Académie
des Arts de Vivre
The Art of Luxury Travel

Covid-19 update

AAV Book with Confidence Policy
for Covid-19

At AAV we always put our clients at the heart of everything we do. We are dedicated to making it safe for you to travel by adopting new safety measures and by adapting our booking terms to a changing world. We are pleased to offer you flexibility, protection, and total peace of mind.

We continue to offer flexible cancelation and postponement terms, so that you can cancel or change your trip dates due to Covid-19 related reasons*.

If you are obliged to cancel your trip due to Covid-19 related reasons, you can do so up to 30 days prior to the trip start date by confirming with proof. We will refund you 100% of your trip payment.

If you prefer to postpone your trip for Covid-19 related reasons, you can do so up to 15 days prior to the trip start date. Your trip deposit (50%) remains an investment toward future travel. Our flexible postponement terms allow you to rebook your travel any time before 31 December 2022. We may need to adjust the cost of your trip to reflect the new dates, particularly if they coincide with festivals or a higher season of travel. Equally, if the cost of your postponed trip is less, we will reduce the cost accordingly. If ever our suppliers implement stricter payment or booking terms that prohibit AAV from making future amendments without penalty, we will advise you at the time of quote and in writing at the time of booking.

These terms temporarily supersede our company’s standard cancellation terms and conditions.

*Covid-19 related reasons are defined as any of the following restrictions being in place 15 days before departure:
– The CDC, the French Government, and/or WHO advises against all but essential travel during your trip dates.
– The government in the client’s country of residence restricts all but essential travel during your trip dates.
– The destination the client is travelling to has entry restrictions in place that prohibit from travelling, such as closed borders or extended quarantine requirements.
– International flights are cancelled without alternative routing available for clients to reach the destination in the itinerary.
– If there is a requirement from the government of your country of residence for you to quarantine in a quarantine hotel (at your own expense) upon your return to your country of residence.

For your protection and peace of mind, we strongly advise that you have travel insurance to cover trip cancellation and unexpected medical emergencies.

AAV Safety Measures for Covid-19

At AAV our foremost priority is the health and comfort of our clients.

We are carefully monitoring the hygiene and safety measures that our service providers have put in place during the Covid-19 epidemic and ensuring that they strictly adhere to the public health guidelines of the French Government. To ensure that your trip is safe and secure, most of our suppliers have put in place specific protocols for the following travel services:

Private Transport

AAV contracts with private limousine companies that provide a professional driver in a luxury vehicle. We request that the vehicle be secured, if possible, with a plexiglass safety partition and that it be disinfected with virucide after each use. Whenever possible, we request chauffeurs who we know personally and who we are confident will look after the well-being of our clients by staying in safe districts and avoiding large groups.

“Meet & Greet” Service
(on request)

Personalized greeting by a host or hostess wearing a mask simplifies and accelerates passage through airports and train stations, while respecting social distancing and reducing risk.

Guides

AAV professional guides are required to follow the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the French government. They are required to use preventive equipment, including hydroalcoholic gel and masks, and to respect social distancing protocols. They are responsible for the well-being of our clients by ensuring, to the extent it is possible, that they have priority access to public places, avoid tourist groups and stay in safe neighborhoods. They play an active role in ensuring that our clients’ safety needs and requirements are looked after at all times.                                                                                             

Hotels

Most of our partner hotels have completed a pandemic health protocol by a firm approved by the French Ministry of Labor. They often have large public spaces, and some even feature expansive courtyards and gardens, all of which makes social distancing easier. The windows remain open, weather permitting, to facilitate air circulation. Most hotel entrances are now equipped with decontamination carpets. Hydroalcoholic gel distributors are located throughout hotels.

Arrival & departure: Check-in and check-out procedures have been streamlined. Luggage received at many hotels goes through a disinfection portal. Plexiglass safety partitions have been installed at most reception and concierge desks.

Social distancing: Many hotels have put in place employee movement rules, along with traffic flow guidance to re-enforce social distancing.
Medical assistance: Most of our partner hotels ensure the presence of a nurse 7 days a week. Many offer a sanitation kit containing individual-sized hydroalcoholic gel, disinfectant wipes, and masks in most of our partner hotels.

Hygiene & Education: Employees are expected to use preventive equipment, including hydroalcoholic gel, masks, and gloves when necessary. Most of our partner hotels have instigated obligatory training for all employees in updated sanitation protocols.

Cleaning: Our partner hotels have enforced strict sanitation protocols for cleaning and disinfection, adhering to the guidelines of the French Government and the WHO (World Health Organization). They have increased the frequency of cleaning the public areas.

Rooms & Suites: Guestrooms are systematically disinfected and left unoccupied for 24 hours between each stay.

Restaurants & Kitchen: Disinfection of the hotel restaurants and kitchen follows a strict protocol. Food producers and artisans are required to respect strict sanitation procedures.

Orders & mini bar: Menus have been removed in restaurants and rooms and replaced by digital solutions. Mini bars are disinfected, and bottles are personalized for each guest.

Spa & Fitness rooms: In most partner hotels, treatment rooms are equipped with a private shower to guarantee total privatization of the treatment. Treatment rooms are always disinfected between clients. Fitness rooms are private and accessed by appointment only.

Swimming pool access is often by reservation only, as are cabanas and deck chairs.

AAV works with the finest hotels, transportation companies, and guides available in France. They are all unique and have slightly different safety protocols. Ultimately, your hotel choice will determine the precise safety measures in place to ensure that your trip runs smoothly.

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