Coronavirus Toolkit

• California / Napa County

Additional Resources

• Lodging
  • Cal OSHA - Covid-19 Guidance for Hotels & Lodging
  • Covid-19 General Checklist for Hotels & Lodging Employers
• Restaurants
  • National Restaurant Association - Ready to Reopen Guide for Restaurateurs
• Wineries
  • Wine Institute - California Winery Tasting Rooms Reopening Protocols

Suggested Talking Points for Guests and Employees

It is important to manage expectations and be transparent about the modified guest experience, while continuing to provide warm hospitality.

• The California Department of Health approved Napa County to allow some businesses to reopen, including retail stores and dine-in restaurants.
• Recreation is limited to the county of residence.
• Not all businesses are open. Make and/or confirm reservations directly, as individual businesses will open on their own timeline.
• Wineries and Tasting Rooms are not currently open.
• Hotels may accept reservations for dates beginning June 1 and beyond.
• All dates are tentative and subject to change.
• Social distancing, indoor mask use, limited occupancies, and other health protocols are required by the Napa County Public Health Officer.

• Napa Valley is committed to the highest *safety standards by going above and beyond mandated requirements in order to protect the health and welfare of employees, guests, and our community while providing world-class hospitality.

  *When asked, be prepared to provide examples of newly established health & safety standards to protect the health & safety of both guests and employees. For example:

  • Sanitizer stations are located in all public spaces; and guest areas are fully sanitized with UV light sterilizers prior to each guest arrival and after each guest departure.
  • All guest contact points - including restrooms; countertops; chairs; tables; and door handles are sanitized on an on-going basis using CDS/OSHA approved cleaning supplies.
  • Employees will receive temperature checks before each shift and wear face coverings/protection at all times.
  • All guest seating will be outdoors and include appropriate social distancing practices.

Phased Approach

In-Market Phase I — Loyalists, March–May ‘#WFH Wine From Home’

We are currently transitioning into Phase II recovery messaging, preparing to launch two new campaigns in the coming days/weeks:
Phase II — Local, May–July ‘Napa Valley Spirit’
Phase II — Drive Market, June–July ‘Better With Time’

Future Phase III — California, August–December ‘Raise a Glass’

Advertising Plan - Incremental Media and Cooperative opportunities
Contact lisa@visitnapavalley.com to participate.

Business / Economic Impact

• Oxford Economics — 4/15
• Tourism Economics — 5/14

Consumer Sentiment

• ADARA - daily
• Arrivalist - daily
• Destination Analysts - 5/18
• Edelman - May
• Harris Poll - 5/10
• IPSOS - 5/13
• Longwoods - 5/12

Direct

Recent:

Travel Trade Webinars:

• Travel Connections Group - 11 domestic travel agents - gain new insight on the Napa Valley
• SmartFlyers - 28 domestic travel agents - co-hosted with a travel agent familiar with the Napa Valley to provide planning tips from an agent perspective
• Regency Travel - 13 domestic travel agents - limited Napa Valley knowledge, education session

Upcoming:

Travel Trade Webinars:

• 5/27 - Delta Vacations
• 6/10 - Overton Travel

Group Meeting Planner - Virtual Wine Tasting:

• 5/27 - Stags Leap #WFH w/12 Bay Area planners - Autodesk, Kaiser, Twitter, Netflix
  Educate meeting planners on Stags Leap wine, discuss COVID-19 protocols in Napa Valley and inquire with meeting planners about travel policies within their companies
• 6/10 - Cliff Lede - 12 planners
• Late June - Cakebread - invitation to come

Owned - Social Media

Visit Napa Valley organic social media posts have reached more than 2.9 million people since the shelter-in-place order began in mid-March. Social channels continue to enjoy a boost in engagement, with Facebook up 313%, Instagram engagement up 120%, and Twitter up 40%. Most popular posts feature beautiful landscapes and animals/nature, and most engaged hashtags are #calove, #napavalley, and #winecountry. As county regulations ease and businesses begin to reopen, Visit Napa Valley will increase social media messaging directed at locals as part of the #NVSpirit campaign.

Owned - Website

Website traffic has been slowly increasing each week after bottoming out the first week after the shelter in place order was in effect on March 19. This last week saw a 20% increase in traffic over last week, especially to the coronavirus page, as news of businesses opening in the county started coming out.

Overall traffic is down -45% over last year, and is still heavily local to Napa, with San Francisco and Santa Clara increasing each week.

Top pages are still focused on the Coronavirus page and other tourism-related pages, as we believe locals and visitors are looking for information about what businesses are open.

1. Coronavirus info
2. Home page
3. Wineries
4. Virtual Wine Tastings & Shipping Offers blog
5. Insiders Guide to Delis blog
6. Hotels
7. Zoom backgrounds blog
8. Winery Map
9. Events

Earned Media

Ongoing Media Queries:

• Human-driven stories - personalities behind the destination
• Shared experiences with family/friends
• Solo/self-guided experiences (hiking/biking/spa)
• Cleanliness protocols (To help mitigate guest’s fears related to health & safety – the media will most likely focus on cleaning protocols in every travel feature – citing examples on how existing sanitation procedures have been enhanced)
• What’s New… including the “new” guest experience post the coronavirus outbreak (for example, ordering room service from your phone vs the hotel phone)
• The Napa Valley Spirit press release will be shared with local media outlets this week (Napa Valley Register; KVON; North Bay Business Journal; North Bay Biz; Napa Life; Wine Country This Week; etc)

Upcoming media opportunities include:

• DEPARTURES and Conde Nast Traveler -- villa / buyout options for a digital piece. Specifically, they want to know if guests are booking these for future visits.
• Travel + Leisure – “under the radar” experiences with a focus on the outdoors
• THE KNOT - the future of weddings and honeymoons. The writer is curious to know if properties are offering virtual tours to couples who are in the midst of planning. She would also like to learn tips from hotels on how couples can best prepare for these types of meetings.  
• Inside Weddings – this California based bridal publication is interested in featuring the actual honeymoon of a couple who stayed in Napa Valley (pre-COVID). They are also interested in featuring a couple that was married in Napa Valley and/or “mini-mooned.”  
• San Francisco Chronicle – the soft reopening of Bay Area destinations
• Napa Valley Register – the economic impact of weddings in Napa Valley
• North Bay Biz – Napa Valley’s ZOOM wine tastings and other virtual meetings
• Publications are beginning to think about holiday content; including holiday gift guides

Re-opening

Once you decide when to reopen your business and welcome guests, consider the following communication channels to share hours of operation; your reservation policy; as well as health and safety practices and sanitation protocols to mitigate guest concerns:

• On your website home and reservations pages
• On your main phone line
• Storefront signage (printed in an easy-to-read font, not handwritten)
• Signage in public areas
• Social Media Channels

Guest Reservations

Communicate health & safety protocols as part of the reservation process, including encouraging guests to bring and wear face coverings in public areas and respect the practice of social distancing.

Guest Safety

• Clearly display health & safety requirements in multiple locations in all public areas
• Provide hand sanitizer stations in all public areas
• Utilize “contactless” payment methods if possible
• Disinfect areas after each guest experience (countertops; tables; chairs; etc.)
• Post CDC guidance on proper hand washing practices in all restrooms (consider posting this information in multiple languages to broaden guest communication)

Guest Experience

Set expectations about the guest arrival and be transparent about updates or revisions to the guest experience. For example:

• Will you take the temperature of the guests when they arrive?
• Will guests be asked to wear face protection while in public?
• Will valet parking be available or will guests need to self-park?

For hotels and resorts:

• Will spa and Fitness Centers be available and if so, what will be the new protocol? Will in-room dining be offered?
• Will reservations be necessary to swim or sit at the pool?
• Will restaurant reservations be necessary?
• Will housekeeping services be provided/adjusted?

Travel & Tourism Industry Insights

• The media is trying to corner the market on who has the answers on the future of travel. The New York Times has a special feature on how the travel industry will change after the pandemic.
• Travel Weekly: Marriott CEO believes the worst is over
• Washington Post: For travelers, anticipation is the best part. But what if there’s no trip to look forward to?
• Travel + Leisure: Southwest and American Are Bringing Back Some International Flights — What to Know (video)
• Town and Country: When is it safe to travel again?