Those who have left booking accommodations for the B.C. Seniors Games to the last minute may have to rough it.
But that’s good news for hotels and motels in the area — many were booked full months in advance by those attending the Games.
From the Prestige Mountain Resort and Flying Steamshovel in Rossland, to the Ray Lyn Motel in Warfield, across to the Beaver Falls RV and Motel and everywhere else in between, not a vacant room can be found this week.
According to Maggie Stayanovich, director of Trail’s Chamber of Commerce, most participants had their accommodations booked before June, and some places were taking reservations a year in advance.
“We formulated a tentative (accommodation) list when our Seniors Games hosts here went to Comox’s Games last year in September … They had been told to bring a list with them because the seniors plan in advance and they want to know numbers now,” she explained. “We’ve basically been involved since August last year.”
She said that the Chamber had even reached out to Salmo businesses, in hopes that they would be able to offer accommodations to attendees.
June Dawson, owner of the Reno Motel in Salmo, said all seven of her rooms were fully booked three months ago.
“We could have booked many times over — I’ve had a lot more phone calls from people wanting rooms but because I only have seven I can’t do too much,” she said.
Even the Walmart parking lot has seen a few motorhomes stop in for a night or two. A duty manager for the Trail location said that they generally have one or two motorhomes or trailers in their lot every night over the summer and that as long as they don’t camp out there, over-nighting isn’t a big deal.
Candice Ford, receptionist at the Villagers Inn in Fruitvale said they had two vacancies on Monday afternoon, but all other rooms were totally reserved by those attending the Games. While the Inn is busy almost all summer, she said these reservations had been made at least three months in advance.
If you are still looking for a place to stay, the best bet is to call a local campground to book a site or be prepared to commute from out of town.
Places like Champion Lakes and Beaver Creek still have sites available on a first-come, first-serve basis.