With summer right around the corner, Nova Scotia hotels would usually be gearing up for their busiest time of year. Instead, many sit empty as the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world. “We haven’t had a guest for about a week and a half now, and we don’t anticipate having any for quite some time,” says Erika Banting, co-owner of the Tattingstone Inn in Wolfville, N.S. “It’s devastating — it’s beyond words.” Banting and her husband have owned the historic inn since August 2015.
This year was poised to be their busiest yet, with bookings up 25 per cent. “It’s a sinking feeling in your stomach knowing that you were set to have a record year and now you’re not.