COVID-19 Updates

[Updated November 15, 2020]

We thank you for your ongoing support during the COVID-19 situation, and we can’t wait to see all of you in person as soon as you’re ready. We are currently open and continue to take precautions to ensure the safety of our guests, our staff, and ourselves.

At The Mission Inn, your health and safety has been, and will continue to be, our top priority! We continue to research and apply new cleaning guidelines from the CDC, the New Jersey and Cape May County Health Departments, and hospitality organizations such as the American Hospitality and Lodging Association (AHLP), and Association of Lodging Professionals. And based on their recommendations, we have expanded our already stringent housekeeping practices to help ensure your well-being and peace-of-mind during your next visit.

We also continue to evolve the entire guest experience from check-in to check-out and we have introduced some changes to help ensure peace-of-mind during your stay with us. And while these changes are necessary for now, the hallmarks of The Mission Inn experience – casual elegance, superb service, and of course, delicious food from Chef Leslie – will remain as we continue to offer our guests exceptional hospitality in every way possible.

Cleaning Guidelines & Certifications

We want you to be assured that your health and safety has been, and will continue to be, our top priority! To that end, The Mission Inn has developed an enhanced standard of health and safety protocols based on insight and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the New Jersey and Cape May County Health Departments, with additional information from the following lodging and hospitality organizations such as the Association of Lodging Professionals, the American Hotels & Lodging Association, and the NJ Restaurant & Hospitality Association.

We have also taken additional steps to partner with the following certified cleaning programs:

Cleaning Product Information

We are committed to using safe, effective, and eco-friendly products at The Mission Inn. To that end, we have carefully researched and selected the following CDC-recommended cleaning and sanitizing products to use when we reopen. While many businesses are not inclined to share this level of detail, we feel that it is important to be completely transparent with our guests about the products we are using and, when possible, even provide links to the actual product information.

Hand Sanitizers

G Clean: This foaming hand sanitizer with two active germ-killing ingredients (70% Isopropyl Alcohol, and Benzalkonium Chloride) plus added moisturizers can be found in our common spaces. It is a medical grade product that is made in the USA by Green Earth Technologies, based in Mount Laurel, NJ. (Click here to learn more.)

DS Laboratories: This alcohol-based hand sanitizer with 62% Ethanol plus added moisturizers can be found in all guest rooms. For each sale of a hand sanitizer, US-based DS Laboratories donates free of charge one hand sanitizer to healthcare personnel and those in need. (Click here to learn more.)

Primary Cleaning Products

Pathfinder 360: This hospital-grade multi-surface cleaner and disinfectant is used to clean most hard surfaces around the inn. (Click here to learn more.)

Benzarid: This is an EPA-certified, hospital-grade cleaning product that is made in the USA by Naturasil. It is an odorless, colorless, non-staining disinfectant that sanitizes against viruses (including the Human Corona Virus), bacteria, molds, and bedbugs. This will be applied with an electrostatic sprayer to in all surfaces (porous and non-porous) in our guest rooms prior to check-in, as well as on the outdoor patio furniture and our bikes and beach equipment. (Click hereto learn more.)
Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner: This all-purpose kitchen cleaner kills 99.9% of all viruses and bacteria. It is used on our countertops, sinks, and stovetops in our kitchen areas.
Disinfectant Wipes: We make use of various disinfectant wipes as part of our cleaning protocol. All wipes are CDC compliant and EPA recommended.
Laundry: As always, all guest linens and towels will be washed on the highest level of heat and appropriate detergents will be used to ensure proper sanitization.

Pre-Arrival

In order to help you make the most of your visit, we have expanded our pre-arrival routine:

All guests will receive a new digital “Welcome Kit” via email two days before they arrive. This will contain important information for your visit along with local travel tips.
We will continue to reach out to our guests the day before their scheduled reservation to confirm arrival time. During this conversation, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about your visit.
We will be automatically processing your second deposit payment the day of your arrival, eliminating the need to handle credit cards during check-in.
When packing for your trip, please be sure to bring your personal face coverings and other self-care items you may need during your stay. Keep in mind that businesses in town may have limited availability of these items.

Check-In/Check-Out

Before and after your stay, we will be taking extra steps to ensure that your arrival and departure are as safe and contactless as possible. To ensure your safety upon arrival, we have put the following check-in procedures in place:

Check-in time has been moved back to start at 4 pm to allow our staff more time to clean each room before you arrive. We will now welcome guests to check-in anytime between 4 pm and 6 pm.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate early check-ins at this time.
We also are unable to accommodate special requests such as the use of beach tags and/or beach equipment, the use of our outdoor shower or bikes, or the storage of luggage prior to check-in.

To ensure your safety when you depart, we have put the following check-out procedures in place:

Check-out time remains at 11 am the day of your departure, and we kindly ask that you adhere to this policy as it allows our staff adequate time to clean the rooms before our next guests arrive.
We have placed a check-out container near the front door and ask that you place your room keys in that container when you are ready to depart. All keys will be cleaned and sanitized before reuse.
We are unable to accommodate special requests such as the use of beach tags and/or beach equipment, the use of our outdoor shower or bikes, or the storage of luggage after check-out.

Guest Rooms

During your stay, we will be taking every precaution possible to limit possible exposure for both you and our staff. For this reason, we will be suspending our practice of refreshing guest rooms during breakfast. And we have taken the following steps to ensure that your stay is comfortable:

An extra set of towels will be found in your room. If you need additional clean towels during your stay, please place the used towels your room’s basket and leave it outside your door when you to breakfast so that they can be replaced.
Removal of all decorative pillows, rugs, and throw blankets
Removal of complimentary personal hygiene items (Q-tips, shower caps, etc…). These will be available upon request.
Removal of guest bath robes. These will be available upon request.
Guest rooms will be ventilated during and after cleaning.
Guest room remotes, hair dryers, and irons will be cleaned and sanitized before every check-in.
Guest room remotes will be shrink-wrapped after being sanitized so that they can be easily cleaned.
All guest rooms will be cleaned with a electrostatic sprayer and an EPA-certified, hospital-grade disinfectant before every check-in.
All AC units in the guest rooms have been professionally serviced, cleaned, and disinfected.
Air purifiers with HEPA filters and internal UVC lights have been added to each room.
An additional air purification system has been installed in each room’s air conditioning units.

Please note that if you are staying with us for four or more days, we will gladly freshen your room upon request.

Common Spaces

At The Mission Inn we are lucky to have large common spaces, both indoors and outside, for our guests to enjoy. This allows you to spread out and relax while complying with social distancing guidelines. To ensure your safety, we have implemented the following new procedures for our common spaces:

We have posted signs informing our guests how to prevent the spread of germs.
We are cleaning and sanitizing all high-touch surfaces and high-traffic floors throughout the day, using a two-step process: soap and hot water, followed by a disinfectant.
We have added hand alcohol-based wipes and sanitizer stations for guests in our common spaces.
We are asking guests to practice social distancing and wear face coverings when they are in our common spaces with other guests present.
We have temporarily closed the public restroom in our main hallway.

Guest Amenities

For the health and safety of our guests, we are temporarily modifying some of our guest amenities. We apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause and look forward to the time when we can reinstate these amenities. As of June 1, 2020, the following changes will be in effect until further notice:

Beach Service

We will still be providing complimentary beach tags for guests. Due to the potential contamination of shared beach tags, we will be providing them in a disposable plastic bag that can be replaced at the end of your stay.
We will be suspending our beach service temporarily. While we know that this service is a guest favorite in the summer, because we are not able to monitor the sanitation practices of this third-party service, we can not ensure the safety of our guests.
We are encouraging guests to bring their own beach chairs and umbrellas to use during their stay. If you do not have these items, we will loan them to you for the duration of your stay. Our chairs and umbrellas will be cleaned and sanitized every night.
We will continue to allow guests to use the outdoor shower, but have added a hand sanitizer station for your safety and convenience.

Outdoor Amenities

Our back patio area has been rearranged to encourage social distancing.
We will continue providing complimentary beach bikes and locks for guests. However, we ask that you park any bikes that you use in the driveway instead of putting them back in the garage of the bike rack. We will clean them thoroughly at the end of each day.

Indoor Amenities

Our wooden puzzles for guest use have returned! Please use the hand sanitizer provided before you begin working on the puzzle.
We will continue to provide a refrigerator, coffee machine, and water cooler in our solarium for guests to use. However, we ask that you use the provided sanitizing wipes before and after you touch any of these appliances. We will also clean them thoroughly throughout the day.

Food Sanitation

The dining experience has always been an important part of your stay at The Mission Inn. While we will continue to deliver on our promise of healthy, delicious, and unique food, we will be making a few modifications to ensure the health and safety of our guests. The following temporary changes will go in effect on June 1, 2020, until further notice:

Our signature homemade Oatmeal, Raisin, Coconut cookies will continue to be available for guests to enjoy. But they will now be individually wrapped before being placed into an “open air” cookie container.
During breakfast, we will ask guests to abide by social distancing guidelines and will ensure that tables are adequately spaced for safe outdoor dining.
In the case of inclement weather during breakfast, guests will be asked to sign up for one of two seating times (8 am, or 9 am) to allow for safe spacing during indoor dining.
If you are not comfortable dining in our breakfast areas, we will provide an option for “grab-and-go” breakfasts upon request the night before. We kindly ask that you do not eat these in your guest room, as we are not cleaning the room during your stay.
All of our staff will be wearing face coverings during breakfast service.
We ask that guests refrain from placing personal belongings (e.g. face masks, cell phones, tablets, books) on the table during breakfast.
Our popular afternoon happy hour will be temporarily replaced with pre-made snacks for each room available in the guest refrigerator. Guests will find containers waiting for them in the fridge anytime after 1 pm.
We will temporarily be suspending our optional beach box lunch service, and encourage guests to support our local restaurants by ordering takeout or delivery from any of our local restaurants during their stay.

Our Staff

At The Mission Inn, our staff is part of our family. And we have taken this opportunity to reevaluate safety guidelines for our staff and have implemented additional steps to ensure their well-being and that of our guests, including:

All staff will be required to stay home if they are not feeling well.
All staff will be required to submit to a health screening, including having their temperatures taken, before reporting to work each day.
All staff will be required to wear disposable gloves and face masks.
All housekeeping staff will be required to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after each room cleaning. Or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
As usual, all staff will be required to wash their hands frequently with soap and water.
We have placed new signage in the kitchen and cleaning areas to remind staff to avoid touching their faces, and of the proper way to wear, handle and dispose of personal protective equipment.

Whether you’ve visited Cape May a hundred times or were just planning your first stay in our historic seaside town, you are part of the Cape May community and The Mission Inn family. If you have any questions about our updated protocols, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@missioninn.net. And until we can meet in person again, stay safe wherever you are!