As a hotel manager, Paul Robison wants travelers to know that if they show up in the lobby looking for a room, regardless of where they are from, he and his staff at Super 8 by Wyndham Prince George will not be turning them away.
Robison says he’s not there to enforce the latest provincial health orders which ban non-essential travel from outside the Interior and Northern Health regions, but he is making it a priority to let guests know about the new rules which came into effect Friday, as the province continues to struggle with near-record levels of COVID-19 infections and the increasing threat of variant strains.
“We are advising people who aren’t in our zone that we are under provincial orders in regards to no traveling and restricted access to the various areas,” said Robison. “We’re not police, we’re not an enforcement agency, but we are informing our guests about the situation so that they are aware. It’s their business on why they’re here. We’ve taken that responsibility and put it back on them.”
Super 8 is owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, based in Toronto, and bookings are made through a central distributor or through third-party entities such as Expedia and Booking.com. People who book by phone or online are directed to provincial websites for information on COVID-related travel restrictions.
“All hotels need the business, as do restaurateurs and everybody in the hospitality industry, we’ve been hit so hard, but on the same token we want to be responsible in our approach to business and the public health crisis that we’re in,” said Robison, who serves as chair of the board of Tourism Prince George.
While visits from tourists have plummeted during the 14-month pandemic, the local hotel industry has continued to receive bookings from many out-of-province workers involved in such industrial projects as the LNG pipeline construction, which Robison says has helped his hotel weather the COVID storm.
“Really, that’s been a lifesaver for a lot of the hotels in Prince George,”’ he said. “But it’s a tough one. We’re in a difficult situation with the pandemic.”
Robison and his wife are former restaurateurs and he says he’s thankful they no longer have a stake in that business, knowing how difficult the restrictions on in-person dining have been for eating establishments which also have the added burden of the current ban on travel.
“I think it’s going to get worse,” Robison said. “I can definitely see some of these restaurateurs having to shut their businesses down. In Prince George, although there’s been a few shut down, everyone’s hanging tough.”
On March 31 the city decided to waive permit fees for outdoor patios for restaurants, cafes and pubs and many have set up temporary tents and covered outdoor seating areas to serve guests. Some restaurants have stepped up their takeout and delivery services and Robison says some have found ways to remain profitable.
“My neighbour (Ryan Cyr) runs the White Goose Bistro and he does this amazing brunch for pickup and it is fantastic, so kudos to him, he’s thinking outside the box and he was busy,” said Robison. “He had 20 orders the day I was in and that’s awesome. It’s literally life and death for a business.”
Some government grants are available to keep small- and medium-sized businesses open during the pandemic and Robison is encouraging hospitality stakeholders to get in touch with local tourism industry overseers such as Tourism PG and the Northern BC Tourism Association, which keep their fingers on the pulse of programs designed to help them survive and thrive.
“I always recommend good communications and we want to hear your stories, good and bad,” said Robison. “Reach out and let us know what’s happening. Take time to ready any information that’s sent out.
“The frustrating part for me is the fact that just when you think you’re going in the right direction and doing everything according to the public health officer, then everything changes. It’s kind of like riding down the hill on the seat of your pants, you don’t know what going to happen, and everybody’s in the same boat.”
In anticipation of the new restrictions, which will remain in place at least until May 25, the Northern BC Tourism Association teamed up with Destination BC, Tourism Industry Association of BC, BC Regional Tourism Secretariat and Indigenous Tourism BC to develop a toolkit for accommodation providers and tourism operators to help them communicate the new rules with their guests, staff and stakeholders.
It recommends operators:
- Consider contacting people from outside the Interior/Northern Health regional zone who have made bookings before May 25 to remind them of the new restrictions.
- Include as a key message on websites, emails to guests and in conversations with guests upon check-in that people are not allowed to travel for non-essential reasons from outside their regional zone. That message should also direct people to the B.C. government website gov.bc/covidtravel, which has a list of non-restricted essential reasons for making trips.
- Consider training employees who handle bookings, sales, reservations and front-desk duties to make them aware of public health orders and limitations on travel now in effect.
- Confirm new bookings until May 25 meet current guidelines and orders.
The toolkit document reminds operators they are not expected to enforce the current restrictions on travel, nor are they expected to pause marketing plans which target other regions.
There was a noticeable uptick in tourist visits from the Lower Mainland last summer after travel restrictions were lifted and Tourism PG chief executive officer Tracey McBride says a similar resurgence would be needed shot in the arm for local hotels and restaurants if infection rate drop sufficiently enough to eliminate the current regional travel bans to allow visitors to return to uncrowded northern B.C. destinations.
“Last summer we got probably a lot more from the Mainland than we might have before and we do want to attract them,” said McBride. “Even with everything going on, when some of the restrictions lift I think there is an opportunity for Prince George and the north itself for those that do want to travel to places they haven’t been before where there’s a little more space.”
Rather than targeting other provinces or U.S. states with its marketing budget, Tourism PG has been putting money into content development (videos, written material) for its website and social media platforms which are being used to promote local attractions and urban assets that can be safely accessed during the pandemic. The city is still scheduled to host the 2022 BC Summer Games and has been picked as the site of the B.C. Tourism Hospitality Conference in March 2022.
Despite the regional travel ban, McBride says people from within and without the region will continue to move to and from other jurisdictions for those essential reasons and people should not get alarmed if they see out-of-province licence plates.
“There is still essential travel they have exempted (that’s) work related,” she said. “People are traveling for medical appointments, they’re traveling possibly for a funeral. We have people that have Alberta plates here who have a business both in Alberta and B.C., and you can’t assume they’re here for recreational purposes. That’s more where the order was getting at, to try to discourage some of those hotspot recreational areas that have been overrun.”
