CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — Memorial Day is almost here and many businesses are preparing to welcome an influx of tourists. In Carolina Beach, the Savannah Inn is preparing to welcome guests back for a busy holiday after a turbulent couple of years.
General manager Brittany Francis says that Hurricane Florence in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on the inn, but they’re always ready to welcome people back.
“With Florence, it came in, and it ripped the roofs off of this building, failed in some other areas. We spent the next few years rebuilding, and we got everything done just in time really for the height of COVID to shut us down,” Francis said. “So we were shut down for another two months, and then we were able to reopen again for probably one of the busiest seasons we’ve ever had.”
Now, the inn is getting ready for another busy summer.
“We’ve redone all of our stairwells here. We have three different stairwells. We redid the deck up there on that building. All three roofs were redone this winter,” Francis said. “And like I said, David is just tying up some loose ends.”
But Francis says this season might be a little slower than the great seasons they’ve had since reopening.
“We’re seeing a little decline in the amount of people staying right now. The island seems busy, but the weekdays here are pretty quiet,” Francis said. “And I’ve spoken with a lot of hotels in the area, and I know a lot of us are experiencing the same things.”
Francis can only speculate, but she thinks the economy is to blame for the fewer number of tourists so far this year. However, she still says she’s excited to welcome her guests back for another pleasant stay at the Savannah Inn.
“That’s what brings us back every year, knowing that we can get through the wintertime,” Francis said. “Because it’s worth the summertime to see all of our guests that return each and every year, and how the family grows or the children grow, so that’s been really important to us.”
The Savannah Inn is fully booked for Memorial Day weekend.
AAA says it's expecting Wilmington and its beaches to have a strong Memorial Day weekend.
Francis says that many of the businesses in Carolina Beach rely on a good tourism season and summer to get through the winter months. She’s hoping for another great season so they can stay open through the winter and be able to keep all the staff on as well.
If you would like to book a stay at the Savannah Inn, you can click here.
