Latest news with #YvesLalumiere
National Post
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
Canadian Grand Prix fans stuck paying turbocharged prices for accommodation
MONTREAL — Paula Wadden has been a huge Formula One fan ever since she got hooked on the Netflix show 'Drive to Survive' a few years ago. Article content But the Halifax-area health-care worker says watching the Grand Prix in Montreal this weekend comes with high-octane prices. Article content Article content The Montreal hotel where she's spending the first part of the week doubles in price for the weekend. Instead, she'll spend the weekend at a hotel outside the city, near the airport, for about $600 a night. Article content 'The tickets (prices) are OK, it's the accommodation and the means that are getting expensive,' she said Tuesday in Old Montreal. 'I don't know how the average Joe can afford it.' Article content Article content Wadden said the trip, which she's taking with her daughter and her daughter's partner, will cost $6,000 to $7,000. And that's despite the switch in hotels and the decision to save money by driving the 12 hours from Halifax rather than flying. Article content While looking up hotels online, she said she saw even more eye-watering hotel prices ranging between $1,200 to more than $2,000 a night, as well as $4,000-per night Airbnbs. The Grand Prix is Montreal's biggest tourist event, expected to attract some 350,000 visitors and generate $162 million for the city, according to the head of Tourisme Montreal. Yves Lalumiere estimates average hotel room prices on Grand Prix weekend at $600 to $800 per night — although some wealthy CEOs will pay $8,000 for a suite. Article content 'This year's prices will probably stabilize quite a bit, maybe a two to three per cent increase over the previous year,' he said in an interview. 'But the last five years I've seen an increase year after year, and a substantial increase as well.' Article content A ticket package for the three race days starts at $360, according to the Canadian Grand Prix website — though well-off fans can pay much more. Packages with perks such as VIP concierge service, reservations at popular restaurants and parties, and access to areas such as pit lanes and paddocks can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. Article content However, Lalumiere noted that the city also offers plenty of free entertainment, including a Grand Prix party on Crescent Street. And he said hotel room prices are still 'very competitive,' especially for those paying in U.S. dollars or euros. Article content Crowds, meanwhile, are not only growing but also becoming more diverse, he said. Article content 'I think F1 has done a great job in selling the sport over the media,' Lalumiere said. 'And, therefore, now you're attracting a lot more ladies, you're attracting a lot more young people as well to the race.' Article content Black-and-white checkered banners were already fluttering on St-Paul Street in Old Montreal on Tuesday, as tourists lined up to photograph a Formula One car on display outside Max Bitton's racing-themed store, Fanabox. Bitton said he brought in the car as a gift to fans after last year's Grand Prix, which was marred by mishaps on and off the track that left a bad taste in some fans' mouths.
Global News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
American conferences relocate to Quebec due to fears surrounding Trump administration
Major conferences that would usually be held in the U.S. are switching to venues in Montreal, giving the city thousands of extra visitors. 'I've got seven, eight in front of me that have made the change,' Tourisme Montreal president Yves Lalumiere said. With inflammatory rhetoric regularly coming out of the White House, many academics have growing fears about gathering in the United States. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Event manager Heather Dow said people speaking at conferences that touch on diversity, inclusion or LGBTQ2S+ issues in particular, are concerned about speaking openly in the U.S. 'What we're seeing is the comfort in holding a meeting in Canada. There are no barriers like people are facing in the U.S.,' she said. Fears over getting detained at the border and the exchange rate are other reasons some believe Canada's meeting industry stands to benefit from fears caused by the Trump administration. Story continues below advertisement For the full story, watch the video above.
