DOT releases hotel staycation guidelines for NCR

Say hey to staycations anew.

This, after the Department of Tourism (DOT) released the general community quarantine (GCQ) guidelines for all DOT star-rated hotels situated in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Hotel establishments under class 4 and 5 stars may email their Letter of Intent (LOI) to take part in the staycation program at [email protected], which the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Against COVID-19 and the DOT will then approve, DOT-NCR Regional Director Woodrow C. Maquiling, Jr. said.

“Thereafter, the Department will physically inspect the property and once found to be in order, a Certificate of Authority to Operate for Staycation (CAOS) will be issued,” Maquiling explained in the memo.

Last Tuesday, according to the government-owned Philippine News Agency, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has signed an administrative order that “allows ‘staycations’ for persons of all ages, except those with underlying medical conditions, within areas under (GCQ).” This is with the condition that they secure a DOT Certificate of Authority to Operate for Staycations, follow guest management protocols along with other health and safety guidelines, and put up "staycation packages that are appropriate for the present market demands and conditions," she added added. Accommodation establishments, the tourism chief stressed, will be monitored on a regular basis.

The number of guests allowed in one room depends on its floor area, as indicated in the order. One to two people from the same household may stay in 20-sqm and 21 to 29-sqm rooms, while three people may occupy a 30 to 39 sqm room. For 40 to 49 sqm rooms, four people may be accommodated. Five people may stay in a room that measures 50 sqm and above.

Staycation guests, for their part, need to get a rapid antigen test and present a negative result on the same day of check-in.

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