— by Minor Lile, Orcas Issues Reporter —
In most years, this is the time when things are just beginning to gather momentum in the island tourism economy. This year, of course, things are very different. On Monday, the Governor mandated that all restaurants, bars, entertainment, and recreational facilities throughout the State would be closed for at least two weeks.
At both the local and State level, public officials are urging people to limit their time away from home to essential business. According to County Health Office Frank James, MD, “Nonessential travel should be avoided right now. Whether it’s a trip off island or a visit to another island, or it is friends, relatives, or customers coming from the mainland, staying put will help keep the virus from spreading. By avoiding nonessential travel to and from the islands we hope to prevent and reduce impacts to island communities, including minimizing the potential strain on our limited healthcare system.”
While a number of local lodging facilities and vacation rental properties remain open, they have also been deeply affected by the situation. Yesterday, we surveyed several local lodging facilities to learn how they are adapting in the early days of this new social distancing era.
It is important to note that this is a very fluid and fast-changing situation. Information that was provided yesterday may not be valid today or tomorrow as circumstances dictate and guidance from public officials changes.
Rosario Resort & Spa Rosario closed as of noon on Monday, March 16. According to General Manager Christopher Peacock, the decision was driven by two factors. Peacock said that Rosario will be closed for as long as the Governor’s moratorium lasts.
A key factor was a perception that there is some value at this time in reducing the number of people coming to the island from elsewhere. With the mandatory closure of the Rosario dining room at Rosario and sit down dining at restaurants on the island, the challenge of providing meals was also a major consideration.
With the closing, staffing at the resort has been reduced from approximately 70 employees to about 10. Rent has been waived for those who are staying in staff housing.
Orcas Hotel New owners John Cox and Julia Felder just completed their purchase of the hotel three weeks ago. There have been some cancellations, but owner John Cox noted that with the transition in ownership there were not yet many reservations on the books. Cox said that the hotel’s four employees have been laid off temporarily and that for now he and his wife are managing operations on their own. He noted that by laying off staff temporarily, there is an opportunity for them to apply for standby status with the Washington State Employment Security Department.
The Hotel café remains open for take out service from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day. The hotel is also offering an in-room dinner and overnight stay for $100 for two guests. Cox said that this is especially aimed at islanders who are looking for a local get-away opportunity. More information is available on the hotel website.
Cox noted that there has been ‘lots of support’ from local residents and expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome he and his wife have received since purchasing the hotel.
The Outlook Inn The Outlook Inn remains open but there have been a lot of cancellations, both for the next several weeks and also into the summer. According to owner Sara Farrish, the Inn’s biggest client has cancelled three trips that were scheduled between now and July. The New Leaf restaurant is also closed and there are no plans at this time to provide take out service.
All but two or three of the 20 employees who were on staff have been laid off because of the dramatic decline in business. Farrish said that it was shocking how quickly things changed from having difficulty hiring enough staff for the Spring season to suddenly not having sufficient business to keep those on staff from being laid off.
Doe Bay Resort At Doe Bay, the spa has been closed in compliance with the Governor’s mandatory order. The café will remain open on weekends only for take-out service. While some rooms have been taken out of service, nine private self-contained cabins at the resort remain available for rent at reduced rates and for a five day minimum. More information is available on the Doe Bay website.
According to Doe Bay administrator Jen Edington, the mandated closures have left spa staff and some restaurant staff without work. She said that it is a high priority of owner Joe Brotherton that the resort do all it can to meet employee needs and keep as many people working as available funds allow.
Edington said that things ‘seem to be changing by the minute’ and they are ‘adapting to each moment’ as the situation develops. She shared that one bright spot in recent days was a small wedding that was held at the resort on Monday for a couple whose plans to be married in Costa Rica had been cancelled.
Deer Harbor Inn The Deer Harbor Inn is a family-owned business that can accommodate up to 35 people in several different buildings. According to long-time owner Pam Carpenter, the Inn is open, but bookings ‘are way off’. She said that because the Inn is more of a family business, there are typically no additional employees beyond family members at this time of year.
The restaurant is currently closed but providing a take-out options is under consideration.
Northwest Island Escapes Northwest Island Escapes is a vacation rental service that is owned by Mariah and John Dunning. They manage approximately 80 different properties throughout the San Juan Islands. According to Mariah Dunning, while there have been significant cancellations in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, there are still people coming to the islands, including homeowners, “to get some reprieve away from where they’re at and into more of a rural setting.” She also said that at this point reservations for the summer continue to be holding steady.
Dunning said that they employ up to 40 people throughout the year. She said that the situation is definitely affecting staff, but noted that at this point “we can’t quantify the economic ramifications, so we are focusing more on the well-being of our staff and what they need.” She added that in this time of uncertainty, it is most important to “remember community and take care of each other.”
“She also said that at this point reservations for the summer continue to be holding steady.”
Scary.
Covid-19 could be the perfect answer to crowds on Orcas. I’ll wager vacation rentals are also down. It will allow everyone to see what it means to not have tourists to ruin paradise and stoke the economy. Great learning opportunity.
All non essential ferry traffic needs to be eliminated immediately, at least 2 of these businesses are still actively encouraging travel to the islands.
If you would like to volunteer or donate, here are a couple of other ways.
Donate to the Orcas Island Community Foundation’s Community Emergency Response Fund.
Seeded with a $10,000 donation from OICF (thanks to Bob Henigson), distributions from the this fund will be available to support organizations who may experience an increase in demand for services during an emergency on Orcas. OICF will work with a team of community members to recommend distributions from the fund. Donations can be online, mailed to PO Box 1496, Eastsound, WA 98245, or dropped off at 44 Urner Street, unit #4.
https://oicf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=1668
Join the Orcas Island Community Response Hub.
On this site you can declare needs for yourself or your organization AND you can offer to volunteer, donate, and get updated info. OICF will use this tool to match those who can help with those who are in need. Create an account today and let’s get organized!
https://orcas.recovers.org
Be happy and well.
It’s sad that the impetus outlining the need for SJC to expand from a single-engine tourist economy would have to come from a deadly virus… no matter how you look at it. But, the need for this realization has been there for a long time. The more dependent we become on tourism the less of a buffer we have against economic downturns. Single-engine tourism-based economies fall harder than many other economic engines during economic downturns, and they take longer to recover from.
“I’ll wager vacation rentals are also down.”
“She also said that at this point reservations for the summer continue to be holding steady.” They manage 80 something vacation rentals… .
A quick look at Airbnb & VRBO shows that there are still around 300 vacation rentals still being actively advertised. Some of the
calendars (Airbnb shows availability), do show a slowdown towards the end of this month, or next. But most do not.
Hang in there Orcas Island people. You are a strong beautiful community of wonderful people and was just thinking of our reservations made last November. Prayers for paradise. Stay healthy please.
Truly disheartening given approx. 18% of those infected are asymptomatic and could easily seed infections throughout. I would hope they might consider the idea that their business could literally result in the death of our neighbors and friends.
There is a lot to unpack here from the article and the comments. I’ve been hesitant to weigh in on any forum about vacation rentals because even I have purchased myself a rental permit at the high price (for me) of $1000. I am a permanent resident and I too would love it if there were way fewer vacation rentals. But my hope is that I can occasionally have weekend solo guests or couples stay at my place always while I am present. This which may enable me to keep my house longer. We all have our ways of funding our lives. This is another income “arrow in my quiver” if you will.
This past Monday I could see the global disaster truly unfolding, and I preemptively cancelled about 6 bookings (yes, I list on the “evil” AirBNB – one of the few apps that lets folks rent only part of a house) that were set to start this weekend, mainly weekends for the next six weeks. The guests were appreciative and relieved. How could I host people when the restaurants are closed and more importantly, the national mood is bordering on despair? It didn’t seem right. Even so, it was a tough call for me, as I have a mortgage and taxes like most of you. Please don’t lump all vacation rental situations together. Also, don’t look at AirBNB and assume that a full calendar means those days will have “tourists” at the house. The owner may have simply blocked those dates. This goes also for the County map of vacation permitted houses; I am unclear as to how many days each house actually books or if many of them are not being used as rentals. I have a feeling the data is misleading. Thanks for reading and take care all you lovely and cherished islanders!
Than you for your concern and responsible actions Tracy.
“How could I host people when the restaurants are closed and more importantly, the national mood is bordering on despair?”
The more looming question is, How can people continue to host visitors, and why is the local government allowing them to do so… when it is endangering our lives?
“It will allow everyone to see what it means to not have tourists to ruin paradise and stoke the economy.” Are you providing any alternative employment for the people who work in the tourist economy? This sounds a bit short-sighted. We’re all “tourists” here in some sense.
i guess Orcas islanders whose income and financial health is not dependent on the local economy can thus afford to have a 10,000 foot arial view toward the rest of us who have to exist in a real world of risky small businesses, local employment and keeping a family whole.
Yes, we have a tourist based economy. With out it we have NO economy along with none of the economy supported services most of us appreciate; library, first rate schools, medical clinic, senior center, state and local parks, restaurants (including the Lower Tavern) the Orcas Center, and fire and EMS.
If critics have ideas about another viable economic engine for locals and a tax base,(one based in the real world)….. speak up. Otherwise be thankful for all the good hearted, hard working and creative people that together make for a generally happy place to live.
Peg, I have yet to see where it is written one has to have the solution for a problem to recognize a problem exists. Unfortunately we all are about to find out just how inherently weak a local economy based on tourism is: when things don’t go back to business as usual in 8 weeks, or 8 months, or… we’ve barely even begun to see the beginning of this thing.
In listening to the short audio “A message from the Mayor” I keep going back to the part where the mayor of Crested Butte, Colorado, and the Gunnison Valley Health Director state their reasoning for shutting down the entire system (stopping all tourism, all non-essential businesses, all vacation rentals, hotels, BnBs, and enacted an immediate mandatory isolation resolution), realizing that this was the only way to “flatten the curve”, and to avoid immediately overwhelming, and crashing their medical supply services.
This was a decision they feel will lead to less over-all deaths, and will be a speedier road to both long-term health & economic recovery. The local powers that be have done this under the threat of fine &/or jail. They figure that in the overall analysis it is better to initially suffer more on the economic side, than to allow the disease to crash upon them during full-swing (ski season), thereby exacerbating the already existing problems they have by raising the risk of a higher infection rate.
Where is our leadership during this time of crisis?
https://the1a.org/segments/coronavirus-shutdown-town/?fbclid=IwAR3B9tfZzLMjB2z939HQnmQplOJNLAJ6UYm6qrvhEZbojUnuX5_ws_9oevA