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Ontario, California, Passes Test as Respite for Evacuees and Firefighters |
| Ontario, Calif. � (October 31, 2003) - Having just opened their doors
last week, staff at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Ontario, Calif., was
putting the finishing touches on its brand new hotel when fires began to
rage in the nearby San Bernardino Mountains. Smoke filled the Inland
and San Bernardino valleys. As the fires engulfed thousands of acres
and destroyed homes, residents began fleeing their mountain homes in search
of refuge.
With the strong Santa Ana winds, smoke, embers and ash quickly filled the air, and streetlights illuminated the mid-day sky. Despite the harsh conditions, staff kept the hotel immaculate and stayed ahead of the soot and ash by washing down the lobby walls and floors several times a day. �Most hotels have the opportunity to have a quiet opening to allow time for staff to get acclimated to their new jobs,� said Robert Webster, general manager at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Ontario. �Our first night saw occupancy exceed 90 percent and we�ve been filled ever since.� The American Red Cross and local emergency shelters directed evacuees to the Baymont Inn & Suites in Ontario and other nearby hotels. �As guests began arriving, we quickly realized that we needed to adjust our check-in policy to be sensitive to those who lost everything,� Webster said. In addition to individuals and families displaced by the fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) contacted Webster to have the hotel serve as a respite for firefighters battling the fierce blazes. With shifts of 12-hours-on and five-hours-off, firefighters were able to get some much-needed rest at the hotel. �We set aside 10 rooms the first night and by the next night, 50 of our 105 rooms were allocated to the CDF Fire personnel,� said Webster. As the CDF shifts changed, so did the rooms. Fresh towels, sheets and toiletry items were placed in each room several times a day. �We know what dangerous and difficult work these men and women are constantly facing, � said Dalia Navarro, director of housekeeping at the Baymont Inn & Suites. �To provide them with a fresh, comfortable place to rest and a good breakfast is the least we could do for all they are risking.� The hotel had plans to celebrate its grand opening on Tuesday evening, but postponed the event until December. �We felt with all that is going on, and with some of our guests devastated by the fires, now was not the time to celebrate our grand opening,� said Webster. �Our focus is on our guests�the residents of nearby mountain communities that were displaced and the firefighters protecting us all.� �I�m so proud to be a part of this staff and this community,� said Webster. �The challenges we�ve all been facing here have been manageable only because we�ve all come together to get through this tragic event.�
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| Contact:
Tom Schroeder Director of PR and Communications Baymont Inns & Suites [email protected] Tel: 414/905-1149 |
| Also See: | Robert Webster Named General Manager Baymont Inn & Suites, Ontario, California / October 2003 |