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Bride 'kicked out' of hotel to make way for 'NRL quarantine bubble'

A Queensland bride has been left devastated and stressed less than a week before her wedding when her accommodation was cancelled to make room for NRL teams in quarantine.

Kathryn McDowall had about 10 rooms booked for her family and bridesmaids at the Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast ahead of her nuptials on Saturday.

Hotel no vacancy sign. Photo: Getty Images.
A bride was left devastated when her accommodation was cancelled at the last minute. Photo: Getty Images.

'Kicked us out'

But, as she told Nova's Fitzy & Wippa on Thursday morning, her reservation was reallocated to players from the Newcastle Knights, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles on Tuesday night.

"Yes, they kicked us all out, there was about 10 rooms between my family and my bridesmaids," Kathryn said.

The bride went on to reveal that Novotel hadn't contacted her directly about the cancellation but she'd instead found out through her uncle.

"[Novotel] sent an email to my uncle on Tuesday night because he was flying up from Melbourne to stay in the accommodation a day earlier than all of us.

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Bride Kathryn McDowall had her reservation cancelled to make room for NRL teams in quarantine. Photo: Nine News.
Bride Kathryn McDowall had her reservation cancelled to make room for NRL teams in quarantine. Photo: Nine News.

"They just said they had to cancel the reservation because the hotel has become an NRL quarantine bubble."

Kathryn says she has 'heard nothing' from Novotel since and has had no assistance from them to find alternative accommodation.

Kathryn spent a 'stressful' night on Tuesday attempting to find somewhere to stay as a group however due to the last-minute nature that wasn't possible leaving some guests 'scattered' across different venues.

Aerial shot of Novotel hotel Twin Waters. Photo: Instagram/novotelsunshinecoast.
Kathryn had initially booked to stay at the Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast. Photo: Instagram/novotelsunshinecoast.

"Tuesday night was really stressful. There was about eight of us trying to find accommodation, we were trying to find the same place but unfortunately a few of us are scattered now.

"So Tuesday night was stressful but we got accommodation, that’s the main thing."

Despite the major hiccup, Kathryn says she'll still be walking down the aisle this weekend to marry her longtime partner, Andrew.

On July 11, the NRL announced that it would shift 12 clubs into southeast Queensland for at least a month to escape NSW's ongoing Covid outbreak.

Under the relocation plan, all NSW and ACT-based clubs were moved into three dedicated hubs in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast on Wednesday, while Melbourne and the three Queensland-based clubs remained in their home cities.

Novotel and the NRL have been contacted for comment.

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