A Stay Above the Rest has diligently been monitoring the latest news about the coronavirus, and we have made sure to take every precaution when ensuring the health and safety of our valued guests and our devoted team members.
We ask that guests continue to maintain healthy habits such as:
Avoiding close contact with others. Social Distancing requires a minimum of six feet between all individuals when in a public place.
Wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds to help protect the spread of germs.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth as these areas are more susceptible to germs that you may have on your hands.
Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Use a tissue or wash your hands immediately after.
Preparing for your stay:
The A Stay Above The Rest team has put tremendous effort into ensuring that the areas in which our properties are located are safe for traveling. Your health and safety, and the health and safety of those communities are our top priority.
If you have questions or concerns about an upcoming reservation, contact us right away to discuss your options.
As all of our repeat guests know, A Stay Above The Rest does provide everything you need to get your stay started including soap, shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper, and more. In the event that you will need more than what is supplied by us, it is encouraged that you bring extra with you. As with many parts of the country, these supplies are limited within our communities.
Please review our standard Packing List for recommendations on what to bring.
If you aren’t feeling well, or if a member of your immediate family has recently shown symptoms of being ill we encourage you to stay home. Being sick (with any illness) while on vacation is no fun.
If you have not yet made your reservation and are looking to do so now, we HIGHLY recommend that you purchase travel insurance in the event that you become ill and are not able to honor your reservation.
Check-in and Check-out:
We are proud to include self check-in and check-out at ALL of our properties. You will be provided your door access code via email/text and are able to come and go as you please (within your reservation hours). Guests at our Galveston location may need to secure a parking permit from the front lobby area. We are assured that the lobby employees are practicing all safety measures to ensure prevention of the virus.
Cancellation Policy:
We are aligned with some of the biggest listing sites and many of our peers.
– Reservations made on and prior to March 14, 2020 are eligible for full refunds under our COVID cancellation policy.
– Reservations made March 15, 2020 and on will follow our standard cancellation policy.
Our standard cancellation policy:
Cancellation > 30 days prior to checkin is refunded 100% minus a cancellation fee outlined by your rental agreement – ranging from $100 – $200 depending on the property and the season.
Cancellation 30 days or less prior to check in date is not eligible for a refund.
We highly recommend for travelers to purchase traveler’s insurance in case of a medical emergency or some other situation they may cover. They can purchase protection through CSA Travel Protection (also known as Generali). This will likely not cover COVID travel restrictions, please read fine print.
Updated: June 26, 2020
Many Government Officials have declared “Stay at Home” orders for communities across the nation. All individuals living within these communities are ordered to stay inside their place of residence and should only leave for essential activities. Essential activities include: going to and from work (if your employment is considered to be “essential”), going to or from the grocery or drug store, or to engage in outdoor physical activities such as walking, biking, or hiking. While engaging in any activity outside of your home you MUST maintain appropriate social distancing of at least six feet.
Facial Coverings are REQUIRED to be worn while in public within Texas. Everyone ages 10 and older must wear appropriate facial coverings that cover the nose and mouth – unless the use of such facial covering posses risks to the individuals’ physical or mental health.
UPDATE AS OF JUNE 26, 2020:
Texas Governor, Abbott has issued a new Executive Order for the state, the full Executive Order can be found HERE. As of 12:01 am on June 26, 2020 the following will be enforced:
Closures/Not Allowed: Bars are not to be open to the public but may offer delivery, carry-out and curbside services. Restaurants with bars who earn greater than 51% of earning from alcohol sales are not permitted to be open to the public but may offer delivery and pick up services. Rental companies that offer inflatable water toys such as tubes, rafts, and floats are not permitted. Outdoor gatherings in excess of 100 people are not permitted. People are not allowed to visit nursing homes, assisted living facilities, long-term care facilities, or state-supported living centers.
Limited Restrictions: Restaurants are allowed to provide dine-in services at 50% of the maximum occupancy rate and if social distancing rules are enforced. Companies that provide a service to the public that requires regular interaction are required to abide by strict hygiene and social distancing guidelines as well as require that all employees wear facemasks. Swimming pools, sporting events, water parks, amusement parks, museums, libraries, and similar facilities must adhere to operating at no more than 50% of their maximum occupancy. 50% occupancy limits do not apply to hair/nail salons, barbershops, massage establishments, and other similar personal care and beauty services. Places of worship are to limited by occupancy as long as proper facial coverings and social distancing is practiced.
Austin-Travis County: Residents are encouraged to stay home unless performing an essential task, but no formal restriction confining residents to their homes are in place.
Persons out in public are required to wear face masks during all social interactions not limited to: while inside any public building, using public transportation, pumping gas, white outside, and in a public setting when six feet of social distancing cannot be consistently maintained. Retail stores, restaurants, medical offices, and others open to the public business are required to request that all guests wear facial coverings (unless unable to do so for reasons listed below), practice good hygiene and follow social distancing guidelines.
Facial coverings are not required when: riding in a personal vehicle, alone, in the presence of other members of your household, doing so poses a greater mental or physical health, safety or security risk such as anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance while eating.
Galveston, TX: Mayor Jim Yarbrough signed an Executive Order on Monday, June 22, 2020, requiring all commercial entities that provide goods or services directly to the public to require face coverings for customers aged ten or older. Facial coverings can include homemade masks, medical masks, handkerchiefs, scarfs, or bandanas as long as the cover the nose and mouth. No additional requirements or restrictions have been enforced at this time.
UPDATE AS OF MAY 12, 2020: New Mexico officials have begun to open that states tourism businesses. However, short term vacation rentals are only to be made available to those who currently live within the state. Out of state guests are not allowed at this time. Many restaurants and activities will be opening soon under the state mandated regulations similar to those established in Texas.
Travis County (Austin and surrounding areas) officials continue to require that all individuals wear a mask or facial covering while in public. The City of Galveston has announced that all public beaches will be open as of Friday, May 1, 2020. Social distancing of at least six (6) feet is still required whenever in public. Restaurants and retail stores are expected to limit the number of guests to at or below 25% of their maximum occupancy at any one time. Additionally, restaurants are expected to provide guests with disposable (paper) menus and are not to accept groups of six (6) or larger. It is expected that the next wave of openings will commence on May 18, 2020 and will include gyms, bars, and barbershops/salons.
We understand that many of our guests and their families are impacted by this pandemic and that your circumstances are changing daily. As new information is released, we will actively provide updates. A Stay Above The Rest is exhausting all resources to ensure that we are in compliance with all state and county mandated regulations. At this time Texas officials have lifted any restrictions regarding short-term or vacation rentals. We are pleased to be able to host those of you that are in need of temporary lodging at any of our Texas-based properties.
Our guests and homeowners are our reason for our continued efforts to stay informed and for being done within active our communities to provide assurance and guidance, however possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us. Throughout this crisis, we maintain our sense of responsibility to our guests and are keeping our phone lines and email correspondence open to assist in any way that we can.
We thank you for your continued support during these difficult times and invite you to join our newsletter for regular updates and helpful information. We are in this together and together we will get through anything.