Greenwich hotels open doors to welcome guests again
As stores and restaurants slowly reopen, Greenwich is back in the hospitality business with all three hotels in town now welcoming guests with new safety protocols in place.
The Hyatt Regency in Old Greenwich announced last week what it called a “path forward to welcome back guests and customers” as it resumes operations after weeks of closures due to the coronavirus outbreak.
General manager Sherry HicksBuckles said Monday that the hotel has enhanced its cleaning and safety protocols to protect both guests and employees.
“We are using hospital-grade cleaning disinfectant,” Hicks-Buckles said. “We are ensuring we’re practicing social distancing. We are fully in line with state guidelines.”
These steps are being taken throughout the Hyatt hotel chain as part of its “global care and cleanliness commitment,” she said. The protocols are based on the company’s work with medical experts to make it safe for everyone at the hotel.
Guests are asked to wear masks or facial coverings in common areas of the hotel. Employees are required to wear masks or face coverings. Signs stating the policy are posted on the hotel’s doors.
The Hyatt, which has been allowing in guests since July 1, has also reopened its fitness center and pool.
“We can tell that people were excited to get back into a little bit of traveling during the summer,” Hicks-Buckles said.
The Hyatt suspended its normal operations in late March as the coronavirus spread in the area. It has joined both The J House in Riverside and The Delamar on the downtown waterfront in welcoming guests this summer.
Representatives from the J House and The Delamar could not be reached for comment. Both of the hotels and their connecting restaurants, Tony’s at the J House and L’escale at The Delamar, are open.
The hotel industry must also deal with travel restrictions that are in place now. Due to coronavirus outbreaks in other parts of the country, Connecticut has asked that people self-quarantine for 14 days after traveling to any of these 19 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
To maintain social distancing at the Hyatt, Hicks-Buckles said housekeeping staff and other hotel employees are not entering hotel rooms while guests are there, both for privacy and “peace of mind that they are the only occupants of that room.”
“We are being very methodical in terms of where we are placing guests within the hotel,” HicksBuckles said. “Once a guest checks out, we let that room sit for a while before even our housekeeping team goes in it and before it is given to another customer.”
In the past, the Hyatt was a popular location for hosting major fundraisers and other big events in town. But the pandemic has forced the cancellation of those large gatherings.
“We are in a holding pattern right now and obviously we are following the state guidance,” Hicks-Buckles said.
“We are using hospital-grade cleaning disinfectant. We are ensuring we’re practicing social distancing. We are fully in line with state guidelines.”
Sherry Hicks-Buckles, Hyatt Regency general manager