Travelers can hand over their Blackberries... but do they want to?

Fairmont has a new program this year designed to give ultra-connected travelers a chance to unplug and unwind.

Lori Grant, regional director of public relations, said Fairmonts in Jasper, Banff, Lake Louise and Whistler are offering a package that gives guests the option to sign over their electronic devices for their stay.

At the Park Lodge the program is called Out of the Office 2008, and it includes one night accommodation, a breakfast buffet, a welcome gift of a fruit basket with herbal tea and a guided three-hour hike.

“In Jasper we say it’s a way to escape the stress of everyday life,” Grant said. Guests may choose to lock their devices up in a safe behind the front desk or in their room, and may retrieve their belongings at any time.

“If somebody has that dire need that they have to see it right away, of course we’re going to let them,” she said. Guests sign a waiver form as a way for the hotel to keep track of their electronics.

Following a round of golf Saturday, Bryce Chesser, a retiree from Winnipeg, said he’d like to see wireless devices banned beyond the tees. “I think its sacrilegious to take one on the golf course,” Chesser said. “If you can’t give it up for four hours to play golf, you shouldn’t be here.”

Todd Fujiwara, who was visiting from Vancouver with business associates on the weekend, flipped out his Blackberry and said, “They didn’t take mine.”

Though he still had his, he thinks the program would be a good idea to get his mind off his device. “It can be convenient but can also be a bit of a headache,” Fujiwara said. “If you take it away you don’t think about it.”

Grant said a package like this would definitely interest her. “On my recent vacation, my Blackberry and my cell phone went into the hotel safe and I think they came out twice,” Grant said. Though unplugging may be difficult for some, she thinks the beauty of the landscape in Jasper will help guests take their minds off their electronics.

“Definitely I had that itch, but once you get out there and explore the destination, you tend to forget that thing is sitting in the safe.”