Nearly $500,000 in cleaning, sanitizing and social distancing investments resonates with visitors since reopening last summer
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – After a three-month voluntary closure in the spring of 2020 to mitigate the COVID-19 spread, the AAA Four Diamond Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa in Lake Placid reopened on June 26, 2020 with a cadre of new protocols to ensure the health and safety of its staff and guests.
The property in Upstate New York, always known for its attention to cleanliness, spent $400,000 initially to emphasize its current mantra: Safety is the New Luxury. The resort integrated hospital-grade Ultraviolet C (UV-C) light disinfection and cleaning equipment, along with state-of-the-art electrostatic sprayers into their already extensive cleaning protocols. Furthermore, the Inn launched a new app allowing for remote check-in and check-out capabilities, upgraded their door locks to RFID technology allowing for keyless entry via smart phone, installed touchless hand sanitizers around the property and at all points of entry, redesigned and renovated its upscale restaurant, “The View”, to enhance social distancing, expanded outdoor seating capacities around the hotel and restaurants, added thermal imaging cameras so that all staff are screened prior to the start of their shift along with all patrons in the restaurant and Spa. The ride ever since has been safe and healthy.
“We are fortunate here that we are enjoying strong business, and doing it while keeping our guests and staff safe and healthy,” remarked Mirror Lake Inn owner Ed Weibrecht. “One of the reasons is that people perceive the Adirondacks as a safe place to visit, and in that, people are perceiving that the Mirror Lake Inn is the safest place they can go to.
“We have incredible protocols in place which I would say are second to none, and we can come as close as possible to guaranteeing a safe environment for our staff and our guests. The reason we’ve put all these protocols in is that we don’t want our staff to be at risk and we don’t want our guests to be at risk.”
Weibrecht and his employees, who proudly claim the AAA Four Diamond Award of Excellence for the past 36 consecutive years and offer an authentic Adirondack experience, have never been ones to settle for a level of excellence when there’s a higher reach available. In recent months, Weibrecht says an additional $100,000 has been spent to help staff and guests be as safe as practically possible.
The total of all these efforts has led to the Inn’s recent acceptance of the GBAC Star. The accreditation is presented by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, recognized as the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation for facilities. It is the gold standard of prepared facilities, and means that a site has:
- Established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus.
- The proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease.
- Highly informed cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.
CLEAN AIR IS A MUST AT THE MIRROR LAKE INN
While the Mirror Lake Inn staff continues to be vigilant about surfaces and common areas like the library and the lobby, the lion’s share of recent infrastructure investment has focused on the disinfection and sanitization of the property’s air. “While we acknowledge the continued importance of disinfecting touchpoints and surfaces, my team and I have let the science guide us and the science says air is the primary vector for virus transmission,” continued Weibrecht. “Where the science goes, we follow and make the necessary investments. At the end of the day, it is our responsibility to keep our guests and staff safe and we take this responsibility very seriously.”
Recognizing UV-C technology is the gold standard in air sanitization, ownership recently procured Haiku UV-C ceiling fans and HoMedics standing air sanitizing units which employ UV-C, ionization and HEPA filtration technologies. Haiku ceiling fans are billed as the world’s first smart fan with built-in automatic adjustments, while HoMedics is a known innovator in health and wellness technology. These latest additions supplement the UV-C filters installed in all air circulation systems (HVAC) prior to reopening on June 26, 2020.
The Inn’s owner then detailed how the process actually happens.
“The new ceiling fans have been installed in the living room, library, lobby, conference center and View Lounge. These units are designed to pull the air through the room and over the top of the fan. As that occurs, the virus is killed by the UV-C light integrated into the fan’s design. These fans have also been installed in The Cottage Cafe, in addition to the implementation of UV-C filters in the air handling systems. Finally, UV-C lights have been added to the top of the beams in The Cottage’s vaulted ceiling so that as air moves throughout the entire building, it is constantly being sanitized.”
Similar attention has been given to the Four Diamond The View Restaurant.
“In addition to constantly sanitizing The View through the UV-C filters in our ventilation system, we use industrial grade UV-C devices to additionally clean the air in our dining room on a daily basis.”
Of course, the Adirondacks that surround the Inn provide some of the cleanest and purest air on our planet. Management wholeheartedly endorses this natural environment and urges guests to partake in our Great Outdoors. Hiking, walking, running, golf, tennis, swimming, fishing, boating – whatever your preference, you’ll feel much better at the end of the day.
If chess is your game, guests can play the Inn’s oversized version outside on the lawn of the Mountain View building.
All in all, the Inn will continue to tout that safety is the new luxury, and prospective guests can feel confident knowing that their luxury will be situated in the safest of places.
-MLI-
About the Mirror Lake Inn
The AAA Four Diamond Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa is a luxury lakefront resort offering an authentic Adirondack experience. The Inn, rated the number one “Lakefront Resort”, “Spa” and “Fine-Dining Restaurant” on TripAdvisor and recipient of the AAA Four Diamond Award for 36 consecutive years, offers both Four Diamond world-class cuisine and casual dining options, with impeccable service amid awe-inspiring views. Only one other property in New York State (located in Manhattan), has maintained the Four Diamond designation longer than Mirror Lake Inn. It is the only property in Lake Placid that combines Four Diamond lodging and dining. The Inn’s renowned Lake Placid spa pampers the body and refreshes the mind with a comprehensive menu of services. The Inn is conveniently located one block from the restaurants and shops on Main Street in Lake Placid.
