Coronavirus precautions

PLEASE NOTE: OLD THORNS IS CURRENTLY IN A TIER 2 LOCATION
The hotel, golf course, spa and health club will all be opening on Thursday 3rd December, but no household mixing can take place indoors. Golfers may still play on the course in mixed households while adhering to social distancing rules and there are exceptions for weddings and business events. Please see more details below.

Helping you stay safe during your visit

Please find below information and advice about the precautions we are taking to help you stay safe whilst visiting Old Thorns.

We look forward to welcoming you to Old Thorns. Whilst some of you may be eager to get out and about, we appreciate that many of you will be nervous about returning to this “new normal”. We want to reassure you that the team have been working extremely hard to implement changes to ensure your stay with us is safe, but also enjoyable.

We are keeping up to date with the guidance from Public Health England and the Government and we will regularly update this page with the latest information so you can be confident about your upcoming stay with us.

Old Thorns has been certified by the AA for being COVID Confident and by The National Tourist Organisations of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as holding COVID-19 industry standard practices.

Old Thorns has been certified by The National Tourist Organisations of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as holding COVID-19 industry standard practices.

Your pre-arrival checklist and things to keep in mind

Checking-in

Remember to pack your face mask.
Government guidelines now require face masks to be worn in hotels. Please wear a face covering when in our reception, corridors, pro-shop, during spa treatments, at the Starbucks counter and any public areas.

You do not need to wear a face covering when sat down in our bars and restaurants, in your room or when in the pool or gym.

Using the gym and pool

Contact the Health club to book your gym and pool sessions.

For the safety of our guests, we’ve reduced the capacity in our gym, pool and wellness facilities and introduced sessions that require booking. For our pool and wellness facilities, 1 session is included per day of your stay. You are welcome to book these when you arrive or pre-book up to 48 hours in advance.

You can call the Health club on 01428 738 535 or email elevationreception@oldthorns.com to request a session. Please note that children’s swim times are in operation so if you have under 16s with you, please let our team know.

Your room

Room servicing during your stay is by request only.

This is to minimise the risk to both you and our staff. Once your room has been initially cleaned, you will be the only one in it until you have departed. If you require extra towels or linen that is no problem at all – just call our reception from your room phone and our team will deliver to outside your door.

If you wish for your room to be serviced during your stay then please request this to our reception team – ideally with as much notice as possible.

Using our bars and restaurants

Pre-book your evening meal. No need to book for lunch.

If you wish to dine with us in the evening then please let our reception or reservations team know and they will reserve a table for you. Our Sports Bar and Kings Restaurant are open for dining or there are light refreshments available in Starbucks – no booking is required for the Sports Bar or lunch in the Kings Restaurant.

Our tables and chairs have been placed to ensure social distancing can be maintained – please do not move furniture and remain seated throughout your meal.

Hotel

TIER 2 INFORMATION

If you intend to come to Old Thorns with members of your household/support bubble, you can still come and enjoy your stay and the facilities with us. Our health club facilities and spa will be open with pre-booking required. Please note that alcohol can only be served with a substantial meal.

If you intend to come to Old Thorns with a member of a different household, this is not possible whilst we are in Tier 2. This is for anything indoors including meals and stays. Please contact our reservations team to rearrange.

If you intend to come to Old Thorns and you are in Tier 3, unfortunately we cannot welcome to you to Old Thorns until the 16^th December at the earliest (when the tiers will be reviewed). Please contact our reservations team to rearrange.

FACEMASKS

Please note: The Government are now recommending that face coverings are worn in additional indoor settings and this will be enforceable in law.

Please wear a face covering when in our reception, corridors, pro-shop, during spa treatments, at the Starbucks counter and any public areas. Face coverings do not need to be worn outside, when seated at tables for dining or drinking, in your hotel room/apartment or when in the gym or swimming pool. If you forget your face covering, you may purchase one from our reception. People exempt from face coverings are not required to wear one.

STAFF
All team members have participated in a new Covid-19 training programme, to educate on our enhanced cleaning, hygiene and social distancing practices.

We have redesigned our offices, break rooms and working environments to enable social distancing

Our teams have been provided with the relevant PPE

Hand santisers are available in staff areas, regular hand-washing must be carried out from all staff and log books kept up to date.

CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT
Our reception desk and other customer desks throughout the resort have been equipped with screens

2m distancing markers have been placed at queuing points

Please return your key to the dedicated drop point on check out so it can be disinfected

PDQ machines, pens, luggage will all be wiped down after use.

COMMUNAL AREAS
In popular common areas, one-way systems have been implemented along with entry and exit doors

Enhanced cleaning practices in conjunction with Diversey, our chemical provider, in all public areas, washrooms and lifts

Only 1 person/household group in a lift at one time

You will find disinfection stations, anti-bac hand gel and dedicated PPE disposal bins throughout the resort

RECEPTION AND BAR AREAS
At the reception and bar areas contactless card payments will be preferable. Perspex screens will be present to minimise any risk during interactions between staff members and guests.

Please also pay attention to floor distance markers when queuing and follow any instructions indicated by the hotel.

HAND SANITISING
We have in place stringent and thorough procedures to help protect our guests and staff. You will find sanitising stations located throughout the hotel and we insist you use the hand sanitising stations on entering and leaving the premises.

SOCIAL DISTANCING
We observe current government recommended social distancing guidelines. Signage and indicators are there for your safety. Please respect our measures of control.

When using the lifts around the hotel, please ensure only one person is in the lift at a time.

Please use entrance and exit routes, as well as any designated queue systems as specified. These measures are in place for the safety of all our guests.

Golf

TIER 2 INFORMATION

If you would like to play golf, 2- and 4-balls are available and mixed households are welcome. However, you will not be able to socialise together indoors and you must adhere to social distancing on the course at all times.

Golf breaks should only go ahead if guests are from the same household.

Ensure you read the safety guidelines before playing

We want to ensure you have a great game of golf, but we must all consider the health and safety of all visitors, members and staff even more so during the current health pandemic. Therefore, we are taking the below rules extremely seriously. If you do not adhere to the guidelines below you may be asked to leave the course with no financial reimbursement. Thank you for your understanding.

PRO-SHOP

From Friday 24th July it is
mandatory for customers to wear a face covering inside a shop.

This will apply inside stand-alone professional shops where a fine of up to £100 may be imposed on anyone breaking this rule.

There are some exemptions to wearing face coverings including children under the age of 11 and those with certain disabilities.

If you require assistance or don’t have a face covering, please wait by the door and ask for a member of the team who will be happy to help.

COURSE SET-UP

ON-COURSE ITEMS
All rakes and ball-retrievers will be removed from the course bunkers are to be played as a local rule of natural waste areas, please use your club head or foot to smooth out the sand the best that you can after play.

Ball washers will be covered up and will not be useable on the course.

Benches and bins will be removed from the course as they are a touch surface.

All other removable items will be removed, except that stakes defining areas of the course can be treated as immovable obstructions.

The shoe cleaning area will be closed.

HOLE AND FLAGSTICK
Flagsticks will be retained but you will not be allowed to remove the flag. There will be a sign on the flagstick stating that it is not to be touched. Failure to comply will see the Flagsticks removed and you will be playing to a green.

A method of inserting the hole liner to be used that means all the ball does not fall below the surface of the putting green and can be easily retrieved by handling the ball only. Practice areas, driving range including practice nets will be closed until it is deemed safe to re-open these.

BEFORE THE ROUND

You will need to book your tee times online. If you are unable to book then email your request to Golf@oldthorns.com and we will respond. Booking online is the most efficient way to book and recommended for all 1-ball and 2-ball bookings. If you’re all members of the same household and looking to book a 4-ball this will need to be emailed to us as a request. Every player must be registered before entering the course. Failure to do so will see them asked to leave.

Car parking, you must park your car with a space gap from the next car please do not park your car directly next to another car, unless it is not possible.

The Pro-Shop will be open from the 1st June and 2 people will be permitted in the shop at any time. Please keep at least 2m between yourself, other customers and staff at all times. Where possible, please pay by card.

Old Thorns will be following the government guidelines to which you may play 4-balls in groups from mixed households as long a social distancing measures are adhered to.

There is to be a minimum of 10-minute tee time intervals between play. You must stick to your tee time to enable social distancing around the course. If you catch the group in front you are asked to keep your distance. If a group is waiting on the tee, keep a safe distance of at least 2 metres from them until asked to play through at which point please keep to social distancing rules as this happens.

The clubhouse and locker room facilities will be closed until further notice. Limited essential access to the toilets will be in the facilities behind the first tee.

Buggies will be available from the 1st June. On return the buggy must be left in a designated area buggy park after play to be cleaned by a member of staff. Please empty all your rubbish and be respectful to the staff that must clean your buggy.

Due to the 10-minute gap and arriving to the tee 10 minutes before your time you shouldn’t see anyone one the putting green but please be respectful if there is and priority goes to the golfers in front.

You are to respect the government social distancing rules until they are relaxed.

This means the following;

1.You are to remain in your car until 10 minutes before your tee time to which you will register with the shop if open and then make your way to the first tee.

2.You are to maintain the 2m social distancing rule on each teeing ground and throughout your round.You are also to maintain this by the first tee.

3. Please use the hand sanitiser before you start play.

4. After playing you are to return straight to your car and leave the site, social gatherings are currently not permitted after play.

Players with colds or any symptoms of COVID-19 please stay away from the golf course/clubhouse.

Travel to the golf course on your own or with members of your own household only.

Bring your own hand sanitiser to the course & use regularly during the round.

If competitive stroke play is played, then scorecards won’t be exchanged, the lowest handicap player will fill out the card for all players in the group, at the end of play that player is to email the card to golf@oldthorns.com for processing. Any disputes will be taken up with the marker. Players will be asked to verbally make their scores known after each hold to the marker.

DURING THE ROUND

TEEING AREAS
Golfers to keep two metres apart at teeing areas due to the normal proximity of golfers to one another when tee shots are being played.

GENERAL
Golfers to stay more than two metres apart when walking to the ball, searching for a ball and playing shots.

Golfers not to touch stray balls.

BUNKERS
Golfers to make their very best efforts to smooth the sand using their club and/or their feet.

PUTTING GREEN
Golfers to keep two metres apart on the putting greens and not to touch the flagstick.

AFTER THE ROUND

Social distancing is as important after a round as it is during the round, so when the round is over all golfers must leave the course and the club/facility immediately so that there are no gatherings around the clubhouse area.

RULES OF GOLF-RELATED MATTERS

To enable some of the changes to the way the game is played, there are likely to be several changes to the Rules of Golf. Some of these are outlined below.

FORMS OF PLAY AND SCORING
There will be no competitive golf for the initial months until it is deemed safe to do so.

This rule can be assessed after June with the view to the below: If competitive stroke play is played, then scorecards won’t be exchanged, the lowest handicap player will fill out the card for all players in the group, at the end of play that player is to email the card to golf@oldthorns.com for processing. Any disputes will be taken up with the marker. Players will be asked to verbally make there scores known after each hold to the marker.

BUNKERS
If golfers take due care when smoothing bunkers, there should be no need to provide a Local Rule for bunkers.We can introduce preferred lies in bunkers and provide that a player may place a ball in the bunker within one club-length of the original spot and not nearer to the hole than that spot.

FLAGSTICK
Golfers are always required to leave the flagstick in the hole and not to touch it. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a 1 stroke penalty.

HOLE AND HOLED
The hole liner (sometimes referred to as the hole ‘cup’) will be set in a way that means that all of the ball cannot be below the surface of the putting green, the ball is considered holed if any part of it is below the surface of the putting green.

To minimise the need to lift the ball from the hole, the ball is holed with the next stroke if it is within 12 inches of the hole (which is just over the length of a standard putter grip).This does not prevent a player in match play conceding a stroke that is outside this length.

Bars & restaurants

Accommodation

Spa & Health Club

TIER 2 INFORMATION

Spa
Spa treatments can continue as normal (guest and therapist will wear a mask).

Spa breaks should only go ahead if the guests are from the same household.
If you need to re-arrange your stay, then please contact our reservations team reservations@oldthorns.com who will be happy to help. Thank you very much for your support and we hope to welcome you soon.

Health Club

Gym and pool will remain open with pre-booking required for residents and guests.

You can call the Health club on 01428 738 535 or email elevationreception@oldthorns.com to request a session.

Classes will be suspended until at least the 16^th December when this will be reviewed.

SPA
We will require all customers to sanitise their hands before entering and exiting the spa and health club and before and after treatments. Sanitiser will be provided at the entrance.

Treatment choice may vary to adhere with government guidelines.

Therapists will be provided with the correct PPE to undertake treatments safely (including wearing a face covering and protective screen during your treatment).

Extra time will be allocated between treatment times to allow for our treatment rooms to be sanitised between each guest. All treatment times must be pre-booked. Only guests that have bookings will be permitted in the treatment spa.

We ask all guests having treatments to wear a mask (masks will be available to purchase at a nominal price of £1).

Hand dryers, hair dryers and hair straighteners have been removed from operation to minimise the risk of contamination.

Soft furnishing items will be removed from the spa and treatment rooms.

Loungers and seating has been spaced accordingly to maintain social distancing.

HEALTH CLUB
Gym equipment has been re-arranged or some machines may not be in use to ensure social distancing is maintained. Please adhere to the one way system that has been put in place.

Fitness classes will take place outdoors where possible and with reduced numbers.

We have put in place 45 minute time restrictions in our pool (allowing a 15 minute deep clean between sessions) and 90 minute time restrictions in the gym, with limited number of guests in each session. Wellness Suite timed slots can be booked as part of your pool session. Guests can pre-book 48 hours in advance

Some facilities may be unavailable depending on government guidelines. This can change at short notice in line with the latest regulations.

Disinfectant products will be available throughout the health club and we ask that equipment is cleaned and disinfected before and after each use. Please use the bins provided to dispose of any blue wipe.

We ask you do not use sweat towels and use blue roll tissue provided.

Residential guests are encouraged to use their rooms for changing and members to arrive “gym/swim ready” where possible.

----

You may feel a little uneasy about heading to a health club right now, but rest assured the Elevation team have implemented a whole host of measures that not only help keep you safe during your visit, but may even enhance it!

Reduced capacity with member priority booking
We've reduced how many people can be in the gym and pool at one time and members can book their sessions 7 days in advance. So if you loved a Saturday swim but were always put off by a busy pool, you'll be able to enjoy it once again!

Reduced class sizes
We've reduced our class sizes too - it almost feels like small group personal training so you should get lots of enjoyment from this more personalised class. Plus, where possible, we will hold the class outside!

Enhanced cleaning
You'll pick up a dedicated santiser bottle as you enter the gym floor to keep the equipment you use clean for your fellow gym goers. In addition to a dedicated health club cleaner, all staff will be involved with keeping all areas of the health club extra clean.

Space
Our 26,000 sq ft gym floor has always meant there has been plenty of space to workout, but we've added workout zones so you can clearly see where to exercise.

Weddings

Business

Cancellation policy

How you can help

Finally...

We request that you always remain considerate of our guests and staff. This is a new normal for all of us and we are working hard to ensure all our guests and staff feel comfortable and safe during their time with us. We ask you to keep in mind that many people will be nervous for some time, so even if you are feeling more relaxed, we ask you to respect the measures that are in place so Old Thorns can be a place for all to enjoy.

Thank you for your co-operation and we wish you a very pleasant stay with us.

Some of the extra measures we have put in place...

Staff
Training

Social
distancing

Extra hotel
cleaning

Hygiene
measures

Contactless
payments

Protective
equipment

Staff
training

Social
distancing

Extra Hotel
cleaning

Hygiene
measures

Contactless
payments

Protective
equipment

Please note that all dates above are subject to government guidelines and may change.

Helping you stay safe during your visit

Your pre-arrival checklist and things to keep in mind

Checking-in

Using the gym and pool

Your room

Using our bars and restaurants

Some of the extra measures we have put in place...

Staff
Training

Social
distancing

Extra hotel
cleaning

Hygiene
measures

Contactless
payments

Protective
equipment

Explore

About

Contact

Connect

Facilities

Inspire Me

Helping you stay safe during your visit

Your pre-arrival checklist and things to keep in mind

Checking-in

Using the gym and pool

Your room

Using our bars and restaurants

Some of the extra measures we have put in place...

StaffTraining

Socialdistancing

Extra hotel cleaning

Hygienemeasures

Contactlesspayments

Protectiveequipment

Explore

About

Contact

Connect

Staff
Training

Social
distancing

Extra hotel
cleaning

Hygiene
measures

Contactless
payments

Protective
equipment