STAY SAFE HOSPITALITY!!
We Were Clean before Clean was THE thing!
I come from 4 generations of obsessively-fussy cleaners.
It started with my great, great grandmother who washed clothes with boiling water and lye. Then, my great grandmother ironed my great grandfather’s underwear – seriously. My grandfather used the white glove test every Saturday and if anything stuck to the glove, my mom had to dust the entire house all over again. Finally, my mother – true story – washed out the inside of our furnace with Fantastic, reasoning the air would be cleaner if the inside of the furnace was. She also made my dad hose off the Christmas Tree before he brought it into the house – those pesky pine needles and other twigs of nature could not be allowed. There are other stories which cannot be printed here…this is public after all!
Suffice it to say, when COVID 19 arrived we thought we were in fairly good shape. But when we read the bulletins from the hotel and hospitality industries we found there were things we had not thought about. Thus, armed with new information and a renewed sense of urgency we have updated our protocols. While it’s officially ‘OVER’ we know there are new strains and outbreaks. So, we are being a little less careful but not too much!
Safety First
Here they are in a little detail. You can’t relax unless you truly feel safe. We hope these will put your mind at ease:
- We are shaking hands sometimes now and give a hug from time to time. Only if we’re all ok with that!
- We will not walk you to your room. We are still keeping a short distance between us. If you need help, please let us know in advance so we can prepare to take your luggage up.
- Our staff have always focused on cleanliness at The Belvedere Inn. We are fortunate, because we hire only those who are quite fussy which assures you that we mean business!! Our staff clean each room and then disinfect after they’ve cleaned all surfaces. We still pay particular attention to high-touch surfaces – light switches, doorknobs, handles, remotes, handrails, etc.
- We have not replaced our shampoo, soap, and hand cream dispensers with single use ones but we disinfect them after each guest.
- Our staff use disposable gloves to clean each room.
- We will not fluff your room daily if you stay longer than a night. We will jump in your room to empty your garbage and freshen your towels upon request.
- Staff sanitize all dining room and billiards parlor surfaces too as well as outside tables and chairs.
- We have placed hand sanitizer in each room and in the kitchen and little half bath on the first floor. Please use as you like.
- Your room key has been sanitized before you arrive. It will be sanitized again when you leave.
Here is a picture of Maura – on the floor with a toothbrush – this was not staged! Bob caught her by surprise. It’s how we do things!!
Flexible Cancellation Policy
Make your reservation for any dates with confidence…if you are ill and aren’t comfortable traveling, you can cancel any time, no cancellation fee!
Breakfast Seating
This has been the most challenging thing of all. We are a traditional, common table B & B. It means sitting down with people you have never met and breaking bread. It means rubbing elbows – literally – with 8 or 10 strangers. People LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! On most mornings, people are still talking and laughing at 10:30am when breakfast was served at 9.
I DON’T WANT TO CHANGE THAT!
So, how to keep that atmosphere, and that experience alive without putting people at risk or making them feel uncomfortable?
We are now seating eight at the dining room table. But if you are not comfortable with that we can seat you at the peninsula – like an island but with three sides – trust me it’s fabulous! Which is right beside – yet 6 feet away from the big table – or at another table where we can seat two to four – which is about 8 feet from the big table.
We can seat two groups of two outside on the porch – weather permitting.
We will keep experimenting with seating until this thing is finally over – truly! I don’t want to continue to run myself ragged running from one end of this huge house to the other so I look like this…
Not good for future bookings if this continues!!
Breakfast as you like it!
You can request a different time from our normal 9am breakfast time. If we can accommodate you, we will. If it’s a full house, please don’t expect it. Making breakfast for 12 is a big enough deal –
If you stay at Scoundrel’s Inn, we can make you a continental breakfast and serve you there with two days advanced notice.
And don’t forget to let us know if you are allergic or have other food restrictions!
So, stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted as we update things. Until then, stay safe. We hope to see you soon.
When you’re ready, we’ll be here!!
