Saint John hotels offer free beds to school groups in light of Bathurst accident

Here is just another reason why I’m proud to call Saint John home - thanks for the find Stephanie!

In light of the terrible accident in Bathurst this weekend, two hotels in Saint John (Fort Howe Hotel and Courtenay Bay Hotel) are allowing school groups free accommodations when the roads are unsafe to travel. This plan will hopefully prevent similar tragedies in the future.

“We were all reeling in this and commenting on just how horrible it is,” said Didi Lombard Lloyd, sales manager for the hotels. Lombard Lloyd said her son often travels on the province’s wintry roads with his hockey team. “I guess we’re all just thinking it could have been us,” she said. “It could have been anyone.”

The idea to open the hotels’ doors to schools that need a place to bed down during a storm was the owner’s idea, Lombard Lloyd said, and it is hoped other hotels will follow suit.

“Whether it’s a public school, middle school, high school even the universities, if they are in town for whatever reason … if in the run of the day it looks like the weather is going to change and it looks like unsafe driving conditions, we just want to offer them a place to stay so that nobody leaves leave the city unless it’s perfectly safe for them to do so,” she said.

I hope that if the situation does comes up, groups will take the hotel up on their offer and stay the night instead of risking the drive home. I also applaud the hotel for their decision. They are going out of their way to make sure that kids arrive home safe and sound. If anyone ever needs a place to say while in Saint John these are the hotels I would recommend.

Finally, to the staff and management of the hotels - thank you! You are another reason why this city is so great.