The holiday season at the French Lick Springs and West Baden Springs Hotels is always festive and filled with entertainment and activities. This year, the holidays will look a little different at the Southern Indiana resorts.
“Clean and safe is part of our mission statement, it’s part of our business mantra so we have kicked it up about 20 notches,” marketing manager Steve Rondinaro said.
Rondinaro said the French Lick Resort canceled its popular Polar Express train ride for families. Both hotels streamed their tree lightings online.
The hotels are operating at 60 percent capacity with a mask requirement, a temperature check and increased frequency and intensity of cleaning. Rondinaro said they have been able to fill their rooms on weekends but are hurting from the lack of group and meeting business they usually receive. Rondinaro said there are upsides.
“So we’ve taken the exhibition hall which usually hosts large groups and meetings and turned that into a giant play yard with miniature golf and pickle ball and foot billiards and all kinds of things,” he said.
Despite the changes to some of French Lick’s beloved traditions, visitors will still be greeted with hundreds of thousands of lights and decorations and a 40-foot tall tree in West Baden’s domed atrium.
“We have pulled back not in the least with decorating despite COVID, everything is out and in fact we’ve stepped it up in some areas,” Rondinaro said.
The hotels are open to overnight and casino guests only, but the free projection light show is open to the public every evening through January 10. Other online activities, including a virtual tour of the resort’s decorations, will be coming soon to the resort’s website.
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