Summer travel is off to a slow start for local inns and Airbnbs

The fireplace in the great room is cold. The chatter of afternoon cheese and crackers get-togethers has been silenced. "It's just different now," said Cornelia Sawle, owner of the Niwot Inn.

Business came to a halt in March when the coronavirus pandemic forced the state to issue stay-at-home orders. More than two months later, things aren't looking up much, even as the economy slowly opens.

"We watched every weekend in April cancelled, all the way into October," Sawle said. "We have lost all our group bookings for the year." Most of the inn's business is in the warmer months as people come into town for weddings, reunions and graduations.

Group events aren't happening now because gatherings are currently limited to a maximum of 10 people. Instead, Sawle said she is hosting the occasional travelers who want to get away for a couple days. She has 13 rooms and the most she's had booked at one time was three.

In April 2019, Sawle brought in $31,000 of business. This April, it was $1,000. "It's been really rough. I do not see my business recovering until next March. A lot of it is coming out of pocket," she said. Sawle worked with her lender to put off mortgage payments, adding time to the back end of her loan. Earlier this spring, she laid off her staff, including her daughter who is a co-owner. Now she hires occasional help when she needs it. "I'll make it through somehow," she said.

The Niwot Inn and other larger hotels were considered essential businesses and could remain open during stay-at-home orders while short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO were closed down. The state recently allowed them to open, giving travelers another option.

A check of availability in Niwot, Gunbarrel and south Longmont showed that private rooms, cottages and carriage houses are being booked. But the numbers are down compared to previous summers for Kristen Camrey, who rents out her Niwot guest house, "It's not like normal, by any means," she said.

Reservations may also be less solid than in the past. Camrey said that she continues to get cancellations from people who just aren't ready to take the risk of leaving home. But she said there is a trickle of guests coming through. Some are driving across the country, some just have an itch to go somewhere. "These are people who know they are taking a risk leaving their house or community," she said.

Camrey opens the doors and windows, pulls on the gloves and straps on her mask to clean. "Every time it's like a deep clean. I wash blankets, wipe down every knob with Clorox wipes," she said.

Colorado recently laid out guidelines for people who own or manage short-term rentals in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The language in the recommendations includes words like "consider" and "when feasible," meaning that trust will be an important part of the relationship between guests and managers.

Colorado's recommendations for overnight accommodations include providing hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants that are easily accessible for guests. Managers are advised to let a property sit for 24 hours before cleaning but, the guidelines say, "If 24 hours is not feasible, wait as long as possible."

The state encourages contact-less check-in and flexible refund policies in case a person gets sick. Guests are advised to cancel if they don't feel well and out-of-state visitors are told that Colorado wants everyone to wear a mask when out in public.

Overall, Camrey said she now has a lot less contact with her guests, "I normally sit and chat with people." There are no more handshakes and she can't give returning guests a hug. "It's weird. It makes everything more formal. But that's how the world is right now," said Camrey.

Accommodations are one indicator of how the summer travel season is unfolding. Tourism is critical to the state's economy, bringing in a record $22.3 billion in 2018 according to Colorado.com, the website run by the Colorado Tourism Office.