Bruce Anchor Motel and Cottage Rentals

Our Commitment to Cleanliness

As we welcome you to Tobermory for your holiday, we want you to know we are committed to providing you with a safe environment that aligns with expert protocols for working to defeat COVID-19. By way of research and recommendations from experts such and the CDC, WHO and our local public health office, our in house JHSC (Joint Health and Safety Committee) is redefining our cleaning and safety standards. Regulations are changing, sometimes daily, and we will actively monitor and evolve our solutions to ensure a continued focus on the health and safety of our guests and staff.

Public Spaces

Starting with our public spaces and high-traffic areas, we are going above and beyond our normal protocols. We are cleaning surfaces with increased frequency, dedicated staff, and recommended cleaning agents.

Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizing stations are being installed at our front desks.  Signage will be in place to remind customers to make use of them.

Social Distancing

Signage in public spaces will remind our guests to maintain social distancing. We have also added partitions at check-in counters to provide an extra level of precaution for our guests and our staff.

Guest Rooms

In guest rooms, we have elevated our rigorous protocols to thoroughly clean all surfaces with hospital-grade disinfectants including Hydrogen Peroxide.

New Cleaning Technologies

We are investigating enhanced technologies including disinfectant sprayers to sanitize surfaces throughout the hotel. We are also testing new ways for sanitizing guest keys and devices shared by staff.

Commitment to our Environment

Hydrogen peroxide is water with an extra oxygen molecule, that breaks down into oxygen and water. Hydrogen peroxide is kinder to the environment than chlorine bleach. That’s why it’s touted as the environmentally safest alternative to chlorine-based bleaches.

Over the few weeks we are preparing to open for the season, and we want to point out a number of additions to our cleaning regimen as well as the discontinuation of some practices that are now considered unsafe due to COVID-19. Specific areas of focus include:

Surface areas:  COVID-19 has raised awareness about the importance of high-touch surface cleanliness. In public spaces and guest rooms, our company has added to its already rigorous cleaning protocols, requiring that surfaces are thoroughly treated with hospital-grade disinfectants and that this cleaning is done with increased frequency.
Guest contact:  The CDC and WHO warn about direct, person-to-person contact as the primary way COVID-19 is spread. To help alleviate the risk of transmission this way, we will be using signage at our check in counters to remind guests that only one guests is allowed/needed in office to register per room at a time to maintain social-distancing protocols We have also added partitions at front desks to provide an extra level of precaution for our guests and our staff. We are installing hand sanitizing stations at the front desk.
Drink/Food safety:  Until we can find a safe way to allow use of common areas such as our self serve coffee/tea station in the office, we will be removing it from public access. Our pavilion, with microwaves, toasters and BBQ’s, will have limited availability, be cleaned and sanitized frequently, and disinfecting wipes will be available for your use before and after you use the public space.  We understand the inconvenience, but rest assured, we are doing this with your safety in mind.  Coffee makers will still be available in guest rooms and sanitized between guests. Ice Machines will no longer be self serve. Instead, ice will be available in bags to satisfy recommended safety procedures.
We understand the uncertainty of travel during these unprecedented times, and we want to assure you that the safety for our guests and staff have always been a top priority for our company.

Our commitment to the environment

Our new line on cleaning products are from the VERT-2-GO line.  They are peroxide based cleaner, disinfectant, sanitizer, and bactericide all in one, and is a powerful product that kills non-enveloped viruses (norovirus, influenza, MRSA, VRE, etc.) in just 5 minutes. Its hydrogen peroxide formula with VOC (Volatile organic compounds are compounds that easily become vapors or gases) fragrance free, phosphate free, and the formulation sanitizes in just 30 seconds. Hydrogen peroxide is water with an extra oxygen molecule, that breaks down into oxygen and water. Hydrogen peroxide is kinder to the environment than chlorine bleach. That’s why it’s touted as the environmentally safest alternative to chlorine-based bleaches. These products are certified to meet requirements of CCD 146. This category applies to cleaners designed to perform on a variety of hard surfaces for household, institutional and/or recreational purposes, that are specifically manufactured to minimize the exposure to chemicals and allergens harmful to environmental illness sufferers and reduce the potential release of endocrine-disruptors into the environment

COVID-19 FAQs

Is COVID-19 specific training being made available to your staff?
Yes. Our JHSC (Joint Health and Safety Committee) have created training specifically on COVID-19 and related safety and sanitation protocols. We are developing role-specific training for our hotel team with frequent guest contact including Housekeeping, Public Areas, and Hotel Operations.

Have you changed work protocols or processes to safeguard associates from COVID-19?
We are committed to monitoring the latest guidance from the CDC and WHO and are updating their protocols, and developing appropriate guidelines for our motel which include everything from training on safety, sanitation and social distancing protocols to providing appropriate personal protective equipment and access to hand sanitizers while on property. In the spaces where staff work “behind the scenes,” we are increasing the frequency of cleaning and focusing on high-touch areas like staff entrances, locker rooms, laundry rooms and staff offices.

What is the JHSC?
The Joint Health and Safety Committee is composed of representatives from both management and workers.  Working as a team, it is their mission to identify and deploy scientifically supported practices and innovations for keeping hotel staff and guests safe.

What cleaning practices are you following today?
On a regular basis, our motel is working to adopt the latest guidance on hygiene and cleaning. Our motel’s health and safety measures are designed to address a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19, and include everything from hand washing hygiene and cleaning product specifications to guest room and common area cleaning procedures.

What hygiene and safety items are being used and made available to all guests?
The CDC and WHO warn about direct, person-to-person contact as the primary way COVID-19 is spread. To help alleviate the risk of transmission this way, we will be using signage to remind guests to maintain social distancing protocols and removing or re-arranging furniture to allow more space for distancing. We are also adding partitions at front desks to provide an extra level of precaution for our guests and staff and are making masks and gloves available to staff. We are installing more hand sanitizing stations in high-traffic areas, and at the front desk. A package of disinfecting wipes will also be given to guests to use in their rooms during their stay.

What motel cleaning procedures have changed as a result of the pandemic?
Our motel is working to ensure that we meet the latest guidance on daily hygiene and cleaning. Our motels’ health and safety measures are designed to address a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19, and include everything from handwashing hygiene and cleaning product specifications to guest room and common area cleaning procedures.

Guest Rooms: We continue to use cleaning and disinfecting protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to clean rooms after guests depart and before the next guest arrives, with particular attention paid to high-touch items.

We are doing an adapted maid service. We give our guests a maid service tag for each night stay when they check-in for them to fill out and hang on their door knob. There they mark what they would like to have replaced/refilled such as coffee, towels, shampoo, soap etc. Guests are given bags to put their towels in if they wish to have them replaced, and the bag is to be left just inside the door along with any garbage they wish to have collected. Our housekeepers will see the maid service tag, open the door, take out what they don’t want, and leave the items that you requested right inside your door. Our housekeepers will not actually set foot in the guests room, so they will not be making beds, etc. We know this is quite a change, however, we do this with the safety of our guests and staff in mind.
Public Spaces: We have increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting in public spaces, with a focus on the counter at the front desk, handrails, light switches, door handles, and room keys.
Back of House: In the spaces where staff work “behind the scenes,” we are increasing the frequency of cleaning and focusing on high-touch areas like staff entrances, locker rooms, laundry rooms and staff offices.
If I have any questions about the cleaning standards of the hotel I’m staying at, whom should I contact?
We encourage you to contact the motel’s general manager for specific details on the hotel’s cleaning procedures and practices.

What enhancements are being made to cleaning practices in your guest rooms?We are continuing to use cleaning and disinfecting protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to clean rooms after guests depart and before the next guest arrives, with particular attention paid to high-touch items.

Are you using any new cleaning technologies to sanitize its hotels?
We are currently researching to assess the benefits and efficiency of new technologies, such as electrostatic sprayers and ultraviolet light technology, to enhance current cleaning practices.