Samujana, a secluded luxury villa estate based on the Thai island of Koh Samui, is among the earliest hospitality businesses to successfully respond to the challenges of travelling during the COVID-19 era, and the property provides a blueprint of what is to come for hoteliers all around the world.

Koh Samui Airport has resumed flights from 15 May, and Bangkok Airways in conjunction with the airport, have put in place efficient precautionary measures to ensure a safe, and a relatively seamless travel experience. These measures combined with the property’s commitment to cleanliness, make it and Koh Samui, the perfect place for a villa vacation.

Commitment to cleanliness

Samujana checks the temperature of all staff, and guests checking in or entering the resort. It provides masks and hand sanitiser for self-service use for all our guests (including in all villas and in the private villa common areas). Masks are mandatory for employees, and the staff also wear gloves when servicing the villas. The hotel has appointed for a new health and hygiene manager role, responsible for the implementation of and ongoing execution of its cleanliness commitment.

Social Distancing

The hotel is now enforcing stricter policies that include a contactless service by utilising Portier Phones, the property’s guests have always benefited from the notion of ‘so far but yet so close’ via Portier Technologies’ ability to boost contactless service. In that sense, guests can always stay in touch with their villa hosts, and can call them, chat with them and request help or access to on-site services from a single place. This ensures a strong connection between staff and guests, without the need for physical proximity.

By deploying Portier Phones as a single interaction point, the staff now have significantly fewer surfaces to keep clean, and gone are the days of having to go through a compendium page-by-page, especially considering that paper is among the most prone objects when it comes to corona-virus related germs.

Education

Via the Portier Platform, the resort is fully digital, and given the guests’ preference to carry the Portier Phones off-property, staff now explore the island ‘together’ with the guests. In that respect, guests get access to content on corona-virus related topics, always prominently placed on their personalised Portier Phone.

Guest engagement

With the Portier Platform at hand, it is actually promoting more guest engagement than ever before – the difference? No touch. While the physical distance between guests and staff has increased, Portier Technologies and Samujana staff have worked hand-in-hand, in order to promote digital proximity.

With this in mind, the property is able to promote on-site services and ultimately deliver a more comprehensive guest experience, without making guests uncomfortable by asking them to interact in person.