This Adorable Hamptons Hotel, Opened During the Pandemic, Is Thriving

To say 2020 was a tough year for hotels and small businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic is an understatement — and trying to open one was even harder.

But Sylvia Wong accepted the challenge in May 2020 — which then became June due to a state-wide pause in construction — when she opened The Roundtree Hotel, Amagansett in The Hamptons. And not only did she pull it off, in a time when major hotel giants suffered financially, she thrived.

"I had never envisioned that we would be opening The Roundtree, Amagansett in the midst of a global pandemic," Wong told Travel + Leisure back in 2020. "While hotel openings normally present many challenges and obstacles, these current circumstances provide a new set of unpredictable hurdles to overcome, and with that, we have had to learn, pivot, and adapt continuously as a team. In spite of this, it has been exciting to see that people are still seeking opportunities to make their summer trip out east."

The two-acre property, located only a one-mile bike ride away from the beach (the hotel has a set of very Instagrammable bike cruisers you can take out), is absolutely ideal for social distancing, where guests are given their own cottages ranging from studios to three bedrooms with private entries.

Rooms start from $595 per night.

Guests also have access to private yoga sessions, golf, in-room massages, and guided tours around Amagansett.

For those who choose to use the hotel as a remote work location, The Roundtree can provide standing desks, printers, and meeting space. However, for a comfier log-on session, the hotel also boasts picturesque outdoor daybeds

In addition to snacks provided throughout the day, guests can also enjoy a complimentary breakfast and after-dinner s'mores by the fire.

The Roundtree, Amagansett is also nearby Hamptons restaurants like Hampton Chutney Co., Wölffer Kitchen, and Moby's.

As soon as it opened, the Roundtree was booked, with guests like Sports Illustrated cover girl Kate Bock and her NBA player husband Kevin Love — and their adorable dog — who visited in July 2020.

And instead of just an extended weekend, many guests book an entire week or multiple weeks as an escape that feels like the quintessential luxury summer home.

"To me, premier service and personalized connection has always been synonymous with luxury [and now] we have had to take a look at what this means in the age of social distancing and intensive health protocols, to ensure that our guests have the same luxury experience that drew them to The Roundtree, Amagansett," Wong told T+L of the precautions they took amid their opening during the COVID-19 pandemic. "These are just some of the services we've enhanced when re-evaluating what luxury means at this moment in time, and making our hotel [our guests'] home while they are staying here."