When we closed our doors in March of 2020 due to the world-wide pandemic, we never imagined what lay ahead.
What started as a 2 week closure extended to a 3 month closure. We spent those 3 months reimagining our service model and reopened on a limited basis in June of 2020 with contactless service to ensure our guest and staff safety.
We welcomed many return guests, & many new guests who appreciated our commitment to their safety through enhanced cleaning, contactless service and limited occupancy during these unprecedented times.
As the Cooler weather approached and the case numbers continued to rise, we again closed our doors in our efforts to protect our guests and staff through the holiday season.
We had planned to reopen on February 1 of 2021, but Mother Nature had other plans and dumped a large, albeit beautiful, amount of snow on our river banks causing our 2nd reopening to be pushed back another week!
Our returning staff was eager to once again welcome guests to the beautiful banks of the Delaware River and travelers were ready for the relaxing, social distanced getaway we offer. We are happy to report that it has been a very busy Spring, Summer and Fall season and we are thankful to all of our wonderful guests for allowing us to return to the thing we love . . . innkeeping!
By June, we were able to offer a few more rooms, deliver breakfast baskets to the back porch and riverside terraces and offer afternoon tea in our dining room.
It was also the year of the cicada (not to be confused with locust). While the cicadas were many and their songs quite loud, they do not swarm and are not destructive. Most welcomed the humming that seemingly came from the trees and watched in awe as these little creatures who waited so long for their moment in the sun emerged for their brief visit. By mid-July they were gone.
As the cicadas departed, COVID-19 began to mutate, continued to spread and case numbers were again on the rise, so we continue to limit our occupancy and offer a complimentary breakfast in bed to all guests.
On September 1st, we discovered that Mother Nature was not done with us yet as the remnants of Hurricane Ida hovered overhead dropping 8-11 inches of rain in just a few short hours. Bridgeton Hosue remained high and dry, but our hearts are heavy for area businesses that were damaged due to flash flooding. It was tough to do on a Holiday weekend, but we had to close for the Labor Day weekend as most all roads & restaurants in the area were closed. We hated to turn away the guests who were hoping for their last Summer getaway. We were especially heartbroken to have to cancel an elopement – we look forward to welcoming this lovely and understanding couple for their special day in October.
It’s been a lot of change over the past 18 months, but some things remain constant. We are still blessed to sit right on the banks of the beautiful Delaware River. We are still blessed to be able to offer the beautiful lodging rooms and luxury suites created by Bea and Charles Briggs, now in their 40th year of innkeeping! We are still blessed with an amazing team who lovingly care for the inn and our guests. AND we are blessed with many, many wonderful guests who sustain us through this challenging time with their patronage, smiles (we can see them under your mask) and kind words.
From all of us at Bridgeton House: THANK YOU!
