Excruciating wait goes on for Inn on the Alameda
Time is passing slowly, and we continue to imagine ourselves in the “new normal.” The old normal was defined by proximity to one another — at parties, sporting events, performing arts, restaurants, attending movie theaters, passing within inches of each other in grocery stores and on the streets.
However, we are determined to forge a path forward and move toward opening up cautiously.
You can already feel the excitement and spirit returning to our City Different. It is time to let the healing begin.
There are many things to do right now: breathing the clean high desert air, enjoying the weather, playing a round of golf, walking and hiking through the mountains or along the Dale Ball and Betty Stewart trails which encircle the city.
For us, the challenge is retaining the Inn on the Alameda’s unique authenticity, intimacy and hands-on personal caring while adding new health and safety measures. This balancing act will require flexibility and challenges for the staff and our guests.
According to the governor’s new mandate, all visitors, guests and employees must wear masks in public places, and the same initially will be required at the inn. We will rearrange our seating inside and out to encourage social distancing and safer traffic flow among guests and staff.
New Plexiglas will screen both the front desk and the kitchen breakfast line. Guests will be given a mask and personal bottle of hand sanitizer upon arrival; check-in and check-out will become hands-free. All surfaces will be sanitized repeatedly. Sheets and towels will only be exchanged upon request and then left in plastic bags outside your door.
The inn has 72 rooms and suites spread out in 10 buildings on a little less than 2 acres, and 15 rooms are casitas with their own private patios and separate entrances. Every entry door will have touch-free sanitizer dispensers on in the inside and outside of the doors.
Though new territory, our team is up for the challenge and, like all of us, we will look for ways to adapt and evolve while maintaining our focus on customer service, one that assures the safety and comfort of both our guests and staff.
How soon will our guests come back? We know no one travels to the City Different to stay in their favorite hotel. They come for our galleries, restaurants and museums to experience our rich culture and history.
But as we reopen, we must all be respectful and cognizant of others around us who are dealing with the same emotions: uncertainty, anxiety, excitement, fear, loneliness, and the need to return to work and start socializing.
Remember, we are all ready to get on with our lives, but we must pause to recognize that due to vigilance, our town has remained quite safe, with few outbreaks and deaths. That is something to protect and be thankful for. And though the wait continues to be excruciating, there is now a brighter light at the end of the tunnel.
We are determined to forge a path forward and move toward opening up cautiously.