With some significant operational changes at least for the immediate future, two resorts are reopening Friday as the state moves to loosen restrictions imposed in the effort to control the spread of COVID-19.
At the same time, Walton County commissioners are joining an effort to convince Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to take other action to loosen restrictions in the state. They’re asking the governor to lift his statewide ban on short-term vacation rentals, another significant source of visitor accommodations — and tourism revenue — in the county.
In the meantime, both the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa and the Henderson Park Inn, announced their reopening plans earlier this week.
The Sandestin hotel will open with half of its room inventory available to guests, as the property is set to “begin its gradual re-entry into the marketplace” under the terms of a phased statewide recovery plan, according to a news release from the resort hotel. Sandestin Golf and Beach resort, the 47-year-old trademarked resort, is not affiliated with the Hilton property and will not open its short-term vacation rental lodging until Gov. Ron DeSantis lifts his ban on vacation rentals.
Additionally, under terms of another executive order, seating at resort restaurants will be limited to 25 percent of capacity.
The resort will reopen with what it calls “extensive new cleaning protocols and safety guidelines” and is suggesting to guests that “(u)pon opening, some of the resort’s amenities and services may only be available on a limited basis.”
The new protocols, in line with guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the Florida Department of Health, include “implementing social distancing and directional signage throughout the property; offering multiple sanitation stations in public spaces; adjusting outdoor seating along the pool deck to facilitate social distancing standards (and) increasing daily sanitation of all elevators and public spaces,” according to the reopening announcement.
The resort hotel was closed for the month of April, during which time the hotel and its mattresses and linens were cleaned and disinfected. When the hotel reopens, there will be a focus on cleaning and disinfecting guest rooms with commercial-grade products, according to the reopening announcement.
– Courtesy NW Florida Daily News