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Escape to Greystone
Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: 2020/08 – August
The Covid-19 crisis has left the entire hospitality industry shaken, but it’s also led to the implementation of new practices that’ll ensure the safety of guests and staff.
The Greystone Inn at Lake Toxaway began studying these protocols and training staff in the early spring, so that with the arrival of summer, all of the steps were in place for safe operations.
“We have been researching best practices from around the world since this pandemic began,” says Shannon Ellis, who owns the Inn with her husband Geoffrey. “We are lucky that other countries opened and learned lessons we were able to learn before we reopened. There’s not a piece of this that we take lightly. Safety is a priority for us.
“We have adjusted our protocols in every area of the business and trained and retrained our team on their heightened personal and professional responsibilities. In mid-March we were permitted to open our restaurant for take-away service only and created a Buy-a-meal and we’ll Donate-a-meal program that was a tremendous success. Thanks to the generosity of our community we were able to donate meals to our non-working team, front line workers and members of our community that were in need.
“As we’ve been permitted to re-open the hotel, restaurant and spa, we are grateful for the tremendous space and freedom we can offer our guests to find privacy while still being provided a high level of service. The majority of our guest rooms are large enough that private in-room dining tables were added for guests who prefer more comfortable in-room dining and furniture was removed from the living rooms and dining rooms to allow more personal space for guests.
“As difficult as the situation has been for everyone, we’re grateful for what we’ve learned. It’s brought us back to basics and allowed us to really think about who we are and the experience we want to provide our guests. The Greystone was built to be a home, with lots of space to spread out and relax in elegant and easy-going comfort. Personal space is the new luxury amenity and plays a key role in today’s travelers comfort and choices. The Greystone has been graced with this luxury and we are enjoying hosting less people in a more luxurious way.”
