Some of you will have been participants in the series of webinars we held in July/August concerning Cancun and will be aware we made great emphasis on the fact that this destination is taking all precautions possible in light of the present pandemic, to make the safety of all visitors absolute priority. Our Cancun team recently made a site inspection visit to one of the hotels in the Riviera Maya and we have decided to include their report in this Newsletter to demonstrate how far these safety measures stretch. We sincerely hope you will find this report interesting and helpful...

Last Friday, September 11th, we went to visit the hotel, Paradisus Playa del Carmen. Right from arrival we were able to perceive the new safety and health filters relative to the prevention and control strategies to confront COVID-19. The wonderful staff received us in the lobby with a sanitizing mat, temperature measurement device and a stand with a sanitizing gel dispenser machine.

It is worth mentioning that throughout the entire site, from arrival to departure all the hotel staff and workers wore face masks. Arriving at the check-in area, we encountered the front-desks with acrylic sheets that serve as “sneeze guards” or shields, separating the reception staff from the guests. Likewise, on the floor we were able to see stamps that clarify and oblige guests to keep a safe distance whilst waiting in line.

On the way to the rooms, we could see that the pools were practically empty and they told us that the wet bars are suspended for now to avoid conglomerations of people in public spaces. All lounge chairs and pool equipment are disinfected every day.

Furthermore, in the rooms we were able to witness how each of the door-rooms were sealed off once the disinfection and cleaning is done. No one, other than the guests themselves, can enter a room after the sanitization has been completed for the day. Some of the additional steps taken to guarantee the cleanliness and overall safe experience per room for the guests are details like: the minibar is not stocked to avoid other people coming into the rooms, however, this service is available upon request; in the restrooms you will find a personalized sanitization kit where the clients are provided with a facemask, disinfectant gel and a pair of gloves per person; and finally, some of the items in the room amenities such as the remote control are sanitized and sealed before each arrival to ensure the safety of these as well.

Moving along on the tour, from the rooms we headed down to the lounge area, where fortunately enough an event was taking place and we could see first-hand the new measures that are being taken when it comes to large corporate gatherings. The event that was being handled was an auditorium type set-up, and we could see the separation and distancing being kept. Additionally, at the access doors to each room there was an automatic antibacterial gel dispenser and everyone was asked to use their facemasks as attendees.

From the lounge area, we were led to the main restaurants open for lunch and in the hostess area we found an antibacterial gel dispenser, as well as indications of safety measures on each of the podiums as seen below:

Menus and some other prompts are now being registered under a QR code that you must access via smartphone to see the options offered virtually. These efforts are being carried out to avoid delivering printouts at outdoor areas that could be contaminated.

Upon receiving customers, the restaurant tables are completely empty. Cutlery, napkins, dishes and glasses are delivered when guests take their seats, to avoid the pollution of these utensils. The cutlery and napkins are delivered in individual plastic sealed bags, as seen in the following example:

After speaking with the MICE Melia Sales Sub-Director, we learned that the Paradisus hotel has undergone an important adjustment during this period of time: before the pandemic, the entire complex was divided into two sections; La Perla, which was normally designated for families, and La Esmeralda, designated for adults only. Since COVID19’s effect on tourism, the hotel has been restructured, extending everything for families. This strategy was purposely pursued to have more rooms available, while still respecting the maximum percentage of capacity allowed by the local government. This modification will permanently affect the hotel’s organization. However, there are areas within the hotel that will remain available only to adults, such as some pools and restaurants.

In addition to the above, some strategies that we discussed with the hotel in order to offer our clients with safe and low cost options are: making virtual inspection appointments if the clients wish to do so, live tours around either of the complexes (Cancún or Playa del Carmen) and even more, preparing promotional videos in joint action with the client if they’re looking to get some information or data available for their guests with reference to their incentive program.

You will find a couple of additional pictures of the site inspection below, that highlight some of the points commented on before:

• Disinfection and sanitization seals as placed over the phones and doors.


• Sealed personalized menus.


• Acrylic sheets on the reception desks and information spots throughout the hotel.


• The Destination Mexico team carrying out all the safety measures during the site inspection.