Hospitality industry looks to spark recovery strategy

Saskatoon’s tourism and hospitality industry is hoping a near-total loss of business due to COVID-19 can help bring on a long-term strategy to rebuild and restart the visitor economy in Saskatchewan.

Shawna Nelson, The Sheraton Cavalier’s director of sales and marketing, can’t think of one hotel that hasn’t been affected.

“Every hotel has seen a drastic drop in their occupancy levels,” she said. “We may still be hit hard, and will continue for quite some time.”

Tourism Saskatoon CEO Stephanie Clovechok estimates some hotels in downtown are operating with occupancy rates as low as four per cent.

“In the next couple months there is about 60 per cent of our partners who could be permanently closing their doors and I have not met one single person who looks forward to seeing businesses boarded up in our communities,” Clovechok said.

Clovechok and Nelson estimate a complete rebound isn’t likely until sometime in 2024.

Pink Cadillac Malt Shop and Diner owner Jonathan Tyson spent months fine-tuning and altering his business to stay as relevant as possible the past 10 months.

“It’s very much a day-to-day grind,” Tyson said. “You’re just wondering if you’re going to be able to make enough money to pay your bills because you’re running at 25 per cent capacity inside for dine-in, but yet everybody else wants 100 per cent of the bills.”

Tyson is confident he won’t be one of the businesses shuttering in the next couple of months like Clovechok expects, but he’s not sure how viable his restaurant is beyond that timeline.

“Do I think we can go through another year of this crap? No. Another six months? Maybe. Do I think we can hold on? I think so,” Tyson said.

Of the 3,000 people employed by Saskatoon’s hotel sector in July, roughly 2,200 of them were either temporarily or permanently laid off.

Nelson expects that number will grow when new data is compiled later this year.

“There’s still a lot of challenges to go through,” Nelson said.

With such grim circumstances facing the industry, Nelson and Clovechok are calling on associations, stakeholders and multiple levels of government to change the narrative and begin strategizing for a rebuild and restart to the visitor economy in Saskatchewan.

“If we do not have a destination where there are things to do and infrastructure that remains for people to come and experience, we will not attract that investment or capital in the future,” Clovechok said in a recent interview with Gormley guest host Mike Couros.

Nelson has faith in the community.

“We’ve gone through some hard times,” she said. “There isn’t a playbook, but I think we’re resilient. We have some great leadership in certain areas related to this industry that will get us through it.”

Nelson hopes common ground can be found among the hospitality industry to create a team approach for a COVID-19 recovery.

“We need our city (and) we need our province to advocate on our behalf so these programs and subsidies are in place for us to get through these time periods,” she said.

“It’s about a lot of people collaborating together to get us through this, and the community coming together and understanding our story and what we’re going through.”

Until something changes, Tyson will keep approaching his work with the positive attitude that his company expects of him as a leader.

“You have to stay positive because if you start letting go, then your staff sees it. Everybody just builds off of that. Then you know you’re done,” Tyson said.

“It’s another day — let’s keep going.”