I. General principles.
- The following "Minor Protection Standards in Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels Group", hereinafter referred to as "Standards", are introduced to ensure that minors are adequately protected during their stay at Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels Group facilities.
- Any references to the following shall be construed as set out below:
- Hotel – any hotel facility belonging to the Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels Group, i.e. Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotel Krynica-Zdrój, Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotel Wzgórza Dylewskie, Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotel Polanica-Zdrój,
- Hotel Director – the person in charge of a given Hotel of the Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels Group,
- Hotel Staff – any persons employed at the Hotel, irrespective of the type of contract under which they work there,
- Minors – any persons under 18 years of age.
- It must be noted that applying the procedures arising from the Standards, at any stage of doing so, may cause inconvenience to the Guests. As such, it is necessary to be understanding of the Guests' reaction to such procedures and explain to them the factual and legal necessity to carry them out at the Hotel. Nonetheless, the Guests' reaction may not constitute grounds for waiving the procedures.
- All procedures provided for in the Standards shall be applied reasonably, considering all relevant circumstances.
- In their dealings with minors, hotel staff shall consider their level of emotional and intellectual development and, in cases where minors have disabilities or special educational needs, also take this into account.
II. Rules ensuring safe interactions between hotel staff and minors, particularly including prohibited conduct towards minors.
- Any contacts between hotel staff and minors staying at the Hotel shall not extend beyond the scope of interactions justified by the hotel staff's official duties.
- Under no circumstances may hotel staff apply any form of physical, mental, sexual or cyber violence or neglect towards a minor.
- Hotel staff are advised against being alone with minors in private spaces such as hotel rooms.
III. Rules and procedures for identifying minors staying at the Hotel and their relationship with the adults with whom they are staying there.
- The identification of minors staying at the Hotel and their relationship to the adults with whom they are staying there shall be carried out by the Guest Relations Department.
- Such identification shall be made based on a declaration of the adult staying at the Hotel with the minor, confirming the minor's age and specifying the relationship between the adult and the minor.
- Should the Guest refuse to provide the declaration referred to in Section III (2) above, the hotel shall refuse check-in.
- Where, in the course of carrying out the procedure described in Section III (1), a member of the Guest Relations Department has any doubt as to the relationship between a minor and an adult with whom they are staying at the Hotel, the Hotel Director or their representative, or a Supervisor, shall be discreetly informed. Both the minor and the adult shall be monitored by hotel staff at such time.
IV. Rules and procedures for responding to reasonable suspicion that the welfare of a minor on the Hotel premises is at risk.
- Where a reasonable suspicion exists that the welfare of a minor on the Hotel premises is at risk, all hotel staff shall be obliged to respond and take appropriate action.
- In particular, a reasonable suspicion of harm to the minor arises in cases where the hotel staff observes circumstances which may indicate that a minor is being abused, as well as where a minor shows signs of or reports abuse.
- The action referred to in Item 1 shall consist in notifying the Hotel Director immediately or, if this is impossible or would cause unnecessary delay, notifying the Deputy Hotel Director, a Supervisor or the police.
- The hotel staff may also take direct action to stop the abuse but shall ensure that doing so does not endanger their own safety, the safety of the minor or bystanders. Bystanders, as defined herein, shall not include the perpetrator or co-perpetrator of the abuse. Actions taken by hotel staff shall be within the limits of the law and, in particular, shall be in accordance with the principles of necessary (self) defences or the so-called citizen's arrest.
V. Procedures and persons responsible for reporting suspected criminal offences and notifying the guardianship court.
- Upon notification by hotel staff of circumstances provided for in these Standards, the Hotel Manager or any other person mentioned in Section IV(3) shall assess the situation and, if the circumstances so warrant, notify the police or guardianship court.
- In urgent cases, any hotel staff member shall be authorised and obliged to notify the police.
VI. Responsibilities of the person preparing hotel staff to apply the Standards, the rules for preparing staff for their application and the way this is to be documented.
- The persons responsible for preparing hotel staff to apply the Standards shall be the Hotel Directors, each for their respective Hotel, who shall be assisted in this task by the HR Department Manager of Hotele SPA Dr Irena Eris Sp. z o.o.
- Hotel staff shall have the opportunity to improve their competencies related to their tasks resulting from the Standards as part of in-house training. Hotel staff shall acknowledge the training by signing the attendance register and a declaration to this effect.
VII. Final provisions.
- The Standards shall be reviewed by the Hotel Director at least once every two years to ensure that they are appropriate and compliant with applicable laws and regulations, and the conclusions of the review shall be documented in writing.
- The Standards shall apply to all Dr Irena Eris SPA Hotels and may be found at www.drirenaerisspa.pl and in paper form in a prominent place at each Hotel's reception desk, together with a concise version for minors.
- These Standards shall enter into force on 15 August 2024.