Quebec hotel owners feel impact of COVID-19

The William Gray Hotel in Old Montreal would normally be bustling with tourists at this time of year. But its corridors and bedrooms are largely completely empty, save for a small cleaning crew. 

"Everything that was planned from now until ... the end of August is all cancelled," said Dimitri Antonopoulos, vice president of the Antonopoulos Group, which owns the hotel. 

According to the Greater Montreal Hotel Association, downtown hotels usually see an occupancy rate of 70 per cent in April. With the pandemic bringing travel to a standstill, this year that rate was less than four per cent. 

The outlook for the summer isn't looking good either, and the low occupancy rates might force some hotels to close permanently. 

"The borders remain closed, there's no cruise ships, no festivals," said Eve Paré, the association's president. 

"It's demand-driven and there's no demand at all at this moment." 

Looking for solutions

In a statement to CBC News, Quebec's tourism minister's office said it was aware of the issue and looking into solutions.

"We are currently evaluating different proposals to support the sector," the statement said. 

Frantz Benjamin, Liberal MNA for Viau and official opposition critic for tourism, has been calling on the CAQ government to do more to support those in the hotel industry. 

According to him, there are up to 30,000 people in the province who are at risk of losing their jobs because of the effects COVID-19 has had on the hotel industry.

While hotel workers can benefit from some financial aid, such as wage subsidies, Benjamin says hotels themselves need help paying fixed costs such as electricity bills and insurance.

Benjamin pointed out that hotels are the backbone of the industry — they help subsidize regional tourism associations through the accommodation tax. 

"If you don't help the sector of the hotels, you will have serious trouble when comes the time to talk about the tourism industry."