JACKSON, Wyo. — Following Thursday evening’s boil water advisory affecting users of the Town of Jackson’s water system, visitor-facing businesses kicked into problem-solving mode.
Buckrail spoke with three hotel professionals Friday morning to hear how they were handling the situation. Anvil Hotel General Manager Brian Hunnings said he was prepared to respond when the advisory was issued, noting that he had a standard operating procedure to follow in an emergency situation.
“There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty from the guest standpoint,” Hunnings told Buckrail. “They don’t understand how it happens. We luckily have enough bottled water on hand that we’ve been able to mitigate that.”
Hunnings added that the hotel’s coffee machines are operational and able to boil water for the suggested 3 minutes; since some coffee purveyors downtown are closed today, being able to provide coffee to guests is helping to smooth things over.
Daytona Willis, a front desk agent with the Antler Inn, shared that a group of colleagues headed over to Idaho Falls yesterday to purchase water in bulk in an effort to leave bottles in Jackson available for locals.
“It wasn’t something we were expecting, but we knew which first steps we wanted to do,” Willis said. “It’s more manageable than I expected — I was kind of worried yesterday. A lot of our guests got the notice and they just came in with follow-up questions.”
Willis added that the Antler is posting copies of the advisory around the property to keep guests in the loop. Erin Hutcheson, director of guest relations at the Rockwell Inn, said her team is also posting plenty of instructions and updates.
“We’re just trying to give our guests as much as information as we can,” Hutcheson said, adding, “Honestly, it feels less chaotic than I thought. Most people are very understanding.”
When grocery stores sold out of water Thursday evening, Hutcheson’s team reached out to its Coca-Cola machine vendor and contacts at Sysco to source water bottles through other channels.
In terms of using guest showers and other questions of personal hygiene, the Teton County Health Department has advised following these guidelines.
