With travel to Chautauqua County expected to pick up, both attractions and lodging sites prepare for the influx of people to return in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two of those places are the Chautauqua Institution and the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel in Celoron.

For the hotel and its General Manager Henry Sirois, it was an interesting year of bookings. At the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce Tuesday Talks series, Sirois said that interest in the hotel is increasing as more people discover it while booking travel.

“It’s been an interesting year for the Hotel,” Sirois said. ” We’re trying to juggle what business is coming into the hotel. Surprisingly, we had sold out nights on weekends, which was completely unexpected but nice to see that people are finally knowing the hotel is here. Oftentimes, we would get comments asking where the hotel is and how long it has been here.”

Sirois said that there are a number of wedding bookings planned, though due to restrictions, things will be smaller than normal, therefore leading to a lot of holdouts, waiting to see if restrictions allow higher numbers of people.

“We don’t see that happening until later,” Sirois said. “So like other establishments, hosting events is challenging and frustrating. Smaller weddings, typically between 150 and 200 people, have been reduced to under 100.”

Sirois said the pace of bookings from the transient markets has increased from 2019, but this is most likely due to people realizing the hotel is there. The Chautauqua Harbor Hotel continues to take bookings, especially group businesses, later in the year of 2021, and early 2022. In addition, they are also looking to expand their outdoor dining opportunities.

Similarly to the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, the Athenaeum Hotel at the Chautauqua Institution is expected to be open for reservations later this month, as they continue to look to expand bookings, outdoor dining, and wedding bookings.

“Food and beverage venues are starting to awaken,” said the Chautauqua Institution’s Director of Strategic Communications Jordan Steves.

“The Heirloom Restaurant will be open shortly, and we’ll look for new opportunities in terms of lakeside dining coming soon.”

Steves said the summer season for the Chautauqua Institution will run from June 26 to Aug. 29, which is the standard nine-week season they are normally open. In addition to being open for their full length, they also plan to operate as full a season of programs as they can, though it won’t be the same as 2019 either.

“Most venues are closed and we are not planning to open a number of theaters and opera houses,” Steves said. “But the amphitheater is planned for operation.”

To compensate for venues being closed, Steves said that a temporary performance pavilion is being erected, which will offer outdoor and lawn seating.

“The plan is to offer opera and theater there,” Steves said, “along with smaller scale artistic programs.”

While they plan for the immediate future, the Chautauqua Institution is also hosting events now. Smaller ensembles and dance groups can be held safely, and galleries are open as well. Youth and family programs are also planned for operation, on top of recreation and waterfront opportunities.

“We are an increasingly year round operation,” Steves said. “Over the past weekend, we hosted an ensemble from the Dance Theatre of Harlem, who are completing a several week residency on the grounds.”

“They are workshopping new works, and working on a project that the Institution has helped commission,” Steves added. “We will offer themed meals at the restaurant and an exclusive opportunity to view dance presentations that the dance company will record.”

In order to gauge community interest, Steves said that the Institution has sent out pulse surveys since February, asking the same questions regarding people’s travel plans and plans to return to the grounds. Since February, Steves said that there has been a flip in the percentage of people getting vaccinated.

“In February, the most common answer to the vaccine question was that 75 percent of people were willing to take it,” Steves said. “Now, the number has flipped to reflect that most people have gotten at least one dose. We have an older patron base, but they are now feeling increasingly comfortable with the idea of travelling.”

Steves said the institution expects a full campus this summer, and single tickets are expected to go on sale in June, as the Institution wants the best understanding of what will be required of them. The current plan for the amphitheater is to host 50 percent of its capacity, but restrictions need to open up more to hit that goal.

Neither Sirois or Steves know what restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic will exactly look like, but those in charge of both the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel and the Chautauqua Institution are doing their best to fully provide hopeful yet reasonable expectations to their clients.