Social Distancing means privacy during your next DINE getaway

Do not disturb signIf you’d asked any of the innkeepers from Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE)  what the term social distance meant a year ago…or even six months ago…they would likely have scratched their heads and guessed it had to do with getting together not staying apart.  Yet, along with other terms like PPE, sanitization and COVID, new terminology has creeped into our everyday conversations.  Social distancing is one of the new hallmarks of safety from the spread of COVID-19, and a concept that every one of the 11 Distinctive Inns of New England has embraced.  In fact, one of the unintended consequences of social distancing is actually the hallmark of a great New England romantic getaway for many couples. That is privacy.

romance at Distinctive Inns of New EnglandSocial distancing at DINE inns has enhanced privacy for couples throughout the inns.  For retreat-starved couples who’ve filled their last three months juggling remote work with homeschooling, housekeeping and constant cleaning, privacy has fallen by the wayside.  Surveys of travelers throughout the country show that couples are seeking romantic getaways in intimate and small lodging property within a one-tank drive. The 11 Distinctive Inns of New England offer that intimate setting with increased privacy for millions of people who live within a one-tank drive of DINE country.

In a 2017 Psychology Today article, the importance of privacy for couples – while traveling or at home – offered this insight, “Just as important for a successful marriage, however, is the amount of time couples spend doing things with each other, without other couples. Partners who do things together become more closely connected and come to enjoy each other’s company. That’s because shared experiences give them something in common; that helps make them feel good about each other. For couples who have established a habit of doing things together, many actually come to enjoy these activities more than those they do on their own or with other people.”

3 ways social distancing has enhanced privacy at DINE inns as they re-open

photo of couple wearing robes with woman's head on man's shoulderGuest rooms are the focus: Many states have required lodging properties to close their common areas.  Where once guests might gather in living rooms, parlors or the bars found at some DINE inns, the focus during the present phase of re-opening (until common areas can once again open) is on spending time in one’s guest room.  This allows couples more time to focus on one another in their private rooms, and not meet with others.

Tables are farther apart: Social distancing rules for most of the New England states require dining tables to be farther apart.  Thus, in states where breakfast or dinner can be served, intimate conversation over a meal is easier and less likely to be overheard.  In some states, meal service is confined to guest rooms only, creating private breakfast in bed or fireside dinners. Again, this sparks more privacy and intimacy yearned for by over-stressed travelers.

Rabbit Hill Inn holding HUGS signHugs confined to your travel partner:  Elbow bumps and waves are the new “hug” from innkeepers to guests.  As the world of travel begins to re-open, hugs are confined to those you travel with, and that’s okay.

For those yearning for privacy, this is the time to start traveling.  During the initial phases of re-opening, privacy will be front and center of most New England inn vacations.  Nearly all of the DINE inns are open (with restrictions and following state guidance) now or in the near future.  Be sure to book directly when you make plans for your intimate getaway to Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont or Connecticut in the coming weeks.

In Connecticut: Inn at Harbor Hill Marina in Niantic

In Maine:  Camden Maine Stay Inn in Camden and Inn at English Meadows in Kennebunkport.

In New Hampshire:  Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield

In Massachusetts:  Harbor Light Inn in Marblehead, Gateways Inn & Restaurant in Lenox, Deerfield Inn in Historic Deerfield and Captain’s House Inn in Chatham on Cape Cod.

In Vermont:  Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford & Grafton Inn in Grafton

In New Hampshire:  Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield

Photos provided by: Pexels.com, Pixabay.com, Rabbit Hill Inn and Inn at Harbor Hill Marina.