COVID 19 has had a significant impact on the Canadian hotel and restaurant sectors. While this was unforeseen by many, it was not unprecedented. Close to two decades before COVID 19 appeared, Ontario had been subject to another pandemic, that of SARS. This paper investigated the differences between these two large-scale events in terms of contexts, degrees of localization, reputational impact, and timeline of the event and recovery, as well as providing lessons that can be derived from both events. To facilitate these understandings, this research draws on both a historical review as well as five industry interviews.