Hundreds of hotel rooms, UPEI residences to be filled for 2023 Canada Winter Games

With less than three weeks until 3,600 athletes, coaches, and officials descend onto Prince Edward Island for the 2023 Canada Winter Games, accommodation bookings are filling up on the island.

Staff are still putting the finishing touches on the athletes’ village, a newly constructed residence on the University of Prince Edward Island’s Charlottetown campus.

However, the 260-bed facility wasn’t quite enough for the job.

Games Chair Wayne Carew said there are 120 more athletes coming than originally planned, leading organizers to offer students in another nearby residence $1,500 to give up their room and meal plan.

“We asked for volunteers and we had 44 who actually put up their hands,” said Carew. “That was just what we needed.”

Carew said it was important for all the athletes to be able to stay in the village.

“We have rooms for all the athletes now on campus, and that’s the exciting part, because we want the athletes to have the enjoyment of that athlete village experience,” said Carew. “They’ll really remember in 20 years' time.”

Athletes aren’t the only ones coming for the games. So too are hundreds of coaches, officials, and staff.

“The list goes on and on, and we will utilize between 700 and 800 hotel rooms,” said Brian McFeely, P.E.I. 2023 Canada Winter Games CEO. “Just for the games’ needs, and then there’s the parents on top of that.”

Games personnel will mostly be put up at hotels in Charlottetown and Summerside, P.E.I. Those rooms were booked years ago in preparation for the games.

McFeely said he’s seen parent interest grow a lot during his time with the games.

“If we had one or two parents come to a games, that was kind of where it was at,” said McFeely. “Now there’s 100 to 150 each week, so it has grown significantly.”

With hundreds of rooms booked at hotels on the island, the expectation is to add a little bit of revenue to businesses that don’t typically see that many visitors this time of year.

The 2023 Canada Winter Games runs from Feb. 18 to March 5.