Media: COVID-19’s Effects on the Hotel Industry
The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) and its provincial and city hotel association partners have been driving headlines about the impact of COVID-19 on hotels, explaining to the public and governments that relief for our industry means relief for owners, small business and employees. As a result, HAC’s message was covered on every major national news network, earning 150 million impressions nationally.
Television Headlines:
- BNN Bloomberg: Small hotels cash flow has run dry
- CTV News: Hotel Association of Canada warns impact of COVID-19 on business
- CBC News: Canada’s hotel industry hammered by COVID-19
- CHCH News (Ontario): Canadian tourism plummets due to COVID-19
Print Headlines:
National:
- Globe and Mail: Canadian companies begin laying off thousands of employees in first wave of pandemic job losses
- Toronto Star: Hotel Association of Canada warns of impact of COVID-19 on business
(This story, published by the Canadian Press, was published in 75 regional markets) - BNN Bloomberg: Atomic jobless bomb forces Canada to confront scale of crisis
- Global News: Ontario COVID-19 Measures Layoffs in hospitality, travel industries
Trade Publications:
- Hotelier Magazine: Hotel industry has crashed says HAC statement
- Canadian Lodging News: Canada’s Hotel Industry faces collapse
- Canadian Lodging News: Business Continuity a critical issue for hotels
- TravelPulse: Hotels Hit Hard by COVID-19: World Travel/Tourism Group Calls for Massive Aid
Manitoba
- Global News (Manitoba | Manitoba Hotel Association): Coronavirus ‘catastrophic’ for Manitoba hotel industry, says association head
Ontario:
- North Bay Nugget: Hotel room cancellations part of COVID-19 fallout
- CTV News (Ottawa): ‘It’s Decimating’: Ottawa’s tourism and hotel industry hit hard by COVID-19
- Ottawa Business Journal: Chateau Laurier set to close amid dire circumstances for hotel industry
Alberta:
- Edmonton Journal (Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association): Finding homes for homeless a public health emergency in its own right
Saskatchewan:
- Global News (Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Hotel & Hospitality Association): 10,000 hospitality workers expected to be laid off in Saskatchewan
Senate Inquiry Highlights the Nation-Building Value of Tourism
On November 18, 2025, Senator Karen Sorensen introduced Senate Inquiry No. 8: The nation-building value of tourism in Canada — drawing national attention to the critical role tourism plays in the Canadian economy and the communities it supports. Tourism is a $130 billion economic driver, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and sustaining businesses across every region of the country. Hot...
Read MoreThe 2025 Fall Workforce Report is now available—exclusively for HAC members. Drawing on insights from 119 hotel operators across Canada, this edition highl...
Read More
Join us in Halifax/Dartmouth! The Hotel Association of Canada is excited to launch its new Regional Events Series, HAC on the Road: Insights, this fall in Ha...
Read More
HAC has endorsed the Reimagining Immigration policy paper, which outlines the Canadian International Workforce Program (CIWP)—a proposed immigration...
Read More