„If we consider the location of the resort, it’s very possible that we will be a favoured destination” – interview with Szarvadi Lóránd, owner of the Balvanyos Resort
As the next station of our Visit Covasna Safe Place campaign we were at Balvanyos Resort and talked with Szarvadi Lóránd, the owner of the hotel about their activities of the last two and a half months and the regulations they are awaiting the guests with.
Could you say some words about the resort?
A new period for the Bálványos Resort has started in 2010, after the three yearlong renovation process. In the beginning the resort was called Grand Hotel Bálványos, it had 112 four-star rooms, and after the wellness centre, the adventure park and the two restaurants were opened we thought to rename it to Balványos Resort. So, it became one destination, location in the middle of the Transylvanian forest.
Was it difficult to adapt to the regulations introduced because of the coronavirus? What have you been able to do in this period?
The emergency state came in a bad moment, because the hotel was successful and suddenly on March 16 we closed. Eventually hotels were not forced to close, but we are not the type of hotel with only room services; we offer wellness, touring, hiking, gastronomy experiences and those activities were officially closed, so, we decided to close. However, we took advantage of this period, because we managed to do the renovation, initially planed for one year in this two and a half months. For the opening on June 1 all the rooms of the hotel will have a new look. We already equiped the hotel with all the hygiene and prevention equipment required: disinfection mats, automatic hand sanitizer dispensers, rooms are disinfected with UV lamps and we try to work with saturation after opening that does not exceed 60 percent. Of course, we keep a distance of 1.5 - 2 meters and then, if the restaurants start in the same way between the tables, also between guests. Each hotel must customize these regulations itself. At the same time, we also have to think about the health of our colleagues: the plexiglass protective mask, and the traditional mask will be mandatory for everyone to wear, and we expect this from our guests indoors as well.
Are you preparing for the opening? Can we expect anything special?
The opening is expected from 1st of June. I also hope that we can open our terraces from Monday, but it’s possible that we will have guests who want to use our room services as well in the following period. We want to offer higher quality room services; until June 12 our guests have 15% discount on the services. Massage and other therapy services are already available, and we hope that from 1st of June we can open the outdoor pool as well.
What do you think about the future?
If we consider the location of the resort, it’s very possible that we will be a favoured destination, because many people will cancel their urban holidays, in order to avoid the crowd and want to spend their vacation in nature. I think people got bored of being closed in their homes and wish to travel. I expect with optimism the opening.
