Dear guests,

In December 2019, we temporarily closed our doors in order to renovate and modernize our operation with an excited outlook towards the summer. The world had other plans, however, and after some substantial delay we are finally able to open again, albeit in a way prepared for this brave new world.  We take Covid precautions very seriously. We trust the information provided to us by the CDC and follow the guidelines set by our state. We understand that this means some degree of inconvenience for both us and our guests, but we would rather use an abundance of caution and keep everyone safe. Please visit our Policies page for more information about our Covid-19 safety measures. When you’re ready, click here to book your stay.

But we’ve seen more changes than just those caused by the pandemic. In the last two years especially we have seen a disturbing rise of violence and hateful rhetoric against BIPOC, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, even against the basic principles of science, largely at the hands of those who benefit from and perpetuate white supremacy. As queer, Jewish small business owners and as white people with privilege working to examine our roles in white supremacy we have felt these trends profoundly, but have limited power to address them directly. What we can do and say is that we will not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, disinformation or any kind of violence or hateful rhetoric at the Mercury. We recognize the incredible privileges we have and want to do what we can to make our inn a safe space for all.  

If you read this and roll your eyes, or think ‘keep politics out of my vacation,’ then we may not be the best place for you to stay. The fact of the matter is these issues affect us, they affect our ability to run our business and they affect our guests. If you read this and feel like it sounds refreshing, or comforting, or the kind of environment you want to support, please consider a stay with us. If you still have questions, please reach out. If you think there’s something we can be doing better, please tell us.

We want to use the platform we have as small business owners in a popular tourist destination visited by many people of different backgrounds to show others the importance of equity and of justice. We may just be a small bed and breakfast, but the choices we make here can have ripple effects in our community, from how our lodging tax dollars are spent, to the kind of organizations we support financially.

Butt the thing we want most of all is for The Mercury to be safe and accessible to everyone, including people that might not always feel comfortable in majority white/cis/heterosexual spaces (yes, despite being queer-owned, our guests are majority heterosexual, and we love that, but we know it can raise questions or concerns for the most vulnerable among us.) We hope you’ll come stay with us, share our love of this amazing city and work with us to foster equity and justice in our communities.

All our love,
Jake & Tim