Guest health for luxury hotels

What a hotel owes the guests in its care

In England and Wales, an occupier owes every visitor the common duty of care, a duty to take such care as is reasonable to see that the visitor will be reasonably safe in using the premises for the purposes they are there [1].

The law sets a minimum, and guests at the top of the market judge a hotel on what happens when they are unwell at two in the morning, and a calm, fast and private answer is what they remember and tell others about.

What travellers most often fall ill with

Most illness on a trip is ordinary and uncomfortable. Acute diarrhoea is the most common illness among travellers to lower income regions, and better hygiene has reduced the risk for a two week stay from 20% or more to between 8% and 20% in some parts of the world [2].

Even so, between 12% and 46% of travellers who develop it change their travel plans [2]. Across studies, between 6% and 87% of travellers fell ill on a trip [3].

Some risks belong to buildings. Legionnaires’ disease is spread through water systems such as cooling towers, hot and cold water systems and whirlpool spas [4]. In 2023, Europe’s surveillance network received reports of 1,501 travel associated cases, and 78% of overnight stays linked to them were in hotels [5].

What a concierge desk needs, a checklist

A desk that has these in place can look after an unwell guest in minutes.

• One number and one WhatsApp that reach a doctor, day and night, for every property
• A referral that takes seconds, with the guest’s name, the room, what they need and a callback number
• A doctor in the room, with prescriptions delivered and specialists or scans arranged when needed
• A clear rule for emergencies, which is to call the local emergency number first
• A written note of the visit for the guest, and for their own doctor at home if they wish
• An invoice for the hotel that never carries a guest’s clinical details

How a referral works, from the desk to the room

The desk sends four details by the referral form or by WhatsApp, and our concierge calls the desk back straight away to confirm the room, the guest’s language and anything the doctor should know before arriving.

A doctor is then sent to the room. The visit covers an examination, a diagnosis and treatment, with any prescription delivered to the hotel, and a specialist or a scan arranged when one is needed.

Afterwards the guest receives a written note in plain words, and the hotel receives confirmation that the visit happened. If the guest flies home, their own doctor can receive the note with their consent.

Residences, and the people who look after your guests

Owners in branded residences live in the building rather than visit it, so their needs look more like a family’s than a guest’s. They can hold their own membership, with a doctor who knows them and care in every city they spend time in.

The team behind the brand travels too. Front of house, chefs, spa therapists and the leaders who run each property can hold the Team membership, so the people who look after your guests are looked after to the same standard.

Discretion, and the guest’s health information

A guest’s health information belongs to the guest. Under data protection law, information about a person’s health is special category data, which carries extra protection [6]. A hotel needs to know that a doctor attended and what it owes, and nothing more.

Discretion is also a matter of manner. The doctor arrives through the route the desk chooses, dresses as a guest might, and leaves the room as it was found.

The same standard in every city your brand is in

A guest who is looked after beautifully in London expects the same in Dubai, Paris or Tokyo. The Wellness sends a doctor to the room in 13 cities, at the fee each city page shows, and one concierge line serves every property.

The people who look after your guests can hold the same membership as a team, with inpatient, outpatient and dental care wherever they work.