Mandy Farmer has a soft spot for vintage vehicles.

Her latest score, a gorgeous 1978 Chevrolet G20 Conversion Van dubbed the Shaggin鈥� Wagon, radiates a That 鈥�70s Show vibe, sparking memories of Zeppelin on cassette and a lonely stretch of highway with the one that got away.

鈥淎s soon as I saw it, it just screamed Hotel Zed to me and I just had to buy it,鈥� said Farmer, the president and CEO of Hotel Zed and Accent Inns.

The Shaggin鈥� Wagon is currently parked at the back of her Hotel Zed Tofino location and she welcomes locals and guests to explore the special amenity.

鈥淭ofino Bylaw has already been by. They contacted us before the camper even arrived. They were on it. No one is staying in it overnight so we鈥檙e good,鈥� said Farmer with a bit of a laugh.

She says there鈥檚 been a bit of a mixed reaction to her new ride as it鈥檚 being marketed as part of the annual Valentine鈥檚 Day Nooner package. The Nooner is offered between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at all Hotel Zed locations. Packages start at $69 for the three hour afternoon delight. Tofino Nooner guests also get a chance to spend time together in the Shaggin鈥� Wagon.

鈥淪ome people are obviously uncomfortable with this. But if I鈥檓 being honest, I think it鈥檚 really exciting to have sex in different places. What I love about vehicles and campervans, but also hotels is that it just spices things ups. When you鈥檙e in a long-term, committed relationship, it is really awesome, I think, to have a sex-positive relationship where you can do new things and see your partner in a different light,鈥� said Farmer, who鈥檚 first love was a VW Westfalia.

She says guests get about 30 minutes with the van and then staff come in to detail it for another 30 minutes.

鈥淥f course we will clean the van. We are professionals,鈥� she said.

Hotel Zed assistant general manager Myles Beeby hopes folks will take full advantage of the Shaggin鈥� Wagon.

鈥淲e are guessing that people are going to use it as a photo op,鈥� he said, noting there is incentive to post a pic with the Shaggin鈥� Wagon in Tofino or in one of the Hotel Zed lobbies.

鈥淯se the hashtag ZedShagginWagon and Hotel Zed will donate one dollar to , a non-profit society focused on sexual violence prevention through education. This year, our message is all about consent. Consent is sexy,鈥� he said.

The funds raised from the Shaggin鈥� Wagon photo sharing is in addition to a $5,000 cheque Hotel Zed already gifted to the grassroots non-profit based out of Vancouver.

鈥淚 love talking about consent. When I was younger, those conversations didn鈥檛 happen and it is so exciting so see that we regularly talk about consent and we are really excited to bring it to our Nooner program,鈥� said Farmer.

The Shaggin鈥� Wagon is in Tofino for a good time, but not a long time.

鈥淚 think the other properties might want to experience the Shaggin鈥� Wagon,鈥� Farmer said.

nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
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