Ascott Cares: Adjusting in a post COVID-19 landscape in the UK

What measures has The Ascott Limited (Ascott) put in place for the ‘new normal’ to ensure guest and employee peace of mind for a post COVID-19 landscape?

The Ascott Limited serviced apartment in the UK

Relocate Editorial

17 August 2020

As lockdown restrictions ease in the UK and across the world, businesses such as The Ascott Limited (Ascott), one of the leading international lodging owner-operations, is redesigning its products and services and redefining guest experiences to ensure they are future-ready for continued growth in a post COVID-19 landscape.Frédéric Carré, Regional General Manager UK, Germany, Spain and Georgia at The Ascott Limited, discusses how the future looks for the serviced apartments industry and the new measures Ascott has put in place for the ‘new normal’ to ensure guest and employee peace of mind.

Life after ‘lockdown’

“It has been a challenging few months for the industry but Ascott has remained resilient amid Covid-19, and we have developed new measures to ensure we are providing a safe and secure stay for guests who have placed their trust in Ascott. To cement the company’s position as a dominant lodging player and deliver more value for our guests and business partners, we have taken steps to ensure that Ascott is well prepared in the post Covid-19 landscape as we see that there is likely to be a long-term shift towards more working from home, deeper health and safety concerns, and a rapidly digitising world.“As expected, we are seeing a greater demand for self-catering properties and serviced apartments as they are self-contained, making them a safe and secure option for accommodation, and can cater to extended stays. Ascott’s spacious serviced apartments are well-suited for guests who would prefer to spend more time indoors. The apartments offer separate living, working, and dining areas with enough space for guests to use the apartment to work, exercise, cook, socialise, and relax and unwind safely.”

Introducing new technology

“Ascott is reviewing every touchpoint within the living and workspaces of the apartments to tap into the likelihood of long-term working from home arrangements and improving digital solutions and looking at leveraging smarter technologies to provide value and safety to our guests. We are looking at upgrading the design of our properties to create a more productive workspace within the apartment which may include better task lighting, better use of space and appropriate wall features suited for videoconferencing or webcasting. Digital solutions and technologies may also be further enhanced for convenience, value, and safety to guests, for example the use of sensors at Ascott properties can offer better safety through thermal scanning or to track footfall and crowds to facilitate better safe distancing measures, as well as smarter room energy and water management.“We are gradually increasing adoption of mobile technology including the launch of a new mobile app later this year. The app will act as a one-stop service offering guests contactless services such as contactless entry to their apartments, payments, check-in, and check-out. It can also provide seamless in-room service and smart controls, management of Ascott Star Rewards loyalty points or redemption of special flash deals.”

Ascott Cares

“At Ascott we have always placed the safety and well-being of guests and staff as our top priority, so we launched ‘Ascott Cares’ to reassure our guests and staff that we have built upon our already stringent cleanliness and hygiene measures as we welcome new and returning guests home.“‘Ascott Cares’ reaffirms our commitment to deliver high standards of cleanliness with safe distancing in shared spaces and increased sanitisation as part of the new normal. We are appointing health and hygiene champions in each property to uphold these standards and act as an official liaison with local health authorities to ensure compliance with the latest regulatory health measures. With ‘Ascott Cares’, our valued guests have greater peace of mind and full confidence in our commitment to their well-being.”‘Ascott Cares’ covers 9 commitments to enhance Ascott’s existing cleanliness protocols which are aligned with World Health Organization standards and local regulations:

Our Staff’s Work Environment
Guest Safety
Physical Distancing
Housekeeping
Apartments & Rooms
Food & Beverage
Shared Facilities
Contactless & Paperless
Our Vendors

Ascott’s continued commitment to cleanliness

“Ascott has also signed a global agreement with Bureau Veritas to provide independent audits and certification for the hygiene and safety standards of Ascott’s properties worldwide. The Ascott Cares x Bureau Veritas Hygiene Excellence and Safety Label is a holistic programme, which has been developed by both organisations and utilising Bureau Veritas’ health, hygiene and safety expertise of more than 190 years in providing testing, inspection and certification. Up to 50 Citadines Apart’hotels and The Crest Collection properties in Europe will benefit from this programme.“The Ascott Cares x Bureau Veritas Hygiene Excellence and Safety Label allows us to offer our guests a greater peace of mind by reassuring that the appropriate health, hygiene and safety conditions are in place and that safe working conditions for our teams are carried out in a consistent approach across all properties.“Recently, Ascott was also recognised by the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers for being an International Serviced Accommodation Accreditation Process (ISAAP) Quality Accredited and Compliance Assured Provider. To achieve the award, Ascott had to satisfy more than 250 rigorous ISAAP quality considerations in addition to prescribed regulations and best practice standards of safety, security, and a duty of care.“It is vital that our properties follow the recommended health, hygiene, and safety measures as this is at the forefront of our guests and teams’ minds. As global and domestic travel gradually resumes, our guests can continue to place their trust in Ascott to provide a home away from home that is not only comfortable, but also clean, secure and safe and with a safe working environment, our staff are also able to better focus on caring for our guests. We are proud that Ascott is playing a part in adjusting to the ‘new normal’ by redefining our products, services and guest experience to ensure we are prepared to offer a safe and secure environment for all as well as being prepared for continued growth in a post COVID-19 landscape.”Find out more - www.citadines.comAbout The Ascott Limited - The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Ascott's portfolio spans more than 180 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the USA.

Ascott has about 69,000 operating units and over 48,000 units under development, making a total of about 117,000 units in over 700 properties. The company’s serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott The Residence, The Crest Collection, Somerset, Quest, Citadines, lyf, Préférence, Vertu, Harris, Citadines Connect, Fox, Yello and POP!Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacific’s first international class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide.