Gloucestershire hospitality establishments are among those leading the way in the fight to introduce safeguarding measures against Covid.

The county has one of the highest numbers of hospitality destinations to have achieved AA Covid Confident status, coming in the top ten in the UK. Overall the county has 64 properties deemed Covid Confident.

Across the UK, 2,500 hotels, restaurants, pubs, campsites and self-catering properties have now been awarded AA Covid Confident status.

The Covid Confident accredited properties in Gloucestershire include Dumbleton Hall Hotel, near Tewkesbury; the Lords of the Manor at Upper Slaughter; Buckland Manor, near Broadway; and Barnsley House, near Cirencester.

Designed to support the hospitality industry in re-establishing and rebuilding consumer confidence, while giving customers reassurance, AA Covid Confident accreditation indicates that establishments have the necessary protective measures in place.

Michele Mella, general manager at Barnsley House, said: "We fully endorsed the AA Covid Confident scheme and being recognised amongst the top hotels in the UK gives us reassurance of the work we have done to provide a safe environment for both guests and employees alike.

"We have introduced a number of control measures including, UV technology to purify air and hospital grade products for the cleaning and disinfection of hotel rooms and public spaces.

"We have also reduced capacity considerably in both The Potager restaurant and The Village Pub. We introduced QR codes to replace printing material and we are using IT to automate processes to reduce face-to-face contact where possible.

"We have also introduced one-way traffic flows wherever this is feasible. It's very pleasing to see that the changes have not impacted the spirit of hospitality which is central to an experience at Barnsley House."  

Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Media, commented: "The AA team has been working hard to work through the thousands of applications we've received, and are delighted to reach the landmark of 2,500 properties now deemed Covid Confident.

"From assessing each application, it's clear that the hospitality sector is showing incredible resilience, creativity, and care in ensuring they are doing all they can to protect staff and customers from COVID-19, while striving to rebuild their businesses."

Kate Nicholls, chief executive at UKHospitality: "Consumer confidence will play a huge part in the reopening of the hospitality sector. If guests do not have the peace of mind they need, they are simply going to stay away. 

"All the hard work that venues have put into making themselves safe and ready to accept guests will be undone. AA's Covid Confident scheme is a great way of letting customers know that we are safe, secure, and ready and eager to welcome them back through our doors."