How the Westin Ottawa is supporting front line workers and caregivers
April 2020 was the beginning of an unprecedented season for the Ottawa Tourism industry. COVID-19 travel restrictions, quarantines, and physical distancing recommendations forced most Ottawa hotels to shut its doors or stay open at a 5% capacity. What is normally peak season that sees accommodations in the area sell out because of events such as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, this year has forced an extraordinary number of lay-offs and threatened to shutter many doors within the tourism industry.
Although the threat towards its viability is very real, fortunately for the Westin Ottawa, it belongs to a conglomerate of hotels, which supports it for the time-being. Early in the crisis, Westin hotels put forth an initiative to help those who are at the front lines of the pandemic.
“As a proud member of our community, we want to thank front line workers and caregivers and provide them with a special Community Caregiver rate. ” says Shaddy Shibley, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Westin Ottawa.
The Westin Ottawa is centrally located within a 14-minute drive to the Montfort Hospital and 10 minutes to the Ottawa Hospital, which makes it a convenient place to stay for those who can’t return home because of the risk of exposure to their own families.
“Over 100 people have taken advantage of the program in Ottawa so far,” says Shibley, “These relief professionals are taking care of us every day, and we would like to take care of them and their well-being, and offer the needed space to relax and rejuvenate.”
The Westin Ottawa has been a longtime partner of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, hosting elite athletes, participants, and their families from around the world. It offers a great number of amenities to enhance the race weekend experience, including sophisticated dining at The Shore Club, in-room massage therapy sessions, a salt water pool, and its comprehensive WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio which boasts Peloton bikes, squash courts, a whirlpool and spa treatments.
Perhaps the most unique offering at the Westin is the RunWESTIN program. The hotel staffs a professional Run Concierge to guide guests on a weekly 5-8 km interprovincial run from May to October, so that guests can keep their running routines while travelling.
The RunWESTIN program is offered for free to guests – the only cost being a little time and a little sweat. And bonus: Gear lending is available ($) if you forget to pack your workout clothes or are trying to travel light.
“We wish everyone best of luck at Tamarack Ottawa Virtual Race Weekend and Scotiabank Ottawa Virtual Marathon and we look forward to having you join us for RunWESTIN when the time is right!