For current updates on issues impacting the hotel community follow BCHA: |
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Dear Accommodation Community,
As we look to tomorrow being Provincial election day – my hope is that everyone in our industry exercises their right to vote. There is much opportunity to review and educate yourself, as well as your colleagues and team members, on the different platforms of each party. Click here for party platforms. It is my hope that we have a greater voter turn out than ever before. Find out where to vote here.
Last week, we sent you the application form for the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant program from the Provincial Government. Many of you have voiced concern regarding lack of eligibility, and the arduous application process. I must encourage you to continue to apply, and ensure your application is in process. If the application stops due to not having what it is asking you for – you must leave it incomplete, but still in the queue. As we work with our provincial counterparts, it is better for you to have applied and potentially, if there are changes to the stipulations, your application could be approved. This is not a guarantee, but it is the recommended way to proceed. If you have not yet filled out the application, please do so here.
Our partnership for the fall campaign with Wine BC has been incredibly successful, we are delighted to see the participation and the overall success of the campaign, see below for more details.
As numbers of COVID cases have increased, tracing has been made to out of control gatherings, particularly weddings, funerals and other celebrations. Accommodators across the province have been leading the way in safe travel and safe meetings. We continue to update protocols to ensure the safety of guests and employees and prevent the transmission of Covid-19. The BCHA is routinely in contact with the PHO to communicate our responsible adherence to the rules. In addition, the PHO recently added amendments to the public health order surrounding gathering & events, affirming that it is the responsibility of guests to conform to the conditions set forth.
Yesterday, we also learned that Alberta is set to launch a new pilot project aimed at shortening the current 14-day mandatory self-isolation for international travellers. The initiative will begin November 2nd and will offer the option of being tested for Covid-19 upon entry to the province. Travellers will be asked to remain in quarantine until they receive a negative test result, which typically takes no more than 48 hours. If the test comes back negative, travellers will be allowed to leave their place of quarantine as long as they remain in Alberta for the first 14 days and commit to getting a second test on Day 6 or 7 after arrival, at a community pharmacy participating in the program. We are very hopeful to see this project launch and are optimistic that, following success in Alberta, we will see the same measures implemented within BC. See details below.
As of the beginning of October, we have once again started membership billing. It is important to note, we have offered flexibility in payments to ensure undue hardship is avoided, at the same time, I want to extend our sincere thanks to those of you who have paid your membership dues this month. It allows us to continue to do the work we are doing on your behalf. Again, thank you.
This week we hosted or co-hosted several webinars, including the Fort St John Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Vancouver Island, Canada’s West Ski Association, ABLE BC Liquor Conference Panel, CBRE Industry update, and West Coast Resort Association. All webinars are accessible on our website, www.bcha.com
I wish you a safe trip to the polling station in your neighbourhood and a warm weekend.
Stay safe,
Ingrid Jarrett
President & CEO
BC Hotel Association
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During the early days of the COVID – 19 pandemic crisis the BC Hotel Association recognized that the hotel industry in British Columbia was going to need support as never before. Our mission is to advocate, communicate and educate and as such we quickly moved to make sure that all accommodators in the province had access to the latest public health orders, resources and best practices for re-opening safely and tools to adjust to our new reality. Throughout the summer as many parts of the province re-opened to a new landscape we have continued to be at the forefront of advocacy and support for the industry. Now as our efforts turn to recovery, the association is focused on delivering timely and relevant educational offerings, exclusive partnership opportunities, revenue generation and innovative benefit programs all underpinned by our relentless advocacy work on your behalf. We invite you to join the association, as a full-time member and participate in this recovery together as we all optimize our futures. We have created a membership summary which you can share with your stakeholders that looks at the work we have completed as well as what is ahead. We are all in this together, we are here to help, and we would be thrilled to have you on board.
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Thank you for joining us earlier this week for our first presentation from our webinar series with Canada West Ski Areas Association as well as our webinar in partnership with CBRE. See below for the recordings and presentations. Also, a reminder that we will be continuing with the CWSAA series next week. Link to sign up below. |
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Presented by Brian Stanford, Senior Managing Director and David Ferguson, Director, our recent webinar discussed the current and future top line and bottom line performance of the Canadian hotel industry as well as current hotel industry performance, with emphasis on BC markets. Their presentation outlined lessons learned from previous global disruptions and included their forecasts for the recovery of the industry over the next five years and he implications for BC Hoteliers on cashflow, hotel valuations, owner liquidity and lender exposure.
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In the first webinar in the series, we discussed the latest in provincial health orders related to the accommodation sector, best practices and lessons learned from summer operations and guidance for effective safety plans. |
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Tips & Best Practices for Training your Employees Virtually
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Date & Time: Wednesday, Oct 28, 2020 9:45AM PDT
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About: While many of the principles of effective in-person classroom training apply to virtual training, there are some important differences. In this webinar we will discuss tips and best practices on how to transition your classroom content online and deliver an engaging training session.
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Register: click here
Public Spaces and Housekeeping Protocols
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Date & Time: Wednesday, Nov 4 , 2020 9:45AM PDT
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About: A discussion and review of issues related to public areas in the accommodation sector including hot tubs & pools as well as dining areas. Best practices for Housekeeping service specifically in dealing with guest interactions, staffing and cleaning protocols.
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Register: click here
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Upcoming Election Reminder |
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With the approaching Provincial Election, the BCHA has continued to leverage the opportunity for hotels to speak with one voice to effectively ensure our industry’s concerns are heard. As part of our election strategy, the BCHA has engaged with the political party representatives to present priority issues for our industry.
The BCHA wants to ensure you've been well equipped with the tools and messaging you needed to advocate on behalf of yourself and the industry in matters relating the hotel & lodging sector. Where to vote.
Get out and vote!!
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Look no further than our beautiful backyard for your 2021 adventures! The BC Hospitality Foundation is proud to announce our primary fundraiser for 2020, an online lottery, with a focus on supporting local hotels, wineries, breweries, restaurants, tourist attractions, and of course, their staff – the heart and soul of our hospitality industry. Featuring prizes from some of BC’s most remarkable destinations, we aim to fill your 2021 with safe and local explorations of our own, beautiful BC backyard.
Our beloved industry has worked hard to adapt to these trying times, with safety at the forefront of every experience, and this lottery supports the hospitality industry by endorsing a strong start to 2021!
Like many charities, the BCHF’s fundraising model, which relies almost entirely on events and social engagements, has been turned completely upside down. It is an unforgiving reality that will likely last well into 2021, and so we strategically revised our entire course of action for 2020. This online lottery will help us continue working to support hospitality workers in a financial crisis due to a health condition. Thank you to everyone for purchasing your BCHF lottery tickets and helping us finish off 2020 with determination and grace! Good Luck!! Tickets on sale from October 13 to November 1st, 2020
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I know that we have some frosty, wet weather in many parts of the province today, hopefully that passes soon and our harvest travellers can get back to visiting the wine regions!
A few notes:
Global TV :15 & :30 spots continue until October 31
Pattison Radio Spots continue until October 31.
Download the media spots here.
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BCHA, Member & Industry News |
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The replacement of 14-day quarantine with rapid testing is a good step forward for the safe return of international travel with pilot project for Rapid Testing announced for Calgary International Airport. It aligns well with BCHA’s message of personal responsibility that hotels are well within their right to expect guests to be safe and responsible before arriving at your property. |
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Rapid testing at airports to replace mandatory...
Since the federal government implemented its COVID-19 containment strategy in March, only four Canadian airports - Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver - are permitted to accept international flights. Government records reveal dozens of...
Read more
torontosun.com
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We’ve seen many changes in liquor licensing policy across Canada since Bert founded Rising Tide Consultants (RTC) in 1988. With the legalization of non-medical cannabis, we have risen to the challenges facing applicants in that sector as well. Based in British Columbia, we are a full-service licensing consulting company providing licensing advice to liquor and cannabis industries operating in all Canadian provinces and territories. We work with a broad range of clients on both liquor and cannabis applications, enforcement and compliance issues and the buying and selling of licenses and retail locations. We understand the regulatory licensing process and can help you navigate the system with our expert consulting services.
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