NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A hotel in the Germantown neighborhood damaged in the March tornado is now reopening in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's such a relief," said Kellie Lapelle, General Manager at the Germantown Inn. "We have worked so hard to get it put back together."
It has been an eventful year at the hotel on 6th Avenue North. The March tornado that tore through parts of Nashville ripped off the hotel's roof, knocked down trees and damaged guest rooms. People were staying at the hotel when the storm moved through, but no one was injured.
"It was just a lot of devastation," said Lapelle. "When you looked down the street, the Magnolia tree from the Cupcake Collection was in our guest hallway."
After more than four months of work, the 10 room boutique hotel was ready to reopen. The roof had been replaced, walls rebuilt and some additional updates were made to the site. However, more work had to be done to adjust to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Visitors can take advantage of contactless check in and check out, separate entrances and exits, and hand sanitizing stations. All common spaces are cleaned hourly, and employees also wear masks at all times.
The hotel is also participating in the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.'s Good to Go Program. The program in partnership with Vanderbilt Health and Ryman Hospitality Properties helps businesses stay up to date with the best recommendations for infectious disease prevention and workplace safety.
Lapelle said she wants every person who enters the hotel to feel comfortable, and to know it is a safe place to stay.
"Things look different, but we are still giving everyone the offerings as best we can, so they feel at home."
From the March tornado to the COVID-19 outbreak, Lapelle said the Germantown neighborhood has endured a lot this year. She said business owners continue to support one another, and she is hopeful, customers will as well.
"If I can send business somewhere, and they send business to me, that’s fantastic," said Lapelle. "We are just ready to get back to as normal as we can be."
The Germantown Inn is located in a home that was built in 1865, and was converted into a hotel in 2016. For more information visit: https://germantowninn.com/
