Ottawa Tourism, Bluesfest’s Room Service Concert Series postponed due to stay-at-home order

Those expecting room service entertainment on their hotel TV screens this month will just have to wait a little longer.

Ottawa Tourism confirmed that the event, Room Service Concert Series: An Ottawa Hotel Exclusive, in partnership with RBC Bluesfest, has been postponed until further notice.

The event, which planned to feature a series of exclusive musical and comedy performances on the hotels’ in-room televisions, was scheduled to run at 20 participating Ottawa hotels over eight nights between April 9 and 30.

However, those plans have been put on hold due to Ontario’s newest stay-at-home order that will kick in Thursday, 

People who have booked at participating hotels are advised to contact the entity with whom they originally made their booking to cancel for those April dates.

“We wanted Ottawans to continue supporting local businesses and have the mental health benefits of planning a staycation, encouraging them to also consider a museum visit, a guided tour, ordering in food and drink, or dining on a patio, for example,” said Michael Crockatt, president and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “But with the move to stay-at-home through the month of April, it simply is not possible, nor is it consistent with the directions coming from Ottawa Public Health and other entities.” 

Mark Monahan, executive director of Bluesfest, said they will announced their rescheduled plans as soon as they are able to.

“We’re speaking with the musicians and comedians and look forward to bringing this entertainment to the city as soon as we can,” he said.

The promotion was a way to increase visitation to Ottawa-area hotels in a safe way, stimulating the local visitor economy.

In 2019, Ottawa Tourism reported visitor spending of $2.2 billion — but that now estimates a reduction of more than $1.4 billion of that amount in 2020, and a further loss of more than $1 billion in 2021.