Tidbits from Tim
Tim Hackett - Owner, Long Beach Lodge Resort
September 2023
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Good news on two fronts. As of August 31, Highway 4 is finally open to two-way traffic. Ultimately, no more frustrating delays!
Secondly, we are honoured to have been named the leading Boutique Hotel in BC for 2023. Boutique properties have become the choice of an increasing number of travellers due to their more intimate size, friendly guest services and uniqueness.
Over the years, we have always endeavoured to increase our guest experience through significant and minor additions. Next month, we will be announcing our latest amenity, which may have been our one missing link!
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Tim
August 2023
| How can it be August already? When I was a kid in grade school, summers seemed endless! August is always considered the premium summer month in Tofino. The good news for guests still wishing to visit this summer, there are still some rooms available. They will book up, so if you wish to visit, call soon so as not to be disappointed. It was quite the summer; just as we celebrated the completion of the construction on Kennedy Hill after four long years, we had the fire on the Cameron Lake Bluffs. I read a statement the fire was reported at 23:43 on Sunday, June 3; however, due to the extremely steep terrain and poor visibility, safe fire suppression was not possible at that time, and the BC Wildfire Service did not send in a small crew until Monday early morning to fight the fire after it had spread to 20 hectares. Had a water bomber been dispatched on the Sunday, the fire could have been easily distinguished as it was initially only one half a hector in size. A water bomber was available in Port Alberni! I liken this to calling the fire department to inform them that your house is on fire, and their response is, we will send a crew around sometime tomorrow morning! Really. The result was a forty million dollar loss to our local economy, and the tourist industry took a huge hit, as the road was closed for three weeks. While the road was not opened to two-way traffic as promised in July, guests travelled when the road was opened to single-lane alternating traffic and arrived to enjoy their visit. July ended up being a good month, and most importantly, none of our special weddings had to be cancelled. Unfortunately, with climate change, most of the interior of the province will be recording daily temperatures averaging 35 Celsius, while Tofino will have average daily temperatures around 20 Celsius, perfect for enjoying all the outdoor activities we have to offer. Best wishes and safe travels, Tim |
June 2023
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Happy June and early summer, we look forward to welcoming all our summer guests. While we are almost fully booked for the summer, there are still some opportunities for last-minute bookings, some at discounted room rates!
We are incredibly proud of our actions over the last number of years to impact our oceans and environment positively. Please take a minute to review our SUSTAINABILITY IS A JOURNEY tab to see that we genuinely "walk the talk."
Again this year, we are very honoured to have been rated by TripAdvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards as one of the 25 Best Hotels and Resorts in Canada, in the number 14th place.
This is quite an accomplishment considering over 8000 hotel properties in Canada. We greatly appreciate all our valued guests who have rated us so positively; thank you! While we may have a great property and beautiful location, our high rating is due to our wonderful staff, who offer helpful and friendly service to everyone. Staff all work together as one big family to ensure every visit is special. I greatly appreciate all guest reviews and responses to each one. A heartfelt thank you to the first responders and emergency crews for continuing to combat the Cameron Bluffs Wildfire and support surrounding communities. Best wishes, Tim |
May 2023
| We know summer is close by when the SandBar Bistro opens again this month, giving our guests a second option to enjoy our summer menus. The SandBar is the only beachfront patio in Tofino; it is also the best spot to watch a magnificent sunset while sipping a beverage! Guests can relax knowing that with three food venues, they have the option of not having to drive to town for food and drink and perhaps having to limit their alcohol consumption, such a shame! Finally, the highway construction is complete after many long delays. No more long waits or road closures when the construction crew over-blasted! No longer the stress of wondering how long it would take to get through the construction site. Interestingly, many guests were still eager to come to the west coast despite knowing the delays. Driving out one summer day, I counted over 500 vehicles waiting to come to the coast; people had waited for hours! For our guests staying in a cottage, a reminder is that we now have private, secure bike storage beside each cottage. We also offer board storage for your convenience. Remember that our Surf Club rents boards! Very soon, our new EV charging stations will be complete; we are just waiting for a tiny part to arrive. There will be six stations initially, replacing our two old and slow chargers. Guests can now drive to the resort, knowing they can conveniently recharge their vehicles on the property. All our site service vehicles are now electric, including two cute little trucks our staff loves to drive! We are humbled by the number of wonderful TripAdvisor comments we receive, our staff reads them, and I answer all reviews, thank you.
Tim |
April 2023
| I am delighted and proud to inform you that our General Manager, Samantha Hackett, has just been awarded, by the Tofino Chamber of Commerce, Business Leader of the Year. Sam has also just celebrated her 15th Anniversary with us, starting as a front desk agent and living in staff accommodation. She has always offered outstanding leadership and skill in managing our business, and she is greatly appreciated by staff with whom she has mentored and supported to make the resort what it is today. She loves the hospitality business! Samantha is a huge community supporter and volunteer and is currently the Chair of Tofino Tourism. On a personal note, since arriving in Tofino, she married my nephew Geoff, and together they have two beautiful young and brilliant daughters, Elizabeth and Savannah. This year we are offering something new, an all-inclusive three-night advantage package. While supplying the accommodation and food, we partnered with Long Beach Nature Tours, providing all the exciting activities. They are an excellent match for us, offering high-quality and first-rate adventures. They have an intimate knowledge of the west coast, having been in business for 25 years. Packages may be customized to meet your personal interests. We are humbled by all our excellent TripAdvisor reviews. It is interesting to note how many of our guests write about their four-legged family members who also visit; they share with us how their pups had a wonderful time. We love dogs and feel the resort would be the same with them. I often see pups heading for the beach, pulling on their leashes (come on, dad), actually smiling! Easter is always a great time at the lodge, with great weekend offerings from our Chef Shaun Snelling. If you visit on Easter Sunday, do not miss his Prime Rib dinner! I recommend reserving now if you are interested, as this event will quickly sell out. Best wishes, Tim |
March 2023
| After a long winter, March has finally arrived! After years of experiencing winters in Tofino, I have never experienced weather like we had this past weekend. Can you imagine a foot of snow? When I first arrived in Tofino, the locals assured me it never snows here! After the snow event on Saturday, it is very obvious that they were not completely truthful! I am sure that our weekend guests experienced more than they expected! I thank our staff for going the extra mile to assist our valued guests. We have a first-ever exciting offering for March, our BED AND BREAKFAST Special. That’s right, extend your visit, stay two nights and enjoy the third night on us, including a $35 breakfast credit each morning; our breakfasts are to die for! Come and enjoy our nice March weather, with all sorts of outdoor activities. Walking on our beautiful beach with your four-legged family members, hiking wonderful rainforest trails, biking to town or through the National Park on kilometres off-road paths, or surfing in calmer spring surf. After all, this activity has a hot tub or time in front of a cozy fire! Enjoy scrumptious dining and drinks in our Great Room. We would love to welcome you to visit during March. I sincerely thank all our guests who choose to stay with us, and our patronage is greatly appreciated by all of us. Best wishes for a wonderful March, Tim |
February 2023
| Belated New Year's wishes to all our friends and guests, may this year bring you health, happiness and a lovely beach break! After our extended end-of-the-year closure, everyone is back fresh and relaxed and looking forward to providing friendly and helpful service to our valued guests. This year's closure served two purposes; the first was for our annual maintenance work that is impossible with guests present. The second purpose was new, to give our staff a well-deserved break after two long years of dealing with the stress of Covid. Staff travelled worldwide to visit friends and family they had not seen for years. Others travelled to warm locations to soak up the sun. We appreciate our team, who stayed over most of the break to help with maintenance and deep cleaning. The staff break was so well received that we plan to make it an annual event; folks in hospitality usually work all the holidays, including Christmas and New Year's. We have an ambitious year ahead; we are building a new staff housing building, a laundry room addition with new housekeeping offices and, for our guests, a new Spa that will open early next year. We are also adding some EV charging stations to meet the demands created by all the electric vehicles now being driven to the lodge. This will be an excellent convenience for guests as there will be good charging capacity meaning guests will not need to leave the property to find somewhere to recharge. Best wishes, Tim |
December 2022
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Diane and I wish to thank all our guests who have visited the resort this past year. Your patronage is so greatly appreciated. We also thank all our guests who have trusted us to hold their very special celebrations at the resort, whether it be a wedding, a big birthday, a family reunion, a retirement party or a business gathering. It is truly our pleasure to host these special and memorable events. With the Covid restrictions being lifted, we now look forward to welcoming our guests and friends from the United States, Europe and around the world again. |
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I am sure you already know that we are closing on December 4th and not reopening until January 12th. It has been a hectic two years due to Covid, and staff are tired! In the hospitality business, staff always have to work all the holidays, including Christmas and New Year. This year we thought it would be nice for them to spend the holidays visiting their family and friends and maybe also including a warm break.
Our very best wishes for the holidays and the New Year. We look forward to you revisiting our boutique resort next year!
Tim & Diane Hackett
October 2022
| Finally some rain! While I - like everyone else, really enjoyed our record setting gorgeous weather... I have felt quite guilty knowing that our salmon, forests and gardens desperately needed rain. It was quite shocking to see all the rivers driving into Tofino, just mere trickles compared to their normal abundance of water at this time of year. Even the bears were confused, not knowing if they should be looking to den for the winter. I believe this is more evidence of climate change, coming upon us much faster than the scientists ever speculated. Imagine seeing people sunbathing on our beach in mid-October! Storm season may begin in November, we just don’t know! November is a great time of year to visit, it's the beginning of the real surf season. Take advantage of our winter promotion, Become a Friend, Feel Like Family, and enjoy a 30% discount on room rates. Extended stays, with a room or cottage with a cozy gas fireplace is really a nice winter break for sure. Also enjoy our wonderful winter meals prepared by our chef Shawn Snelling and his crew. We are humbled, again this year, with so many great TripAdvisor reviews, they make all our efforts seem so worthwhile. I think especially of our wedding couples who comment so positively, it is really rewarding to know that we were able to help make their wedding day so special. We love weddings! Best wishes, Tim |
