Dear friends,
The thoughts and hopes of the entire Paws Up Team are with the hundreds of thousands worldwide who have lost family and friends to this pandemic. None of us could possibly have anticipated the speed with which COVID-19 has affected the health of the world’s people and slowed economies across the globe. Our world has again changed, and the industries that serve our innate desire to travel and experience our world have suffered significant impact.
From the outside, we might appear as any other luxury resort, however, we are much more. On a genuine ranch like ours, working from home isn’t an option. Spring brings birthing season and hundreds of new baby cattle, bison and horses (and they are incredibly cute). And 37,000 acres of land and nearly 10 miles of the legendary Blackfoot River demand attention. On country roads and waterways and doing general land management, our teams are at times working thousands of feet apart, but they are as connected as ever, including our nearly 50 year-round resident employees and their families that call Paws Up home.
Our immediate response is appropriately focused on protecting the health and the safety of our employees, their families, our community and our guests. For this reason, we have increased our focus on cleanliness across the organization. This includes a wide range of safety and cleaning measures in our homes, glamping® tents, kitchens, dining areas, activities areas and of course our fleet of Lexus vehicles, and these actions won’t end when the virus abates. We remain closely connected with new safety protocols so that we can best serve you and provide the opportunity to experience Montana safely.
Following state and federal guidelines, we’ve cautiously remained open during this crisis and that has allowed us to provide a safe environment for people in need of a place to shelter, as well as stable employment for our year-round team. Our valued seasonal staff are slowly returning, as they do every year, to a resort eager to welcome them back.
We have used this time well to improve all our services and experiences. With the knowledge gained by remaining open, we are well accustomed to new standards of operations. When you find yourself ready to experience our fresh air, vast space and authentic wilderness adventures in what will feel like your own private national park, we are eager to serve you, and we can’t wait to welcome you back.
Sincerely,
Steve Hurst
Managing Director
Paws Up Montana
Health and Safety Policies and Precautions at Paws Up
Our policies and precautions will be modified monthly to ensure we are meeting and exceeding the current health and safety needs of our staff and guests.
Paws Up Montana is eager to share our fresh air, vast 37,000 acres and authentic hospitality with you! Our top priority is your experience with us, and we understand that with recent developments in the world, this requires many solutions. The health and safety of our guests and employees is vital to us, and as such we will continue to remain focused on advancements available in cleaning and safety.
Property-wide, we continue to ask any employee feeling ill to notify their teams and remain at home until the illness has passed. We are also eager to respond to your personal concerns. Please know that we will adjust to whatever method allows you to enjoy the place we all love and call home.
Arrivals and Departures
We provide dedicated transportation to and from Missoula International Airport for just your party of travelers, and all vehicles are sanitized between use. Drivers will have masks available for use if requested. We are also in the process of deploying a self-drive system from the airport to reduce time in close quarters with nonfamily members.
Activities
A true hallmark of a Paws Up experience is getting outside and enjoying the land, rivers and lakes of Montana. We have made modifications to select activities to increase distance between guests and employees. Please speak with your concierge or guide about any further modifications we can make that will add to your enjoyment of these activities.
Housekeeping
We have long followed sanitizing procedures for our homes and tents, and we will continue to learn and respond as new techniques and solutions are presented. We assume a daily cleaning and turndown service; however, we are happy to work within your plans to provide service while you are away or suspend service by request. If any modifications to our housekeeping services are desired, please inform us and we will make appropriate adjustments.
Dining
Paws Up has always taken pride in operating our food preparation and service at very high levels of cleanliness. We have taken steps to increase sanitation of guest-used tables and chairs between use to raise even further this level of cleanliness. We have also increased spacing between tables and will continue to utilize our large outdoor spaces to allow our guests to experience dining under the Big Sky of Montana as often as possible. As part of further social distancing considerations, Paws Up’s Pomp restaurant will operate three nights a week for dining, and our Chuck Wagon Dinner event will be available on the same three nights. Guests can choose to enjoy either unforgettable option amongst a reduced number of diners as a result. Additionally, the Chuck Wagon activity experience is free-of-additional-charge for the rest of 2020.
Occupancy Limits
Paws Up has always limited on-property guest counts and we are now actively reducing guest counts to improve the likelihood and effectiveness of social distancing. We are as eager as ever to serve our guests during their stay, and reducing numbers will allow all of us to be safe and will ensure a successful experience for everyone.
On-Property Transportation
Paws Up already provides a private Lexus luxury SUV for all home accommodations for use on-property to get to wilderness adventure excursions, to dining locations and to other destinations on The Resort. Maps with directions to outdoor dining locations and other destinations will be provided.
The Spa
Spa services will continue to provide full sanitation and linen changes between guests. Any other changes as recommended through the Missoula County Health Department will be closely followed. Of course, personal requests for modifications in service are welcomed.
