National Post (National Edition)
`KEEP THE PRICE QUIET'
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT'S LIST OF AIR TRAVELLER QUARANTINE HOTELS
As if the phrase “mandatory stay in a government-authorized hotel” wasn't a disconcerting enough signal of the strange circumstances of travel during a pandemic, workers at authorized hotels were told to “keep the price quiet,” a hotel worker said.
Even so, attempts to book the 11 hotels show prices vary significantly depending on the accommodations and stature of each facility, and seem to be less than the government's estimate of more than $2,000.
The list of hotels where most air travellers into Canada must stay at their own expense was released by the federal government on Friday, less than 72 hours before the mandated safety protocols come into effect just before midnight on Sunday night.
The rules are meant to help curtail spread of COVID-19 and its variants. Most air travellers must have a COVID-19 test upon arrival and then stay in a designated hotel for three nights waiting for the results.
The government approved 11 hotels, each of them in the vicinity of one of the four airports in Canada that are accepting international flights during the pandemic.
Employees said the threenight COVID package at the Alt Hotel Toronto Airport is $1,017; at the Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel it is $1,272. At several other hotels, staff declined to provide the cost, one saying they were specifically told to “keep the price quiet” and direct callers to the government-issued phone line.
There are four authorized hotels in both Montreal and Toronto, two in Calgary and a single hotel in Vancouver.
Travellers are required to make their own bookings through a central reservation number. The phone number is 1-800-294-8253 from within North America and 1-613830-2992 (collect) from outside of North America.
Calling the line on Friday meant a long wait.
A recorded message said there was a “high call volume” and that the call “will be recorded for quality control purposes,” which seems a good idea since a call from National Post on Friday was greeted by an initial several minutes of distant grunts and beeps before a recording to keep waiting for “the next available counsellor.”
After more than an hour on hold, the Post hung up to give travellers a shorter queue. A subsequent call was greeted by a new message warning of three-hour wait times.
Independently trying to book a room at each of the authorized hotels by the Post for a three-night stay from Feb. 22 to Feb. 24 — separate from the additional costs of the mandatory stay — revealed a base rate stretching from a low of $74 a night to a high of $317 a night, depending on facilities and before taxes.
The actual COVID packages have additional costs for food, security, transportation and infection prevention and control measures.
After flying into Canada, travellers are required to show proof of a prepaid booking at one of the hotels.
The mandatory hotel rules do not apply to air crews, those deemed an essential service by the Chief Public Health Officer, emergency services workers (such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics or soldiers) arriving to provide that service or returning from providing it, some government officials and some other exempt travellers.
While arriving refugees must also comply with the mandatory hotel stay, the cost will be covered by the federal government.
The new hotel requirements are in addition to existing rules, including a requirement to show proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test taken up to 72 hours before their scheduled departure.
Travellers must still complete the remainder of the 14-day quarantine after their mandatory hotel stay, the government said. They are also required to take another COVID-19 test during their 14day quarantine using a test kit provided at the airport.
Here is the list of government-authorized hotels:
Toronto:
❚ Alt Hotel Pearson Airport
❚ Four Points by Sheraton and Element Toronto Airport
❚ Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport
❚ Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport
Montreal:
❚ Aloft Montreal Airport
❚ Crowne Plaza Montreal Airport
❚ Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport
❚ Montreal Airport Marriott In-Terminal
Vancouver:
❚ Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport
Calgary:
❚ Acclaim Hotel
❚ Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel
A request to Public Health Canada for information on specific costs and whether government officials asked hotel staff to not reveal the prices outside of the central booking number were not returned prior to deadline.