter
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY TINA BODEN FROM THEBANDBKEEPER.COM
Please send us your questions: m tina@tinaboden.com T @MicroBizGirl F The B and B Keeper E @thebandbkeeper
Tina Boden is certainly no stranger to The hospitality industry - it has been a part of her life since the age of 2. As The Tiny Troubleshooter, Tina works one-onone with business owners, providing virtual assistance and marketing support. As one of the Bs in the B and B Keeper, Tina will step in to run your BnB, Guest House, small Hotel or Inn while the owner is on holiday. And then as Co-founder of #MicroBizMatters Day Tina is one of the leading voices for micro business in the UK. Please email your questions to tina@ luxurybbmag.co.uk
Q
Turning our thoughts to re-opening we wondered what would happen if we have too self-isolate when we are open. What would we do if guests are on route or even worse already staying? Do we need to take out insurance to cover us for this? We know that our renewed business interruption insurance no longer covers any closure related to covid. Should we be taking out an additional insurance and if so what kind?
A
Your question will certainly be on more than one B & B owner’s mind I am sure and my answer is certainly longer than most to ensure we cover the different parts of it. The Government website for the United Kingdom has a specific section on ‘Managing guests who have confirmed or suspected Covid-19'. The first sentence reads ‘You should ensure you have a policy in place which covers what to do if there is a case of COVID-19 in your guest accommodation facility’. You can find the complete guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/workingsafely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/hotelsand-other-guest-accommodation#sec-3-5 If you are not a member of your local Destination Management Organisation (DMO), some may know them as Tourism Associations, might I advise you join. They are likely to keep you updated on guidance changes which saves
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you scrolling the Government website. Alternatively, the B & B Association in the UK is a fantastic source of support and knowledge. If you have a policy in place to cover what will happen if a guest tests positive for COVID-19, either prior or during their stay, I would suggest you add a section that covers what will happen if you, the owner, tests positive prior or during a guest’s stay. Make sure a guest is either sent the document or a link to it on your website as part of their booking confirmation so they have this crucial information before their visit. With regard to insurance, I spoke to Gary Hodgson at Hodgson Insurance Services to get his expert knowledge and thoughts. ‘From an insurance point of view there is no new insurance cover that would cover customers having to cancel bookings should they have to go in to isolation’ Gary advised me. 'As the B & B owner asking the question clearly states, insurance companies at renewal time have amended policy wordings to specifically exclude future losses caused from Covid or pandemics’ Gary added. ‘Potentially if the customer was with an insurer who settled or is settling original Covid losses from March 2020, it could be classed as a continuation from that outbreak, but that is the only potential way there could be for any upcoming losses’ Gary told me that the insurance industry suspects in the future there will be some sort of central pool set up where everyone contributes for future pandemics. He believes however this is probably a long way off yet, as different solutions are still being discussed at government and insurer level.
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06/04/2021 11:36
