We asked a range of leisure & attractions operators and ROLLER community members to provide their tips on how to best adapt to the current COVID normal, and here’s what they had to say!
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Heidi Knabe
Admissions Team Leader
Moonlight Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park
Australia
Topic - Operating Tip or Best Practice
Contact Free Entry
To enable us to provide a contact free entry we made a number of changes.
1. Promoted online bookings rather than paying for entry on arrivalVia our website and voicemail we encouraged all our guest to book in advance online. This reduced our transaction/contact time and physical contact with guests on arrival
2. Use of QR code on entry for customer details for COVID Safety
We displayed signage on arrival so that guests could scan the QR code to enter their name and mobile for COVID tracing requirements. This eliminated the need for pen and paper improving hygiene and speeding up the process.
3. We replaced our current admission scanners with QR code scanners
These scanners reduced our transaction/contact time on entry as we no longer needed to look at guest's phones and paper work for their booking number
4. Promotion of credit card payments only
Via our website we asked for credit card payments rather than cash in order to improve hygiene by significantly decreasing use of cash
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Mandy Sybrandy
Director of Attractions
SkyWheel
United States
Topic - Operating Tip or Best Practice
By unloading our ride in a manner that forces social distancing (we unload gondolas one at a time, allowing the guests time and space to exit without other guests closeby), this has increased our per cap on the after experience upsell.
We sell a souvenir photo in the exit of the ride. Sales have greatly increased because our sellers have time to acknowledge every guest and it's not a crowd rush past the photo display. You can use social distancing in a way that benefits your bottom line!
Note, this does slow down our throughput time on the ride, but in a Covid environment, we are cleaning every gondola in between groups so we are already slowed down on the loading time.
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Chris Milton
Director
Air Extreme
United Kingdom
Topic - Social Distancing & Safety Precautions
We have introduced a relatively new product to help us protect our customers and staff! Zoono technology! Zoono’s physical kill ruptures the cell meaning the cell cannot mutate, helping prevent the development of pathogens that are resistant to the more traditional disinfectants.
Zoono is colourless, non-leaching and safe to use in both the home and industrial settings. Whilst it has a gentle formulation, it is deadly for a broad range of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.
Zoono is applied by using a fogging machine that last for up to 30 days, this product has been tested by Transport of London with great results. We believe this product will definitely help keep our park clean and germ free!
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Kaf Ho
General Manager
Airzone
Singapore
Topic - Social Distancing & Safety Precautions
To enforce/maintain social distancing between groups of guests, there is a need to implement a system to identify guests who belong in the same group. For this purpose we use coloured stickers that we attach to their Tyvek admission wristbands. The coloured stickers are visible, effective, cheap and easy to implement. 2 or 3 coloured stickers should be attached to each wristband for the best effect.
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Nick Azevedo
Director
Cloud 9 Trampoline Park
Topic - Pricing or New Product Offering
We offered a 10% discount for those customers booking online to try and encourage contactless payments.
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Leo Wheeler
Chief Operations Officer
Aerosports
United States
Topic - Guest Experience or Customer Insight
We found, for the short time that we were allowed to reopen, that the customers were most impressed with how we were able to convey to them ALL steps we took to address COVID concerns across the board. From media messages, to sterilizing, to staff's efforts in SD practice, to informational interior signage, to public address announcements, we received many compliments for the steps and care taken to keep them informed and make them feel safe in our environment.
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Chris Walthew
Owner
Clip ‘n Climb Cambridge
United Kingdom
Topic - Staffing & Cost Management
Reopen with few sessions and a lower capacity to help manage costs and you can always expand if you see the demand.
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Lauren Orero
Marketing Manager
Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs
Australia
Topic - Pricing or New Product Offering
Social distancing measures meant that our overall capacity at the hot springs was greatly reduced. In response to this we created 3 new sessions with a set bathing duration. Separate sessions with a shorter duration also resulted in a reduced cost for the guest. In addition, we have also expanded our offering to allow children to attend 2 of the 3 sessions while still offering an adults only experience in the evenings. This has been very well received.
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Joshua Liebman
Director of Business Development
Amusement Advantage
United States
Topic - Guest Experience or Customer Insight
Revamping your cleanliness procedures is just one step of the process, not the solution itself. You need to take your new procedures and share them with your audience to increase consumer confidence so that guests want to visit again, and then show them how you are implementing the new measures once they arrive, and throughout the duration of their visit. Telling them isn’t enough, they want to see everything they are making contact with be cleaned prior to their use.
The notion that “perception is reality” has never been truer than it is now. If your guests do not see the level of care that you are taking for them, or they do not feel that it is enough, then that is what they will take with them when they leave. Guests’ perception of cleanliness standard is what will be shared through word of mouth and online reviews, even more than the standard and procedures themselves. Remember that your cleanliness standard must be sensed throughout the duration of their experience with you, including before, during, and after.
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Craig Bartholomew
Owner
UmbrellaNineCo
Australia
Topic - Social Distancing & Safety Precautions
We run a bouldering gym for families (mainly children between 5-14 years). We invested in a handheld fogging machine which we use between 2 and 4 times a day. The fogger allows us to sanitise the whole gym in under 10 minutes (spray bottles were taking up to 2 hours).
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Thank you to everyone above for providing these valuable insights!
*If you have any other tips that you think would be helpful to add to this article, please let us know!
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