Spurn Bird Observatory Accommodation Update - early September 2020

General notes about the Observatory going forward this autumn;

• The Observatory building and facilities are still strictly off limits to all those who are not staying at the Observatory - please do not call in for a cup of tea, drop off notes etc. There are no toilet facilities or parking on site for visitors (nearest public toilets are at the Bluebell car park). Any news on recent sightings in the area can be found through @spurnbirdobs on Twitter.
• There will be no communal log, please send all notes on birds/wildlife seen to Paul our warden pcnfa@hotmail.com preferably on the same evening of the sightings. Do not drop your notes off at the Observatory in person, please send an email.

 

Up to now we have only been bookings on an ‘exclusive only’ basis i.e. one household occupying the whole Observatory, but from this Monday 14th September we are opening the Observatory building accommodation for ‘bubble bookings’. This means that each room can be booked by one household/bubble. We have also put in place widespread COVID-safe protocols for the accommodation, as detailed below. Please read this carefully before getting in touch to book in at the Observatory and refer to the https://www.gov.uk/ website for further clarification. We look forward to welcoming you as safely as possible to stay at the Observatory this autumn.

 

If you already have a booking at the Observatory this autumn, we will be emailing you shortly. If you haven’t already received an email, please bear with us on this. If you haven’t heard from us in the next few days, please email an enquiry to accommodation.spurnbirdobs@hotmail.com

 

• Each room will be booked by a single ‘bubble booking’ (same household or support bubble as defined by the government).
• Each ‘bubble booking’ will have to check out by 11:00 on the day of departure and arrival check-in will only be allowed after 15:00 to allow for each room to be cleaned thoroughly.
• The main boot room door will be the entrance and the ‘front’ door will be the exit for the whole building.  
• No personal items can be left in the boot room/common room/bathrooms.
• The library is not to be used.
• There will be no bedding/towels provided in the downstairs room.
• There will be no pillows provided in upstairs room, only a mattress cover.
• There will be no hand towels in the bathroom (replaced with paper towel).
• Guests are asked to wear a facemask in communal areas.
• Please stick to social distance rules with other guests staying at the Observatory.
• We have lots of signage around the Observatory, please pay attention to these and stick to the guidelines.
• Each ‘bubble booking’/room will have a separate 30-minute, slot three times a day, to access the kitchen.
• We ask that you pay for your stay using our card machine with contactless payments encouraged.
• There will be increased cleaning at the Observatory, as well as cleaning product available for use by guests staying at the Observatory.

 

NHS Test and Trace

There is a higher risk of transmitting COVID‑19 in premises where customers and visitors spend more time together in one place and potentially come into close contact with other people outside their household.

We have registered with Sprout track and trace facility and generated a QR code to register the details of customers at the Observatory.

To manage this risk, the Observatory will collect details using the NHS app and maintain records of staff and customers.

 

To reflect this new booking system we have new rates for the Observatory accommodation.

 

Downstairs room (Double bed and single bed, no bedding or towels provided, lock on door) ‘Little’

Friends of Spurn rate

Single occupancy £27 a night

Two guests £39 per night

 

Non-member rate

Single occupancy £37 a night

Two guests £48 per night

 

Upstairs three-bed room (three single beds) ‘Pallid’

Friends of Spurn rate

One-two guests £36 a night

Three guests £54 per night

 

Non-member rate

One-two guests £44 a night

Three guests £66 per night

 

Upstairs four-bed room (two single beds, one bunk bed) ‘Alpine’ / ‘Pacific’

Friends of Spurn rate

One-three guests £54 a night

Four guests £72 per night

 

Non-member rate

One-three guests £66 a night

Four guests £88 per night

 

For a booking with a combination of members of Friends of Spurn and non-members, then above the minimum rate for each room a Friend of Spurn pays £18 a night and a non-member pays £22 a night e.g. 3 people for an upstairs room, of which 2 are members (£18 PPPN) and one that isn't (£22 PPPN), in a 'bubble booking', will pay £58 for the room.

 

If you would like to enquire about making a ‘bubble booking’ please send an email to Jonnie on accommodation.spurnbirdobs@hotmail.com

We are constantly monitoring the situation and keeping up to date with the government’s latest guidelines. We will inform all of our friends and supporters of any changes to the accommodation available at Spurn Bird Observatory.

Thank you for your patience during this time and for all the support shown by the birding community and beyond.