Hotel Co-Owner Says Holiday Inn Express will Make it Right
DRYDEN – An incident at the Holiday Inn Express Dryden with broken glass in the swimming pool area resulted in some confusion and the pool being closed. The closure couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the hotel is full with guests who are in Dryden attending the Little Bands Native Hockey Tournament.
Dave McKay, the co-owner of the Holiday Inn Express in Dryden tells NetNewsLedger that the situation is unfortunate as the hotel is a Little Bands Tournament sponsor, and looks forward to the tournament and the guests and is seeking to ensure they have the best possible experience.
McKay says that they have had help from Dryden officials and are offering their guests sponsored swims at the community swimming pool.
The Holiday Inn Express will now be sponsoring two swims for guests at the Lil’ Bands Hockey Tournament, following the pool closure.
Those sponsored swims will take place at the Dryden Pool and Fitness Centre Friday 7-9p.m. and on Saturday 1:30-3:30.
Hotel Co-Owner Says Guests will be cared for
There are two issues McKay says, first broken glass in the pool, and a mechanical problem.
There is no one in Dryden with the qualifications to do the pool repair and a company out of Winnipeg has to come out to fix the pool.
The hotel is planning to provide compensation for guests who did not get the full experience and enjoyment of all the hotel facilities.
The confusion started when parents approached Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox who was in Dryden for the hockey tournament. Fox sought clarification from the staff at the Holiday Inn Express over the pool.
Fox according to a statement he posted on social media said at first he was told: “a kid broke a glass bottle in the pool and it needed to be cleaned.”
Then Fox was told “The pool was closed because the kids broke the rules”. He was then told, “Health Canada ordered the pool closed”.
None of these answers either solved the problem, or were entirely accurate.
Fox says he was responding to parents who requested he advocate on their behalf.
“It may seem like a small matter to many but it’s not,” Fox commented. “These kids some come out and look forward to this week all year long. Many of them look forward to swimming in the pools of their hotels. But our kids are not dumb. They know when they see the pool suddenly closed it’s because of them & it’s directed at them.”
