Workington House is our home as well as our business - please take a moment to read these Covid-19 specific house rules in advance of your stay and contact us if you have any questions.

We are a Victorian terraced house with a single entrance/exit and hallway, so we need to take extra steps to reduce the risk both to our guests and to ourselves.

Minimum stay

We are operating on a minimum 3 night stay until October 2021. We want to keep our pricing at the same good value so to counter the additional safety measures we need to take at this time, we have chosen to put this in place.

New National Lockdown from 5th January 2021

From 5th January 2021 a new national lockdown in the UK mean that hotels and other accommodation must close to all visitors, except those travelling for work purposes and a limited number of other exemptions. 

Our style of accommodation is due to reopen to guests no earlier than 17th May 2021, during Step 3 of the UK Government's Spring 2021 Covid19 Response. We expect to return to the "Rule of 6" (see below for more details).

You will not be able to make a booking with us online during this time. We may be able to accommodate key workers so please call if you would like to make a reservation and we will discuss your requirements.

"Rule of 6" and the NHS COVID-19 App

From 18th September 2020 until further notice, we are legally unable to accept groups of more than 6 people. As our maximum capacity is only 8 guests, this is unlikely to affect any reservations.

We are required by law to log the details of all guests (or lead guest where appropriate) for NHS Test and Trace. We will ask you to complete a form at check in and this is compulsory.

From 24th September 2020 we will also display our official NHS QR code poster ahead of the NHS COVID-19 app being rolled out. This is optional and should you choose to log-in via the NHS COVID-19 app, this is will be in addition to completing our own form.

Quarantine

Guests entering the UK from overseas are not permitted to use Workington House Bed & Breakfast to complete the government’s mandatory quarantine period (subject to change, see current government guidelines).

By making a reservation any such guests are confirming that they have completed this quarantine period before arriving at our property.

On arrival, we will ask all guests to sign a declaration to this effect.

Illness

If a guest develops any covid19 associated symptoms in advance of their stay (high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste), they must notify us and we will rearrange their booking free of charge. We will not accept any guests who are visibly symptomatic and will turn them away at the door.

On arrival, we will ask all guests to sign a declaration confirming they have not been sick within the last 14 days.

If a guest develops any covid19 associated symptoms during their stay (high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste), they must notify us immediately. Guests who become ill will be asked to return to their home to self-isolate and any remaining nights will be refunded as a gesture of goodwill.

Guests are not permitted to self-isolate at Workington House Bed & Breakfast.

Should a guest fail to notify us and become too ill to travel, we will be forced to close for 14 days and cancel any bookings during this period, as per government guidelines.

This will result in a charge to the guest to cover their additional stay, room service, and any relocation fees for cancelled bookings. The total amount is subject to change dependent on the number of guests and the room(s) they are staying in, as well as the number of cancelled bookings we incur during this period.

We understand this could be a significant fee, but this situation would cause us to lose 14 days’ business while also requiring self-isolation ourselves and as such we are forced to pass these costs on to the guest.

Breakfast

At this moment in time, we will not be offering breakfast in the dining room. Instead, we will ask guests to pre-order for a specific time and it will be delivered to your room.

We will have a range of freshly cooked hot sandwiches, fruit, yoghurts, cereal bars and porridge pots - hopefully something for everyone. Full English is sadly off the menu for now but we’ll make sure you don’t go away hungry!

Room servicing

We will agree a mutually convenient time to complete daily room checks. We will not enter any guest room if someone is present inside.

Room servicing during a guest’s stay will be minimal and will not include turning down the sheets. We will wear a mask when entering any room.

Guests will be asked to complete a pre-order form to be left in their room to let us know if they need any replacement items during their stay.

Other items

Our welcome booklet is now online but if you need a physical copy, please ask: https://workingtonhouse.co.uk/welcome

We have removed the following items but they are available if requested: Hairdryer, iron, ironing board, extra blankets, takeaway/local interest leaflets, books, games.

These items will then be quarantined for 72 hours before being offered to any other guests.

Guest Hygiene and Good Practice

• We ask guests to use the hand sanitiser at the front door when they enter and when they leave the building

  ---

• We ask guests to wash their hands when they enter and when they leave their room

  ---

• When using the corridors and the stairs, we ask guests to try not to touch any surfaces unnecessarily, particularly the doors of other guest rooms

  ---

• Wearing a face mask when arriving to check in and when travelling in common areas is now mandatory by law from 8th August 2020 - we can provide a disposable mask for a small fee 

  ---

• When preparing to go out, we ask guests to stay in their room for a moment if they can hear someone else passing in the corridor

  ---

Our commitment

We want you to have a comfortable stay in our small B&B and we promise to keep you safe to the best of our ability. We commit to the following:

• We will do our best to ensure that there are no other guests sharing your floor

  ---

• We will do our best to ensure that at least 24 hours is left between guest bookings in any one room

  ---

• We will adapt our processes to minimise contact and risk of transmission as much as possible during your stay, including at check-in/out and breakfast

  ---

• We will inform you in advance if there are any specific changes to our usual operations which would apply during your stay

  ---

• We will clean common areas twice daily, paying particular attention to high-contact surfaces such as door handles, banisters and light switches

  ---

• We will inform you if any other guest in the building becomes ill

  ---

Disclaimer

While we have taken many steps to reduce the risk to our guests, it is impossible to completely eliminate all risks. As such, by staying with us you must accept that we cannot be held responsible for potential spread of the virus.

We must also strongly recommend that any people who are Clinically Vulnerable (CV) or Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) should avoid staying with us unless absolutely necessary. 

The current health crisis is a constantly-evolving situation, not just for our understanding of the health risks but also in terms of laws which apply to our business and how people can travel or use overnight accommodation. There could be some changes or regulations which prevent you from travelling or travelling safely - such as local lockdowns and changes to shielding guidance.

We will be flexible in our booking and cancellation terms where we can, such as offering a free rescheduling of your booking or free cancellation where appropriate. It’s important that you contact us at your earliest opportunity.