To our beloved Guests and Partners,
 
COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on our communities and has altered our way of life as we know it. Our business, like many others, has been dramatically impacted by this pandemic with family, friends, and colleagues all being affected. But a powerful spirit of hope and resilience has emerged, and we are confident that together we will come out of this stronger and more united. As we all adjust to this new normal, our thoughts are with you and your families and we hope you're staying safe and healthy.
 
Safety has always been a top priority for Aramark and the NCED Conference Center and Hotel. As such, the social distancing and cleaning procedures that have become a way of life for all of us are now staples of the way we run our operation. While we prepare to welcome you back, we have been using our time and resources to make changes, with you in mind. This includes everything from re-engineering our food & beverage delivery, implementing new cleanliness standards, setting expectations of appropriate distancing during events, increasing virtual conferencing options, and much more throughout our facility. You can be confident; we will be ready when you are.
 
Below are some of the steps we’ve embraced outlining a path forward to enable a safe and resilient reopening based on the guidelines supported by federal and local health recommendations and by the public health authorities of the State of Oklahoma. The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to raise our demanding standards to an even higher level with new protocols to address the current circumstances. The measures described below outline baseline practices and procedures at the NCED Conference Center and Hotel meant to protect employees and guests. We have put into place a multi-phased opening approach (all phases will follow the Oklahoma State mandates) designed to meet the health and safety challenges presented by COVID-19. We know hospitality and social interaction remain important and it’s our goal to ensure we’re providing the highest level of sanitation and safety protocols when locations do reopen and visitors access our various operations. Following is an overview of the key components of the NCED Conference Center and Hotel’s Commitment to Cleanliness and social distancing to ensure your safety:
 
Commitment to Cleanliness
We have enacted substantial cleaning and sanitizing procedures for our entire campus. Our staff diligently sanitizes our public areas with high grade disinfectants multiple times per day.  In the coming months, we plan to roll out sophisticated, enhanced cleaning technologies at our properties, including electrostatic sprayers and the highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization

• As occupancy allows, assign guests to a predetermined rotating inventory of cleaned and sanitized rooms and avoid double occupancy during phase 1 of reopening
• Hotel protocols are in place to respond to unwell guests. Once identified, room will be monitored and follow stricter rules regarding use and disposal of PPE
• All staff to use proper PPE and follow appropriate disposal of used PPE
• Each guest will be supplied with two prepackaged alcohol wipes packages, sealed coffee, tea and condiments at check in
• Any loose paper and pens will be removed from guest rooms and meeting spaces
• Suspend daily housekeeping service once a guest has checked in, thereby reducing of any outside contamination.

 
Food and Beverage
We are constantly monitoring the current environment to get back to a more normal service program. In the meantime, we are also working on streamlining the food process to be easy to pick up and go for those who prefer not to congregate in the 3 Squares Eatery or GP405 Gastro Pub

• All foods will be pre-packaged in the back of the house
• Plexiglass environmental shields will be installed at all serveries, hostess stand and stations where guests pick up food
• Scheduled times for all groups and classes to eat to manage flow
• Adjusted seating plan in 3 Squares Eatery to promote social distancing with additional satellite seating available in meeting spaces, GP 405 and outside courtyards
• Thoroughly wiping/sanitizing after each seating
• Alternate staff to clear tables and to reset tables
• Soda fountains will be placed out of use and all soda and juice will be provided as individual bottles or cans
• Service staff to pour coffee for guests
• Placement of Social Distancing stickers on the floor in 3 Squares

Hotel Check-in Process

• Implement contactless or minimal contact check-in and check-out protocols; Encourage pre-made keys and pre-payments (credit cards/debit cards)
• Accommodate Express Checkout – guests call the front desk to check out at the end of their stay. No paper folios, all will be emailed
• Accommodate Late Checkout (to the best of our ability) – guests stay in their room until ready to depart to avoid gathering in Lobby area
• All guest keys will be placed in cleaning solution, wiped down with disinfectant wipes OR disinfected with “blue cleaning”
• Placement of Social Distancing stickers on the floor leading to the front desk
• Employees to wash hands and/or utilize sanitizer after accepting items from guest (i.e. ID, cash, credit card, key card)

 
Meetings and Social Distancing
When guests check into our hotel over the next few months, they will notice a number of additions to our cleaning regiment as well as modifications to associate-guest protocols developed to be consistent with recommended social distancing guidelines

• Frequent and more visible cleaning (i.e. chair levers, tables, door handles)
• Meeting room doors propped open at start of the day
• Offer video teleconferencing to limit number of people per conference room
• Remove pads, pens and candy dishes. Available only upon request
• Additional cleaning supplies and procedures for meeting space
• Alternative floor plans that follow safe social distancing standards
• Disinfect frequently used AV equipment after each use
• Spread groups as much as possible throughout buildings

General Safety on Campus

• Recreational Spaces: Ultimate Fitness Center will remain closed until Phase 2, sports courts and pool will remain closed until Phase 3
• Precautions taken in acceptance and storage of packages

 
Aramark and our leadership team are also working diligently with federal and state officials to ensure the protection of our industry, our clients, and our employees under the CARES Act and are taking steps to impact future legislation. The measures we’re taking on cleanliness and new hospitality norms are as much about the health and safety of employees as they are about our guests. If we’ve learned anything during this pandemic, it is that we are all in this together. By taking care of employees and following these new protocols, we will be collectively taking care of our guests and the global community.
We are all facing an historic battle and most days it is simply about rolling up our sleeves to fight each new challenge. There are countless moments of humanity and resilience – We see them in how our hotel teams and individual associates are responding to the crisis around them.

We don’t know when the COVID-19 pandemic will be over or when our lives will return to some sort of normalcy. But we want our guests and our employees to know that when the time comes to meet and travel once again, we will be ready to welcome you back to a safe and clean hotel environment.
The NCED team is here to support our guests, clients, and community. We understand the role and responsibility of our operation and stand ready to assist you as we all come together to get safely to the other side.

Until that time, please stay safe and healthy.
NCED Conference Center and Hotel Management
 
Your NCED Family