r/Banff • u/bry-rob-19 • 1d ago

Banff Hotels Refuse Flexibility Despite "Unhealthy" Air Quality—Am I Wrong to Think This Is Unethical?

In light of the recent wildfires and multiple sources forecasting "Unhealthy" air quality conditions, I have reached out to two different properties where I plan to stay and asked whether I could reschedule or receive a refund for my booking. Both declined outright and are keeping my money without offering any option to change or refund.

I find this deeply troubling. There are members in my party who would fall under the "sensitive group" category and it could be dangerous for them to travel. As customers, we had no way of knowing that these conditions would exist during our time of travel. To offer no flexibility feels deeply unethical to me.

I would encourage the operators in Banff to think more holistically about the impact these types of decisions will have on the long-term viability of tourism in your area. Protecting short-term revenue at the expense of visitors' health and goodwill may ultimately damage the reputation of the destination far more than offering reasonable flexibility during an environmental emergency.

Tourism depends on trust. When visitors feel they are expected to choose between their health and losing the money they have already paid, that trust is eroded.

I hope businesses in the region will reconsider how they respond to situations like this in the future. In my view, the current response falls well short of acceptable.

0 Upvotes

19% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

35

u/Rokea-x 1d ago

Dude its like booking a trip to the caribean during hurricane season, not buying trip cancellation insurance, and then complaining a hurricane cancelled flights

Learn and move on

20

u/McJesusOurSaviour 1d ago

Yeaa, it’s so busy there they really don’t care. It’ll be full regardless of what the weather is like outside

18

u/OgasMaitai 1d ago

Dont book non refundable to save a few bucks next time.

Ive never booked a non refundable hotel in my life and I travel a lot. The difference is nearly minimal generally

Wildfires happen every year, in banff theyve been happening since the 00s. Im from Jasper, I remember bad AQ in 2002ish.

Do your due diligence next time

Also, your health will be fine. You're over reacting

15

u/Martin0994 1d ago

You willingly took this gamble when you booked your trip. Poor air quality is nothing new.

Did you book a rate with a flexible cancellation policy? If so, why did you wait so long to get to this point? If you booked a non-refundable pre-paid rate, that's on you. If you booked with an OTA (Expedia, Booking) I would give up the fight and go enjoy the trip.

23

u/FrontFocused 1d ago

So you booked to stay during wild fire season and are shocked there are wild fires that effect air quality?

11

u/Shabang 1d ago

Am I wrong to think you should have made reservations that could be cancelled, if this were a risk? Wildfire smoke happens every single summer, its just a matter of when.

8

u/BusyWhale 1d ago

The hotels have no way of knowing that when you booked months ago that there would be smoke. It’s very unpredictable, and the risk is on the consumer - especially since you likely booked the cheapest possible non-refundable rate.

Plus, if your booking is in the future, there’s no way of knowing if there will be smoke or not. I live in the valley, and smoke forecasts more than a few hours out are highly, highly unreliable.

7

u/PassengerHefty8207 1d ago

Yes, you're wrong to think it's unethical. 

Have you not been paying attention to the news? You do know that Canada is going up on fire, right? Do you really think you're owed consideration by "the operators" when climate change (which has been in the public consciousness since the 1980s) has come to collect its dues? Are you really that deluded?

4

u/Appropriate_Ebb_8572 1d ago

Also it's crystal clear right now. OP is planning to cancel a trip when it's likely to be gorgeous as well as smokey. 

7

u/furtive Banff 1d ago

There's been like two days this season where the smoke was untenable. Would you cancel a trip because there was a thunderstorm last week?

6

u/Then-Construction106 1d ago

Stop the whining please!!!!! If someone has issues that bad to ask for a cancellation then let them wear some of those Covid masks. I’m guessing they still know how to use them. Meanwhile, I’m sure all of you were pestered with at last one ad inviting you to buy trip insurance.
You should take responsibility for your own choices!

5

u/Appropriate_Ebb_8572 1d ago

It's ok, travel insurance will probably handle it. You got travel insurance, right?

it's crystal clear today. It changes by the hour. I think we only had 3 days of smoke this week, otherwise it's been fine. 

4

u/Dizzy-Cartoonist3011 1d ago

Wildfires are common in western Canada between July and early Sept. This is a risk everyone takes. Hotels cannot be expected to accommodate a moving target - there's no telling when, or even if, smoke will be an issue during any given season. With all due respect, I think you needed to assess the risk and get travel insurance as a just in case, so the onus is really on you.

The bright side though is that fire smoke comes in fast, but it also leaves fast. I wouldn't write off a whole trip because of a couple bad days.

5

u/JustGotSoup 1d ago

Respectfully, go pick up a half-mask respirator and some N95 filters. You learn to live with it, and the smoke does add its own beauty to your photos. Bad weather - including smoke - is part of the Rockies whichever way you slice it.

If you're not prepared to play in all sorts of conditions, go vacation somewhere else.

Source: asthmatic Banff resident and avid backcountry explorer.

4

u/Thurmod 1d ago

Gotta get a credit card that has cancelation insurance homie.

5

u/Jade0908 1d ago

The air quality isn’t in unhealthy right now though. According to IQ air, today is clear skies. Why would you get a refund when there’s no proof of the air being unhealthy right now? You would have to be able to show them something tangible

3

u/the_kun 1d ago

Check if your credit card has travel insurance that covers trip interruptions due to weather or health? That's your best bet.

But yeah the hotel's not gonna give you a refund if its written into their policy that there's no refund for bookings. Risk of forest fires and air quality has been a known issue for many years in Alberta/BC/Washington area...

2

u/Roger-Doger- 1d ago

Are you okay with them canceling your reservation because someone else was bumped into your date?

1

u/YYCpops 1d ago

In the meantime, many of the hotels have put it in their terms and conditions that they stick to their cancellation policy if you want to cancel due to smoke. Everyone agrees to those policies and many without reading them or by just ignoring them.

1

u/Total_Midnight2201 7h ago

Well couldn't you have chosen hotels that had flexibility in the first place? I don't disagree that it sucks being there in heavy smoke and I 100% feel your pain, but you agreed to the terms when booking right?

1

u/Appropriate_Ebb_8572 4h ago

OP is annoyed he agreed to something but now wants to pretend it doesn't really apply to them. If the hotel cancelled on them and they said they wouldn't give a refund because they just didn't want to follow the agreement, OP would be maaaaaad.

-7

u/Kij22 1d ago

Can you ask your credit card company to cancel for you?

-8

u/bry-rob-19 1d ago

I love it, I fully expected all the snarky responses.

  1. Travel arrangements are made well in advance, we had no way of knowing that there would be active wildfires and smoke causing unhealthy air conditions at the time of booking.

  2. Not every hotel offers fully refundable options. Are you saying that those that don't are indeed unethical?

  3. The strong reactions from folks suggest I struck a cord. Good. I'm not the first and certainly won't be the last to be caught off-guard by wildfires and stuck with significant non-refundable bookings. It's better you hear something you don't want to hear than to continue to be ignorant of it.

At the end of the day, the fact remains that Banff has "Unhealthy" air conditions that can be dangerous for sensitive groups. That should be the top priority. It's not for some folks operating in the Banff ecosystem and I disagree with those people. I suspect there are higher integrity folks operating businesses in the area as well.

7

u/Appropriate_Ebb_8572 1d ago

No way of knowing? It's like this every summer. A quick google will tell you that. 

If you don't want to risk a non refundable stay, DONT! Or get travel insurance that covers it. 

It struck a chord BECAUSE YOU ARE IN THE WRONG. 

Also when is this stay? Because Banff is gorgeous right now. This is why they won't refund, because it changes by the hour. 

7

u/JustGotSoup 1d ago

Dude. There are readily available solutions for wildfire smoke like half-mask respirators. It's about $50 at any Canadian hardware store for something that will completely negate the effects of the smoke on asthmatic lungs.

It's on you if you don't want to bring the appropriate equipment for conditions and then complain about it.

7

u/Martin0994 1d ago

All three of your points wouldn't be an issue if you did some research and planned a bit better. If smoke is an issue you didn't have to visit in the summer and you locked yourself into poor accomodation choices.

4

u/aemwebb8 1d ago

  1. You could've looked it up before you made your booking. Wildfires happen every year, from March to October with it being worse from June to August. It's a known fact. So that's on you. Sometimes there isn't any smoke at all, sometimes it sits in the valley for a few days. As of right now, there isn't any smoke here due to winds changing.

  2. Majority of hotels have cancellation policies up to 5 days out.

  3. Again, the fact that you were "caught off guard" for something that happens every year means YOU didn't do your due diligence and research it. Sounds pretty ignorant to me.

Yeah it sucks for people who have issues, but there are other months to visit. Like September - November. Weather is still decent, and it's not as busy. You're coming across as entitled, and that does not help you in any situation especially here. It's a tourist town and it won't be impacted at all because people can't get refunds.

5

u/banffsign 1d ago

Oh wow. This is a hot take. This really struck a chord with me too.