A week later , on May 19 , the short-term rental ban was finally lifted . A couple of critical questions , however , remained unanswered for the company : Would travelers feel safe going on vacation ? Would they feel safe in a 360 Blue home ? The company would reopen , but would vacationers come to the Emerald Coast ?
Hints at the answers to these questions had begun to surface a few weeks earlier .
“ We started to notice a continual increase in demand starting the last week of April ,” recalls Tanner Armstrong . “ On May 15 , demand spiked by over 100 % and held steady through the month of May and early June .”
“ The robust bookings we were seeing indicated a couple of eye-opening trends ,” says Samantha Sapp . “ Foremost , people were coming to us to self-isolate with their families . There ’ s also something to be said for the resiliency of travel itself . Americans just feel the need for it .”
“ You can ’ t eliminate risk when you travel during a pandemic ,” says Meaghan Sneed . “ But you can reduce the risk and mitigate it by taking precautions so that it ’ s close to zero . And that ’ s what we set out to do every single day .”
A NEW DAY AT DAWN “ I didn ’ t understand the full effect the experience was having on everyone until I had a chance to reflected back on it ,” says Laura O ’ Connor , the company ’ s Project and Data Analytics Manager . “ But it was an incredible time . We just came together to fight our way out of this dark tunnel .
“ It made us stronger and more resilient than ever . It made us better people and a better company .”
- Trisha Severs
We all worked together as a family and did things that were completely outside of our work realm to help keep the company afloat .”
The massive collective effort during the shutdown had laid the groundwork for what no one thought possible just weeks earlier , with demand surging through the summer season and beyond .
“ Fall Break saw a 50 % increase in occupancy due in part to the ability for parents and students to work and learn remotely ,” says Tanner Armstrong . “ Our homes were ready and our people were ready , which made it all possible .”
In the end , the crisis would have a transformative effect on the company . So did Horsley ’ s bet on her employees .
“ When the situation appeared hopeless , Ashley put us first ,” says Laura O ’ Connor . “ Everything was so uncertain . When we were all worried about our health and even our job security , she did everything she could to take care of us .”
As difficult as it was , the summer and fall of 2020 would represent an unparalleled experience and generate an intense pride for the staff company-wide .
“ In a way , it was worth every moment ,” says Trisha Severs . “ It made us stronger and more resilient than ever . It made us better people and a better company . I could not be more proud of who we proved ourselves to be .”
TRAVEL IN THE TIME OF COVID FEATURE beachLIFE 19