At Royal Resorts, the safety and wellbeing of our members and guests and of our employees and their families is our highest priority. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 or coronavirus a global pandemic. We are following the situation closely and monitoring the latest updates and recommendations from the WHO, CDC and the Mexican Ministry of Health. Given the situation, we understand that you may have some concerns about travel at this time. We would like to share information with you about the Mexican Caribbean and some of the additional measures we are taking at our resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya to reinforce our strict hygiene and cleaning protocols.

The situation in Mexico

There are currently 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Mexico. None of the cases are in the State of Quintana Roo, the Mexican Caribbean.

Mexico is following international standards and recommendations for the prevention, detection and treatment of coronavirus. Medical workers have been receiving additional training in coronavirus testing procedures, rapid detection protocols and patient care. An awareness campaign has also been launched to give the public and visitors to the country information on coronavirus and the hygiene measures they can take.

In addition to the extra checks and hygiene protocols that international airlines may now be implementing, the Mexican authorities have announced that they are stepping up screening at the country’s airports, ports and cruise ship terminals, including those in the state of Quintana Roo, such as Cancun and Cozumel.

Safe to travel to the Mexican Caribbean

Unless you have an underlying health condition that may put you at risk, there is no reason to change your travel plans to the Mexican Caribbean and the area continues to welcome visitors to its famous tourist destinations. No foreign governments, including the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, have issued travel warnings advising against visiting the Mexican Caribbean.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have given Mexico a Travel Health Notice Yellow-Level 2, as they have for many countries, which recommends exercising special precautions for high-risk travelers (those with serious medical conditions or older adults). There are no alerts from the CDC recommending changing travel plans to the Mexican Caribbean.

Additional hygiene measures at Royal Resorts

Royal Resorts follows the highest hygiene and cleanliness standards in its daily cleaning regime for rooms, guest areas, offices and back of house service areas. However, as a precaution, we are taking additional measures to reinforce our normal protocols.

• Public areas with lots of guest movement and surfaces that are frequently touched such as door handles, elevator buttons, railings and counters are being cleaned more regularly during the day with high-grade disinfectant.
• Hand sanitizer gel is already available in all guest and staff bathrooms at Royal Resorts and we have added more dispensers in restaurants, bars, at the front desk and in other guest areas.
• Sports gear, yoga mats and fitness machines are cleaned with disinfectant before and after use and sanitizer wipes are now available for guests if they wish to give them an additional wipe down.
• In addition to cleaning procedures, we have also been sharing information with staff about coronavirus and the preventive measures they should take in the workplace, at home and in the community.
• Guests can also find reminders of hygiene measures to follow on our website and at their resort.
• In the event that a guest begins to feel unwell they can get their temperature checked at no charge by a doctor at the resort first aid station. In the event that further medical attention is required, Guest Services staff are on call to offer assistance.

What can you do to protect yourself from coronavirus?

The World Health Organization recommends these hygiene measures at home and when traveling.

• Wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after washing your hands. Dry your hands thoroughly by using paper towels or a warm air dryer.
• Keep a distance of at least 1 meter or 3 feet distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Your hands can pick up viruses on surfaces that you touch and when you rub your mouth or eyes they can enter your body.
• If you cough or sneeze cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow. If you use a tissue dispose of it immediately and wash your hands.
• If you choose to wear a face mask make sure it covers your mouth and nose and avoid touching it when it is on. Single use masks must be discarded after each use and you should wash your hands after removing them.
• Avoid shaking hands, hugging or kissing.
• Keep surfaces you touch frequently clean with disinfectant and sanitizers.
• Stay at home if you feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as a headache or runny nose.
• If you have a fever, cough or breathing difficulties seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the indications issued by medical workers. Share your medical history with health care providers.
• Avoid traveling if you feel sick.
• Consume well-cooked food and drink plenty of water.

Royal Resorts will keep guests updated as it receives further news from the Mexican authorities. Click here to read issued by the Quintana Roo State Government.

The Quintana Roo State Government also has a Health helpline staffed by multilingual personnel that visitors can call if they begin to have symptoms or think that they may have been exposed to coronavirus, 800-2774780

Further information

For up to date information on the global situation and recommendations, we recommend that you consult these sources.

World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Newspapers like the New York Times and The Guardian have live blogs and interactive maps and Fodors.com also has a useful section on coronavirus.

Linda and Bradley Bird, members at The Royal Sands, were the latest winners of the monthly raffle for members attending Marketing events such as the Orientation Briefing, First to Know Meeting, Taco Party or the Welcome Party. 

All members who go to the social events organized by the Marketing department during their vacation are eligible to participate in a monthly draw. The prize is a one-week stay for two in a room at The Royal Haciendas. The names of the lucky winners will be published in Members News each month.

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Bird, the January winners

The Solidaridad Municipal Government announced an increase in the Municipal Environmental Fee charged to all hotel and resort guests in the Riviera Maya and Playa del Carmen, including The Royal Haciendas. Starting January 1, 2020, the fees are as follows:

 

Room/One-bedroom Suite        $25.34 pesos per night

Two-bedroom Villa            $50.68 pesos per night

This fee is in Mexican pesos and is not covered by the Member Club Service Fee or by Refine All-Inclusive or European Plan room rates.

 

What is the municipal Environmental Sanitation Fee used for?

The proceeds from the municipal green fee charged to all hotel and resort guests in the Riviera Maya are used to contribute to environmental protection and sanitation initiatives such as:

 

• Beach cleaning, conservation and upkeep
• Implementation of an integral Waste Management program in urban areas
• Elimination of open-air garbage dumps
• Reduction of carbon emissions by installing LED lighting systems in public areas
• Other programs geared towards making the Riviera Maya a sustainable destination

 

No change in the Cancun Municipal Environmental Fee

The Municipal Environmental Fees charged to hotel and resort guests in Cancun remain at $25.35 pesos per night for the Room/One-bedroom Suite and $50.70 pesos per night for the Two-bedroom Villa.

It is Royal Resorts policy to alert members of possible scams attempted by companies or individuals operating online. On this occasion we would like to share recent reports received from Royal Resorts members and Grand Residences owners about several companies that have called or emailed them about with offers to buy their units.

The companies in question are Network Real Estate, Atlantic Reality, New York Escrow Services, Black Diamond, Reality Alliance, The Brokerage Group and 123propertyserviceslic.  Atlantic Reality and Reality Alliance operate out of Boston. The Brokerage Group, Network Real Estate, Black Diamond Group and New York Escrow Services have New York addresses.

Royal Resorts has no business relationship with any of the aforementioned companies or their representatives. An investigation is underway and the Legal department has contacted them with a cease and desist notice.

We recommend that you do not engage with these companies or their representatives. Do not submit the membership information requested, and above all, never send money if they mention a processing fee.

When such companies contact you via email or phone to offer unsolicited broker, resale, exchange or rental services and ask for cash in advance to cover “administrative fees”, “processing fees,” “guarantees” or “deposits” it is generally a good indication that they may not be genuine and if you pay it is very possible that you will not hear from them again.

Protecting your personal information

Royal Resorts has a rigorous privacy policy and is in full compliance with privacy laws. Our members’ personal information is confidential and we do everything possible to protect it. We do not sell and have never sold personal information to third parties.

Always follow these steps if you receive a suspicious email or phone call:

• Check the source of the email if the company or individual claims to be associated with Royal Resorts. All Royal Resorts communications are sent from an official royalresorts.com email address, if this is not the case, then the email is not from Royal Resorts.
• Disregard the email or phone call if money is requested in advance for resale or other timeshare-related services.
• Do not supply personal data or the contact details of friends if referrals are requested.
• Do an online background check on the company to see if it is legitimate.
• Ask Royal Resorts if you are in any doubt, we are here to help you.
• Above all, do not send any money.

Cyber crime is on the rise and as we see in news reports, hackers target credit card companies, banks, chain stores, healthcare records and even political parties. Take care when using the Internet. We recommend that you avoid disclosing your personal information on forums, blogs and other open media venues and participation in online referral schemes that ask you to send the names and details of friends. When you provide your contact information to others in order to rent, sell or lend your unit please ensure that it will be protected.