Family with unvaccinated two-year-old has warning for travellers after being turned away from Leamington, Ont., hotel
A Leamington, Ont., hotel general manager and a Montreal family that was turned away over the weekend are both cautioning travelers to check the details of a reservation before booking.
Luis Alvarado booked his stay at the Quality Inn in Leamington late Saturday night through a third party travel website, but when his family of five arrived he learned children under 12 or unvaccinated guests are not permitted.
“I tell to the lady we was two adults and three kids, one of them was two years old, when I told her that she said no, kids are not allowed over here,” says Alvarado.
The hotel quarantines migrant workers before they go to nearby farms, something general manager Dharmesh Patel says is outlined before and after booking.
“We have an automatic template set up, so that when a guest books, they automatically get an email from Expedia and it states our policies and also asks COVID-19 questions that the guests have to respond to.”
Alvarado says he didn’t notice the COVID-19 restrictions on the hotel’s website until afterwards. Alvarado says his family members are all vaccinated except for his two-year-old, child who is ineligible. He has a message for other travelers with young children.
“To the other families, I think before travelling to go on the main page of the hotel,” says Alvarado.Luis Alvarado and his family in Leamington, Ont. (Source: Luis Alvarado)
Patel believes the booking went through because Alvarado didn’t list the children in the online reservation.
“Because the reservation was only made for two adults, there was no indication of any kids and because he booked on a third party website, we weren’t able to contact him,” says Patel.
Patel says it’s unfortunate they had to turn the travellers away, but he says it’s important to follow the COVID-19 protocols for the safety of their staff and other guests.
“We can’t risk my staff or my other guests or the quarantine workers, because you have to remember these guys once they’re done here, they are going to the farms,” says Patel. “They’re putting that food on the table for us.”
Alvarado says they were offered a refund and ended up at another Windsor hotel around 2 a.m., but he doesn’t anticipate travelling again anytime soon.
“I think before travel, I’m going to wait until the pandemic is finished, and I’m going to stay in Montreal and be a tourist in my own city because it’s too many problems to go outside.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.