Countries are increasingly demanding proof of a negative Covid-19 test for international arrivals. To make your life easier (and less expensive), some hotels are teaming up with biotech companies to offer packages which include a test. Here, we round up the offers available at properties around the world.
Accor
Where?
The hospitality group has partnered with health tech company x.labs to offer Covid-19 testing at all Accor-managed properties in the US and Canada.
How does it work?
Guests can purchase Precheck PCR testing kits directly from x.labs for at-home testing prior to travelling through a specific co-branded Accor and x.labs website. The kits comprise an in-app wellness and symptom survey, a Bluetooth smart thermometer and FDA-authorised Covid-19 self-collection PCR test, with results available within 24-48 hours.
How much does it cost?
Through the aforementioned website, the testing kits are free of charge for US residents “through insurance providers and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Health Care Enhancement Act, and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.”
Arora Group
Where?
The Arora Group is offering Covid-19 tests to guests staying at the Sofitel London Heathrow at Terminal 5, and plans to roll this out to its other airport hotels. The package is also available at the Sofitel London Gatwick Hotel.
How does it work?
The ‘Test and Rest’ package includes an overnight stay, breakfast, and a self-administered PCR Covid-19 test. The group has partnered with Halo to provide the testing system. Guests will be asked to download the Halo app on arrival and scan their test kit before spitting into a tube and returning it to the kit. The sample will then be sent to Halo’s lab at Imperial College, London, with results and a certificate provided on the app the following morning.
Provided they do not test positive, guests will then be able to immediately fly to destinations that accept the test. The group states that it “cannot guarantee certification will be accepted by every border authority in every state” as it is a self-administered saliva test.
How much does it cost?
The package at the Sofitel London Heathrow property starts at £179 per room, inclusive of VAT, accommodation and one test (weekend room-only rate – £199 mid-week) – additional tests can be added to the package at £60 inclusive of VAT per person.
It starts at £149 at Sofitel London Gatwick.
See further details here.
Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
How does it work?
The hotel is doing something slightly different to the other listed hotels, reimbursing Covid-19 test costs for guests staying five nights or more until April 30, 2021. The resort is allowing guests to claim back the cost of their mandatory departure PCR test (for travel to Dubai) with credit that can be redeemed in the resort. To qualify, guests will have to present proof of purchase of their departure PCR test from any registered private clinic, medical centre or private hospital upon check-in to the hotel.
The resort is also offering in-house PCR test services “at a preferred price” for guests who are required to present a test upon departure from Dubai to their destination.
How much does it cost?
The resort will reimburse the full cost of the tests for two guests up to AED 700 each (approximately £145). The credit can be redeemed on food and beverages, spa treatments, or marine and waterpark experiences. Note that free tests taken in the country of origin do not qualify for the in-resort credit. Guests have to show proof of a valid payment invoice to claim the credit.
See further details here.
Hyatt
Where?
Hyatt has announced that it will offer complimentary Covid-19 tests at 19 resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean and South America through May 31, 2021 for guests travelling to the US.
How does it work?
The hotel group will offer on-site testing at 19 participating resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean and South America through May 31, 2021 for two registered guests per room per stay.
The type of test (rapid antigen or RT-PCR) and minimum length of stay requirements vary by property. The testing offer is not valid for guests travelling to any location other than the US.
Hyatt hotels and resorts across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America are also extending a Travel Delay Rate to guests who cannot complete their travel due to a delay in testing or a positive test result prior to their return flight.
How much does it cost?
It’s free!
Iberostar
Where?
The hotel group is offering the ‘Travel at Ease’ service in hotels in America, Europe and North Africa for stays until August 2021.
How does it work?
The hotel group’s ‘Travel at Ease’ service includes PCR test for guests who show symptoms, and a promise to extend the stay for those with positive cases and their families. If the guest is travelling alone with children, the hotel will offer a solitary rate to another adult to accompany the family.
Guests will also receive constant medical monitoring, contactless room service, and in-room entertainment and games during the quarantine period. The hotel group is also offering full refunds in the case of an early departure.
How much does it cost?
It’s free! If the guest is travelling alone with children, the hotel will offer a solitary rate to another adult to accompany the family.
See further details here.
Melia Hotels International
Where?
Melia Hotels International is offering Covid-19 antigen tests to guests staying at its hotels in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The group will offer the service to guests that are required to present results prior to entering their country of residence.
Participating hotels include Paradisus Playa Del Carmen, Paradisus Cancun, Paradisus Los Cabos, ME Cabo, Melia Cozumel, Melia Puerto Vallarta The Grand Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real, Paradisus Palma Real, Melia Caribe Beach Resort and Melia Punta Cana Beach Resort.
How does it work?
Guests will be able to book the test at check-in, and tests will be required to take place 72 hours before departure so that results are available on the day of return. Should guests require a PCR test instead of an antigen test, the resort states that it will arrange logistics and schedule with local testing sites.
How much does it cost?
It’s free, and the hotel group is also providing free-of-charge health insurance to cover expenses of guests that receive a positive test result.
See further details here.
Rocco Forte Hotels
Where?
The hotel group has partnered with Blue Horizon to offer pre-departure testing in the UK for guests staying at its hotels in Italy.
Testing is also available on arrival at Verdura Resort in Sicily, and Hotel de la Ville and Hotel de Russie in Rome, with results available within 48 hours.
How does it work?
The ‘Fit To Travel’ service is entirely bookable online, and Blue Horizon will arrange for self-test kits to be couriered to and from people’s homes. The courier will then deliver the sample to the laboratory and a test certificate will be sent directly to the customer’s email address in the form of a PDF attachment within 72 hours of travel.
How much does it cost?
Travellers from the UK who have booked a stay at one of the group’s hotels will receive an exclusive discount code, meaning they will only have to pay £129 for a test (rather than £169).
See further details here.
Room Mate Hotels
Where?
The group is offering free Covid-19 antigen tests to guests staying at four of its hotels in Spain: Room Mate Oscar in Madrid; Room Mate Anna in Barcelona; Room Mate Valeria in Malaga; and Room Mate Leo in Granada. The group plans to roll this out to all hotels in the chain.
How does it work?
The hotel has partnered with health company Quironprevention to carry out antigen rapid tests on guests during check-in, with results available within approximately 15 minutes. A professional nurse performs the test every day from 1300-2200 (including weekends and holidays) in areas reserved for testing, and guests can take a test once every three nights during their stay.
Guests can also be tested at Quiron centres if these timings do not suit. If the test comes back positive, the guest will be offered a room for their isolation at the best available rate.
How much does it cost?
It’s free!
See further details here.
Rosewood Baha Mar, Bahamas
How does it work?
The hotel is reopening in March with a complimentary on-site Covid-19 testing facility for guests. The resort will offer free Covid-19 antigen tests, and (when required) RT-PCR testing. As it stands, antigen tests are required on arrival and after five days in The Bahamas, with results available within 30 minutes for guests. Guests will also be able to get a PCR test in advance of their return home, should they require one.
If a guest tests positive for Covid-19 during their stay, the resort will provide complimentary suite accommodation and a daily dining credit of $150 per person for 14 days of quarantine or until the guest receives a negative test result.
How much does it cost?
It’s free!
See further details here.
Sofitel London St James
How does it work?
The hotel has partnered with biotech firm Halo to provide self-administered RT-qPCR saliva test kits to its guests. Guests must download the Halo app when they check in and conduct the test upon arrival at the hotel. The sample is then couriered to a lab at Imperial College in London for processing overnight, with results and a supporting travel certificate appearing in the app within 24 hours.
The ‘Test and Rest’ package will be available to guests booking an overnight stay, and is described as beneficial for international travellers “for easy and convenient onward travel”.
The hotel has also created a Covid-19 testing hub for local businesses and members of the general public who live or work nearby, providing Halo’s PCR and LAMP saliva-based testing in-person or via door-to-door delivery. The hotel states that the LAMP tests “are especially useful for businesses who need fast, accurate tests for employees in the office, or for organisations that need to test employees before they travel or for one-off events”.
How much does it cost?
The Test and Rest package starts from £364.
The individual tests start from £49.99, with PCR results available within 24 hours and LAMP within 90 minutes.
See further details here.
The Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport
How does it work?
The hotel has partnered with Vida Care to perform PCR tests for passengers travelling through the airport, with results available within 24 hours (36 hours on weekends). The ‘Test, Rest and Fly’ package includes an overnight stay, breakfast and a PCR test taken on the grounds of Carlton Dublin Airport.
How much does it cost?
The package costs €249 per person.
See further details here.
Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
How does it work?
The Dubai hotel has partnered with Burjeel Hospital to offer guests Covid-19 tests. Trained medical professionals will conduct the test in the guest’s hotel room at a pre-arranged time, with results available in less than 24 hours.
How much does it cost?
The test costs AED 250 (approximately £52).
See further details here.
