Staycation hotels now allowed to operate at 100% capacity, guests may forego COVID tests

It feels almost normal now with one less thing to do before you can enjoy a break away from home.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced today that staycation hotels in NCR Plus may now accept guests at 100% of the property’s capacity. Guests may now also check in without having to present a COVID-19 test result.

This is limited to accommodation establishments accredited and categorized as leisure/staycation hotels by the Department of Tourism (DOT).

There are currently 13 staycation hotels in Metro Manila with a combined total of nearly 6,000 rooms. They are authorized to accept guests from NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Cavite), which is under GCQ with heightened restrictions until May 31.

Staycation guests must only come from within the NCR Plus area, and must not be below 18 or above 65 years old.

The DOT-approved 13 staycation hotels in Metro Manila are Grand Hyatt Hotel, Okada Manila Hotel, Shangri-la at the Fort, Nobu Hotel, Joy Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila, EDSA Shangri-la Manila, Solaire Resort, Hyatt Regency and Nuwa Hotel of City of Dreams, The Peninsula Manila, Aruga by Rockwell, Sheraton Manila Hotel, and Hilton Manila.

In GCQ areas, hotels without the DOT’s certificate of authority to operate for a staycation (CAOS) can only accept guests at 30% of their capacity, subject to DOT guidelines. The guests should come from the same household. The respective LGUs under whose jurisdiction the hotels are located are tasked to monitor their compliance to minimum public health standards.

Earlier this month, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) issued Resolution No. 115-A allowing specialized markets of the DOT to open staycation programs.

Banner photo: Shangri-La Edsa Hotel