Hotels were one of the industries hit hard by the pandemic since a lack of events and people staying at home means hotels aren't as needed.

That meant hotels took any business they could get, with some going into dire straits.

It seems as though those hotels have caught a bit of a break in 2022, as the industry seems to be speeding up.

Twyla Bauman, the General Manager of the Western Star Hotel in Estevan, says one of the biggest contributors to the hotels is seen on only part of the week.

"Not throughout the week, like Monday to Fridays, most of the ick-up is on the weekend now that sports are back in."

While the weekend is the busiest time for the holidays, Bauman does say that the number of regular hotel stayers such as oil workers seems to have gone up.

"Last year at this time I was sitting at about 26% occupied, and this year I'm sitting at 42% so definitely some increase."

Even with that increase, Bauman says she feels as though numbers are a bit lower than what they were pre-pandemic.

She says that in the three years she's been at the hotel, things aren't quite at the level of when she started pre-pandemic, but are starting to move closer.

But the events are still the main draw for these hotels, and they've had a lot of variety.

"This year we've seen all sorts," said Bauman, "We have curling, we have Hockey, we have even more weddings than we did last year."

Bauman says they look forward to being busy, with upcoming events including the Centennial Cup this spring.