The WestgateCARES Mission Statement

The WestgateCARES Mission Statement is to enhance the health and safety of our resorts and communities, to develop processes and procedures to aid in those efforts and to do our part to ensure the health and well-being of all our guests and Team Members as well as our entire community. Westgate’s first priority is providing the finest guest experience possible in the safest resort environment we can create.

WestgateCares Summary

WestgateCARES is our enhanced health and safety plan, developed in response to the current COVID- 19 pandemic as part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of all our guests, Team Members and the communities we work and live in. Listed below are all of our plans, procedures and protocols that outline exactly how we intend to keep our Team Members, guests and communities safe. We invite all of our partners in hospitality from hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail and more to use these procedures in their own businesses or draw inspiration from them as they help stop the spread of this virus.

WestgateCARES Detailed Program Summary

^{Last Update 06/26/20}
How We’re Keeping Shared Spaces Cleaner and Safer
Knowing our common areas are used by guests and team members alike, we augmented our cleaning processes for everyone’s safety and peace of mind. We’ve increased the cleaning and sanitizing schedule of all public spaces, with an emphasis on frequent contact surfaces, and updated procedures for interactions between guests and host staff.

In keeping with the goal of WestgateCARES to ensure the optimal environment of health and safety for all our Team Members & guests, effective May 24, 2021, Westgate Resorts no longer requires that all guests & visitors to our resorts wear face masks while outside at a Westgate property. In accordance with the revised CDC guidelines, guests who are fully vaccinated may choose to wear face coverings should they choose but will not be required to while inside our interior public spaces, restaurants & retail outlets. Guests proof of vaccination will be on the honor system. For those guests who do not have one, face masks will be provided upon their arrival to our resort or outlet. In addition to the comprehensive steps we have taken as part of WestgateCARES, Westgate will continue to lead the hospitality industry in enacting new policies and procedures to ensure resort safety.

Some examples of how we’re taking important steps to bring you the excellent experience you expect from an industry leader.

Offices, desks, counters, workspaces, and related equipment will be sanitized at least once every four hours or upon a new team member using the equipment.
No food or drinks will be permitted in work areas.
Key cards will be sanitized upon return and sanitized again prior to distribution.
Key drop will be contactless with a box for guests to return their key cards to be sanitized.
Hand sanitizer needs to be used frequently, and masks are recommended.
Gloves will be used while transferring items to guests or receiving items.
Lobby furniture will be arranged to ensure guests are maintaining physical distancing requirements.
Luggage carts, golf carts, and doorstops will be cleaned with sanitizing solution after use.
Bell Staff will wear gloves/masks when handling bags, bag tags, driving golf carts, or assisting with doors.
Door attendants will maintain social distancing and remain behind the door they operate.

Updated Housekeeping Policies Our housekeeping policies have been modified to support the health and safety of our guests and team members. Housekeeping services will be limited to essential guest needs only.

Housekeepers will not enter the unit when guests are present.
Daily housekeeping, turndown services and amenity baskets are suspended for the time being.
When delivering requested items, housekeepers will wear gloves and mask and will not be permitted to enter rooms.
For any housekeeping requests, such as a plumbing issue, guests will be requested to leave the unit and the housekeeper will sanitize your unit prior to leaving.

Augmented Room Cleaning We’ve enhanced our cleaning process to ensure that all guest rooms are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. We will have the following sanitization process continued for all touch points and surfaces:

Entries and doorways - All entry, bedroom and bathroom doors will be thoroughly sanitized.
Kitchens - All surfaces, sinks and cabinet handles will be individually sanitized.
Bathrooms - All surfaces, toilets, floors, door handles, faucets in sink and shower, including the shower head will be sanitized with a peroxide disinfectant.
Mirrors – Mirrors will be sanitized and then cleaned with glass cleaner.
Furniture - All furniture, including, but not limited to dressers, nightstands, end tables, desk, benches, lamps, remotes, etc. will be fully sanitized.
Seating – All seating, including, but not limited to sofas, loveseats, armchairs, and desk chairs will be thoroughly sanitized.
Trash Receptacles and Ice Bins - spray and wipe with Multi-Purpose Cleaner.
Linen Bins & Totes - will be removed for sanitization.

Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) Disinfectant Fogging Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) fogging is a high-impact process to disperse safe cleansers through the air to remove contaminants. While this is similar to treatments of mold & mildew, our cleaning process avoids harsh chemicals such as bleach. ULV will be used in any room suspected of potential virus contamination. Below are the steps conducted in any guest unit possibly impacted by the virus after any prior guests have completely checked out.

Once the unit has been vacated, it is immediately assigned to be fogged.
After treatment, the unit is secured for 24 hours.
After the initial 24-hour period, all terry, linen items are removed for laundering.
Central laundry facility equipment utilizes ultraviolet lighting for disinfecting during each wash cycle.
The unit is then cleaned, per established cleaning procedure utilizing company issued disinfectants and cleaners to ensure there are no areas left untreated.

Public Spaces All public spaces will be deep cleaned and continually sanitized, including back house areas and will entail the use of hospital-grade surface sanitizers and disinfectants, including germicidal wipes for routine cleaning at all touch points, including: Lobby/Entry Areas

VIP doors/handles, desks and countertops, signature capture pad, stanchion posts, elevator cabs and buttons, house phones.
Handrails, doorknobs, entry doors and exiting doors, revolving doors.
All railings, ADA access rails, exterior and interiors rails.
All Lobby/Entry points will undergo weekly Ultra-Low Volume disinfection fogging.

House Phones

All phones in unsupervised/controlled areas, will be sanitized every 4 hours.

Shuttle Buses

All shuttle buses will be fogged weekly to ensure they are disinfected.
Seat arm rests, hand bars and entry points are to be sanitized and disinfected.
Weekly fog disinfecting conducted of all shuttle bus interiors and entry points.

Pool/ Spa Areas

Water features will be closed and disinfected regularly to ensure water quality.
All pool furniture and cabanas will be deep cleaned and continually sanitized.
Fitness Center equipment will be thoroughly sanitized after every guest usage.
All pool bathrooms and spa areas, and Fitness Centers will undergo weekly ULV disinfectant fogging.

Lobby Restrooms

Lobby restrooms will be closed once every 24-hour period for a deep sanitization and have a weekly Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) disinfectant fogging.
Every touchpoint will be sanitized, including (but not limited to): Stalls, Toilet paper dispensers, Door handles and Sink areas.
Each restroom will be shut down once every 24-hour period for a deep sanitization.
Lobby restrooms will be closed weekly for Ultra-Low Volume disinfection fogging.

Sales Floors

Daily inspections of all Sales floors at each respective property.
Consistent sanitizing of all tables and chairs.
Sanitizing of all entry door knobs, handles and push bars.
Conduct counts of occupants entering each Sales floor to follow guidelines as dictated by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
The entire sales floor area will undergo weekly Ultra-Low Volume disinfection fogging.

Administrative Areas
Safety starts behind the scenes. We’re taking extra steps in our administrative areas to ensure our team members’ safety and help them carry best practices forward to you. We start with these important steps:

Daily inspection of Team Member hand washing stations to ensure that they have sufficient soap, towels, and running hot water.
Thorough deep sanitizing of all staff lockers and service rooms.
All rolling buffets and tables sanitized after each use.
All flat beds, carts, pallet jacks, forklifts are put on maintenance and cleaning schedule.
Each administrative area will undergo weekly Ultra-Low Volume disinfection fogging.

Offices

All phones, desks and surface areas are sanitized daily.
Team members are assigned to, and trained in, specific areas of responsibility.
Copiers and CAD machines thoroughly sanitized daily.

An Enhanced Check-in Process for Convenience and Safety
We’ve developed new check-in processes to ensure the safest experience possible for the health and safety of our guests and team members. Advanced technology will be used through your entire check-in process to minimize wait time. At every step, our team members will be outfitted with personal protective equipment including gloves and masks.

Advanced Check-in with the Westgate Mobile App
From the moment you book your reservation and add your reservation number to the Westgate Resorts Mobile App, you have the freedom to check-in through the App. When you arrive at the the resort, simply pull your vehicle up to the entrance and our concierge will bring your room keys and resort information directly to you. Yes, it’s that quick and convenient!

Westgate Resorts App on Apple App Store Westgate Resorts App on Google Play Westgate Resorts App on Microsoft Windows Store Drive-Thru Check-In [Where Available] For all properties where it’s possible, we will use a Drive-Thru Check-in process to minimize contact and practice social distancing. The drive-thru check-in process will include the following steps:

When you arrive, you’ll follow directional signage to a Drive Thru Check-in station, where you’ll be greeted by an agent wearing gloves and a mask during your entire interaction. (Traffic attendants will be on duty during high volume to assist in quick processing.)
The agent will use a touchless scanner to read your driver’s license.
The agent will pass you a credit card machine, which you will use to process your card for any deposits and incidental charges. You’ll also be provided a sanitizing wipe to clean your card afterward.
After sharing the outstanding balance and hold authorization, we’ll request a mobile phone number to send you text messages with your check-in status.
Guests will be then directed to a numbered parking space and receive a welcome message text, as well as their Building and Unit Number.
You’ll also receive a text message with a link to a resort map, FAQ’s, amenities, and information to help you make the most of your stay.
If your room is available, we’ll get your freshly sanitized key(s) and parking permit to you as quickly as possible.
If your room is still being prepared, a team member will let you know your anticipated wait time and notify you when your room is ready.
You’ll be notified that a Guest Services Representative will contact you via text for a virtual call to review activities and amenities.
Agent will ask if guest needs assistance with luggage. If guest accepts, luggage policies will apply.

Enhanced Check-In [In-Person]
For resorts where drive-thru check-in is impractical, we’ve developed the following enhanced check-in policy. All guests will be required to follow social distancing guidelines while at the resort.

To further assist with distancing, we request only one person from each party to wait in line or check-in at a time.
There will be at least one free terminal between agents whenever possible.
Check-in agents will have plexi-glass shield on check-in counter between the agent and guests.
Agent will require guests to show ID behind the plexi-glass and insert their own credit card into the machine.
Key(s) will be sanitized and placed in a key packet with a sanitization verification card.
Agent will handle keys and parking permits with gloves.
Agent will inform guest that a Guest Services Representative will text them to setup a virtual call to review activities and amenities with them.

Updated Bell Services and Bag Policies
The bell services policies and procedures have been modified to support the health and safety of our guests and team members. When necessary, we will make all possible accommodations for guests with special needs and situations.

The bell staff will have limited interaction with guests and their bags.
All bags will be handled with gloves only.

New Bag Storage Policy:

Guests will need to consent to bags being sprayed with disinfectant in a safe environment away from guests and other team members.
Bag tags will be placed on bags prior to spraying.
Bag tag guest copy will be laid out for the guest to take a picture of on their phone and then discarded.
Guest will be required to present the picture upon picking up their bags.
Bell Staff will not enter guest vehicle but will be permitted to reach in to grab bags.
Bell Staff will deliver luggage to and from the front entry of a guest unit but will not enter room
Room moves will require guests to pack luggage and place outside door to be placed outside the door of the new room.
Golf carts cannot be used to transport guests unless there is one row dividing driver and passengers.
Bell Staff will not enter elevators with guests or other team members.

Additional Operating Procedures

For room moves requiring luggage assistant, guests will be informed that luggage must be packed and ready to be picked up outside of the door prior to a bell staff agent arriving.

Westgate Resorts is fortunate to have some of the brightest minds in hospitality helping the company navigate this challenge. We recognize that many in our local communities do not have the same level of resources that we do and that there are thousands of small businesses in our community who may not have the know-how and resources to put together a plan that helps them successfully and safely operate their business as the country emerges from this pandemic. We also know that our guests and owners will be curious how we intend to do everything we possibly can to keep them safe during their visits with us.

In the spirit of helping our communities as well as sharing all of this information with our guests and owners, we are providing below all of our plans, procedures and protocols that outline exactly how we intend to keep our Team Members, guests and communities safe, including the procedures for our resorts, hotels, restaurants, spas, fitness centers, water parks, call centers and offices. These documents, which are available as a complimentary download below, represent hundreds of man-hours of research and intellectual capital from some of the hospitality industry’s most skilled leaders and we hope that local businesses find them a helpful resource. As you can imagine, this is a rapidly changing situation, so we will continue to refine and update these as we gain more information.

WestgateCARES Standard Operating Procedures (“SOPs”)

An Open Letter to Westgate’s Team Members, Owners & Guests & Our Communities:

First, I want to thank all of our timeshare owners and resort guests for your collective patience throughout this world pandemic crisis. We have all been thrust into an unprecedented ordeal that no amount of pre-planning could ever completely prepare us for, and we all must continue to do our part to help mitigate the spread of this virus. In doing so, all of our lives have been completely disrupted. At Westgate, we significantly scaled back operations at all 24 of our resorts and hotels, as well as closed hundreds of restaurants, retail stores, amenities and entertainment venues across the country. While we could have never imagined having to take these steps, we are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of leaders and Team Members who have risen to this challenge.

Westgate has always believed that our number one job is to help create wonderful vacation memories for our guests, but over the past few months many of us have had to put these plans aside and, in many cases, miss some of the most important milestones and celebrations of our lives. We had planned weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations and many other events that were postponed or even cancelled outright. While it may be true that we will never get that time back again, I truly believe there is a bright side to this ordeal. It is my hope for all of us that we will emerge from this with a much deeper appreciation for what is truly important in our lives – our health, and the precious time we spend with our family and closest friends.

On behalf of the entire Westgate Family of Resorts & Team Members, we want you to know that when you are ready to celebrate life again, we are fully prepared to provide you a safe and enjoyable experience. From the very beginning of this crisis, we organized a dedicated team of professionals to rapidly develop and implement comprehensive procedures to protect our resort guests and Team Members. These include advanced cleaning procedures, strict personal hygiene protocols and a long list of operating procedures necessary to mitigate the risk of this virus as much as possible. Every decision we made was based on one simple premise: do whatever it takes to protect our Team Members, guests and our local community, regardless of the impact to our business.

Over the upcoming weeks, as large portions of the country start to reopen, we are preparing to do the same. While Westgate is fortunate to have the resources to navigate this challenge, we also recognize that our local communities are only as strong as the weakest link in our chain. There are thousands of small businesses in our community who may not have the know-how and resources to put together a plan that helps them successfully and safely operate their business as the country emerges from this pandemic. Therefore, in the spirit of helping our communities, we are sharing in its entirety, all of our plans, procedures and protocols that outline exactly how we intend to keep our Team Members, guests and communities safe, including the procedures for our resorts, hotels, restaurants, spas, fitness centers, water parks, call centers and offices. These documents, which are all available to download at the bottom of this page, represent hundreds of man-hours of research and intellectual capital from some of the hospitality industry’s most skilled leaders, and we hope that local businesses find them a helpful resource. As you can imagine, this is a rapidly changing situation, so we will continue to refine and update these documents as we gain more information.

I want to thank you again for your support during this challenging time, and we look forward to serving you and your family on your next visit to one of our resorts.

Yours truly,

Mark Waltrip
Chief Operating Officer
Westgate Resorts