Christmas cancellations having a 'devastating' impact, says Caithness hotel manager
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Caithness hotels are counting the cost of cancellations following advice from Scotland's national public health body that Christmas parties should be postponed because of the Omicron threat.
The manager of one establishment warned of the "devastating" impact on businesses and individual employees, while another called it "a no-win situation".
Hospitality venues across the country began receiving cancellations after Public Health Scotland raised concerns on Thursday about the number of Covid-19 outbreaks – particularly those caused by the Omicron variant – that were linked to Christmas parties. The organisation urged people to "defer such parties at this time".
Anthony Kevill, general manager of the Ulbster Arms Hotel in Halkirk, speaking on Monday, said: "We are experiencing many cancellations. Just today we have had a party of 16 cancel, and another table of 23.
"We are now beginning to see cancellations for Christmas Day, and are heading towards the quietest November and December for festive celebrations I have seen in my 10 years at the Ulbster.
"As well as the obvious financial implications there is a further impact on staff losing hours and the inevitable knock-on effects of that at this time of year. This is, of course, devastating both to us as a business and the individual staff members involved.
"While I understand that measures must be taken to protect us all, I am starting to question where this is going to stop and if the hospitality industry will ever recover from these decisions which are mainly based on poor model forecasts and worst-case scenarios."
Mr Kevill added: "We are all anxiously awaiting Nicola Sturgeon's further announcements and guidance on whether it's safe to enjoy a Christmas party or if that’s reserved for 10 Downing Street only."
The Northern Sands Hotel at Dunnet had to abandon its plans for a series of four music nights over the two weekends leading up to Christmas.
Theresa MacGregor, company manager for Blargoans and the Northern Sands, also speaking on Monday, said: “We were really looking forward to it. We had four music nights planned, then Christmas Day obviously and a Hogmanay party, and over the weekend we had 84 cancel.
“They were all work parties. All the staff rotas are done, all the food is ordered, we’ve increased our drink stock for December.
“We do have some [bookings] but what we have had to do is cancel the bands that we had playing, which is gutting for them. We’ve had to see if we can negotiate a cancellation fee rather than paying the full amount.
“So far we haven’t had any cancellations for Christmas Day but we just don’t know if that is going to come.
“It’s such a shame for our guests as well because they were obviously looking forward to it."
Miss MacGregor hopes that groups will be able to rebook in January or February, depending on circumstances at that time.
“They’ve had to pay deposits and they are non-refundable," she said. "We haven’t been told by the government that we have to cancel, whereas the guests have been advised that it would be preferable if they didn’t [attend] – so we’re in a no-win situation. Everybody is at a loss.
“The timing is just really bad.”
Dr Nick Phin, director of public health science and medical director at PHS, said: “There is much that we still need to learn about Omicron, but early evidence suggests that this new Covid variant is much more transmissible. The impact of this transmissibility has been seen in recent weeks with a number of Omicron outbreaks linked to parties.
“We still need to learn more about the severity of disease caused by Omicron and the effectiveness of vaccines, but there are important things that we can do to help protect ourselves and our families now. To help minimise the further spread of Covid-19, and Omicron in particular, I would strongly urge people to defer their Christmas parties to another time.
“I appreciate that everyone is keen to celebrate this festive season, particularly after the pressures of the last 20 months, but by postponing some plans we can all do our bit to protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
