Important newsletter

Getting out of lockdown can mean anything from staying alert to staying at home depending on who you prefer to listen to (!) but one thing is for sure - we are all going to be much more aware of the risks of transmitting infection in 2020 and for some time to come in the hospitality business. And that's why here at LHA we are encouraging all members to think these risks through now, from the smallest self-catering operation to the largest locally-owned hotel, with a view to writing them down in a Safe Operating Procedure (SOP). 

There is a great deal at stake for all of us at this juncture and a convincing set of SOPs could be the difference between opening up for business again in time for a summer season in 2020, or facing extended closure into the autumn and the kind of 'scarring' effect our top economists are beginning to worry about where customers simply do not come back in 202 : very scary (!)  Ironically this is all happening at a time when the staycation looks like it could prove to be more popular than ever. And we want to be sure that Llandudno & North Wales remains primed to re-open for business ASAP (or at least as soon as it is safe to do so) for anyone who wishes to holiday in the UK this summer and extended season. So please be assured that your LHA committee is working tirelessly to maximise the chances of all members of satisfying whatever safety criteria are agreed nationally for the hospitality sector and assisting you in whatever practical way we can, whether it is keeping you informed, sourcing PPE, signposting staff training, sourcing even more PPE or gaining access to those elusive grants!

For some businesses, the challenge of partial re-opening and safe under-occupancy (some estimates put this as low as 40% in 2020) cannot simply be met by writing new procedures. At the LHA we are also very of aware this and are working on several business transformation ideas to help our members that may find themselves in this position over the next few months. We are looking at exciting ideas both for vertical integration in our local supply chain (closer working between the food and accommodation sector, local sourcing where possible) and for more horizontal integration (e.g. with coach operators). We will even look at diagonal integration once we have exhausted all the vertical and horizontal possibilities - no stone unturned! 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like further details of any of the above, have ideas of your own you'd like to contribute or are thinking about the benefits of LHA membership in these uncertain times and would like further information on how to join.

We want to ensure that we get to reopen as soon as possible and that we open on our terms and not under strict controls from legislators. Many of you ask what you can do to help and today I am asking you to help by getting involved in the campaign Fair4Hospitality being run by UKH. It is important to make MPs, AMs and MSPs aware of the campaign asks, to help us gain support within Government. We hope that you will support our campaign by writing to your local MP, AM or MSPs and share our campaign message.

To help members get involved and influence government decisions, we have prepared a template letter for you to send, which you can find on the #Fair4hospitality campaign page. We will also be launching a video and other social media assets that you may wish to share with your social media network to help amplify our message. 

So in summary

we are still working on your behalf in trying to agree terms of getting us all opening again. 

We are having daily conversation with Ministers, councillors and many more. 

LHA directors are in constant contact with each other updating the website & face book with all current information.

The LHA are also looking into bulk purchasing of all PPE equipment which we may need to open our establishments and offering it for sale to our members, as purchasing in bulk would save us all money and the hassle of trying to source it ourselves. This will be sold at cost price to our members. You can start by thinking about procedures you will need to have in place for safe operating, Keep looking at the website for any updates we put out to keep you informed.

Finally, we are looking forward to being able to give you some positive news, but in the meantime stay safe keep positive.

We’re in this together