COVID-19 Hotel Review: The Grandover Resort & Spa, Greensboro, North Carolina

Recently, I started a mini-series about traveling safely during COVID. I did a review on a hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina, that had a really positive response. As a result, I decided to continue with a few other hotels while I’m in the states.

As I’m patiently waiting to return to my home in Dalian, China, I’ve been blessed to stay at a few local places that have gone the extra mile to ensure the safety of guests during the COVID pandemic.

Last month, I explored the safety measures and overall atmosphere of the Grandover Resort and Spa in Greensboro, NC during COVID-19.

Purpose of My Trip

A few weeks ago, a sister-friend of mine launched her new book in Greensboro, North Carolina. The weekend festivities called for an intimate book-signing at one of my favorite cafes on that Friday and a gala on Saturday evening. It was an honor to be able to attend.

Instead of staying with friends and family, as I would often do in the past, I decided to check out one of the more prestigious and popular resorts in Greensboro.

The Check-In Process ?

Since check-in is allowed from 3:00p until midnight, I arrived a little later in the afternoon on Friday, November 13th with my mask on. I checked in, and was given all the details by DaCole, the masked concierge representative who made me feel welcomed.

The first thing that I noticed when I entered the front Lobby was the breathtaking holiday decor. Thanksgiving was about two weeks away but there were Christmas decorations everywhere!

And when I say decorations, I mean that this place was decked out!

It was absolutely gorgeous. When I walked in, I saw this stunning, beautifully decorated tree lit up in the middle of the room.

Take pictures much? ? Yep! Don’t mind if I do!

Seeing the decor made my soul smile, because….Christmas, right?

Another thing that caught my eye were stickers on the floor, indicating how far guests should stand apart from each other while waiting in line. And of course, masks were absolutely required in accordance with the NC Governor’s Executive Order that was administered on June 24, 2020.

NC Governor’s Executive Order: People are required to wear face coverings in all public areas, whether they are inside or outside unless an exception applies.

– Gov. Roy Cooper

Anytime you left your room, a mask was required. Since gloves were not required, sanitation stations were conveniently located all around the accessible areas of the resort.

Reading the GrandOVER & Above policies pictured above comforted me in knowing that resort took the pandemic seriously.

Location, location, location! ?

The Grandover Resort and Spa is conveniently located in Greensboro, NC. Although not within walking distance, you’ll find yourself just minutes from Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Furnitureland South, downtown Greensboro, Sheraton Greensboro, Koury Convention Center, Four Seasons Shopping Center, several restaurants, and more.

Due to the pandemic, many places were either closed or operating on a special schedule with openly advertised safety measure requirements for visitors to adhere to. I would advise you to confirm the operating hours of the location you’re interested in visiting, just to be sure.

The Parking

Parking was divinely convenient as there were no parking issues at all. I’m not sure if it’s because of the pandemic or not but I was always able to find great parking spots close to the hotel entrance.

Driving onto the property was pretty straightforward during the day with street guides to steer you in the right direction. At night, however, some areas were blocked off and I couldn’t enter the same way as I could during operating hours.

Because it was extremely late at night, I had to turn on my high beams to improve visibility of the roads and try to find a way back to the parking lot.

Property Amenities

Like most facilities in the hospitality industry, the Grandover’s property amenities include:

• Free Parking
• Free high speed internet (WiFi)
• Golf course (paid)
• Pool
• Fitness center with gym/workout room (closed due to pandemic)
• Bar/lounge (special operating hours and conditions due to pandemic)
• Badminton (closed due to pandemic)
• Indoor/Outdoor Pool/Heated Pool/Fenced in Pool
• Spa services (special operating hours and conditions due to pandemic)
• And more…

I read a notice that advertised the indoor and outdoor pools being open but the hot tub was closed. Also, the lounge chairs were set up in small pods using the six feet social distancing safety measures.

Most of the spa facilities were either temporarily closed or had special operating hours due to the pandemic.

There was an art shop in the lobby area that was open but at the times I visited, no one was there.

Despite the temporary shut downs of some amenities, guests could find themselves using their creativity to enjoy themselves while socially distancing.

Of course, I had to take a few pics…?

Food and Drink Options

The hotel property has two restaurants and two bars on-site, however, the only option that was open during my stay was the DiValletta Restaurant. The bar directly in front of DiValletta had special operating hours and rules for guests to safely practice social distancing.

The DiValletta Restaurant

It was reassuring to see that social distancing was practiced in the DiValletta restaurant. In an impromptu interview, the assistant restaurant manager, Oliver, shared with me many of the practices and policies that they’ve implemented to ensure that guests would feel safe during this during the pandemic.

You can read about my breakfast review of the DiValletta Restaurant here.

Due to the pandemic, there was no room service like ordering food to be sent to the room.

Ooh! Speaking of rooms, let me tell you about the room I stayed in. ☺️

See what I did there? ?Smoooooth transition.

Room Amenities

Like most hotels, the Grandover’s room amenities include:

• Blackout curtains (one of my favorite amenities!)
• Bathrobes (soooooo comfy!)
• Air conditioning
• Desk
• Housekeeping (temporarily unavailable due to pandemic)
• Coffee / tea maker
• Cable / satellite
• TV
• Walk-in shower
• Interconnected rooms available
• Room service (temporarily unavailable due to pandemic)
• Safe
• Seating area
• Telephone
• VIP room facilities
• Wardrobe / closet
• Iron
• Laptop safe
• Private bathrooms
• Tile / marble floor
• Wake-up service / alarm clock
• Refrigerator
• Flatscreen TV
• On-demand movies
• Radio
• iPod docking station
• Bath / shower
• Complimentary toiletries (Love the mouthwash!)
• Hair dryer

Just to name a few.

Tell Me About the Room, Sis! ?

Are you ready to hear about the room?

The room was quite clean and well-lit from the daylight shining through the window. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary as what I would have expected, honestly.

The concierge representative informed me that the coffeemaker, pens, and paper magazines were removed for safety. These are tools that people use and touch with their hands often. Instead of cleaning and replacing these items for every new guest, it was more beneficial to simply have them removed for the time being.

However, that didn’t take away from the room’s presentation. I appreciated the specific decorative attention to detail that made the room special.

I was actually impressed by the room’s decor as it was classy yet minimalistic.

Room Decor

There were no additional bells and whistles – just a well put together room to rest as needed. There were 3 decorative accent mirrors that brought out another element of design to the setting along with the lamps that were positioned on both sides of the king sized bed.

The only downside was that the room didn’t have a microwave. There was a mini-fridge and a safe to house precious belongings, however no microwave to heat up any leftovers.

If you know anything about North Carolina weather, you’ll know that being able to control the thermostat was a plus. North Carolina’s weather is crazy. One moment, it’s autumn – so beautiful, wind lightly blowing, sun shining and maybe you’ll only need a light jacket for when it’s chilly.

But in a matter of seconds, it’s freezing and you’re wondering why you didn’t bring a coat with you instead of your lil light jacket. ?

To me, it’s the same indoors as it is for outdoors which is why being able to be able to control the thermostat is a plus.

When I got cold, I could adjust the thermostat to my liking and get cozy.

Not to mention, walking barefoot on the marble floor from the walkway to the bathroom was really cold, regardless of the outside temperature. FYI: Bring extra socks!

I’ve noticed that the hotels in America don’t provide disposable slippers, or at least none of the ones I’ve stayed in provide them. In China (and Vietnam), when you stay at a hotel, your room has bathrobes and disposable slippers. I expected to find the same at the hotels I’ve recently stayed in, but nope. Not provided.

So, yeah…bring extra socks just to wear around the room if your feet gets cold on bare floors like mine.

Although I did not use the television, it was nicely sized as well, in case you are one of those people who you like to watch TV while you are on vacation.

The Bathroom

The (cold) marble floors continued into the bathroom. Again, I say, the decor was classy and minimalistic. The most pizzazz that may have come from the bathroom was the marble on the floors and the shower. The shower wasn’t anything fancy or special, but it was very spacious and the water pressure was heavenly!

I noticed that as I used the toilet, the seat was a bit low.

If you’re tall and have long legs like I do, that could be a downside, but it definitely wasn’t a deal breaker.

The Mattress & Bedding

The bed was very comfortable, position adjacent to the window to get that perfect morning view. It was lovely to wake up in the morning, with the sun shining on my face to see the serenity of dawn.

On the night that I checked in, I didn’t get to bed until about 2 in the morning so I woke up a little after 7a that day. The bed was soft and extremely comfortable to lie in.

The pillows were oversized and the firmness level was in between extra soft and lightly firm. They weren’t as firm as I would’ve liked them to be. I didn’t sleep as well as I would have liked to but I think that was due to the massive headache that I had from exhaustion and lack of sleep.

The linens and the pillow cases were completely clean and sanitized according to the CDC guidelines. They were hygienically clean certified.

Is There Room Service During A Pandemic??? ?

Short answer: NO.

Long answer: Due to the pandemic, all housekeeping services have been suspended for the time being. This seems to be a standard measure that the hospitality and tourism industry has implemented for a few reasons.

They want to ensure the safety of their employees, as well as guests. I think housekeeping could be requested but I didn’t have a need for one since I cleaned up after myself like a big girl. ?

Usually, housekeeping comes to check on your room to replace anything that’s been depleted on a daily basis and to tidy up the room. However, during the pandemic, that has not been the case which means that since we’re all adults anyway, we just have to clean up after ourselves.

What about if I need additional towels???

Since I’m a solo traveler, this isn’t an issue for me because I simply use all the towels since most rooms are prepared for at least 2 people. This usually doesn’t entail needing housekeeping, however, if you need to restock items used, I believe you could submit a request to the front desk.

Is there a view from the window?

I’ll let you be the judge of that.

The Spa & Golf Course

As mentioned earlier, one restaurants and bar were operating but at they were not allowing more than 50% of maximum occupancy.

I observed people out on the golf course on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The golf course only allowed guests in groups of 4 at a time. Also, there was a notice explaining that the golf carts were sanitized before and after each use.

As for the spa, it was open for some services. The linens used on the spa tables were advertised as being hygienically clean certified. The spa staff follows the CDC guidelines for cleaning all areas of the spa and treatment rooms before and after each guest.

In case you’re wondering if this is standard treatment during a pandemic, keep reading.

What to Expect While Staying During a Pandemic

• All linens sanitized in high-temperature wash
• Face masks required for guests in public areas
• Face masks required for staff in public areas
• Floors marked for social distancing
• Hand sanitizer available to guests & staff
• Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas

So, How Much Does It Cost to Stay Here?

For a 2-night stay in a King Room, the price totaled to $516.39 (tax included). I booked my stay a few weeks in advance, which is why the price is a bit higher. If you book if you book your stay months in advance, the price is much friendlier than if you were to book within the same month.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a high-quality, clean, and safe resort to stay in that’s within minutes of shopping and more, check out the Grandover Resort and Spa. At the time of this writing, they’ve taken appropriate health and safety measures for guests during this global pandemic.

I would like to thank the staff and servers at the Grandover Resort and Spa for their hospitality and the cleanliness of their facilities. From the moment I was warmly greeted by DaCole upon arrival, to the moment I left, my stay was restorative and put me in the holiday spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was able to experience a weekend getaway remaining COVID-free.

#win

How would you feel comfortable staying at a resort like this during a pandemic? I would love for love to hear from you about this in the comment section below and tell me why or why not. ♥️