Courtesy Inn at Saratoga
By Jennifer Farnsworth
The Inn at Saratoga, at 231 Broadway in Saratoga Springs is ready to re-open.
The business was also able to open its outdoor dining area in early June. It is also accepting reservations.
“It has just been so great to have people back,” said owner Elizabeth Israel. “We have missed the feeling of seeing people be able to enjoy themselves. Having people on the patio or on the front porch has just felt great.”
Israel said her staff has been hard at work developing a plan that will ensure guests are in a safe environment.
The inn has a cleaning regime that includes disinfecting surfaces continually throughout the day, plexiglass around the front desk, and signs reminding guests to wear their masks and to maintain social distancing.
She said the safety of her staff is a top priority. Staff will wear masks, regularly washing their hands and sanitizing. One major component of maintaining safety is the checkout process after overnight guests leave.
Rooms will be completely disinfected and then left for a total of 48 hours before they can be ready for the next guests, said Israel.
Dinner outside on the patio is served on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The previously offered buffet has been transformed into a grab-and-go process to be eaten in the dining room or in the guest rooms.
Israel said the patio is a spacious area that lets them easily keep guests spread out.
“We are so fortunate to have such a large outdoor area where we can easily social distance. We plan to bring an element of performing arts once we are allowed to have live music. We also plan to livestream the horse races, which will hopefully bring the feeling of the track (Saratoga Race Course) in. We have had guests come and have beer or wine on the porch. It has just been so great to see that again,” said Israel.
Israel said they are designing creative packages that provide fun for the family while making social distancing and low-risk activities a priority such as a “scenic road trip” package from Saratoga to Vermont to Maine, or a “picnic in the park” package that features a picnic lunch prepared at the inn.
“We know it’s not going to look like the numbers we had last summer,” she said. “It will be a difficult summer but we are seeing some people.”
The Inn at Saratoga can be reached at 518-583-1890. The website is www.theinnatsaratoga.com.