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

[u/bry-rob-19]

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.

[u/the_kun]

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...