A lifelong dream of attending the Winter Olympics is in peril for a San Diego couple now stuck with useless reservations at the former Garibaldi Inn, which they spent $2,234 US to secure.
Dennis DeLeo and Marybeth Bielawski-DeLeo are scrambling for Games time accommodations after discovering their 14-night Garibaldi Budget Inn reservations and $2,234 US deposit have disappeared.
Immediately after RCMP called Bielawski-DeLeo in San Diego Tuesday morning (Jan. 12) to inform her of the problem, finding a place to stay was the uppermost in her mind, she said.
"I was concerned about the money that may have been lost, but I jumped right to 'Oh my God, I don't have a place to stay!'" she said.
It was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime for the couple. Bielawski-DeLeo has dreamed of attending the Winter Olympics since she was a 15-year-old figure skater and winter sports enthusiast living in Alaska.
"I skated and skied and everything after school just about everyday, and when I was 15 Peggy Fleming won the Gold," said Bielawski-DeLeo. "I remember my mom and I calling back and forth when she got the Gold, and from that time on I thought 'I'm going to be there someday.' I just turned 60 in December and coming to the Olympics is a part of my 60th year for me."
The constable who phone with the bad news told them the RCMP had opened a file investigating the matter, advised them to contact their credit card company for possible charge reversal and suggested they phone The Chief for help securing different accommodations, said Bielawski-DeLeo.
Squamish RCMP Cpl. Dave Ritchie said he was aware allegations of fraud involving the Garibaldi Inn were being investigated by an Olympics-related police division. Further information was not immediately available, he said.
DeLeo said someone in Whistler referred them to the Garibaldi Inn after they were told the resort municipality had no accommodations available. The couple booked the reservations by phone in May of 2009, paying the deposit by credit card.
The physician and theatre director are now desperately trying to find accommodations in the corridor since their tickets are for events at the Whistler Olympic Park or in the resort municipality. But attempts so far have failed.
They urged anyone with room in the area to consider renting them space by emailing [email protected]. They added that their needs are modest.
"[We're looking for] just someplace to sleep overnight, basically," said Bielawski-DeLeo.
"It doesn't have to be anymore than a bed that each of us can sleep in and clean - and maybe heat might be a good thing," she added with a laughed.
The Garibaldi Inn was sold through foreclosure on Dec. 8, after former owner Ed Sylvan neglected to pay his mortgage, according to court documents.
Sylvan told The Chief in late December that the new owners of the business, renamed Squamish Budget Motor Inn, were well aware of the six reservations taken for the Olympics, but mortgage broker Crystal Foti told The Chief on Jan. 4 Sylvan's comments were "completely false."
The motel is now undergoing extensive repair, having been neglected for over a year, said Foti. Chances that rooms will be available in time for the Games are slim, she said.
On Tuesday (Jan. 12), Sylvan said he hasn't heard from the RCMP and has no further comment.
