Chris Bath

Chris Bath Instagram – John & Annabelle bought the Lakeside Lodge Motel @lakeside_lodge_lismore (“that never floods”) in Nov 2020 & moved north to Lismore from Torquay. They persevered through the tourism shock of bushfires & a pandemic that was never part of their business plan, then found themselves trapped on the motel’s rooftop with 24 of their guests, as floodwaters rose around them #swipeleft See #linkinbio They spent a terrifying six hours with a birdseye view of the rising water, until strangers in tinnies arrived & rescued all of their guests. They were the last ones off the roof (thanks to a dude they only know as “Dylan from Lennox Head”) I met them last Thursday when they arrived back in clothes that someone gave them at the pub when they turned up soaking wet once Dylan dropped them to safety (Annabelle reckons it’s the only chance she’ll ever have to rock a PhoKing t-shirt). Alone, they started the long clean up. Mud everywhere, they dragged sodden carpet, mattresses, TV’s & fridges from rooms, somehow with a warm, dry sense of humour, resigned to what they needed to do to get their business up & running asap because “Lismore’s gonna need accomodation & we need to get some money through the door.” While we were there filming for @theprojecttv John got a call from @bookingcom hassling for their booking fees. John told them “mate we’ve just been smashed by a flood, I don’t think that’s appropriate right now”. I spoke to John yesterday. They’ve called three times since. Seriously @bookingcom it’s time for a multinational like you to do your bit & waive booking fees for tourism operators like John & Annabelle. They don’t want charity, but they could do with a break. They’ve slaved for a week to clean out their motel, knowing that whoever helps repair their region will need somewhere to stay. And to give you an idea of the some of challenges they face, no matter how hard they work, it’ll be weeks before they can get electricity in their rooms (every power point has to be checked by Council), the rubbish they’ve dragged out remains dishearteningly on their doorstep because there’s simply so much of it to remove in Lismore. So hey @bookingcom why not throw them a bone? | Posted on 11/Mar/2022 03:01:53