Out-of-province CFL fans looking for answers after Regina hotel cancels Grey Cup reservations

UPDATE: The Hampton Inn & Suites Regina East Gate confirmed to CTV News it would be reinstating the affected Grey Cup weekend reservations under the same prices of the initial bookings.

At least five CFL fans from across Canada say their hotel reservations for Grey Cup weekend at a Regina hotel were cancelled without notification.

All say they booked reservations at the Hampton Inn & Suites Regina East Gate in November 2021 for the upcoming Grey Cup being held in Regina on Nov. 20, 2022.

Laura Stewart, a Hamilton, Ont., resident, believes she was the first to notice the cancellation.

“I had gone on my Hilton Honours login to look up something completely unrelated and I noticed that the reservation was missing,” Stewart said.

That was about three weeks ago.

Stewart said she called the hotel and they told her she never had a reservation. She said when she originally booked, she was given confirmation and a reservation number. She said the hotel then changed its story.

“They let me know it had been cancelled by the general manager,” she said.

Stewart said she was told another group made a block booking, so the hotel cancelled reservations that weren’t “paying enough for their room.”

She told other CFL fans who were booked at the same hotel and many of them found their reservations were also cancelled. All say they did not receive any notification or heads up from the hotel.

CTV News reached out to the Hampton Inn & Suites Regina East Gate and was told the general manager is out-of-province. An email inquiry was sent to him, but he has not yet responded.

Hilton’s corporate office sent an email response to a media inquiry.

“Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Regina East Gate is an independently owned and operated property and I cannot speak on the hotel’s behalf,” the spokesperson said.

Elizabeth Audet, an Edmonton, Alta., resident, said the hotel told her that she must have cancelled the reservation herself.

“The hotel is telling us to call corporate, corporate is telling us to call the hotel. We’re just going in circles now,” Audet said.

Jenn Hill, another Alberta resident from Calgary, said she was also told it was because the hotel wanted to boost the prices.

“I get it, it’s the prime time to raise rates. Go to Grey Cup or any big event like this in a city and hotels are obviously going to raise their rates. That’s a given,” Hill said. “But [the rate] was pretty on par with what I paid in multiple other cities including Edmonton and Ottawa. It was more than double what their regular rate would be.”

Jenn Hill from Calgary, Alta. said she attends the Grey Cup every year, always booking the trip as soon as possible. (Courtesy: Jenn Hill)

Brian Wawryshyn, a Vancouver resident and CFL podcaster, said he called the hotel on Wednesday and learned he lost all four of the rooms he had booked.

“They told my friend that it was due to renovations at the hotel. When I called [Wednesday] I asked why my rooms were cancelled and she said, her exact words were, ‘my manager realized it was Grey Cup week and the price you were paying was too low,’” Wawryshyn said.

He decided to make the situation public on his Twitter, where several people commented about their same experience.

“It created a bit of a storm but that was the whole intent,” he said.

Brian Wawryshyn spoke to CTV News via video call from Vancouver, B.C.

A fifth person who spoke with CTV News over Twitter said the reservation she made on Nov. 18 was cancelled without warning and she has not received any calls back from the hotel despite multiple requests.

Wawryshyn said his main concern is that they received no heads up.

“Not notifying anybody is absolute garbage,” he said. “If you’re going to cancel our rooms, at least have the courtesy to tell us so we have a chance to try to find some other accommodations.”

HELPING OTHERS

Most of the people who spoke with CTV News have been able to find other accommodations.

Stewart said she is still looking and is hoping the Hampton Inn will help her in some way.

“About five or six days later I had booked flights to Regina that are non-refundable,” Stewart said. “I wasn’t made aware and then booked non-refundable flights, so how are they going to compensate us for that?”

Those who shared their experience said they hope it alerts anyone else who may have their rooms cancelled without any notification.

“I’m just worried someone is going to show up and not know their reservation is cancelled and then be in Regina and have nowhere to stay and they’ll just be out of luck,” Audet said.

Wawryshyn emphasized that this isn’t a Regina problem, but instead just a specific business problem.

“Businesses need to treat people right. That’s it,” he said.

The Hampton Inn is not a member of the Regina Hotel Association, but the association said its members are currently all booked up for Grey Cup weekend.

Shari McCannel, the director of marketing and communications with the association, said rooms sometimes become available leading up to the event if people cancel.

“People should call the hotel directly instead of booking with a third party,” McCannel said. “They have a more up to date idea of availability.”

Stewart, Wawryshyn, Audet and Hill all said they still hope to receive clear answers about what happened to their bookings from the Hampton Inn.