Locked Down.......but not out.

I sit here writing this on the downhill side of a compulsory 14 day iso-caytion in Hong Kong. The government certainly have kept the lid on the coronavirus pandemic locally, but that doesn't necessarily make the time spent pondering ones thoughts any less mind-numbing or expedites the recovery of hospitality and tourism locally. Its been over a week since I've worn socks or a watch, but my eyes remain on the prize.

The gloss has come of international air travel at all levels, your pre-flight testing and documentation requirements still being scrutinized like its the first time they've seen one nearly twelve months into the pandemic; manually taking photos of said documentation to send ahead of the plane for review. Now although you aren't exactly spoilt for choice when it comes to airline schedules at present; I experienced through dumb-luck that it might be worthwhile timing your quarantine to minimize the potential effects of a lack of mental stimulation, more on this later.

Be prepared on arrival to Hong Kong International Airport to spend a minimum of 7.5hrs before breathing the outside air. I was on the first plane to arrive that day and the first out into the world Covid-negative. It was 90mins of registration, RFID tagging and testing before 6hrs of waiting for the results to be returned, then only to be bussed back to the main terminal to clear immigration, bonus point here is there's no wait for luggage, and off to the hotel of my choice.

Now I am allowed to be biased here, but its not uncredited. Given the amount of time that's passed since borders were closed and isolation periods enforced, there's been a lot of guests through our doors at Ovolo Hotels who've raved about their experience. We've taken a different approach to enhancing and ensuring what we'd normally deliver as a pre-Covid guest experience is maintained or adapted in a post-Covid world. Those in isolation have tested negative three times in circa 84hrs prior to arrival at the properties so apparent risks are reduced, and there's nothing more beneficial on top of the value added offerings; than care for ones mental health.

I have been told that yes there are other choices for quarantine in Hong Kong, but Ovolo is considered the Gold Standard

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The day you arrive is Day 1 of quarantine, so whether you arrive before circa 3pm and get processed on-day at the airport or you arrive after 3pm and get shipped off to the 'Test & Hold' facility pending results, you do use up a fair amount of time going through the process. Once you arrive your hotel you're basically good for a shower, meal and sleep bringing you roaring into Day 2 without thinking too much about it. Day 1 for me was a Saturday, meaning with the third All Blacks versus Wallabies test being played out; I managed to keep my eyes open for an extra couple of hours, keeping the body clock in check.

Day 2 was a Sunday, having been out of Hong Kong for a week visiting our soon to open property in Bali, all eyes and attention had been concentrated there meaning there was a lot to catch up on on Sunday, two days down and I haven't broken a sweat. Day 3-7 passed like anyone else who's worked from home during 2020, a schedule packed with conference calls and online video sessions.

My first full weekend with a sparse calendar of appointments had me worried that this might be when I realize that I am stuck in 350sqft and it's just me, but the team here at Ovolo Central have always stayed in contact and have a dedicated WhatsApp group for communications. Your 'WTF should I do now corner' setup to provide you with options to pass the time, a fourth All Black test [result withheld] timed right to match the Happy Hour trolley service and an exercise bike available either in-room or for rent depending on category booked; all made the time pass with relative ease.

Support of family is always heartwarming and my wife and eldest son put together a quarantine jar of inspiring quotes to open daily. My son either got to practice his handwriting or drawing skills and my wife poked a bit of fun; but its always nice to open the jar and read a quote each morning as something to look forward too.

Looking at the week ahead I'm certainly pleased that at 11:59pm on Friday the 13th I'll be hailing an Uber to go home, but I am happy knowing that if I need anything the team here is happy to oblige with a daily essentials run, a bit of social interaction with a personal greeting at Happy Hour or even the mid-week online Zoom session with the rest of the current Ovolo quarantine community to just chat and cheers.

So remember these key facts for quarantine success:

1. If you have a choice, timing is everything to make the stay a little less obvious
2. Bring a snack and full batteries for arrival at HKIA, its a long wait and you wont be impressed with what's provided
3. If you're not working from hotel, bring materials with you to keep you occupied as Netflix isn't substantial enough to fill 14 days of mental simulation. Time flies when your occupied so make sure you have enough things on the go
4. Choose Ovolo Hotels to turn quarantine into an iso-caytion. Seriously, if the offer suits your budget it makes a world of difference to have a team looking out for you, not being considered as just cell #X for the duration of your stay