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LodgingNews January 2014 Vol. 10 No. 10
c a n a d a ’ s
l o d g i n g
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Vantage turns up the volume
In keeping with Vantage Hospitality’s conference slogan, Turn Up the Volume, members of Vantage’s corporate team dressed in Woodstock/1960s costumes welcoming people as they entered the opening party.
Travel and technology rising Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152
By Colleen Isherwood, Editor LAS VEGAS—Chinese travellers, mobile phones, and simply keeping pace with changes in technology and consumer preferences, were all on the agenda at Expedia’s 14th annual Partner Conference held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas last month. By 2020, there will be 100 million outbound Chinese travellers, and Expedia has an ownership stake in eLong, a Chinese travel website aimed at that market. “eLong has grown by 70 per cent in the last five years,” Expedia Inc. president and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told the conference audience in his opening remarks. Continued on page 3
President and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi (left) shares a joke with Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of Expedia, Inc.
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By Colleen Isherwood, Editor LAS VEGAS, NV—It wasn’t your average town hall meeting. To start with, moderator Glenn Haussman, editorin-chief of Hotel Interactive, urged the 300-plus members and owners in the audience at Vantage Hospitality’s annual conference last month, to “ask the harder questions.” Vantage Hospitality president and CEO Roger Bloss repeated that request, saying, “I don’t want softballs. Tell us what you need to know.” The hoteliers did just that, asking questions about problems with Amana PTAC fans, the brand reservation system, slow responses to Facebook comments, more marketing dollars for Canada, and a new venue for the conference—possibly Bali, Indonesia, where Vantage has a property. In each case, Bloss and CFO and COO Bernie Moyle, responded. Yes, they would get to the bottom of the PTAC issue; they’d get someone to help the individual hotelier work with the reservation system; maybe the Facebook response system should be re-evaluated; and marketing dollars for Canada could be addressed at the marketing meeting to be held later in the conference. As for Bali, well, Bloss and Moyle did promise to look into a new conference venue. It was a transparent approach, unusual for a company with more than 1,100 hotels. But then, very little about Vantage Hospitality is standard fare. To start, it is a membership-based organization, with low fees of less than six per cent of gross revenue, compared between 11 and 13 per cent for many major brands. The closest model is Best Western, although Bloss stresses there are some important differences between the two. Vantage Hospitality began with Americas Best Value Inns (ABVI) just over a decade ago and has enjoyed spectacular growth. At this stage they have six brands, ABVI, Canadas Best Value Inns (CBVI), Value Inn Continued on page 6
CLN BUYERS’ DIRECTORY 2014
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Tired of shopping around? Take a look at our up-to-date listings for available suppliers by category.
Power Play—HVAC savings for hoteliers
A new generation of highefficiency heating/cooling systems is easy on the environment and the bottom line.
Newsmaker of the Year for 2014
We’re proud to welcome our newest G2 Prototype Days Inn hotels in Winnipeg, MB and Yorkton, SK. Want to be next?
A Division of Realstar Hospitality
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Kevin Collins is executive director of Friends of We Care, which has raised almost $17 million to send kids to camp.
Build with the Brand that’s Building.
Days Inns - Canada 416.966.8387 daysinn@realstarhospitality.com
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