An elderly couple say their decades of summer visits to P.E.I. have been soured by new operators refusing to honour a long-standing special accommodation rate.
For more than 30 years, Charles and Jeannie Marcotte of Quebec City have stayed at Chalet Grand-Pre Cottages in Rusticoville.
For the past dozen or so years, Charles, 90, and Jeannie, 86, have paid the same rate of $2,000 for a three-week stay.
They showed up at their favourite home-away-from-home Sunday ready to enjoy another three-week stop.
The reservations were booked in February, but the operation changed hands at the end of June.
The couple were told they could not stay for only $2,000. They would need to pay much more.
There was unsuccessful bartering with some discrepancy in the actual offers discussed.
Charles says he offered to pay $3,500 but was told he must pay $5,000.
Ling Pang, manager of the Chalet Grand-Pre Cottages, says the previous owners did not make mention of the long-standing fixed price for the Marcottes.
Pang says several efforts were made to give a generous discount rate to the couple.
“I was very, very polite,’’ he adds.
“I want to be reasonable.’’
Pang says the couple turned down what he considered three generous options, including a 25 per cent discount for an 11-day stay.
Charles says none of the offers were acceptable, so he and his wife were left scrambling to find other accommodations.
"I'm angry."
Charles Marcotte
They have found a place to stay but will still end up paying more than they were expecting and more than they have been used to paying here for many years.
The Department of Tourism called the incident unfortunate and noted it would hope new accommodation owners would respect agreed rates and bookings made by former owners of properties.
“One of the most important features of our province is the world-famous hospitality we show to our guests,’’ the department stated in an email to The Guardian.
The department regularly holds workshops for new operators to help them become familiar with standard business practices, regulatory information, and tips for being a good host.
However, Tourism P.E.I. has no legislative or regulatory ability to dictate to a business owner what rates they must charge or how they must handle reservations made by previous owners.
“We do have the power to ensure minimum standards of quality and safety through our accommodation licensing program,’’ the department added.
“We encourage all business owners to respect agreed upon reservations and rates with customers.’’
Charles says he and Jeannie have always found Prince Edward Island to be a relaxing, pleasant place to visit each summer.
They find the people friendly, and they love the scenic countryside.
Sadly, this negative experience may well bring their annual visits to a halt.
“I’m angry,’’ says Charles.
“That’s my last time in P.E.I.’’
Mark Caldwell is outraged with how his in-laws were treated.
“It’s kind of maddening,’’ he says.
Caldwell, however, was pleased with the response from the provincial government.
He says Tourism Minister Chris Palmer engaged Tourism P.E.I.’s CEO to help find accommodations for the Marcottes and promised to follow up with the business practices of the new owners of Chalet Grand-Pre Cottages.
Kevin Mouflier, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I., says there has been an influx of new operators purchasing tourism businesses in the province.
The association advocates new operators getting additional training.
A handful of one-day training sessions were run this year for new tourism operators dealing with all facets of the industry, but with a special emphasis on dealing properly with customers.
“I think we will see pay-off in the end with new operators being successful and having them educated to deal with tourists from all destinations,’’ says Mouflier.
“I think we always want to shoot to a higher level. It’s important that people have a memorable stay and they want to come back.’’
Pang says the new owners, Chinese business people, have been working hard to run a top-notch tourism operation. He notes the Chalet Grand-Pre Cottages has been receiving “strong reviews’’ under the new ownership.
“We try to contribute to this country,’’ he says.
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