Closure of swimming pools | Quebec hotels are waiting for explanations

Alice Girard-Boss
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“Municipal swimming pools are open, we’m closing. We’re very frustrated not knowing why. We’m waiting for explanations,” lamented Hetelleri Quebec, president of the association, Javier Gret.

On February 16, Public Health gave the green light to resume some sporting activities, especially swimming pools and indoor skating rinks. It was through a ministerial decree approved on Thursday, but it was revealed on Friday that hoteliers could not reopen their swimming pools.

When the news came that the swimming pools would reopen in mid-February, we confirmed that this measure would also apply to hotels. We finally heard the news from the police who came to inspect the hotels. We took precautions to verify [la nouvelle] In the beginning, ”said the Association des Hotels du Grand Montreal, Eve Pare.

Significant losses

“We see that there is a big wave of cancellations. It is causing losses,” Grett said. However, he said it was still too early to calculate them.

Nomi Magnol, accommodation supervisor at Doubletree by Hilton in Montreal, also observed the effects of the closure of swimming pools. “We had a lot of cancellations. We had to review all of our plans. It was very difficult and it created a lot of costs,” she explains.

“We heated the swimming pools, we called the teams back, we cleaned up. We’re really ready to welcome customers,” Mr said.^{To me} Ready.

Since the epidemic began, the situation has been very difficult for hoteliers, Mr. Great argues. Of the 38,000 people, 21,000 are currently unemployed, he said. “The spring break is likely to remind us of some of them, but we can’t because of the waves of cancellation,” he said.

Strict rules

Mr said teams always follow the rules so customers can enjoy the pool safely.^{To me} Magnol. “We did [l’]Summer [passé] And at the beginning of the fall, this was nothing new, ”explained Mr. Great.

“We have very strict rules. There are a maximum of 15 people in the whole pool. We have very few people at the same time and we have pesticide production centers,” explains M.^{To me} Magnol. Om^{To me} Unlike municipal swimming pools, the hotel has no changing rooms in the swimming pools, which limits access.