Osoyoos hotel hopes to reopen early June after flooded by lake

An Osoyoos hotel closed due to flooding is expected to open for early June, according to its manager.

The Coast Osoyoos Hotel has been closed for around six days so far, due to high water on Osoyoos Lake, manager Muhammed Mian said. Water on the lakeshore at the strip of hotels along the Highway 97 crossing had enveloped the beaches, and flooded the neighbouring Holiday Inn’s underground parking.

At Coast Osoyoos, no hotel rooms were flooded, but in the basement, maintenance and storage rooms were affected by the high water.

“We have no power, and we have no hot water. Right now we’re just going around, because the fridges got defrosted, right, and we’re just going around and opening all the doors as well because of the smell,” Mian said. “Nobody thought of that happening, but it is what it is.”

The closure comes with bad timing, as the South Okanagan resort community prepares for the tourism season kickoff. Mian said the hotel was supposed to be fully booked for the May long weekend coming up.

For Mian, it has been a hectic first few days at a new job — he only took on management at the hotel five or six days ago.

“But again, I haven’t heard anything. I cannot access any TV or radio,” he said, adding he can’t comment on Destination Osoyoos’s recent release stating that Osoyoos is open for business.

“I know everyone is saying hopefully the water will start going down next week or so. So again, if that happens, as you know, there will be contractors, they will be coming in and they will assess the damage.”