Behind the scenes: How we prepare for your stay
Published on June 27, 2025
Alisa M. Gilbert
Retreat House Specialist
Before you even step through the doors of Retreat Hotel, a quiet rhythm unfolds behind the scenes. From perfectly-pressed linens to garden-picked herbs, every detail is carefully prepared to ensure your stay feels effortless, thoughtful, and personal.
Long before you arrive at Retreat Hotel, your experience is already in motion. Each stay begins with intention — not just a reservation in the system, but a story we prepare to shape. Behind the polished calm you see on arrival, there’s a quiet choreography unfolding every day.
It starts with our housekeeping team, who move through each room with both precision and care. It’s more than cleaning — it’s staging comfort. Pillows are fluffed just so, curtains drawn to the perfect fold of light, welcome notes handwritten, and amenities refreshed with personal touches if you’ve stayed with us before.
Next, the kitchen team prepares for your first breakfast and evening arrival. Breads are baked fresh daily. Local jams and wildflower honey are portioned into small, ceramic dishes. If you've told us you’re vegan, gluten-free, or have any preferences, those are seamlessly integrated — no reminders needed.
Our maintenance and garden staff are equally involved. They inspect each outdoor path, trim hedges, and even brush off morning dew from benches before sunrise yoga. Small things, mostly unseen — but always felt. The air smells of herbs because someone picked them at dawn.
If you’ve booked activities, your itinerary is reviewed by our guest experience team. Special moments like anniversaries or birthdays are flagged and quietly celebrated — a card here, a candlelit dessert there. Even the placement of your room may be chosen for the light it gets at the time you said you’ll arrive.
This is the soul of hospitality for us: preparing not just a place to stay, but a space to feel restored. You may never see the full picture of what happens behind the curtain. But you’ll feel the difference — in the ease of it all, the softness of the details, and the stillness that greets you when you walk in.