At Flywire, we have the opportunity to work with incredible clients in the travel industry. These are uncertain times for the world, but their resilience, innovation, and adaptability inspires us every day. We urge you to rebook your travel, instead of canceling your trip. Your continued commitment to the travel and tourism industry will help support countless people and communities, and ensure that when the world recovers, these operations still exist for you to enjoy. #postponedontcancel
Client Spotlight: Nimmo Bay
Nimmo Bay is a wilderness resort in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, only accessible by helicopter or floatplane. From heli-fishing to hot tubs, Nimmo Bay has an experience for everyone in one of the most pristine wilderness environments in the world. This video really says it all:
We chatted with Jenny Jewczyk, Reservations & Sales Manager, and Caitlin Hedley, Content & Media Marketing Manager, to learn more about this unique resort and learn how they are responding to the COVID-19 restrictions on travel.
What makes Nimmo Bay unique in the space?
Our Location:
Nimmo Bay is an intimate family-owned and operated resort in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia on Canada’s rugged west coast, accessible by floatplane or helicopter. The resort, tucked away at the base of 5,000-foot Mount Stephens, has grown over the years to nine cabins, all carefully constructed with the surrounding environment and the comfort of guests in mind. Running through the heart of it is a beautiful cascading waterfall supplying both clean drinking water and green energy. At Nimmo Bay, guests discover the magnificence of the region, with abundant wildlife and pristine landscapes from lush rainforest and river valleys up to heavenly mountaintops and 10,000-year-old glaciers.
Our People:
Our passionate, welcoming, and adventurous team members are at the heart of every Nimmo Bay experience. They are expert sommeliers, soulful practitioners, fly casters, culinary inventors, and wilderness guides. Mostly, they want to share their love for this wild, special place with all who visit. Our returning guests tell us they love our amazing location and spectacular adventures, but it is the people who work at Nimmo Bay that give it that unique feeling of coming home.
Our Experiences:
Our remote location, passionate team, and tailored itineraries offer guests extraordinary wilderness, wildlife, and wellness experiences. Whether watching black bears from a kayak, exploring the Broughton Archipelago on the look-out for whales, helicopter hiking along mountain ridges, paddle boarding on glacial lakes, fishing for wild Pacific salmon, or relaxing at the floating, wood-fired sauna, the options are plenty and the journey is personalized. At the lodge, guests can unwind with a soak in the hot tub next to the waterfall, relax with a massage or yoga class, and enjoy an evening of storytelling around the fire. Dining at Nimmo Bay has always been an integral part of our guest experience, as the story of our land and sea is shared through culinary journeys designed to reconnect guests with the delicacies of nature.
What’s the best feedback you’ve heard from your guests?
Our team takes great pride in setting the stage for wild stories. When guests tell us that they came in search of bears or fishing or whichever adventure it was that first motivated them to book with us, but what they found to be the most powerful aspect of their trip was the lasting connections made – with nature, with their family or friends, and with themselves – that is feedback that truly inspires us.
It also means so much to us when our guests book their return trip back to Nimmo Bay before they have even left the dock! Not only did we meet their expectations, we exceeded them, and that is a gift not only for our guests but for our team as a whole.
How many guests do you typically see every year?
Nimmo Bay is a seasonal property, operating from May through October. We have nine cabins, accommodating up to 18 guests at any time. Over the six months, we welcome approximately 700 guests.
What sparked the idea to build Nimmo Bay?
In 1980, Craig and Deborah Murray set off in search of a new journey, and with their young family in tow, they created a life immersed in the wild. What they found at Nimmo Bay was so special that they decided to open and operate a small fishing lodge, inviting fellow nature and adventure enthusiasts to also visit and experience the magic for themselves.
The first guests of Nimmo Bay Resort arrived in June of 1981, ready to see what this remote wilderness could offer them. Over the years, it became apparent that the resort was gaining a reputation as guests started returning year after year. The lodge and its offerings were expanding, Craig was busy fine-tuning the experience and the family involvement, now with three children, Fraser, Clifton, and Georgia added to the delight of the guests. “Creating memories to last a lifetime is something we live by at Nimmo Bay,” Craig explains, “if we exceed our guests’ expectations, it not only brings them back but also gets them to share their experience with others.”
From the very beginning, the Murrays have practiced sustainability and eco-system management, striving to match ongoing environmental practices with sustainable business ethics. They have always been stewards of sustainability while inspiring others to do the same.
Are you working on any new initiatives to attract and retain customers?
We hope to continue to inspire, through our images and videos, and to be a virtual escape for our friends, team members, and our loyal and valued guests as we release new content in our biweekly newsletters. Our team has also started to rethink marketing strategies as we work and move through these uncertain times together while following along with key messaging and updates from leaders in the industry, such as Destination BC and Destination Canada.
What has been your communication with guests that have booked for the next few months?
We have started to send out a biweekly newsletter, which includes a personal letter from our owners while also offering a space to inspire and share beautiful, visual content. Beyond that, our team has been reaching out to our guests regularly, while continuing to be open, honest, and transparent. We are letting our guests and followers know that with so many unknowns, we understand that this is a time to pause; to stay home, to be with family, and to be grateful for the many blessings that we all have.
For the past 40 years, Nimmo Bay has been a special place where guests from all corners of the world come to access the wild. The untamed nature of the Great Bear Rainforest will continue to speak to the soul and inspire new adventures. As our owner, Becky Murray, says, “When the travel doors open again, we will be here, poised with open arms and open hearts, ready, more than ever, to exceed guest expectations and watch as lasting connections between people and nature are created.“
Are there any silver linings to this situation or projects you are working on that you haven’t had time for in the past?
Nimmo Bay is celebrating its 40th year in operation this year, and to celebrate, we have rebranded and are in the midst of a new website redesign, which is just in the final stages of review before being launched. Also, this spring, our owners, Fraser and Becky Murray, traveled up early to Nimmo Bay to receive our new lodge building - an ongoing project for over two years, and a dream of theirs for over a decade. This time has given them more space to prepare and set up the new lodge and curate more video and photography content around Nimmo Bay. The sun has been shining, and Fraser and Becky have been able to take their two young daughters out on some wonderful wilderness adventures.
Another silver lining to mention would be opportunities to connect with different partners and businesses in new ways, such as this customer highlight with Flywire – which we very much appreciate! It’s been a great learning opportunity to hear different perspectives and share best practices with other properties and to connect with other sectors in the tourism industry. We are all in this together, and being united and open has proven to be a powerful tool.
In light of the pandemic, do you plan to invest in any new tools or resources to help recession-proof your business?
In light of the pandemic, we are revisiting and fine-tuning our cancellation policy and the language encouraging guests to purchase travel insurance. As the business has been in operation for 40 years, we have been through recessions before (although nothing quite like this!) but we will once again dig deep to access all resources and look at all options to make it to the recovery phase.
What ways are you keeping the staff connected during this time?
During this time, we have morning team meetings (Google Hangouts) with our year-round, full-time team, and weekly Zoom meetings with our seasonal managers. This is a space to connect, brainstorm, and to support each other professionally and personally through the challenges we are facing. We are being transparent with our seasonal staff, and maintaining our connection as a team during these topsy-turvy times has been very important.
Have you noticed an upside to your staff working remotely?
Our team generally works remotely, at least part-time. However, the current situation has provided us with new and different challenges, such as having kids and other family members at home and in our workspace. An upside has been connecting in a more raw and real way, bonding with our colleagues and strengthening our team as a whole.
Once the world returns to normal, what are you most looking forward to?
We are looking forward to welcoming our team and our guests back to Nimmo Bay, continuing to craft unforgettable adventures amongst the wilderness and sharing our beautiful new custom-made floating lodge with everyone that visits.
We’d like to see that floating lodge for ourselves! If you’d like to learn more about Nimmo Bay, book your post-pandemic travel, or get lost on a virtual escape, please explore https://nimmobay.com/