SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – On Thursday February 25th, SafeSeal recognitions were provided to Simpson Bay Resort, its in-house retail store and the property’s well-known restaurants La Patrona, Replay and Juliette’s Bistro. SafeSeal is the recognition of best practices in protecting its customers against COVID19.
General Manager Marcel Javois stands proud of its team, which has continuously been adjusting the resort’s high standards to the changing reality. “We are very proud to receive this recognition, as we have been in safe operation for months. We are excited to welcome our guests back!”
SafeSeal is the immediately recognizable emblem for companies that are verified that they adhere to strict cleanliness and hygiene guidelines to counter the COVID19 pandemic. The standards have been devised by medical and occupational safety professionals and have been used to grant acknowledgement of best COVID19 prevention practices to 1700 companies in the Caribbean. For its platinum SafeSeal level, both the resort, its store and restaurant received a physical inspection and completed an online test. The Resort passed all three.
As the resort remained open throughout the past year, it had a head start in preparing the resort and staff to safely welcome guests back while still receiving guests. In June 2020 the resort launched its “Relax & Escape” Staycation promo. This was very successful and allowed us the opportunity to test and make adjustments to the measures that were implemented to keep guests and staff safe.
Amongst one of the many measures implemented months ago is a temperature detection scanner for everyone entering the lobby. The staff’s temperature is checked daily before the start of their shift. From there onwards, frequent visitors will notice many small but effective changes. Javois: “Our buffet has been moved outdoors, tables are set at a safe distance, hand sanitizers can be found throughout the resort and guests can relax knowing they are the first person to enter their unit after it has been fogged, sanitized and cleaned before arrival”. Guests also receive a pre arrival letter and a copy of SBR Covid-19 Care Guidelines at check in so they are well informed about what is being done for everyone’s safety.
Simpson Bay Resort continues its usual entertainment activities in adjusted form. Activities like Bingo, Music Trivia and Water Aerobics are now done outdoors and social distancing and proper hygiene is promoted. All guests’ hands are sanitized before and after using any materials needed for the above mentioned activities and all materials are sanitized after use as well. By doing so, Simpson Bay Resort aims to offer a safe and healthy atmosphere for guests and its traditional promise of creating a safe and relaxing experience.
To further improve easiness of travel for its guests, in January 2021 the resort started a collaboration with Health Care Laboratories and invited other resorts in the surrounding area to offer on-site antigen testing to guests. Test results are returned in less than 24 hours.
The resort is happy to see other tourism companies on St. Maarten having moved swiftly in the same direction. Javois: “We have been working tirelessly to ensure that our guests and staff are in a safe environment and we can see the entire island is doing its part to bring back some kind of normalcy to our lives.” The resort calls on frequent visitors to come back soon to the Caribbean’s “Culinary Capital”: “Our friendly people, savory dishes and pristine beaches await you!”
For Sint Maarten, the SafeSeal checklists per sector have been validated to befit, among other, the guidelines on stmaartengov.org. By highlighting best practice companies, supporting organizations St. Maarten Tourism Bureau, the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association and occupational health company Medwork want to spread the word that Sint Maarten is making its best effort to be a safe destination. More information regarding SafeSeal can be found at www.shta.com/safeseal and travel information updates at www.stmaartenentry.com.
