As the UK eases lockdown restrictions, Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) properties have been gearing up to welcome guests back for stays and dining.

Copthorne Plymouth received a refreshed look in time for the springtime reopening thanks for F&B Supervisor Mairita Sakals.

Known for her green thumb, Ms Sakals went above and beyond her role to help spruce up the hotel. she helped to get rid of old and dead plants – an unfortunate product of lockdown – and popping in fresh new ones. Some plants were re-potted and replanted, and Ms Sakals even helped to touch up the pots with a fresh coat of paint!

A gardening expert, Ms Sakals also gave helpful landscaping suggestions to brighten up the hotel grounds with conifers and perennials, to add a cheery atmosphere as guests are welcomed back.

Copthorne Merry Hill-Dudley welcomed more hotel staff back on 16 May to prepare for the reopening of indoor hospitality on 17 May.

General Manager Mr Stuart Fleming said that team got busy preparing the hotel’s Faraday Restaurant & Bar for indoor dining. Led by F&B Operations Manager Mr Mark Childs and Head Chef Robert Hawdon, the team worked hard, cooking off the new dishes from its extended menu. The Bar also reintroduced cocktails and its popular gin and tonic selection.

As leisure stays will soon be permitted, Mr Fleming said, “We look forward to not having to question why guests want to stay with us anymore, and we can give everyone a warm welcome back.”

Over in the US, Millennium Harvest House Boulder sees that life is beginning to feel a little more “normal”, with the team excited for what the future has in store. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff were working diligently with positive attitudes, even though the employee count was slim.

With many restrictions lifted, the hotel is adapting to higher occupancies, with the team slowly growing back to pre-pandemic levels. With a positive outlook held by the staff and more guests returning, the hotel said the atmosphere is like “a breath of fresh Rocky Mountain air!”

The team at Millennium Minneapolis is also optimistic about the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the city. While the city is experiencing among the slowest recovery among major cities in the US due to tighter restrictions, the hotel has seen encouraging signs of uplift in leisure travel, with weddings among the major social events that are on the upswing. The hotel was also able to secure a long-term contract from the local county over the pandemic period since April last year and has remained open and is looking forward to restarting its F&B outlets in the hotel by September this year.

For Millennium Maxwell House Nashville, the team is looking forward to receiving guests with a smile once again. Said General Manager Mr Zach Engle, “At the root of everything we do, we are a service-based industry that has not been focused on service for 16 months – it was about survival. With things improving and mask mandates being lifted, the biggest thing for my team and I to offer our guests is a genuine smile. Something so simple that is universally accepted and understood has been covered and forgotten about, and we have been providing transactions instead of experiences. With everything moving in the right direction, the ability to see a guest and a team member smiling together reminds me why I got into hospitality.”

In Boston, COVID-19 restrictions and the mask mandate have been rescinded, with all industries permitted to open to 100% capacity as at 29 May. The Bostonian Boston also sees a positive outlook as the public heads back out and about.