Dear Accommodation Community,
Last week, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced immediate closures on nightclubs and stand-alone banquet halls, along with other restrictions to bar and liquor service including restricting liquor service at 10pm. As we await the written order, there has been significant confusion from hoteliers and our industry at a time when they are scrambling to pay bills, keep people working and do their best to survive leading into the autumn season.
Please note, hotel banquets do not fall under this new order – only stand-alone banquet halls, which include community halls or similar entities. The restrictions outlining beverage consumption also do not apply to hotels and ‘dancing music’ is still permitted. Please continue to reach out to our team should you have any questions at membership@bcha.com
We continue to advocate on your behalf, for extension of the CEWS program to spring of 2021, at the 75% relief measure, provincially, for Property Tax Relief and BC Hydro relief, as well, both federally and provincially for low interest loans with extended repayment terms, backed by Government. We are anticipating the provincial announcement later this week for recovery, and have yet to receive any industry specific support. There has been however an announcement for the film industry this week, and therefore we trust the hospitality and tourism announcement is forthcoming.
The BCHA continues to work closely with the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat as we are sharing our survey outcomes, and the BCRTS has released a detailed summary following their August industry survey. Not surprisingly, the large decrease in international visitors, as well as a lower confidence in domestic visitors, contributed to lower than usual projections in all tourism regions in the province.
When compared to June 2019, international visits to BC have declined 98.5%. In a typical year, approximately 75% - 80% of Canadians are planning to take a summer trip. In 2020, this number dramatically declined to 45%. Globally, the 2020 decline in international tourist arrivals is expected to decrease by 60% - 80%, greatly impacting all areas of tourism and hospitality in BC. A full breakdown of the findings can be found below.
The BCHA continues to be the voice of the hotel industry at the federal, provincial and community level. We will be hitting the road and invite you to share your voice, live and in person! The content of our live sessions will include the state of advocacy efforts in the province, recovery strategies for our Tourism and Hospitality Industry, emerging issues, industry best practices, and member benefit initiatives. There will be plenty of time during the session for feedback and questions from you.
Our first dates for the end of September and beginning of October will be taking place in Cranbrook, Nelson, Invermere, Golden, and Revelstoke. Visit our website for more information and to sign up. We are looking forward to meeting you in person, and thank our hosts in anticipation of well attended meetings, and engaging sessions.
Watch for the September Pulse Check Survey next week, we will once again be quantifying the impact and priorities of our industry, and thank you in advance for responding. This information is critical as we advocate on your behalf, and as we quantify the impact.
Stay safe,
Ingrid Jarrett
President and CEO
British Columbia Hotel Association
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Proposal for CEWS Extension |
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The BCHA has recently submitted a proposal for the extension of the CEWS program.
The CEWS Program has been fundamental to the continued survival of our industry. For hotels and tourism businesses across Canada, we are currently entering our shoulder seasons which will see a significant drop in demand and revenue. The planned decrease of CEWS support at the end of September directly coincides with declining business and it is at this time that hotels need support more than ever to survive – we are already beginning to see the effects of the pandemic on our industry with the closures of some properties in our province.
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ABLE: Urgent Advocacy Update Revised Public Health Order |
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While a written order has not yet been issued, a transcript of Dr. Henry's verbal orders indicates that the following orders were made:
- all nightclubs and all standalone banquet halls are ordered closed until further notice
- liquor sales in all bars, pubs, and restaurants most cease at 10 PM and these venues must close at 11 PM, unless they're providing full meal service, in which case the meal service can continue, but not serve alcohol
- music or other background sounds such as from televisions in bars, lounges, pubs, and restaurants must be no louder than the volume of normal conversation
Since September 8, ABLE BC and our industry partners have been working tirelessly to get the order amended.
ABLE BC and members of the Business Technical Advisory Panel (BTAP) sent an urgent letter to the Premier, Attorney-General, Minister of Health, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness, and the Provincial Health Officer expressing our significant concerns about certain aspects of the public order.
BTAP is concerned about both the policy rationale and the devastating economic consequences of these orders, and are particularly concerned about these issues in relation to ending liquor service at 10 PM.
Specifically, BTAP has requested and suggested that government consider the following:
- Extend the end of liquor service from 10 PM to midnight
- Greater enforcement of non-compliant venues and customers, targeting the problem areas directly rather than unfairly affecting good operators
- Provide transparent timelines and/or public health targets so businesses can gauge the long-term effect of any restrictions
Thank you to everyone who completed our 3-question survey on the impacts of this public order. We sincerely appreciate your quick response. If you haven't done so, please complete the survey now. This survey does not apply to liquor retailers.
ABLE BC and BTAP are continuing to work with government on this issue and will send out an urgent update, as soon as more information becomes available.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us: info@ablebc.ca.
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HAC is continuing their advocacy efforts in full force after an incredibly intense summer.
Our top two issues remain:
1. guaranteed access to loans on favourable terms, and:
2. a wage subsidy expansion and extension to Spring/Summer 2021.
I want to thank those of you who continue to answer our calls to action. This summer HAC and its members held more than 200 meetings and briefings with key Members of Parliament and senior political staff. Our voice is being heard.
Our work on a hotel loan program is in its final stages. We experienced a set back in the timing due to the recent Cabinet shuffle, but we have swiftly moved things forward with our new Minister of Finance and we continue to apply pressure on a daily basis. We hope to see a resolution on that file soon.
On the wage subsidy expansion and extension, HAC will be leading a coalition of “hard hit” businesses to stage a public campaign in the lead up to Prime Minister Trudeau’s Parliamentary reset in the Fall. This coalition work will require action from our members in the days and weeks ahead. Please watch for these CALLS TO ACTION and respond as quickly as possible. Each request will be critically timed to support our detailed strategy. A wage subsidy expansion and extension is a very big ask of the Government and will support hoteliers to the tune of several billion dollars if we are successful, but we will need the full support of our members in order to achieve this.
You will receive shortly our first call to action in the form of a brief survey.
Thank you in advance for your support.
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Results of August BCRTS Tourism Industry Survey |
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The British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat, British Columbia Hotel Association and the British Columbia Destination Marketing Organizations Association are continuing to leverage our collective business network to collect, collate, and report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism businesses and to gather feedback on potential response and recovery measures.
Key issues for consideration:
• Being able to operate during the summer season has been extremely helpful to most tourism businesses, as they have been able to claw back some of the lost revenue from the pandemic. However, cumulative losses remain high for many firms, and the benefits of summer opening has been uneven across regions and business types.
•25% of firms are operating with business as usual, which is lower than the 36% national average for hospitality firms
•58% of firms saw a decrease of at least 25% in year over year revenue.
•Firms in remote locations reported the largest number of layoffs, while rural firms reported the weakest rehiring numbers.
•Approximately 58,290 employees have been laid off across the 5 tourism regions since the pandemic began.
•10% of rural firms do not plan on operating in 2021 due to reasons related to the pandemic.
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Our ongoing commitment to ensure as our industry recovers, we support energy savings and sustainability in the long run. The success of the GoGreen energy analysis and savings opportunities dove tails perfectly with this program. We invite you, and encourage you, as General Managers, and for your Engineering/maintenance teams to join us. BCHA and GreenStep will be hosting a webinar and open forum to outline how GreenStep’s EcoFund Verified program can help BCHA members get ahead of rising energy costs, save hundreds of thousands of dollars on energy and carbon taxes, and increase the value of your business; all while meeting the growing consumer demand for responsible business.
In this presentation, you will learn:
- How the EcoFund works with examples and financial models from current customers demonstrating over $1 million in opportunity for an average-sized BC hotel
- How you can increase your profitability by 50-80% through strategic investments in energy efficiency and sustainability
- How you can benchmark your energy performance against other businesses in your industry
- Trends in the increasing consumer demand for responsible business that can be met through EcoFund Verified.
At the end of the webinar, participants will be invited to receive a free opportunity analysis for their own hotels.
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Printhink supplies virtually any type of printing, graphics, or promotional product. If you can imagine your company image on it, call them to source it for you.
Printhink offers exclusive benefits to BCHA members starting with the discounted common hotel requirements. Finding hidden money in your printing and graphics budget is what we do. Printhink combines decades of printing expertise with their extensive network of trusted specialized print partners to help save you money in your printing and graphics budget. They will also implement customized client online ordering sites to provide a complete, scalable, graphics sourcing package.
BCHA Member Benefits:
- Discount print pricing of up to 25% off
- FREE delivery to any property location in BC
- FREE Ordering Site ($1000 Value) for qualified hotels
- FREE Print Audit (uncover immediate savings and creates an annual print sourcing plan)
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As part of our education pillar, BCHA continues to offer new courses and webinars from our education partners. Through our education series, BCHA members and hospitality professionals may access tools for continued growth within the hospitality industry at a significantly reduced price. We encourage you to take this time to explore the courses below: |
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Click here to sign up for any of the upcoming courses or webinars or learn more about all the education BCHA has to offer.
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