Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NATCHEZ — Hotel owners in Natchez have seen an increase in visitors in recent weeks after some restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted.

The Natchez Grand Hotel reopened on May 22 after the city and state relaxed some COVID-19 restrictions.

Walter Tipton, Natchez Grand Hotel manager, said the first weekend of begin reopened exceeded expectations.

“On May 23, we had 94 rooms occupied out of 119,” Tipton said. “It was 30 more rooms than what we expected. We have slowly been seeing business pick up this week.”

Tipton said many of the Grand’s visitors were from Louisiana, including from Baton Rouge and LaPlace, and some patrons were from Texas traveling to Natchez for weekend getaways.

“We saw that people within driving distance of Natchez are coming to stay here,” Tipton said. “When people heard that we were opening back up, they immediately wanted to get out of their houses and stay here.”

While business at the Grand Hotel has increased, Kevin Preston, co-owner of Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel, said the Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel is staying closed. Preston said he has not yet set a reopening date for the Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel.

Hotel Vue Natchez, Days Inn by Wyndham and Hampton Inn have all remained open through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hotel Vue has seen a slight increase in visitors in the hotel in recent weeks, a spokesperson said.

Dade Vincent, general manager at Days Inn by Wyndham, said the Days Inn has taken precautions while staying open during the pandemic.

“We have plexiglass up at our front desk and our breakfast area. We still serve a hot breakfast and supper Monday through Thursday for to-go only,” Vincent said. “All of our employees are wearing masks and gloves. We have hand sanitizer everywhere and we sanitize the rooms and clean the rooms daily. We try to not check someone into a room that was used for two days.”

Vincent said he has seen a decrease in visitors coming to stay at the Days Inn in recent weeks.

At the Hampton Inn & Suites, there has been a slight increase in visitors in recent weeks, said Brittany Smith, Director of Sales.

“We are optimistic that things will be picking up in the very near future,” Smith said. “We are making sure our guests and employees are safe. We are looking forward to seeing patrons coming into the hotel again.”