Lack of tourists means Saint John hotels finish June with 5% occupancy rate

Saint John's hotel industry has seen a significant drop in occupancy rates since the virus showed up in New Brunswick in March.

Paulette Hicks, president of the Saint John HotelAssociation and general manager of the Delta HotelsSaint John, said the province would typically see a 70 to90 per cent occupancy rate over the summer.

But at the end of June, the hotel industry in the Port City hasan occupancy rate of just five per cent.

"Our industry has certainly changed year over year," she said.

Hicks blamed the closure of New Brunswick borders with other provincesand the Canada-U.S. border.The area hasn't seen the volume ofvisitors from Ontario, Quebec orthe U.S.over these past few weeks that it typically would

Weddings and conventions have also been cancelled because of COVID-19.

The goal now is to finish the summer season with an occupancy rate of up to 30 per cent.

"It's realistic given what has happened to the world and our industry due to COVID."

Layoffs go from temporary to permanent

Hicks said New Brunswick's hotel industry saw a number of temporary layoffs when the outbreak started, but these are becoming more permanent.

In the meantime, she said, people in the industry will need to work hard into 2021 to rebuild the hotel business and make sure people feel safe.

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"We do anticipate we're not going to be able to recall our employees with the summer we were hoping for," she said. "This really is going to be a long time."

More than 270 WestJet employees in New Brunswick were also let go as part of the mass layoffs the Canadian airlineannounced earlier this week.

Hopes rise with Atlantic bubble

This week, Premier Blaine Higgs announced the Atlantic travel bubble among all four Atlantic provinces starting July 3.

The hotel industry is hopeful this will bring in more tourists to various New Brunswick communities.

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"We're pretty excited about the borders opening," Hicks said.

With New Brunswick cut off from the rest of Canada and the U.S, she's also hoping more New Brunswickers will be inspired to visit their own province this summer.

"It's an opportunity for New Brunswickers to look at their home province differently."

Algonquin Hotel sees jump in stays

Although business isn't back to normal yet, Pooja Rajmohan, director of sales for the Algonquin Resort in Saint Andrews, said hotel stays have increased since the hotel reopened last month.

Throughout the week there isa 30 to 40 per cent occupancy rate. And on weekends, it's high occupancy.

"As people havebeen at their homes all this while, we've started to have busy weekends and we're getting into busy weekdays," she said.

After many cancellations, Rajmohan said, more people have even started to book weddings of about 50 guests for July, August and September.

"Guests are very supportive because they understand it's their responsibility."

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But occupancy rates are still going to be 50 per cent less than what they would have been during a typical summer.

The hotel's new normal also consists of taking employee temperatures before they startwork and having a thermometer on hand at the front desk for guests.

She said hotel cleaners don't cleanwhen a guest is occupying a room. Staff have also removed items from a room that are high-touch, such as cushions.

Hotels rely on small operators to survive

Hotels in the Saint John area and neighbouring communitieshave also come together to create basecampsaintawesome.holiday. It's a website devoted to attracting people to the entire region. The website promotes places like Grand Manan, Deer Island and CampobelloIisland and what people can do there.

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Hicks said it's critical to support restaurants, galleries and other local businesses in these places because hotels rely on those operationsto survive.

"People come to hotels because of what's around us and we recognize that," she said.

"If these smaller operators do not survive, that is actually going to be even more devastating for 2021 and beyond."