The 89-year-old Arizona Inn is closed for the first time since 1971 β with a tentative reopening date of May 1 β in βa wrenching thing to have to do,β says its president Will Conroy.
βItβs just me and mom. Thereβs no corporate headquarters. Itβs just us,β Conroy explained Tuesday of the decision to shutter the iconic midtown inn his great-grandmother Isabella Greenway opened.
βThe first thing in my mind is the safety of our staff,β he said. βWe donβt want to ask them to do something we wouldnβt want to doβ β and that means to face the uncertainty of possible exposure at work during the COVID-19 outbreak.
βWeβre keeping on as many as we can, including as many hourly employees as we can, but a lot are on hiatus.β
The inn used to close during the summers in its days of swamp coolers, before it had air conditioning, but he said the last time was the summer of β71.
βFor almost 50 years weβve been open every night, so itβs a bit dramatic for us,β Conroy noted.
The Arizona Inn has many repeat and long-term guests βand they know usβ and are supportive, he said.
βPeople havenβt been shocked. Theyβve seen whatβs going on. Weβd had lots of (recent) cancellationsβ due to the virus outbreak, βand some people are thanking us for making the decision.β
It is poignant, Conroy said, walking around the inn and seeing it empty after the closure started Monday, March 16.
βItβs so beautiful, and itβs a perfect time of year for the flowers.
βIt doesnβt seem right.β