Le Boat launches the Rideau season and sets out COVID-19 standards
June 11, 2020
Le Boat, charter provider on Europe and Canada’s beautiful inland waterways with the world’s largest fleet of over 950 houseboat rentals, is gearing up for another stellar year on the UNESCO World Heritage Rideau Canal.
The base team at Le Boat is ready for the season and put their Horizon boats in the water to align with the Parks Canada opening of canal on June 1, 2020. Now in their thirdseason in Canada, Le Boat has a fleet of 24 premier Horizon Cruisers (up from 16 boats in their first year of opening in 2018). The Premier Horizon fleet was designed exclusively for Le Boat and for the Canadian Waterways. The luxury boats range in size from 2 to 5 cabins and are designed for people looking for more features, with a large forward stateroom and a roomy ‘fundeck’, perfect for alfresco dinning or evening cocktails under the stars.
As the world emerges from the current state of lockdown, travellers will be craving health-enhancing experiences, restorative immersions in nature, spirit-lifting exercise in the open air and safe escapes where they can enjoy the great outdoors. Many people will need to transition back into the wider world at a new, slower pace. Recent polls have shown that now more than ever, most travellers are considering domestic travel and ‘staycations’ as safer and cost-effective options for themselves and their families to enjoy time together in the summer months to come.
Le Boat has seen that travellers want to be able to be self-sufficient and to minimize any unnecessary contact with others considering the need to keep themselves and their families be safe. Being able to access their holiday destination by car is also key where they are wanting freedom of access and movement during their holidays. A self-drive boating holiday with Le Boat, where no prior boating experience or license is required, offers travellers all the above liberties, with the added reassurance of even stricter customer health and safety operational procedures in place. On a Le Boat holiday, all key amenities such as showers, kitchens, bedrooms and living areas are on board the boat and for exclusive use by your party, making this the perfect holiday choice post lockdown.
Managing Director, Cheryl Brown said: “We recognised that we needed to evolve our current operations to make sure that we have taken every precaution to afford our customers an even safer and healthier holiday experience with us.”
Earlier this year, Le Boat launched their Go Boating with Confidence flexible booking policy so guests can reschedule their holiday if needed. The company has also announced it is implementing additional health and safety measures under its ‘COVID Safety Charter’. Across all of Le Boat bases globally, the company is rolling out additional health and safety measures at each stage of the customer journey in order to be prepared to receive guests and monitor ongoing health and safety the 2020 Season.
This new program is about offering genuine care and the highest levels of service, enhancing procedures to protect both Le Boat guests and employees, while also ensuring that they feel safe and reassured.
“Within this new environment, our goal is to provide guests and employees with confidence and reassurance that their health and safety is, and always has been, our number one priority. However, as the world opens for business again, it is imperative for us to further enhance the standards of hygiene and operational excellence we offer,” said Cheryl Brown, Managing Director of Le Boat.
To meet the new health and safety challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, a thorough assessment of all customer points of contact during a Le Boat holiday has been completed and the company has identified key opportunities to enhance health and safety measures.
Le Boat COVID Safety Charter
1. Le Boat has streamlined the check-in process by supplying key pre-departure information to customers digitally, and introducing safety briefings and compulsory safety videos in advance. Any payments to be taken will also be done in advance.
2. An enhanced system has been introduced for robust cleaning and sanitising of all Le Boat bases, including receptions and high-traffic areas with the necessary PPE, and hand sanitiser is available to all customers at each base.
3. Boats will be deep cleaned and sanitised using disinfectant spray on all surfaces that is proven to kill COVID-19. Additional soap will be provided for customers on all boats, and all laundry will be washed at high temperatures being handled only by staff wearing PPE.
4. Allocated arrival slots and social distancing rules will apply for all Le Boat customers and staff in bases. Clear signage will provide guidance, screens at reception will provide reassurance, and all staff will be wearing PPE for extra safety throughout the check-in and checkout process.
5. With the aim of minimizing physical contact and promoting safety and hygiene during the checkout process, Le Boat customers will be responsible to bag any personal garbage, strip bedding on boats and only one person per customer party will be required to report to checkout.
6. Le Boat will actively be discouraging anyone with symptoms from travelling, but will make it possible for customers to reschedule their holiday if affected by using their ‘Go Boating With Confidence’ flexible booking policy.
“As a business, we want to ensure that our customers can enjoy total peace of mind while on a Le Boat holiday. Our holidays are an opportunity for customers to reconnect with their loved ones and friends following what has been a very difficult time for the entire world,” said Brown. “We recognized that we needed to evolve our current operations to make sure that we have taken every precaution to afford our customers an even safer and healthier holiday experience with us.”
Find out more at www.leboat.ca and www.leboat.ca/fr
