Anantara and Avani Flagship Hotels Get Ready for Thailand Reopening with SHA Plus Certification

The Anantara and Avani hotel group’s flagship Bangkok hotels – Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, and Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel – announce receiving the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Plus (SHA+) Certificate from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The certifications put the hotels on the Thai government-approved list of accommodation establishments where Test & Go visitors from 46 countries and territories must reside for at least one night upon arriving in Thailand by air from 1 November 2021, and fully vaccinated travellers from other countries must reside for seven nights.

The certification is aimed at reassuring visitors that an accommodation establishment has taken steps to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus intensely and guarantees that more than 70 percent of employees have been fully vaccinated to service customers.

In addition to meeting all the requirements to become a SHA Plus-certified hotel, all three the hotels have also completed a concerted effort to fully vaccinate all their employees and have reinforced health and hygiene measures under the Anantara group’s “Stay with Peace of Mind” programme and the Avani group’s “AvaniSHIELD” programme. A dedicated ‘Guest Guardian’ at the hotels is responsible for overseeing health and safety standards by ensuring a series of rigid brand health and safety guidelines are always met and surpassed. The primary initiatives were driven by the adoption of new technology, such as digital check-in and check-out; digital concierge services; UVC lights; and HEPA-grade air purifiers, all in compliance with the guidelines issued by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Anantara Siam is also among the first hotels in the world to become Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® with Forbes Travel Guide. The comprehensive facility verification helps ensure that guests and travel planners can book with confidence at properties that have appropriate health safety procedures in place. Developed by Forbes Travel Guide, the global authority on genuine Five-Star service, and digital health industry leader Sharecare, the comprehensive verification covers more than 360 standards across health and hygiene protocols; cleaning products and procedures; ventilation; physical distancing; the guest experience; and health safety communication with guests and employees. Hotels are required to verify their health protocols on an ongoing basis to ensure continued compliance with the most up-to-date global health standards.

Commenting on the flagship hotels’ successful SHA Plus certifications, Mr Mark O’Sullivan, Anantara and Avani’s Bangkok Area General Manager, said that it is a crucial final step to put all the necessary life, health, and safety protocols in place as Thailand’s hospitality and tourism industry readies to welcome international travellers back. “We are now more confident than ever in our commitment to the paramount importance of the safety and security of our guests and colleagues”, he said.