All guests in hotels and restaurants are obliged to provide their personal data. Usually they give their family name, first name, address, phone number, e-mail address and date of birth. The host transfers these details to an Excel list. In case of an infection of one of his guests, he has to transmit this information to the authorities within a few hours. An overall solution simplifies this process in the destination of Gstaad and guarantees full data protection.

From operators for operators
"There are many digital and analogue solutions," says Christof Huber, president of the Gstaad-Saaanenland Hoteliers Association. The offer of the Bern bar and club commission Covtr.app finally convinced the Hoteliers Association: "We chose Covtr.app because it meets the data protection requirements 100 percent". The caterer has no access to the guest data. This rules out any misuse for marketing activities. As a further argument, Huber points out that this overall solution was developed by operators for operators and is recommended by GastroBern.

Simple solution for guests ...
"The system is extremely easy to use," says hotelier Huber. Registration is electronic and takes place online. The only prerequisite is the possession of a mobile phone. The establishment can also carry out the registration for the guest. Handwritten registration remains a possibility.

For guests, registration is free of charge and unique. They can then check in at any establishment that uses Covtr.app. This is done by means of a token or QR code. Both self-check-in and check-in by the host are possible. The host can check that each table has checked in.

... and establishments
The activation fee, the landing page with the corporate identity of Gstaad Saanenland Tourism (GST) and the guest registration fee are free of charge for the establishments. The first 1000 check-ins are also free. From the 1001st check-in onwards, CHF 0.10 per registration will be charged. Previously, the hosts also had to check that the telephone numbers were correct. This is now done by the software. This reduces the administrative effort to a minimum. Covtr.app is a Swiss provider that is not profit-oriented. Another advantage is that there is no obligation to subscribe: As soon as the solution is no longer needed, no further costs are incurred.

Local support
"An overall solution and thus the comfort of the guest is a major concern for us", emphasises Huber. Therefore, the Hoteliers Association, together with the municipality of Saanen and GST, support the project. The costs for the gastronomers and hoteliers are thus reduced to a minimum.

Aim is high level of participation
A survey of hoteliers and initial reactions have shown that the interest is very high. "The BDG has agreed to use Covtr.app for their mountain lodges," Huber notes. They aim for 80 percent of the 80 or so establishments in the destination (Saanen, Lauenen, Gsteig and Zweisimmen) to use the Covtr.app solution.

The project will start on 1 October 2020 and will initially run until the end of summer 2021, when a decision will be taken on how to proceed depending on the Covid-19 situation.

Based on AvS/Blanca Burri