229486
225783
Business  

BC hotel manager says it's not his place to enforce travel rules

Not turning anyone away

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.”



More Business News

225429
226105
Data from CryptoCompare
RECENT STORIES
229862
228921
Castanet Proud Member of RTNDA Canada
Press Room
225779