COVID-19 - Hotel quarantine effective February 22, 2021

To the point International travellers will be required to stay in a three-day quarantine at a hotel selected by Ottawa beginning February 22, 2021.

Hotel quarantine effective February 22, 2021 Selected hotels near Montreal-Trudeau International airport YUL The hotel selection process Operational guidelines

COVID-19 - Hotel quarantine effective February 22, 2021

A few days ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the implementation, in the coming weeks, of a mandatory three-day quarantine in a hotel, at the expense of travellers, which could cost more than $2,000.

On February 8, 2021, the Government of Canada issued a call for bids from hotels interested in hosting travelers (see below for details).

On February 12, Justin Trudeau announced that the mandatory hotel quarantine will be implemented as of February 22, 2021.

These measures will be in place for those returning to Canada by air:

72 hours before arrival: COVID-19 screening test
One COVID-19 test upon arrival AND at the end of the 14-day quarantine period.
Stay of up to 3 nights in the hotel, located less than 10 km from the Airport of the city where they arrive, while waiting for the test result (the list will be revealed on February 18 online). After a negative result, the traveller will be able to reach his final destination with a connecting flight. If the result arrives before 3 nights, you will need to check with the hotel to see if a refund can be obtained.
The cost of the stay will vary depending on the hotel (approximately $2,000) and will include room, meals, cleaning, infection prevention and control measures, security and transportation.
Remaining home quarantine (14 days in total)

Over the land border:

72 hours prior to arrival: COVID-19 screening test OR present proof of a positive test result within 14 and 90 days prior to arrival. Exemptions exist.
14-day home quarantine
As of February 22nd:
- A border entry test
- A test at the end of the quarantine

Vaccinated persons will also have to comply with these measures.

Whether by air or land, all travellers will be required to submit their travel and contact information and quarantine plan to the ArriveCan application before crossing the border or boarding their flight.

For more information on the list of land ports of entry with testing facilities, please see the following link.

Selected hotels near Montreal-Trudeau International airport YUL

Here is the list of the 10 hotels that Ottawa would have selected near Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. This list will be subject to change as the situation evolves.

Montreal Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel
Aloft Montreal Airport
Fairfield Inn & Suites Montreal Airport
DoubleTree by Hilton Montreal Airport
Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton
Comfort Inn Dorval
Holiday Inn Express and Suites Montreal Airport
Crowne Plaza Montreal Airport
Baymont by Wyndham Montreal Airport
Comfort Inn Pointe-Claire

According to the JDM, travellers will be able to order their food from the hotel or from third party services such as Uber Eats.

This raises the question of the final cost for these hotel nights: the answer will be known on February 18, when the booking portal goes online.

It would, therefore, be possible for banner hotels to earn points and elite nights (provided that the reservation can be made directly on the hotel’s website, such as Marriott.com or hilton.com). Maybe even get 5 points per dollar with the Marriott BonvoyTM American Express^MD Card!

A small compensation!

The hotel selection process

Operational guidelines

The selection criteria to become a listed hotel fall under 10 key areas:

Location of the hotel
Access Considerations
Ventilation capacity
Basic infrastructure and functional requirements
Space requirements for the facility
Traveller Services
Infection Prevention and Control Infrastructure
Cleaning
Food Safety
Data reporting

The Government of Canada wants to reassure hoteliers who would like to participate in this initiative:

Generally, these hotels will be for people who are asymptomatic, have provided a negative pre-departure COVID-19 molecular test result, and are not close contacts of confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19. Travellers staying at these hotels while they await their test results may have symptoms of COVID-19 but previously tested negative on their pre-departure test or may have symptoms that are not related to COVID-19.

To summarize, the Government of Canada admits here in half-words that these travellers would not pose a great risk to Public Health or the hotels that would participate in this initiative.

Courtyard by Marriott Aéroport de Montréal — Courtyard By Marriott Aeroport De Montreal

1. Location of the hotel

Located no more than 10 km from an international airport; proximity to a designated quarantine facility is an asset
Clear and congestion-free access to hotel room
Accessible to a tertiary care hospital facility

marriott terminal montreal airport yul 15 — Vue Chambre Marriott Aéroport de Montréal-Trudeau

The location less than 10 km away thus excludes many large downtown hotel structures which, in my opinion, were much better able to accommodate this type of visitor (for example, by dedicating entire floors to international travellers). These properties are empty at this hour, deserted for lack of business travellers/events.

Besides, airport hotels generally don’t have on-site catering services. Unlike the big banners downtown, used to hosting events.

2. Access Considerations

Compliant with the provincial fire code regulations
Accessibility for wheelchairs and other assistive devices
Provide appropriate transportation from airport to hotel
Parking space for travellers arriving by private vehicle

Hotel Marriott Aeroport De Vancouver Navette

3. Ventilation capacity

Compliant with Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Building HVAC Systems (ASHRAE Standard 180 “Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Building HVAC Systems“)
Compliant with Indoor Air Quality Standards for optimal humidity levels (ASHRAE 62.1 “Ventilation for acceptable Indoor Air Quality“)

fairfield-by-marriott-montreal-downtown-salon2 — Fairfield By Marriott Montreal Downtown Salon

4. Basic infrastructure and functional requirements

Online registration, check-in and check-out procedures
- Note: Travellers will be required to use a 3rd party centralized booking system to reserve and pre-pay their hotel stay
Able to load proposed rate for this initiative in the Apollo Global Distribution System (GDS) with a unique rate code. Alternatively, if the property is not on the Apollo GDS, it must be able to provide a unique rate code in order for the identified travel management company to book the rate.
Secured, controlled, and monitored entry and exit points
24/7 reception desk service and availability of hotel staff
Measures in place to monitor compliance with mandatory isolation requirements (e.g. traveller movement within hotel)
Individual rooms with bathroom; accessible rooms should be available
Functional telephone system for providing communications

sheraton suites calgary eau claire-03 — Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire

5. Space requirements for the facility

Laundry facilities (on- or off-site)
Meal preparation (on- or off-site) and food maintained at appropriate temperature before delivery

residence inn by marriott vancouver downtown-30 — Residence Inn By Marriott Vancouver Downtown

6. Traveller Services

Contactless meal delivery to traveller rooms
Functional television and radio
Free Wifi access

the westin bayshore vancouver-37 — The Westin Bayshore Vancouver - T&Co

7. Infection prevention and control (IPC) infrastructure

Physical separation between regular clients and travellers. This also includes separate floors, elevators/staircases
One way circulation for entry and exit of travellers
Staff trained on all appropriate personal preventive and occupational health and safety measures.
Establish a process for essential and short outside time (e.g. smoke break) that minimizes contact with others and includes mask use and physical distancing (2m)
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol to be provided in each traveller room, throughout common areas and at all entry/exit points.

delta-trois-rivieres-salle-de-sport-3 — Delta Trois Rivieres Salle De Sport

8. Cleaning

Staff are trained on COVID-19 Cleaning and disinfecting guidelines and know how to apply these best cleaning practices for public spaces
Provision of appropriate disinfectants for travellers to clean high-touch surfaces in their own rooms (e.g. bedside tables, toilets, light switches).
Frequently touched surfaces are cleaned and disinfected in all hotel common areas twice daily and more often when visibly dirty (e.g. elevator buttons, stair cases hand rails, door knobs, countertops) approved hard surface disinfectant that has a Drug Identification Number (DIN), or if an approved disinfectant is not available, use an approved disinfectant. dilute bleach solution.
Staff and public bathroom and toilet surfaces are cleaned and disinfected at least twice daily with appropriate disinfectant
Clean linens provided at beginning of stay and exchanged upon request.
Laundry — clean bedding and hand towels, etc., — using regular laundry soap and water or machine wash at 60-90 °C with common laundry detergent and dry thoroughly
Waste generated during quarantine should be placed in plastic garbage bags and sealed before disposal
Rooms must be thoroughly cleaned and properly disinfected after each traveller/family stay

delta-trois-rivieres-chambre-2 — Delta Trois Rivieres Chambre

9. Food Safety

Meals delivered must follow Canada’s food guide and take into account the travellers dietary restrictions (allergies, religious and dietary needs)
Caterer or food service provider must be compliant with the Safe Food for Canadians Act, the Food and Drugs Act as well as the all required provincial and municipal food safety legislations
Water must be potable by meeting the requirements of Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality