Travel restrictions ease

by Kaitlyn and

Jaden Campbell

Over the past few months, many communities have suffered from the coronavirus pandemic. Restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 have placed a strain on local businesses, but none more so than hotels.

Travel has become almost non-existent over the past few months, causing a large impact on an industry that relies solely on travel. Several local business owners and managers gave their thoughts on the situation.

Many travellers from around the United States stay at The Riviera Lodge. While the lodge faced their usual slow period due to the winter season, Chris Duke, the owner, said the coronavirus definitely had a negative impact on the business.

Within the hotel industry, the occupancy rate is the ratio of available roooms to rented space.

From March 1 to May 31 of 2019, the Riviera had an occupancy rate of 51.5%. That same period in 2020 only saw an occupancy rate of 14.3% due to the restrictions put in place.

As a result, Duke said he had to cut back on many of his employee’s hours, reducing their ability to make a living. In the coming months, Duke expects to see more travel, but still lower than the typical number. “It’s going to be at least another full season before everything returns to normal.”

The Wolf Hotel is a historic downtown landmark, known not only for its restaurant, but the lodging it provides. Kathleen Campbell, the owner, stated that the hotel side was unable to remain open for a majority of the coronavirus months. She remarked that The Wolf Hotel would not have seen a good turnover rate with the new regulations, so they shut it down.

Due to the closure, The Wolf saw a 73% decrease in revenue as compared to last year. “I think that’s the hardest part,” Campbell said. “We have no control for the most part. It’s out of our hands.” Campbell is unsure of future predictions. “People aren’t making reservations a few months in advance, they are deciding to travel a few days before.” Campbell stated that she is confident regular customers will return as soon as they trust they are safe to travel. She thinks it will be a few months before that trust returns.

The Saratoga Hot Springs Resort attracts many tourists and locals alike for its lodging and accompanying hot springs. Scott Randall, the manager, noted that they closed their lodging after travel restrictions were put in place.

Randall stated that while they did face some losses during the time in which they were closed, they rebounded quickly due to an influx of tourism. He also mentioned that they luckily had a higher occupancy rate now than they did before the restrictions were put into place. “I think, because so many people were staying at home for such a period of time, they are excited about getting out.”

In the end, everyone expressed a sincere gratitude to the local community for helping their businesses during this difficult time. “The town of Saratoga has done a great job of supporting one another,” Duke stated. While businesses may have lost some revenue, they are grateful for the support everyone has shown.