HOTELS
new urgency as the historic Coral Gables hotel prepared to reopen Monday, more than two months after it closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The one thing guests are going to notice is — we’ve always been clean. But there’s certainly going to be a fresh scent throughout,” said Tom Prescott, the Biltmore’s executive proprietor.
Welcome to the new normal.
After being ordered shut March 23, hotel operators throughout Miami-Dade County have wondered when — and if — they would reopen. With new government safety guidelines now in place, hoteliers are hoping to draw guests eager for a break from home-bound routines.
Operators say their teams are ready.
“Everyone’s understood the challenges the business and the industry now face, but like times in the past, if a hurricane has come through, they’ve risen to the challenge,” said Prescott, whose family has long run the hotel.
“With the exception of a couple days here and there, usually due to hurricanes, we’ve had almost a century of existence and haven’t closed,” he said. “But the pandemic shut us down. It was certainly eye-popping to a lot of us.”
And the challenges — and changes — aren’t over. By law, all guests and staff must now wear masks in common areas. Only 10 individuals will be allowed in a hotel lobby per 500 square feet. Plexiglass will now separate check-in staff from guests. Floor markings will show where to stand. Furniture has been rearranged or removed. Hand-sanitizer stations will be practically everywhere.
What about elevators?
The number of passengers will be limited so that a 6-foot distancing rule is enforced; guests might want to use the stairs if they’re on a lower floor, hoteliers say.
Guest rooms will be different, too. Gone are longstanding trappings like pens, cups, coffee machines.
Those will be available upon request.
Despite the changes, Chris Rollins insists guests expecting to walk into a biohazard containment facility will be pleasantly surprised at how seamless the transition to a stay in the COVID-19 era will be. He’s chief operating officer of South Beach Group, which operates 17 boutique hotels, hostels and suites in Miami Beach.
“There have been a few adjustments — mainly maintaining distancing, the face coverings, and enhanced cleaning procedures,” he said. “But what does the consumer have to do besides