The historic Palm Beach, Fla. resort welcomed its first guests after an eight-week closure over Memorial Day weekend, with 45% occupancy of its 538-room property, despite an executive order that still requires individuals from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to quarantine for 14 days after entering Florida. The Breakers has published a 16-page manual outlining the health and safety measures it has now put in place. Also in today’s report: President Trump visits and plays golf at a Trump Organization club for the first time in 75 days, prompting sharp criticism from Joe Biden; a Massachusetts driving range gets fined for reopening amid confusion about the state’s next phase; and Ellington Ridge CC joins the ClubsHELP cause.
Here is C+RB‘s latest roundup and summary of club-related developments surrounding the pandemic that have recently been reported. Please send updates on what your property is doing that you would like to share with the C+RB community to [email protected].
All of C+RB’s daily updates on the coronavirus situation can be found at https://clubandresortbusiness.com/category/covid-19/.
A Breakthrough at The Breakers
After an eight-week closure, one of America’s most storied and beloved resorts, The Breakers Palm Beach in Palm Beach, Fla. is open again, Forbes reported. The first returning guests on Memorial Day weekend were mostly in-state residents, especially from the South Florida tri-county area.
To protect the health of returning guests and allay anxieties about travel during a time mired by uncertainty, The Breakers, like the entire hospitality segment, has had to pivot and make health and safety “the new luxury,” Forbes reported. More flexible cancellation policies are also helping to reassure skittish travelers.
The Breakers, a grand dame hotel listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was founded in 1896 by industrialist and railroad tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler. Owned by three successive generations of Flagler descendants, the resort claims the distinction of being the longest continuously operating business in the state. Over this time, it has managed to survive fires, hurricanes, and economic downturns, continually attracting new and repeat visitors while meeting return-on-investment goals, Forbes reported.
“We have persevered through challenging times and always come out better than before,” Paul N. Leone, CEO of The Breakers Palm Beach, told Forbes.
“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our independent status fueled us with a deep sense of responsibility and hopefulness to reimagine our operations with a larger magnifying lens on health and safety, while preserving our unique brand of hospitality,” Leone added.
From the time the 140-acre property shuttered in March, hotel management was focused on reopening, closely monitoring policies evolving at all levels of government, as well as health and safety guidelines emerging from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, Forbes reported.
The Breakers’ management also examined protocols proposed by major hotel chains, including Marriott and Four Seasons, while senior leadership reviewed every aspect of hotel operations to see what changes had to be made, Forbes reported.
This effort led to the creation of a comprehensive, 16-page manual outlining the hotel’s health and safety practices that was completed on May 15 and is now posted on the hotel website (https://cdn.brandfolder.io/JU3OBC55/as/qa9yvd-692u5s-ewfa27/TheBreakers_HealthSafetyPrecautions.pdf).
On March 24, Forbes reported, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order requiring all individuals from the New York tri-state region (Connecticut, New Jersey and New York)—a key component of The Breakers’ customer base—who were entering the state to isolate or quarantine for a period of 14 days.
Despite that order remaining in effect, the number of bookings at The Breakers has increased, especially for summer, since the announcement of the May 22 reopening, Forbes reported. Occupancy at the 538-room property over the Memorial Day weekend averaged 45 percent. Once the executive order is lifted, the property expects reservations to rebound further.
But finding a way to deftly balance expectations of warmth and hospitality with meticulous attention to health and safety—even when risks have been minimized—is proving to be a bit of a tricky balancing act, Forbes reported. But the team at The Breakers is confident that they can achieve that balance.
“It comes down to the art of delivering a safe, memorable guest experience,” said Leone. “We are mindful that how we implement these precautions is critically important. This is a new journey, but we are an organization that constantly self-evaluates in order to find the right balance.”
“Trust, integrity and continuity have become important to concerned travelers as they consider a destination,” Leone added. “Guests appreciate the value of our stability, the allure of an ever-evolving resort experience, and the care and concern of a family-style culture that gives them peace of mind.”
Trump’s Memorial Day Round Prompts Biden Barbs
President Donald Trump kicked off his Memorial Day weekend by visiting the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., marking the president’s first time back at one of the Trump Organization’s private golf courses in 75 days, the longest stretch of his administration without spending time at one, NBC News reported.
He was seen leaving the White House on the morning of May 23rd wearing a white hat, white shirt and no mask, as his motorcade made its way to the club, NBC News reported.
Trump last visited his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida the weekend of March 6 where he hosted several Brazilian officials, one of whom tested positive for the coronavirus shortly after the trip, NBC News reported.
Recently, Trump has begun to take day trips outside of Washington to thank factory workers producing medical equipment used to combat the coronavirus, NBC News reported.
During a press conference at the White House on May 22nd, Dr. Deborah Birx, the Trump administration’s coronavirus coordinator, emphasized that it was okay to participate in normal Memorial Day weekend activities, such as golfing, as long as people practiced social distancing and took other precautions, NBC News reported.
“Please, as you go out this weekend, understand that you can be outside and you can play golf, and you can play tennis with marked balls,” Brix said. “You can go to the beaches if you stay six feet apart. But remember that is your space. And that is the space you need to protect to ensure you are social distancing for others.”
Trump was seen playing with three other people at the Virginia course on May 23rd and was seen driving a golf cart alone around the course, NBC News reported. At one point, Trump patted another golfer on the shoulder. None of the players were seen wearing a mask.
Trump and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden clashed over Trump’s golf habits the next day, after the former vice president released an ad criticizing him for playing during the pandemic, NBC News reported.
In a tweet Sunday night, Biden added that being the president “is about a lot more than tweeting from your golf cart. It requires taking on the ultimate responsibility for the biggest decisions in the world. Donald Trump simply wasn’t prepared for that. I promise you I will be.”
Trump shot back, arguing that “they think I should stay in the White House at all times. What they didn’t say is that it’s the first time I’ve played golf in almost 3 months.”
So far in May, the president has twice visited Camp David, but it’s unclear whether he golfed during either of those “working” weekends, NBC News reported. Camp David reportedly has at least one hole and a driving range, but the White House has not stated publicly whether the president has played since early March.
“I’d really like to play golf, but it’s too busy right now,” the president told reporters earlier in May. Trump also tweeted recently he had not played “in a long time.”
Trump called into an NBC PGA special over the weekend of May 16-17 and conceded he missed the game.
“I do miss it. I haven’t played, really, since this problem that we have started. I haven’t been able to play golf for a while. I’ve been very busy, and I think that it’s just one of those things, but we’re getting back to normal,” Trump said.
Fenway Golf Gets Fined
Fenway Golf, an 80-year-old, three-generation business in East Longmeadow, Mass. that includes a par-3 course, reopened its driving range on May 22nd, only to be told several hours later that it was in violation of Gov. Charlie Baker’s stay-at-home advisory, MassLive.com reported. The facility was then served with a cease- and-desist order and a $300 fine from the local Board of Health.
Fenway Golf’s Andrew Fisk had been operating his pitch-and-putt and par-three course since May 7th, when rules were relaxed in the state and golf courses allowed to open with restrictions, MassLive.comreported. When Gov. Baker then announced his four-phased reopening strategy for other types of businesses, Fisk said he contacted town officials to ask if he could also reopen the driving range.
“I don’t want to get my customers sick,” Fisk told MassLive.com. “I asked them what I can and cannot do, and their answer was to send me the governor’s order.”
After reading through that order, Fisk said, he did not see driving ranges specifically listed, but the order did say that businesses could open if similar competitors were opening. Since golf courses and some ranges were opening, Fisk decided to open his driving range, MassLive.com reported.
In Fenway Golf’s multifaceted business, which also include a batting cage and snack bar, the largest part of its income comes from the driving range and the miniature golf course, MassLive.com reported. While the rules were clear that mini-golf was to remain closed, Fisk said he moved ahead with opening the range, because Memorial Day weekend is so financially important for the business.
As long as people brought their own clubs and the driving range stalls were far enough apart, Fisk added, he thought it was “common sense” that the risk was low, since people were outside and it was easy to stay apart.
But the Board of Health disagreed, MassLive.com reported. Driving ranges are specifically listed in Phase 2 of the reopening plan that is expected to start in the first or second week in June, and that information was sent to Fisk, Town Manager Mary McNally told MassLive.com.
“Fenway contacted the Health Department and we checked with [the state government in Boston] and we told them they could not be open,” McNally said.
Two towns over in Monson, Mass., MassLive.com reported, Tony and Rosa Goncalves, who have owned the River Hollow Family Golf Center since February, opened the driving range at that facility with the cooperation and the blessing of Monson’s Board of Health.
“I think the towns are just interpreting the regulations differently,” Goncalves said.
Goncalves started talking to the Monson Board of Health about two or three weeks ago about measures he would have to take when permitted to open, MassLive.com reported. He and town officials figured out a plan that banned rental clubs and closed every other stall to allow plenty of social distancing, and then agreed that the Governor’s plan would allow him to open for Memorial Day weekend.
Goncalves said he believes rules calling for driving ranges to be closed were aimed at traditional, full golf courses, because that is the spot where golfers commonly congregate and chat while warming up before a game, MassLive.com reported., while traditionally people at a driving range just hit some balls and leave.
Ellington Ridge CC Joins ClubsHELP Cause
Ellington Ridge Country Club (ERCC) in Ellington, Conn. has announced the details of how it will partner with ClubsHELP.org, the non-profit organization that matches member clubs with local hospitals to support frontline workers in their fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/spring-brook-cc-launches-nationwide-effort-to-help-hospitals/).
ERCC is adopting the Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN), with ERCC members, companies, and individual donors pitching in to gather, collect, and deliver needed items and resources, focusing on these key areas:
- Basic Food Items: Bottled water, electrolyte drinks, hot meals, and wrapped sandwiches.
- Miscellaneous Supplies: Bags, UV lights for sterilization, moisture wick tee-shirts to wear under PPE gear.
- Delivery Services: Drop off and pick up items from club kitchens, club members’ enterprises/resources, businesses and homes.
- Other Resources: Vehicles, personnel, manufacturing capabilities
- Monetary Donations.
- Providing “Cards of Thanks” to workers.
“When one of our wonderful members, Brian Furbish, told me about wanting to bring this initiative to our club, I was behind it 100%,” said ERCC President Cyndi O’Connor. “It’s a perfect example of how our members continue to pull together in this crisis to help those less fortunate in our community and to support the needs of our frontline healthcare staff who are putting their lives on the line for all of us on a daily basis.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.