DOT releases hotel staycation guidelines for NCR • PhilSTAR Life

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.

MUST READ: Advisory to all DOT-NCR Star-Rated Hotels regarding Staycation under a General Community Quarantine
Posted by Department of Tourism - Metro Manila on Sunday, September 27, 2020

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.

Banner image by Pixabay via Pexels

TAGS: department of tourism berna puyat bernadette romulo-puyat tourism chief dot

About the author

Brooke Villanueva

Deputy Editor

Brooke Villanueva is the deputy editor of PhilSTAR L!fe, covering everything lifestyle—with a focus on food and travel. Apart from her responsibilities as a lifestyle journalist, she is also taking her MBA at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. She has completed a certificate program on the fundamentals of business developed by top faculty at Harvard Business School. Follow her on Instagram at @itsbrookevillanueva.