We are very aware that 2020 has probably not been the ideal year for most people. Like other hotels, resorts, and all areas in the hospitality sector, Siladen Resort & Spa has been hard hit by the pandemic. Despite hard times, we are working as hard as possible to have the resort guest-ready as soon as we are given the green light to re-open by the central Indonesian government â whenever that may be.
That being said, we have been using our time wisely and we feel that Siladen Resort & Spa will be the perfect (and safest) place to spend your first Indonesian diving vacation.
Following WHO (World Health Organisation) and IATA (International Air Transport Association) guidelines, we have been conducting thorough training sessions with the whole team, ensuring that everyone employed by us is well-practiced in following new procedures such as wearing masks, social distancing, and most importantly, proper hand and respiratory hygiene.
There are multiple new washbasins installed throughout the resort, so staff can wash their hands more frequently, and there are hand disinfection dispensers installed in all common areas, in the dive center, on the boats, and in transfer car, so staff and guests can always ensure their hands are squeaky clean.
Moreover, every staff member must have their temperature checked before each shift, and in the event of fever or feeling unwell, are instructed to isolate themselves at home. Should they present multiple Covid-19 symptoms, we ask them to report to the local hospital for testing and treatment. That being said, we have not yet had a single case of Covid-19 on Siladen, despite some cases being reported throughout North Sulawesi. For that, we must thank all of Siladenâs residents for their due diligence throughout the pandemic.
Each department has new instructions for updated daily routines. Housekeeping will sanitize various areas of the resort several times a day. Most of the focus will be on common areas and high touch zones such as the bar, main building toilets, reception, and boutique. There will be added sanitization to the guest rooms too, although these areas are naturally lower risk as only the guests occupying and housekeeping will come into contact with these areas. Between each guest leaving and new guest arriving the villas will also undergo a deep clean and disinfection.
The dive center will pay extra attention to the disinfection of guest equipment and dive lockers, and to allow for social distancing, the boat maximum guest capacity has been reduced to eight, as well as each boat being thoroughly disinfected after each use.
The majority of the common areas of the resort are open-air, so guests will be able to enjoy their vacation without feeling they are too close to other travelers â social distancing will never be a problem here. We already try to eat the majority of our meals on the beach (weather permitting) so we will simply continue with this tradition.
Obviously, there are times when keeping several meters distance is not possible, and when this rare situation occurs, we will ask guests to wear a mask, and of course, we will request all guests to meet us halfway and practice proper hand and respiratory hygiene as well.
We understand that most people are probably getting a little bored of hearing these things over and over, however, for us these details are very important. It is only by being as safety conscious as we can, that we can open our doors and do what we love doing the most â offering people from all over the world the vacation of a lifetime!