Hotelier John Brennan says Ireland is "very, very lucky" that other countries have begun to reopen hotels already, as hotel operators here can learn lessons from other countries before reopening their own businesses.
Mr Brennan told Down To Business that good cleaning will be the key element when hotels reopen, but that services such as valet parking will be a 'thing of the past' for the foreseeable future.
Hotels will be allowed reopen on June 29th under the current Government roadmap.
John Brennan - known for presenting At Your Service with brother Francis - told Bobby that commentary around how hotels will operate is increasing 'nervousness' in the sector.
However, he noted: “At the end of the day, this is about cleaning and keeping surfaces clean and trying to keep away from people as much as possible.
“You cannot beat good, basic cleaning - that’s what this is about. Once you put that in place, you’re OK.
“Valet parking is probably a thing of the past for the foreseeable future, because we don’t particularly want to put staff in people’s cars to park them."
One other measure he says will be introduced will be an alarm clock that goes over every 15 minutes to remind back of house staff to wash their hands - noting that most of the new measures will be "disguised from guests" wherever possible.
Mr Brennan also told Bobby that this summer is a 'great opportunity' for hotel owners here, as many people will choose to holiday in Ireland rather than travelling abroad.
He said: “We’re very, very lucky in Ireland - we are not the first to open, and we’re not the guinea pigs.
"Hong Kong, Holland, Sweden, Germany… these have all opened up, and we’re talking to those hoteliers and we’re getting the feedback from them.
“We have to live with it and get on with it - that’s what we need to do.
“We’ve only two close points with a guest - when we serve a guest food or drink we get within two metres of them, and when they’re checking in we’re two metres of them. Outside of that, we can keep our distance from guests very, very easily."
