Kamloops lodging booker goes bust; letters worry entrants

Ah, the good old days — when the biggest worry of Kamloops entrants was how to navigate an unbanked 200-meter track in March 2010. Now athletes headed for the first WMA world indoor championships in North America have another thing to fret about: Are their hotel reservations still good? According to two notes shared with me (and an Oct. 2 press release), the outfit that booked lodging on behalf of the meet organizers went belly up two weeks ago. Not good. But the news isn’t all bad. Cheaper rates might be snatched up if athletes act fast, say Kamloops officials. Of course, that leads to the question: How come cheaper rates weren’t available from the get-go?  But the crapshoot nature of all this has some Kamloops-goers worried. Come March, this might all be hahahaha, no biggie. At least one hopes so.

Here’s one letter that went out to entrants:

Dear World Masters Athlete,

We are excited to welcome you to Kamloops, British Columbia for the 2010 World Masters Athletic Indoor Championships next March. We would like to thank you for your prompt response in booking your accommodations in our city using the on-line booking engine. Unfortunately on September 18th we received notification that the company contracted to provide this service (Exclusively Canada Ltd.) had ceased operations. We are taking this opportunity to notify you directly that your hotel bookings have not been completed. We have consulted our legal team and Consumer Protection of British Columbia and are recommending that you take the following steps to recover the full cost of your booked accommodation.

1. If the trip was booked through a travel agent other than Exclusively Canada Ltd., ask them for assistance or to request a refund.

2. If you purchased travel services with a credit card, call or write to find out if the charges can be reversed.

3. If you have purchased insurance, contact the carrier to confirm the coverage.

If all of these options have been exhausted, you are eligible to claim under the Travel Assurance Fund (TAF). The TAF is a fund of last resort which offers compensation to consumers who have booked travel through a BC licensed travel agent but did not receive their travel services.

For more information on the Travel Assurance Fund resource page for consumers please visit the following site:

www.bpcpa.ca/index.php/component/content/257?task=view
Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act Contact Information:
Phone: 604 320-1667
Toll Free North America: 1 888 564-9963
Fax: 250 920-7181

Email: info@consumerprotectionbc.ca

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please be assured that your hotel has been notified of your confirmed on-line booking and that your room for the duration of your stay is still reserved for you. You will need to contact the hotel directly to secure payment for your stay immediately. By reconfirming your accommodation booking direct with your hotel property the room rates will be reduced as the third party has been eliminated.

The local organizing committee is dedicated to the success of the 2010 World Masters Indoor Championships and the hospitality of the participants. Should you require further assistance please feel free to contact us. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you to Kamloops in March 2010.

Sincerely,
Wilma Stonehocker
Operations Manager
Kamloops World Masters Indoor Championships 2010

Meanwhile, Kris Austin, manager, sports, meetings and events, tourismkamloops.com, also wrote some folks in Europe:

I thought I would keep you posted on recent changes with regards booking accommodations in Kamloops for the 2010 World Masters Indoor Championships in March. The third party responsible for developing the booking engine had ceased operations as of September 18th which now leaves it open for the athletes to book directly with the property.

This will allow for a lower room rate and each property can now be flexible by implementing their own policies for minimum night stay and deposits. A list of participating accommodators that have secured space for the 2010 World Masters Indoor Championships is now available on the Tourism Kamloops website www.tourismkamloops.com/home_showSection_ID_668.html.

Please make sure to inform the reservation staff at the property of you choice that you are coming to Kamloops for the World Masters Indoor Championships or if you fill in the accommodation request make sure to tick the World Master box on the form.

Please note that we are currently finalizing some of the features on this page to make it more comprehensive for athletes coming to Kamloops, these changes should be complete by the end of the day today. Should you require further information or if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

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October 3, 2009

19 Responses

  1. Anonymous - October 3, 2009

    I have phoned some of the hotels, they are not aware that the company has gone out of business and are still under the assumption that Exclusively Canada will be sending patrons their way! The link that is posted is not operable. What a mess! I am wondering how many of you lost money by paying up front for your accommodations? I am fortunate that I did not have the finances to pay right away so I was forced to wait.

  2. Bubba Sparks - October 3, 2009

    A few weeks ago I booked at Sun Peaks Ski Lodge (30 minutes away) because of all of the restrictions and requirement to pay the full amount up for all of the other hotels. They also had a four night minimum and I only pole vault one day. Now I see why they wanted the money up front. Bubba

  3. G Dixon - October 3, 2009

    I went through Expedia and the rates were pretty reasonable for motels in the area. We booked the TravelLodge and as long as the heat works, we’ll be fine.
    G Dixon
    Sarasota, FL

  4. Anonymous - October 4, 2009

    Why not just book your own hotel directly?
    Just get on the internet, use your credit card and book a room with a reputable hotel chain!! Your 100% protected. In 25 yrs of travelling the world over I have never used a company to book my room.

  5. Anonymous - October 4, 2009

    To make matters worse, the Olympics is finishing up in Vancouver the weekend before Kamloops and there are at this point NO rental cars available at the Vancouver airport the weekend before Kamloops and there is NO lodging at all in Vancouver area for those wanting to have a rest before driving to Kamloops.
    The Kamloops World Masters website in fact recommends AVOIDING Vancouver and traveling through Calgary, which is a greater distance from Kamloops than Vancouver.
    If the USA team were organized, team members would fly into Seattle and use charter buses to make the 300-mile trip to Kamloops. Domestic flights to Seattle are MUCH cheaper than flying from the US to Vancouver or Calgary and MUCH MUCH cheaper than flying from the US to Kamloops.
    Chartering buses of course prefigures a level of organization that at present does not exist in our group. Any thoughts on this?

  6. Anonymous - October 4, 2009

    For the one that suggest that we use a charter bus from seattle that would be a great idea. Anyone could organize this and post the information on the website and see how many people would be interested in doing this.

  7. Cheryl - October 4, 2009

    At this point I have given up on going…it just seems way to expensive to get there and stay there. Or it is way to much of a hassle to fly into a further away cheaper airport and try to drive. When I checked into trains from Vancouver they ran every other day. Not worth it. I will go to Boston.

  8. Grant Lamothe - October 4, 2009

    I live in the Vancouver BC area and have experience traveling to Seattle and to Kamloops from here.
    I’d recommend 2 things:
    1.
    Fly to Seattle and rent a car there to drive to Kamloops from Seattle. From Seattle, drive North on Interstate 5 about 1-1/2 hours to exit #259 at Bellingham. Go north on Guide Meridian (the road that goes from Interstate 5 to the Canadian Border at a town called Aldergrove BC. Go over the border at Aldergrove and drive 7 miles north on the road that leaves the Aldergrove crossing until you get to the Trans-Canada Highway, or Route 1. Go East on Route 1 directly to Kamloops, about a 3 hour drive on a good road. Be sure to take the Coquahalla Higway option (clearly marked). If you can get a connecting flight from Vancouver to Bellingham, drive directly from Bellingham, an even better option.
    2.
    As a previous poster suggested, rent your own room in Kamloops via the Internet. There will be plenty available at reasonable rates. I went to the Candian Outdoors this past July and there were PLENTY of rooms available -even though there was also a Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention going on in Kamloops at that same weekend which itself drew over 5000 people.
    The rooms located near the games facilities on the east side of Kamloops might fill up early, but there are many, many rooms available on the west side of Kamloops in areas that are only a 15-20 minute drive to the Games facility.
    Don’t event think of going through Calgary, the roads are not good in the winter and Calgary is far away.
    And yes, avoid going through Vancouver BC. It’s out of the way and will still be mucked up with the aftermath of all the 2010 Olympics happenings.

  9. Anonymous - October 4, 2009

    cheryl there are four of us that are flying into seattle and renting a car. Sharing the expense of the car and gas. From the Midwest airfare and car with gas is going to cost me 380.00. I’m sure you can find someone to share in the cost of a car. I’m also looking into the shuttle bus idea. If I can find out the prices of the different size buses. I will just post the info on the Masters track blog and see how many people would be interested in the bus service. How many would be interested if we could get a bus from seattle to Kamloops.

  10. Grant Lamothe - October 4, 2009

    I’d like to add to my previous post that flying to Bellingham, Washington and driving from there to Kamloops would be a good way to go, provided you can get a reasonable airfare to Bellingham from your area.
    I know of an airline called Allegiant that flies out of Bellingham airport with many very cheap, direct flights to and from destinations in California and Las Vegas. If you’re coming from that area, or can score a cheap flight to L.A. or Vegas or San Diego or San Francisco it wouldn’t cost you that much to fly to Bellingham. And from Bellingham, Kamloops is less than a four-hour drive.
    If you’re going to be driving from Seattle to Kamloops, consider that you might lose some time if you have to drive through the Seattle area during rush hours. Gridlock there is pretty bad. SeaTac Airport (Seattle’s airport) is south of Seattle, so you must drive through much of greater Seattle to get to the roads to Kamloops.

  11. anonymous - October 4, 2009

    I suggest that as many people as possible send emails to the Kamloops competition indicating how difficult and expensive it is for US athletes to travel to Kamloops and that the competition should run shuttle buses from the Vancouver and Seattle airports. The competition should not have been scheduled to abut with the Olympics resulting in a transportation nightmare. Go to the Kamloops Masters website, hit “contact us” and write an email about shuttle buses. If Canada’s big neighbor to the south is having trouble getting to Kamloops, imagine the problems the rest of the world is having. Kamloops is shaping up to be a disaster unless competition officials come to grips with transportation problems. They probably don’t even know there are no rental cars available in Vancouver the weekend preceding the Kamloops competition.

  12. anonymous - October 4, 2009

    Here is the person to write to at the Kamloops competition about establishing a system of shuttle buses from the Vancouver and Seattle airports:
    wilma.stonehocker2010@gmail.com

  13. Anonymous - October 4, 2009

    In regards to renting a car in Seattle and then driving to Kamloops, are there any restrictions taking a rental across the border? I would like to share a car/bus/van with someone. Also can anyone recommend a place to stay that they have not had any problems booking? Is there anyone who wants/needs a roommate? I checked into the train also and it does not run every day.

  14. Ken Stone - October 5, 2009

    Judy Armstrong of Kamloops LOC sent out this note today:
    In reference to the bankruptcy of Exclusively Canada, we received notification of this problem September 18th and felt our first priority was to inform the 21 athletes affected.
    The Local Organizing Committee and Tourism Kamloops immediately compiled contact information, researched solutions with a legal team and Consumer Protection of British Columbia, stopped access to the Reservation Service from our website and notified the hotels.
    We immediately sent emails to the athletes who had already booked, explaining the situation and outlining the steps required in order to recover their money. We had hoped to file a claim with the Travel Assurance Fund (TAF) on behalf of all those affected but unfortunately claims must be initiated with the individual.
    The LOC and Tourism Kamloops feel confident the 21 people affected will have their money refunded if they go through the steps outlined. We will continue to encourage and assist them with whatever documentation they require. We also contacted the hotels, informed them of the situation and requested they hold the rooms. The hotels, of course, agreed.
    Our second priority was to ensure a safe alternative for athletes to use to book accommodation during their visit. Tourism Kamloops has now created a new page on their website listing all the accommodation properties as well as a map indicating location in relation to the World Masters venues. http://www.tourismkamloops.com/home_showSection_ID_668.html This webpage can also be accessed on our HOME page http://www.kamloops2010masters.com as well as on our ACCOMMODATION page.
    The hotel listing has individual hotel contact information and the athletes are able to negotiate directly regarding deposits, length of stay, room type, etc. The room rates will be roughly 15% less than previously quoted. The LOC feels this new method is superior to the Booking Engine, providing a safe and direct relationship between the athlete and their hotel.
    The LOC is obviously very concerned. The bankruptcy of Exclusively Canada was unforeseen. Tourism Kamloops has had a working relationship with Exclusively Canada and its principals for over 2 decades. We felt we were doing the best we could for our visitors when making that arrangement.
    Now we are doing the best we can to resolve it. We also feel athletes can feel confident and safe when booking their accommodation directly.
    The LOC is dedicated to the success of the 2010 World Masters Indoor Championships and the hospitality of the participants. Should you require further information please feel free to contact Wilma.Stonehocker2010@gmail.com
    We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming all masters athletes to Kamloops in March 2010.
    Regards:
    Co-Chairs Judy Armstrong/Bob Cowden

  15. Wilma Stonehocker - October 6, 2009

    The Kamloops 2010 World Masters Indoor Championship organizing committee would like to thank everyone offering suggestions and input on the Masterstrack.com website. We have read your concerns and are considering them all. Please keep checking our website for additional information about travel and accommodation.
    But in the meantime, please feel confident when accessing accommodation information through our website. We and Tourism Kamloops are providing a link to Kamloops hotels, where you can make your own arrangements directly with the provider. The hoteliers in Kamloops are looking forward to extending their usual warm hospitality.
    As well, the LOC recognizes Kamloops is not a direct flight from the USA. However, Alaska/Horizon Airlines offers multiple flights to Kelowna, a neighboring city only a two hour drive from Kamloops where there are several car rental agencies. Greyhound Canada’s express bus from Vancouver is also a quick, inexpensive and reasonable option. Seattle is also only a five hour commute from Kamloops.
    Please be assured the Kamloops committee is committed to putting on a first class Championship and is looking forward to welcoming you to Kamloops.

  16. Dan Murdock - October 8, 2009

    I don’t understand the rationale of flying to the West Coast then driving an additional 5 hours. Isn’t the incentive to paying for a flight so one doesn’t have to do a significant amount of driving?

  17. Liz Palmer - October 9, 2009

    I tried to find a rental car out of Vancouver…terribly expensive! Much more reasonable out of Seattle. I’m not relishing the extra 2 1/2 hour drive, but it’s going to save me about $600. Now hopefully the weather will be ok…

  18. Anonymous - October 10, 2009

    The drive from Vancouver is about 2.5 hours from Seattle 5 hours.

  19. Simon - October 10, 2009

    Grant – thanks for the info and ideas; much appreciated.
    Wilma’s suggestion of Kelowna is also a good one; I can get a flight there from Denver, changing in Seattle. It’s a 5-hour trip at the least, but if it cuts out 4 hours driving is probably worth it.

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