Shangrila Rasa Ria Resort and Spa, is one of the best places to go to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life without compromising the comfort of modern living. It is sited in Tuaran on the seafront, where guests can enjoy the sea, sand and sun. In the evening during fine days, the blazing sunset is a sight to behold.
This resort was however closed to guests during the recent Movement Control Order (MCO) due to the COVID19 Pandemic that started on March 18 and scheduled to be fully lifted by August 31.
They opened their doors to domestic guests recently but are not relaxed in their dealings with their guests and staff, just to ensure against any infection. They are not taking any chances, so they are adhering strictly to the new standard procedures for everyone.
Upon reaching the resort, guests walk in on two mats with disinfectants. Their temperatures are taken and written down, they are offered hand sanitizers before they are offered their welcome drinks. Upon registration, staff who are stationed behind a glass covered counters will wipe the pen before and after use.
According to the general manager Fiona Hagan, they actually started the safety measures in January this year, when the Coronavirus outbreak which started in Wuhan, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
At that time, they had already started to implement body temperature screening and discussed changes in their cleaning protocols within the hotel, she shared.
According to her, the safety of guests are prioritised, with the implementation of the 12-point cleaning regime where they target clean places most touched by guests. This includes door knobs, desk tops and other areas deemed commonly touched by anybody.
After guests check out, the room is left untouched for the next six hours. They then disinfect the room with an electrostatic sprayer. About 20 minutes later the housekeeping staff will enter the room to clean and change the linens.
Everything in the room is changed including unused linens and items in the room. The room is double checked by staff with UV light to ensure that everything is clean. When the room is deemed absolutely clean, it will be ready for the next occupants.
As rigid and tedious the procedures may be, they are necessary to ensure the safety and well being of their guests and staff.
Staff are not excluded in the health and well being management, as they too have to ensure that they are in good health when they come to work. If they have a temperature of 37.5 degrees upon arrival, they will be asked to rest. If their temperature is not down in 20 minutes, they are asked to return home and rest or taken to a nearby clinic. They will not be allowed to enter their workplace.
On the hotel, Fiona said they were impacted by the MCO as the hotel was only manned by essential workers such as the engineering team, gardeners and security. There were guests caught in the MCO but were only with the resort for about seven days.
As international tourists are yet to arrive, they are introducing a local package call ‘Fun in the Sun’, where guests can choose garden wing deluxe room at RM472 nett, garden wing deluxe sea view room at RM572 nett and ocean wing junior suite garden view at RM672 nett, with several activities thrown in.
The package is very attractive as it comes with unlimited a la carte breakfast in
Coffee Terrace; upgrade to next room category; early check-in (10am) and late
check-out (6pm); access to adventure point, discovery centre and cool zone; one-hour bicycle ride; one-hour use of non-motorised water sports (selected); 30 minutes ATV ride (one person) or choose one activity 30 minutes (two persons).
Guests can also enjoy a 30 minutes horse ride (one person) water gun (one-hour); slip and slide (one-hour) and sunrise walk and nature walk (two persons). The swimming pools are closed to guests presently.
Despite the MCO, Rasa Ria is still the place to be for a luxurious getaway. Call the resort at (60 88) 797 888 for more information.-BNN
