Beach lodging businesses gain SSL status
Four Beach lodging accommodations have received the “white glove treatment” and have come out smelling like roses, according to the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau.
Beach Shell Inn, Harbour House at the Inn, Manatee Bay Bed & Breakfast and Silver Sands Villas are among 15 Lee County hoteliers that have qualified to receive the coveted Donal A. Dermody White Glove Award for best practices in housekeeping.
Matanzas Inn also joins the four Beach businesses and 18 other Lee County like businesses that were inspected by the Property Review Program and successfully qualified for the distinguished Florida Superior Small Lodging Association designation. The SSL certification is a statewide hospitality recognition program.
Properties must receive a score of 100 percent for all components of the housekeeping inspection to be eligible to receive the White Glove Award.
For Silver Sands Owner Andrea Carriere, the White Glove Award is an annual symbol of excellence. She said the resort at 1207 Estero Blvd. has captured the award since 2005.
“It’s a nice little recognition for how hard my staff works,” said Carriere. “It’s always nice to see that so many properties on the island have received it and made an effort to uphold the standards. It’s a pretty rigorous inspection.”
Harbour House, a mixed-use 34-unit boutique resort condominium located on Old San Carlos Blvd. in the downtown district of Fort Myers Beach adjacent to the Matanzas Inn Resort and within walking distance to the beach, is a newcomer to the award since it is relatively new. The resort opened in the winter of 2010.
“We are very excited. It’s great that everybody enjoys the place as much as we do. It’s a great property,” said Cassie Kolias, head innkeeper at Harbour House.
Eligibility for participation in the Lee County SSL program is restricted to accommodations with 50 room units or less. Properties must hold a valid hotel, motel, inn or bed and breakfast license and pay all applicable state and local taxes related to the operations of an accommodation.
The SSL inspection program and designation is designed to provide travelers with an easily identifiable symbol to demonstrate that the accommodation is a “clean, safe and well managed small lodging establishment, offering friendly ambiance and personal service.” All property review inspections are conducted unannounced and can be repeated periodically and randomly to ensure that SSL program standards are being maintained.
The passing grade for participation in the program is 82 percent and is based on a comprehensive review process of six different property attributes:?1) registration/operations/public places, 2) guests accommodations, 3) bathrooms, 4) bathroom supplies, 5) kitchens, and 6) property exterior. These six categories are further delineated with numerical scoring to create the 343 total point inspection system.
Lee County properties recognized by the SSL hospitality recognition program include:?
– Bokeelia, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Matlacha and St. James City: ?Bokeelia Tarpon Inn – White Glove Award;?Bridgewater Inn; Casa Loma;?Fountain Motel – White Glove Award; Legacy Harbour Hotel & Suites;?Tarpon Lodge White Glove Award;?Two Fish Inn.
– Fort Myers Beach:?Beach Shell Inn – White Glove Award;?Harbour House at the Inn – White Glove Award;?Manatee Bay Bed & Breakfast – White Glove Award; Matanzas Inn;?Silver Sands Villas White Glove Award.
– Sanibel & Captiva islands:?Anchor Inn & Cottages White Glove Award; ?Blue Dolphin – White Glove Award; ?Gulf Breeze Cottages White Glove Award; ?Mitchell’s Sand Castles White Glove Award; ?The Palm View;?Sandpiper Inn;?Shalimar Resort White Glove Award;?Signal Inn White Glove Award;?Sunshine Island Inn – White Glove Award;?Tropical Winds Motel & Cottages;?Waterside Inn on the Beach.