Canadian Lodging News - June 2014

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LodgingNews June 2014 Vol. 11 No. 5

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Hilton to open its 100th Canadian property TORONTO—Hilton Hotels and Resorts is opening its 100th hotel this summer, with the unveiling of the dual-branded Hampton Inn and Suites

by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton on the site of the former Citadel hotel in downtown Halifax.

The 135-room Homewood and 181-room Hampton are numbers 99 and 100. Both hotels are owned by SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts.

Six of Hilton’s brands currently have properties in Canada, with a seventh brand, Home2 Suites by Hilton, debuting in West Edmonton later this year.

Craig Mance, senior vice president

Craig Mance.

North American development for Hilton Worldwide told CLN the 99th and 100th hotels are “a good strategic development with SilverBirch.

“We’ve done five hotels with SilverBirch in the last eight or nine months—including DoubleTree Regina, DoubleTree West Edmonton, and also the first Home2 Suites.”

He noted that dual branding is very popular, and in places like Calgary Airport, they even have three-packs.

“In terms of construction, the economies of scale are fantastic— you only have to build one pool, one

Gypsy hoteliers at Dalvay by the Sea

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Chris and Shari-Lynn Williams apply experience from Mount Engadine and Wickaninnish Inn to a historic property in PEI.

Continued on page 3

Val d’Or Quality Inn is hotel of the Year

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152

By Colleen Isherwood, editor TORONTO—A Canadian hotel, the Quality Inn & Suites of Val d’Or, has been named International Hotel of the Year by Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest hotel companies and franchisor of the Quality Inn brand.

The award was presented at the company’s 60th Annual International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Quebec-based property was also awarded Canadian Hotel of the Year

by Choice Hotels Canada.

“General manager Michael Prince and the entire team in Val d’Or have set a new international standard,” said Tim Oldfield, managing director, Choice Hotels Canada. “Excelling at guest service and property maintenance each and every day, the Quality Inn & Suites in Val d’Or has certainly established itself as a world leader in hospitality.”

The Quality Inn & Suites Val d’Or was selected from among 10 nomi-

nees in the International category, chosen from over 1,200 Choice Hotels franchised properties operating outside the United States. Winners of this prestigious award consistently demonstrate exceptional service and lodging excellence, and nominees all rank among the top hotels within the brand. Other finalists included properties in Toowoomba, Australia and Gothenburg, Sweden.

For Canadian Hotel of the Year, the property was chosen from 12 nominees, out of more than 300 hotels across Canada. The Quality Inn & Suites was selected for its overall service and hotel quality, as well as its commitment to going above and beyond to serve its guests.

When it comes to current trends in hotel lighting, there’s no question that LED rules.

Where’s Michael?

The awards ceremonies at the International Convention didn’t exactly go smoothly. “Where’s Michael?” was the question on everyone’s lips May

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Bright ideas for hotel lighting

Families first at InterContinental Mtl. Tim Oldfield (left) and Michael Prince with the Canadian Hotel of the Year Award.

Continued on page 6

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A family pass for the pirates or privateers exhibition at the Pointe-à-Callière museum is part of the hotel’s family package.

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Gypsy hoteliers migrate to Dalvay by the Sea

Chris and Shari-Lynn Williams.

By Colleen Isherwood, editor DALVAY BY THE SEA, PEI—The past few months have been a whirlwind for husbandand-wife hoteliers Chris and Shari-Lynn Williams. They were hired to manage iconic PEI property Dalvay by the Sea at the end of February. They spent March in Vermont, and came to meet the Dalvay team at the beginning of April.

“We moved here on April 28,” Chris Williams told CLN. “It’s been a whole different transition.

We are thrilled with the experience. We have done 10 properties since 1996—this is number 10. I thought we would slow down a bit, but this is our biggest venture so far.”

The couple specialize in “fix ups, startups and clean ups,” according to their LinkedIn page.

They were in PEI in 2000, working with Mike Cassidy at the Inns on Great George. They also worked with innkeeper Charles McDiarmid at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, BC, and at Jade Mountain Resort in Saint Lucia. Recently, they spent seven years at Mount Engadine Lodge in the Alberta Rockies, turning a small intimate backcountry inn into the number one rated full service property on TripAdvisor in the Canadian Rockies.

Williams describes Dalvay by the Sea as a stunning property with windows overlooking

the ocean and a lake on the other side of the hotel. As he spoke to CLN on the phone, the dining room floors were being buffed and the roof had just been redone in preparation for a June opening.

Each of its 25 rooms is furnished with antiques and each room is unique. There are also eight 3-bedroom cottages on the property.

Built as a summer home in the 1890s, Dalvay by the Sea has been operated as an inn for the past 40 or 50 years. Television viewers might remember it as the White Sands Hotel in the 1990s series, Road to Avonlea. Prince William and his wife Kate also visited the hotel on their tour of Canada in 2011.

The inn’s owner is Danny Murphy, well known in Atlantic Canada as he owns a number of hotels plus Tim Hortons and Wendy’s outlets.

He hired the couple because of their experience running luxury inns.

Dalvay by the Sea has a large dining room with 100 seats, and the property does a good group business.

“The hotel food and beverage has the iconic seaside feel we have here in the Maritimes.

There’s a different dynamic—a different style and way of dealing with people.

“We’re looking at continuous improvements, bringing back the history to the room,” a process

that could take three to five years.

The link with Anne of Green Gables and Road to Avonlea plays well with Japanese tourists, who look to PEI as a pure way of life. Even in early May, cruise ships were passing by and people were taking pictures.

One of the Williams’ goals is to expand the four-month season that now runs from June to September. They would like to keep the property open from May 24th until Thanksgiving.

Another goal is to bring concerts to the property. Mount Engadine has become known for its Music in the Meadow concerts. The plan is to start with small, intimate concerts for about 100 people in the library at Dalvay by the Sea. The inn is located in Prince Edward National Park, which means that there are restrictions on construction. For example, the roof is being replaced, and while they can add ribs to make it stronger, everything must be replaced exactly.

“We have to replicate the colours, styles of mortar on the sides of the building. We have a room called 208A, but we can’t put a number on the room because that wouldn’t be historically correct, so we had to run a cup hook into the door frame and hang a number on the hook,” said Williams.

The inn’s executive chef, Allan Chapman, hails from the Hilton Saint John. It’s his first experience with a small boutique hotel, and he’s enjoying it. The food is from local purveyors, and local farmers sometimes have a market table at the hotel. “People enjoy meeting the farmers who are providing the food on their plates that evening,” Williams said.

Chef Allan Chapman.

Dual branding provides economic efficiencies Continued from page 1

health club, and one set of meeting rooms. The hotels can share the parking lot, and put more rooms on less land. “Over the next 20 to 30 years, from an operations standpoint the efficiencies are terrific.

“The only downside is that because of the way they are constructed, you have to sell them as dual branded. But big REITs are buying them like crazy. The acquisition of dual-branded properties is very popular in the U.S.” Guests enjoy the dual branding immensely, said Mance. “They always include extended stay, which captures customers who stay for five-plus nights. They’re usually paired with a Hampton Inn & Suites or Hilton Garden Inn.”

Vertical and horizontal splits The check in and lobby need to be prototypical. Normally the brands are side by side, but they can be vertically configured in urban centres. The Doubletree/Homewood in Silver Spring, MD is split vertically.

“The guest really feels they are getting everything they expect—there has been a terrific guest response to this. In the beginning

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the brand folks were a little concerned, but now they totally endorse it as long as their brand standards remain sacrosanct.”

Vito Curalli, executive director, worldwide sales, Canada, Latin America and International, says that Hilton’s growth has been great from a sales perspective.

“We continue to offer more choice of brands across Canada for customers in Canada and around the world,” he told CLN. “Many of these brands are world-renowned and that makes it easier for our customers to identify with these new hotels,” he added.

Robust pipeline With more than 40 hotels currently in the development pipeline and nearly 40 percent of those under construction, Hilton Worldwide will further bolster Canada’s tourism industry with the following upcoming openings: o Dual-branded project from SilverBirch, a DoubleTree by Hilton and Home2 Suites

by Hilton in West Edmonton, Alberta. The 127-suite Home2 Suites by Hilton is set to open in July of this year and represents the brand’s first hotel in Canada. It will join the recently opened 235-guestroom DoubleTree

by Hilton which opened in January. o Hilton Calgary Airport, to open in 2017, will complete the company’s first multi-flag complex featuring three brands, joining the recently opened Hampton Inn by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton, owned by Prestige Hospitality. o Hampton Inn by Hilton Saskatoon South Saskatchewan, owned and operated by VJ Management, is a 100-room hotel set to open in June 2014. o Hampton Inn and Suites Markham, owned and operated by JM Hospitality, Inc., features 99 rooms and is set to open July 2014.

The hotel will be adjacent to JM Hospitality’s current 101-suite Homewood Suites by Hilton, which opened in 2007. o Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Saskatoon Airport, owned by Randhawa Group, will open in Nov. 2014 and feature 132 rooms. o Homewood Suites by Hilton Ajax, Ontario, featuring 104 suites opened last month. It is owned by Wella Investments Inc. o Homewood Suites by Hilton Waterloo/St. Jacobs, Ontario, featuring 97 suites is scheduled to open in this month and is owned by Benjamin Hotel Inc.

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[NO] VACANCY exhibitions explore Niagara Falls motel history NIAGARA FALLS, ON—Two summer exhibitions in Niagara explore motel culture past and present. The Niagara Falls History Museum and the Niagara Artists Centre are pleased to present [NO] VACANCY, installations exploring the heyday and the today of Niagara’s motels. The exhibitions run until September.

Visitors to the Niagara Falls History Museum will experience a nostalgic, familiar and interactive exhibit, while the Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) will explore the state of the motel today with installations by NAC Members and a photo exhibit by Oliver Pauk and Zach Slootsky (http://motelsofcanada.com). Niagara Falls Museums and NAC have been working with artists and historians on developing an interesting look at motels and their impact on tourism and the landscape of the community.

Canada and U.S. recognize hotel administration credentials OTTAWA—The Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute (EI) have announced a credential recognition agreement that will offer hotel administrators the opportunity to hold credentials from both organizations.

This agreement is an example of two national organizations working together to serve their sector and address the needs of the industry. In Canada and internationally, the CTHRC offers the Certified Hotel General Manager (CHGM) credential through emerit, its training and certification brand. EI offers its Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) to hospitality professionals in the United States and around the world.

More importantly, each organization has agreed to award their credential to individuals who hold the other organization’s designation. This means that for a small administration fee, a hotel manager who has earned the CHGM credential will also be awarded the CHA credential, or vice versa. This will give top hospitality administrators the professional recognition they deserve across North America and around the world.

“I think that this agreement is a really great example of the collaborative spirit that the CTHRC and emerit have always tried to foster with our partners in the sector,” said Jon Kiely, vice president innovation and marketing for CTHRC. “Our mandate is to raise the level of professionalism in the sector, and AH&LA-EI have a similar goal in the United States. We’re going to be stronger working together at this common goal rather than competing.”

CORRECTION In an article about Trump Toronto hotel in the April issue, CLN mentioned Trump Care. The name of the program is actually Trump Attaché. CLN also referred to previous incidents involving falling glass. In last few months, in fact, there was no falling glass; however, Trump did spot a loose glass panel on the spire. They took precautionary measures, with a temporary street closure, and had it repaired. As a result, no glass fell. CLN regrets the errors.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

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By Colleen Isherwood, editor

Editor Colleen Isherwood ext. 231 cisherwood@canadianlodgingnews.com Senior Contributing Editor Leslie Wu ext. 227 lwu@canadianrestaurantnews.com Contributing Editors Marni Andrews marni@trolltales.com Don Douloff ext. 232 ddouloff@canadianrestaurantnews.com Larry Mogelonsky larry@lma.ca Kristen Smith ext. 238 ksmith@canadianlodgingnews.com Jonathan Zettel ext. 226 jzettel@canadianlodgingnews.com Senior Account Manager Debbie McGilvray ext. 233 dmcgilvray@canadianlodgingnews.com Account Manager Kim Kerr ext. 229 kkerr@canadianlodgingnews.com Production Stephanie Giammarco sgiammarco@canadianlodgingnews.com Circulation Manager Don Trimm ext. 228 dtrimm@canadianrestaurantnews.com Controller Tammy Turgeon ext. 237 tammy@canadianlodgingnews.com How to reach us: Tel (905) 206-0150

Reader comments on hotel crime Every so often, editors are rewarded with feedback from readers that makes them rethink an issue, showing that it is not as straightforward as they thought. Last month, Canadian Lodging News ran an article titled “Uncovering the Criminal Element in hotels.”

It’s a subject of great interest to hoteliers— over 100 of them crammed into one of the sessions at the Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association conference to hear what Constable Wayne Birks of the Calgary Police Service had to say.

The feedback came to me from Sandra Gies, Proprietor of Red Deer Log Cabins in Madawaska, ON. Here’s what she had to say.

“In the most recent issue [of Canadian Lodging News] I see something that I find contestable, due to its presentation. In the above mentioned article, Constable Wayne Birks of the Calgary Police Service is paraphrased as saying, “If the guests are an old farming couple, of course you could accept cash from them.”[Editor’s note: I am responsible for the paraphrasing.]

“This statement is just WRONG in so many

ways. Whether Constable Birks said this or not, his words were paraphrased, not quoted. Surely someone could have found a better way to present the idea for print. Ageism isn’t pretty. Also, how would a front desk person know the couple were farmers unless they arrived in the farm truck, with its special category of licence plate? Is anyone required to identify his/her line of work upon registration? It may just be Birks’ biases blazing, but really, think about the statement with regard to hotel guests.

“Also, lots of people are not who they seem to be. Older couples can easily be criminals on the run. How many Nazi war criminals lived to ripe old ages somewhere far from Germany? If you read news, you will increasingly see older persons being arrested for a wide variety of crimes, from gun crime, to robbery, to Internet fraud. The best (most successful) criminals are those who are not caught, so we don’t know their ages or genders.

“As well, I will point out that the reason the industry relies so heavily on credit card payments is to preclude employee embezzlement, not to enforce identity upon payment. There is NEVER a

chargeback when cash is used for payment. The other reason for credit cards is because of damages; in many cases these charges are unrecoverable, because credit card processing companies have changed their focus heavily to supporting the client. A chargeback dispute results in fees to the hotelier more often than not.

“Using cash is not suspect. Not everyone has a credit card. Even though some people have credit issues, they may be fabulous guests. Some people even elect to not use credit, because they understand the broader implications of the exercise, and have personal commitment to a better world.

“Sometimes experts provide permission to employ bias. We need to be careful where our brain food comes from, and resist the impulse to follow expert opinions that are intolerant and judgemental, especially those who foment fear.”

Here are my take-aways from Sandra’s comments. Don’t profile your guests—so often we hear about negative profiling of young, black males in big cities, but the reverse can be true as well. Sometimes criminals don’t look like criminals. I’m thinking of the war drama Rules of Engagement, where a U.S. marine colonel gets court martialled for killing civilians in Yemen, when video footage ultimately showed that those women and children were wielding guns and fired first.

Cash payments don’t necessarily indicate a suspicious guest—though they should be considered if other factors indicate clandestine activity.

In the end, it all boils down to vigilance with a healthy balance of tolerance and perspective.

spot lig h t Publisher Steven Isherwood ext. 236 sisherwood@canadianlodgingnews.com

Volume 11 No. 5 Canadian Lodging News is published 10 times a year by Ishcom Publications Ltd. which also publishes Atlantic Restaurant News, Ontario Restaurant News Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News, and Canadian Chains Directory and Canadian Lodging News Buyers’ Directory Address: 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201 Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Tel: (905) 206-0150 Fax: (905) 206-9972 In Canada (800) 201-8596 Subscriptions: Canada & USA: 1 year $39.57, 2 years $63.43 (PLUS APPLICABLE TAX) Single copy: $5.00 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Department, 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Jason Cheskes, Above The Line Solutions Vito Curalli, Hilton Worldwide Justin Friesen, Western Financial Group Philippe Gadbois, Atlific Hotels & Resorts Mark Hope, Coast Hotels & Resorts Elizabeth Hueston, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc. Brian Leon, Choice Hotels Canada Inc. Robin McLuskie, Colliers International Hotels Brian Stanford, PKF Dr. David Martin, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality Christine Pella, Serta Mattress Company Tony Pollard, Hotel Association of Canada Sarah Segal, Informa Canada Andrew Chlebus, LG Electronics Publication Mail Agreement No. 40010152 ISSN 1710-145X GST number R102533890

By Larry Mogelonsky, P.Eng. www.lma.ca

Rewriting McLuhan: the medium is NOT the message Have you heard of Marshall McLuhan? You should have! He’s Canadian first off, and in 1964, he helped define how marketers and advertisers operated for the rest of the century with his famous aphorism, “The medium is the message.”

Sadly, modern technology has made his wisdom obsolete. While elements of this statement are still true, they are rapidly waning.

The story behind this terse, bold statement requires a touch of backstory. In the era when McLuhan made this statement, the number of media was much smaller. Roughly speaking, you could choose from: radio, movies, television, magazines, newspapers, catalogues, direct mail and billboards. With so few options, each dominated a specific communications niche which bestowed the message with certain presupposed characteristics.

For example, if your product appeared on TV, by virtue of the fact that advertising time was limited, and thus very expensive, on this medium, it qualified your message and gave it a certain air of significance. Moreover, people back then trusted to a greater degree the brand messages and company claims they saw and heard.

Multiple media market The same bestowals cannot be made for today’s media market because of how many different media there are. You want TV? Well, you have to choose between broadcast, cable, satellite and now all the subscription-based usurpers like Netflix. What about radio? AM and FM are still around while satellite and Internet channels grow in strides. Print media may be in decline, but most savvy organizations that operated in this space have already shifted their resources to websites as well as company-directed blogs and social media accounts.

At present, we live in an era without limits. In

“

In 1964, Marshall McLuhan helped define how marketers and advertisers operated for the rest of the century with his famous aphorism, “The medium is the message.” Sadly, modern technology has made his wisdom obsolete. While elements of this statement are still true, they are rapidly waning.

—Larry Mogelonsky

”

the 1960s, television exuded exclusivity because there were so few actual channels. Now there are so many for a consumer to select that a product appearing on one will not have the same impact.

Message determines the medium Sure, the medium still qualifies and categorizes the message to some degree, but the reverse is probably more true: the message determines the medium. If you have an important message that can stated in 120 characters, post it to Twitter and your Facebook fan page. Need an additional 800 words to substantiate your point?

Post it to the corporate blog or mark it up like you would a press release, and then link to it on your social networks.

Theoretical argument is all well and good, but marketing is all about the application of these principles. Knowing that the medium is no longer the message means that in order for your consumer communications to be successful, there must be a renewed emphasis on the message itself. For instance, suppose you decide to start a newspaper advertising campaign. It doesn’t matter that you are pursuing print; the

only way this campaign will be impactful is if the advertising message and design are verifiably catchy.

Message quality is the new norm Moving on to social media, perhaps you can see why it’s so critical to understand why message quality is the new norm. In the past year, marketers the world over have touted that hoteliers must engage customers on new facets like Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat. I agree that you should, but only if you have a message worthy of communicating.

If you look behind any of the recent hotel success stories involving these novel social networks, you’ll undoubtedly find a central idea that would appeal to consumers regardless of the chosen medium. My advice for you is to think long and hard about the content of your message as well as how memorable and interactive it is. To be brusque, you won’t garner a noteworthy rep from foodies online if your menu doesn’t dazzle and you won’t excel on an imagecentric network without stellar photography of meaningful objects or evocative places. Once you have honed the concept, only then should you think about the dissemination strategy.

Mr. McLuhan, your contribution to the fields of philosophy and communication theory cannot be understated. I commend you for all that you did to advance our knowledge in these areas.

But just as Einstein rewrote Newtonian physics, so too must your claim to fame be revised for the 21st century.

Larry Mogelonsky (larry@lma.ca) is the president and founder of LMA Communications Inc. (www.lma.ca). His latest anthology book titled Llamas Rule and his first book Are You an Ostrich or a Llama? are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Seeking “unloved, unattached, up-for-grabs” guests Mike Murphy

LAS VEGAS—Cambria Suites has a new name, look, logo and marketing approach, and it’s poised for Canadian expansion.

That’s the message from the Choice Hotels International conference held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas last month.

Most Choice brands are looking to attract the frequent business travellers who spend more than 20 nights a year in a hotel, “guests who are loved, loyal and locked-up,” Michael Murphy, senior vice president upscale brands told delegates at the Cambria brand session.

“But we uncovered a huge customer opportunity for us to win faster against our competition today— those customers that are unloved, unattached and up for grabs.”

Murphy identified two different groups that fit this category: medium frequency business travellers who stay in hotels five to 19 nights a year; and millennial business travellers who are brand loyal, but may not yet have chosen the brand they will grow with.

This is “the generation where mere participation is frequently enough for a reward,” said Murphy. “They don’t

want to wait until they have enough nights or points to be treated differently when they stay in a hotel. They want to be recognized now.”

Over the past year, Cambria Suites has been asking business and leisure guests what they want.

“In our research, guests told us loud and clear that they want choices and options at every point in their interaction with a hotel brand. As a result, we are changing the brand’s name to Cambria Hotels & Suites and will provide guests with the option of choosing a stunning standard hotel room that feels like an upgrade or an actual suite,” said Murphy.

New logo and colours “We’ve changed our logo and colour palette to reflect the new brand tonality—warm, approachable, flexible and uncomplicated. At Cambria, everybody is somebody.”

At the new Cambria Hotels & Suites, guests will be greeted by soft music as they enter the large, open lobby and notice a soft, rounded front desk. This new design is inviting and captures the openness of the room, while still maintaining the tradition-

al, and expected, presence of a front desk. Guests can complete the checkin process via smartphone or keycard.

In their spacious rooms, with ample technology, guests will notice larger vanity space in the bathrooms and will relax on updated furniture.

The bar has now become the focal point of the lobby, inviting guests to hang out and actively partake in the Cambria experience.

Cambria guests want to enjoy immediate benefits, and if they are members of the Choice Privileges program, they will have the option of redeeming their newly acquired points at the bar for a local craft beer or hand-crafted cocktail.

New prototype at NYU Cambria Hotels & Suites will be unveiling a new prototype at the NYU Investment Conference this month, New music, comfortable and stylish uniforms and new staffing profiles will be launched this fall, followed by new service standards and technology that will allow guests to wirelessly stream content from their personal devices to in-room televisions.

“This is a comprehensive plan to capture a specific segment of the market,” said Michael Lusick, senior director of brand operations.

set to open this summer, followed by Halifax, NS and Fredericton, NB. Two more Canadian hotels are planned by year-end.

“The Cambria pipeline is more robust than ever. We will be making several new announcements in the months ahead,” Murphy said.

Quality Inn & Suites Val d’Or (Continued from page 1)

15 as Tim Oldfield of Choice Hotels Canada announced to a roomful of Canadian Choice hoteliers that Quality Hotel & Suites Val D’Or had won the Canadian Hotel of the Year Award.

GM Michael Prince had stepped out of the room for a moment. MaryAnne Chan, from the hotel’s ownership group, stepped forward to receive the award on his behalf.

A few minutes later, Prince reentered the room, and received his award from Oldfield to great applause at from the Canadian hoteliers.

The Canadian crowd was even louder in their applause at the gala later that evening when Prince’s hotel was named International Hotel of the Year for the Quality Brand. This time Prince was on hand to receive his award, escorted to the stage by Oldfield.

The Quality Inn & Suites is located in Val d’Or at 1111 rue de L’Escale, near the Centre Creebec Arena, Club Sports Belvédère and La Vérendyre Wildlife Reserve.

Suitable for business and leisure travellers, the hotel is near many local shops and restaurants.

Canadian expansion Three Canadian Cambria Hotels & Suites are now under construction, including Calgary Airport, which is

Quality Inn & Suites Val d’Or

Julie Chan-McConnell: on templates and taking risks MISSISSAUGA, ON—Julie ChanMcConnell came to her position as director of marketing and loyalty for Choice Hotels Canada (CHC) via a circuitous route.

She went to school for architectural technology, worked in the car rental business for 14 years, spent a year in the grocery business, then followed her Thrifty’s boss and mentor, Tim Oldfield, to Choice in 2006.

The secret to success in such varied fields happened “because I took every opportunity to do something different, which gave me a snapshot of different roles and forced me to learn at different roles. Learning all those different jobs helps you to deal with senior management,” Chan-McConnell told CLN in a wide-ranging interview.

When she started at Choice, she spent 20 per cent of her time focused on sales, helping Choice gain efficiencies on the sales side.

Chan-McConnell is a great believer in templates. “Don’t recreate what you don’t have to recreate,” she said.

Because Choice has a very wellfunctioning optimized consumer marketing platform, she is able to focus on assisting with sales enablement to find more guests with more frequent stay occasions.

Choice Hotels Canada currently has a huge digital campaign at Toronto and Montreal airports, where one ad appears on all of the airport’s digital screens for about 15 seconds at a time. The campaign has also launched

in 11 other Canadian airports.

“We’re mixing up the message— right now it’s about Choice Privileges; then we’ll have brand ads about Comfort and Quality. The demographics at those airports are absolutely our audience.”

The campaign that bombed Not all marketing campaigns are successful, Chan-McConnell said.

One campaign showed a family jumping on an oversized bed. Some franchisees thought that encouraged bedjumping.

“Having their feedback was important—we listened to their concerns and tried to adapt,” she said.

Quebec perspective Chan-McConnell was born and raised in Val d’Or, QC, which gives her first hand-knowledge of the province. “It’s culturally different—a distinct society,” she told CLN. “I have an understanding and appreciation of that.”

Choice Canada provides the province’s 63 Choice-branded hotels with much more than simple translation of French materials.

“We used to use three different translation companies, though we consolidated for consistency. And there’s a difference between translating and adapting,” Chan-McConnell said.

“For example, there was an ad that featured guests wearing novelty ear-

muffs from an air show. Our agency felt that didn’t resonate with the Quebec market, so they recommended an ad with a lobster float toy.”

What’s unique about CHC? Chan-McConnell said Choice Hotels Canada is the first company she has experienced where franchisees can own competitive brands—providing an added perspective on the hotel industry.

She noted that she works with two customers—guests and franchisees— finding the right balance to make them happy. She tries to make decisions founded on research and data, sharing information with the two groups so that they can either move ahead together or agree to disagree.

One big plus is that Choice Hotels Canada can leverage the U.S. company’s resources, “standing in line so we can hopefully get Canadian issues— such as French language considerations—heard.

“If Choice International comes up with a central reservations innovation or a mobile app, we have to make it work in Canada. We are a smaller market than the U.S. and we often raise our hand to be the test pilot.”

On the operations side, Canada adopted inspections by LRA Worldwide.

They are also piloting a new incentive for Choice Privileges for front desk staff. “The front desk staff will get a reward for reaching a hotel-specific target. It was structured using our his-

torical data, and Choice International set goals based on that.”

Val d’Or childhood Chan-McConnell is one of five children whose Chinese parents didn’t speak English or French. Her parents worked in the Del Restaurant in Val d’Or for 26 years, then started their own restaurant when she was 14. ChanMcConnell’s role was to help translate, keep the books, order food and manage waitresses. She worked at the restaurant after school and on weekends.

“My parents never helped us with our homework, but we always got on the honour role and played all the sports. And they were always there to pick us up.”

ChanMcConnell married and had her children young. Her d a u g h t e r,

Aimee, is 17 and son Justin, 18.

Although it wasn’t always easy being a wife and mother while working, she said she wouldn’t change anything.

“I try to make myself accessible when I’m travelling. The kids can call me whenever they want. I’ve tried to instill my principles, and I’ve always encouraged them to make choices and take risks.

“It doesn’t matter if they fail. I want my time with them to be meaningful, open and truthful.”

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Foodservice

When it comes to current trends in hotel lighting, LED reigns.

By Don Douloff

Properly selected lighting can raise the visual bar in a hospitality location.

When a hotelier goes beyond the simple fluorescent ceiling grid, the guest (believes) that the property is nicer, warmer, more inviting.

It looks more expensive than it might actually be. Once installed, there is a richer feel and a more elegant appearance.

Those words, from Jeff Dross, corporate director, education and industry trends at Kichler Lighting, sum up the important role properly chosen lighting plays in the guest experience.

So what products are out there to help properties boost their ambience—and how can hoteliers design their lighting to make their guests’ stays as enjoyable as possible?

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www.canadianlodgingnews.com

LED leads the way Kichler Organique chandelier.

“Hoteliers should be excited by the growth, availability and improvements in solid state (LED) lighting,” Dross told CLN. Although fluorescent lighting has its place, “too many facility managers selected poor-quality lamps with inappropriate colour characteristics,” he said.

To make colour selection easier, there are a number of helpful tools not previously available, such as the Lighting Facts labelling, similar to nutritional labels on food.

In addition, sticking to Energy Star-qualified lamps can also help, he said. “LED has a typical life of 40,000 hours of operation and this longevity reduces maintenance, and the high efficiencies of LED reduce operational costs. Integrated LED lighting products can also reduce theft-related losses, because it is virtually impossible to remove the integrated diodes,” noted Dross.

“Perhaps the easiest new light to incorporate into a hotel design is LED Tape,” a 3/8-inch wide by 1/8-inch high strip of adhesivebacked LED “that really pumps out a lot of light,” said Dross. The cost of LED Tape is now about one-third of the current technology and “the size permits it to fit virtually everywhere.”

“Hotel lighting is all going to LED,” said Judy Henderson, principal and owner of Inside Design Studio Inc., a Vancouver-based firm

that has designed between 50 and 60 hotel renovations, including the refresh of the Coast Inn of the North in Prince George, BC, unveiled in December 2013.

Henderson cited LED’s longevity, reduced power consumption and wide variety of lighting options.

She noted, for instance, that LED could be used on a hotel’s exterior “to show off the property by casting colour on the building.” In fact, it’s possible, she said, to “do Las Vegasstyle exterior lighting on a small property in the suburbs—and it’s not cost-prohibitive.”

When used for exterior lighting, LED eliminates the ‘orange’ effect common to other types of illumination, providing a much nicer feel, said Dave Rycroft, vice president, energy products and services for Sonepar Canada. “In parking lots, light levels and colour will be superior, increasing visual comfort and the feeling of safety.”

Moreover, LED offers excellent colour rendition across a wide spectrum, said Henderson, who has capitalized on its colour-changing capabilities to deliver a fun, visually striking effect in a lobby reception area, most notably during the Christmas season.

Indeed, top-tier hotel brands are making extensive use of LED lighting systems that use special effects, including colour-changing technology, to create moods, said Rycroft.

In common areas, LED lighting is used with colour-changing technology and unique shapes, while in guestrooms, LED lighting delivers far superior colour rendition than the commonly used compact fluorescent lamps, said Rycroft. A ‘slim style’ LED lamp, introduced

by Philips, is very affordable—in the $10 range—and as a result “may open up the in-room market to LEDs,” he said.

Flexibility is key From a design standpoint, “hotel lighting needs to be flexible,” said Henderson. In guestrooms, for instance, there must be “lots of options,” including overhead, floor and low-level lighting, since guests need to be able to work everywhere in the room, not just at the desk.

Task lighting, too, needs to be flexible and can include floor or wall-mounted styles with adjustable fixtures and warm, sunlight features, noted Henderson. She added that lamps on desks and night tables

should have docking stations embedded in their bases so guests can charge their personal electronic devices.

Bathroom illumination, ideally, should feature two to three lights, since “additional lighting gives more options so guests can turn off some of the lights and the room won’t be over lit,” said Henderson. “Vanities need more than just a bar across the mirror.”

She prefers bathrooms to feature vanity lights plus under-counter lighting, which illuminates the floor so guests “can see what they’re doing

without turning on the main light.”

Henderson also favours lights above the tub or shower and has even seen lighting mounted on toilet backs.

A new and novel lighting option for washrooms located in hotels’ conference or other public areas comes courtesy of Los Angeles-based company Tooshlights, which has introduced an LED system that signals the availability of public-restroom stalls with a green light indicating a free stall, blue designating an available handicapped stall and red denoting an occupied stall.

Front lobby lighting.

Hoteliers warm to energy efficiencies

Kichler LED Wall Sconce.

Rycroft also noted that LED matches the colour quality and experience of incandescent lighting to create a warm environment while providing energy savings of up to 80 per cent.

In the case of new hotel design, these systems’ energy efficiency “may also help in achieving LEED (Leadership

in Energy and Environmental Design) status.”

Certainly, it’s no longer just about the look, as hoteliers are seeking better-performing lighting and properties are retrofitting or replacing fixtures with more efficient LED versions, which light more evenly, eliminating ‘dotted’ illumination, according to information provided by the team at STL Lighting.

Also finding favour, they said, are LED modular systems, which, with their damp-proof sealed modules, allow for easy cleaning and lamp replacement without removing the fixture. More ambient cove lighting is gaining traction, too, and hoteliers are favouring wall sconces to illuminate common areas.

Eye-catching features Also key in a property, said Henderson, is feature lighting that catches the eye, especially important when it comes to way finding in adequately illuminated corridors “so guests can move around easily.” LED strip lights can be used to achieve a halo effect at suite entry doors, whose room numbers should be well lit, she noted.

For his part, Robert Bailey, principal of Vancouver-based Robert Bailey Interiors, is seeing a “lot more craft” in decorative lighting—specifically, mass-produced products emulating a hand-made look: lampshades wreathed in macramé-inspired designs, for example;

Hotel bar lighting.

modernized, embroidery-themed styles; and weaving and basketry looks cast in resin or bronze.

“The idea of craft is at the forefront of people’s minds,” said Bailey, who designed the lighting at OPUS Vancouver hotel.

In hotels it’s important to install lighting “that flatters people and the environment. It needs to look as good at 4:00 a.m. as it does at 10:00 p.m. and at 10:00 a.m.—and the best way to achieve that is through diffused lighting,” he noted.

Providing diffused lighting is

the Clara model surface-mounted LED luminaire unveiled by FLOS Architectural earlier this year at the Light + Building trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Suitable for wall and ceiling installations, the round luminaire produces homogeneous, glare-free illumination that is also dimmable.

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Unpredictable purchase paths, trips where grandparents pay TORONTO—The Canadian travel industry must work diligently to meet leisure travellers’ evolving needs in a number of areas, according to an industry panel convened for the Best Western Leisure Travel Summit on May 20 in downtown Toronto.

Held at the Best Western Primrose Hotel, the panel featured Dennis Morgenstern, head of industry travel at Google; Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Best Western International; Brenda Kyllo, vice president of travel at CAA; and David Goldstein, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). Handling moderator duties was Bryson Forbes, of Forbes Marketing Consultants.

Among the improvements the industry must undertake are technological advancements—for instance, making travellers’ booking experience more pleasant on their mobile and tablet devices, said Morgenstern.

He noted that a U.S. study found that more than 50 per cent of travellers use multiple devices—smartphones, tablets and personal computers—to plan their trips.

Dowling noted that consumers use mobile devices more for researching travel, rather than booking it, and said the industry must make it easier for consumers to book their trips, particularly by allaying privacy concerns about sending credit card information via smartphones.

In addition, Dowling said consumers want user-generated information—peer-review sites such as TripAdvisor—as well as professionally generated (CAA and AAA ratings, for instance). For its part, Best Western posts TripAdvisor reviews, both negative and positive, as well as CAA and AAA ratings on its website, which “tells the whole story” and “creates transparency” for consumers, she said.

Smaller, Trusted Groups Kyllo agreed that peer-review sites play an important role, but said consumers are also seeking reviews and information from smaller, trusted groups.

Also changing, is leisure travellers’ trip-purchase path. As one example, Goldstein noted that consumers are prepared to change their travel plans right up to the last minute. Kyllo said the purchase/decision path has grown unpredictable and doesn’t follow tried-and-true seasonal patterns.

For example, Kyllo reports an increase in Canadians taking summer vacations to sun destinations, which may be attributable to this year’s brutally cold winter, she said.

As another example, Morgenstern said that, increasingly, whim, rather than seasonal factors, is driving the purchase/decision process, citing a spike in travel to Las Vegas earlier in the year, bucking the traditional end-of-year norm.

Another trend, according to Kyllo, is women-only groups (often for specialized tours such as adventure travel). She’s also seeing groups of solo travellers, both men and women, who are looking to travel with other people. Key considerations among that group are tours with no, or low, single supplements, said Kyllo.

Multi-generational family travel, often driven by grandparents’ disposal income, is growing, with Dowling noting that nine per cent of vacations feature extended family. She expects that segment to continue growing. Goldstein reports an increase in tour packages, especially cruises, booked by multi-generational groups.

Inbound traffic below average And while the group was generally bullish on the prospects for Canada’s travel business, with double-digit growth forecasts reported by

Left to right: Dennis Morgenstern, Dorothy Dowling, David Goldstein and Brenda Kyllo.

Dowling and Kyllo reporting annual growth of 3 to 5 per cent, Goldstein noted that inbound traffic to Canada rose by 1.5 per cent in 2013, compared to a global inbound-travel increase of 5 per cent.

“Canada is not getting our fair share” of inbound travel and is struggling to get its hotel rate up to pre-recession levels, said Goldstein.

Consequently, the domestic industry must work hard to recapture that market share, especially inbound business from the U.S. Goldstein said Canada has all the tools needed to achieve

this, including competitive room rates and reasonably priced attractions and events, though expensive domestic flights continue to be an issue, he conceded.

“Canada is a value destination and must work to debunk the myth that it’s an expensive destination,” he said, adding that with 46 per cent of U.S. citizens holding passports, opportunity abounds south of the border. On the bright side, inbound business from Japan and China is up, according to Goldstein, with the latter rising by 20 per cent in 2013.

Reusable signage kit.

Cake Boss coffee cups.

Frozen beverage dispenser.

Shower diffuser.

prod u ct S

Reusable signage kit Imprint Plus has introduced reusable signage kits that are eco-friendly and easy to use. Each kit includes software and dozens of design templates to let hotels and hotel restaurants create and personalize signs with photographs and descriptions. Kits are available in different styles—including freestanding tabletop, hanging or wall—and come in rectangular and oval shapes, in various sizes, in gold, silver or white metallic finishes. www.imprintplus.com

Single-serve Cake Boss coffee cups Discovery Communications and Single Cup Coffee now offer a line of Keurig-compatible, single-serve coffee cups inspired by the Learning Channel series, Cake Boss. Series star Buddy Valastro has created seven flavoured coffees, including Hazelnut Biscotti, Chocolate Cannoli and Italian Rum Cake. www.tlcstore.com

Frozen beverage dispensers Stoelting’s Clear Bowl Series frozen beverage dispensers are ideal for hotels looking to enter the profitable frozen drink market or add variety, capacity and flexibility to a frozen beverage menu. Capable of handling such chilled and frozen beverages as fruit smoothies, iced coffee, slushes and specialty cocktails, the lit, clear

bowls create an enticing display that also highlights menu variety. www.stoelting.com

Aromatherapy shower diffuser Essio diffuses 100 per cent USDA organic essential oils into the shower stream, bringing aromatherapy-type benefits that soothe, heal and rejuvenate the mind and body. www.essioshower.com

Guestroom recycler The reCollect2 recycler is the ideal in-room amenity for any hotel committed to reducing waste and measuring results. Three-piece set includes 10-quart wastebasket, and matching recycle bin and base. Select message(s) printed on the base and/or individual bin(s). Manufactured from reprocessed plastic products, the reCollect2 is durable, easy to clean and recyclable, and will not mildew, rust or stain. www.recollect2recycler.com

Protector flush system Aqua Mizer’s Protector Flush System prevents toilet tank leaks or floods. After flushing, if a malfunction occurs and the tank does not refill, the fill valve will turn off in about 30 seconds.

The system increases flush velocity, to flush with less water, and adjusts flush volume for optimum performance. www.aquamizerinc.com

Guestroom recycler.

Protector flush.

J U N E 2 014

Zonetail makes hotel apps easy

www.canadianlodgingnews.com TORONTO—The Eaton Chelsea is getting ready to launch its new app from supplier Zonetail and Lise Struwing, director of ebusiness for the hotel is excited.

“I like innovative technology and I like the Zonetail team,” she said. “The app is a problem-solver for teams and guests. It was built with directions and information. For example, one function is called Take the Elevator Home, as we get a number of questions about which elevators to take.” (The Eaton Chelsea has a number of colour-coded elevators.) At press time, the hotel was conducting training and discussion sessions with staff, and developing posters to support the app.

Zonetail, launched in January, offers free mobile apps to hotels. They make their money by charging local businesses who want to

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market to the hotel clientele.

“The app gives guests all the services traditionally accessed by phone, such as pool hours and information about the kid’s centre,” Mark Holmes of Zonetail told CLN. “Hotels are able to process requests much faster, saving on labour which is the number two overhead item in hotels.”

He added that hotels usually see a significant bump in room service and hotel restaurants, meetings and conference facilities, and provide an opportunity to promote room upgrades.

Most hotels know they need an app, but the cost of developing a good one can be as much as $150,000, according to Holmes. “We are offering it 100 per cent free. The businesses around the hotel pay for it.” The app is

supported by a content management system on the hotel side, so that the hotel can log in to the website and update the information.

Plans call for the next version of the tool to interface with OPERA and other operating systems to provide guest authentication and analytics.

The Hotel Association of Canada meeting in February provided an opportunity for a soft launch for Zonetail. “Currently, we have a huge amount of interest from chains such as Trump, Sheraton, Hilton and Hyatt,” Mark Holmes. said Holmes.

IVHE: a vacation option for hoteliers LONDON, UK—Larry Klimczyk of International Vacation Home Exchange has noticed a recent trend—over the last three months, there has been an uptake in his company’s services by hoteliers. IVHE offers a credit system whereby property owners can ofLarry Klimczyk. fer weeks at their properties in exchange for credits to visit other properties around the world—and the visits do not have to be simultaneous.

While the concept was originally aimed at owners of second and third homes, it can work for hotels and B&Bs as well, Klimczyk told CLN. For example, a resort owner might want to trade a week at their property and use the credits to go to Australia, Europe or just across the street.

“Every hotelier has a peak season,” Klimczyk noted.

“It’s a nice option for them.”

“We’re not getting huge, big chains like Marriott and Hilton Hotels. We’re getting B&Bs, and privately owned hotels, where the owner is involved in making decisions and can get a cash equivalent.

“The collaborative consumption society has come to the hotel world,” he added.

“The nice thing about this type of product is that the system is already in place. Hoteliers can instantly access a member group that is used to this type of process.

“They may be able to go to another hotel, or have the option of staying in a lovely vacation home somewhere else in the world. Most of us like a vacation where we can remove ourselves from our work environment. Instead of another hotel with guests, they can have a beach or mountain location.”

Klimczyk said the organization has recently stepped up its activities, developed a new website and has witnessed explosive growth.

Memberships at the Silver level cost $159 per year, while Platinum memberships cost $375 per year and offer benefits such as concierge and insurance services, plus credits to get property owners started.

A look at the website’s Canadian offerings showed a number of resort chalets in Muskoka, Quebec and Fernie, BC, a home in Toronto, an apartment in Maple Ridge, BC, a couple of B&Bs and the Mount Daniel Waterfront Resort on BC’s Sunshine Coast.

“Who knows? Maybe there will be a special group for hoteliers, said Klimczyk. “We already have a special group for seniors over 50 who only want other seniors to stay at their homes.”

To download a free exchange guide go to www.

This boutique hotel in Marrakech, Morocco is ivhe.com/homeone IVHE offering. exchange-guide

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

WiFi update—technology innovations benefit hoteliers When asked if they would rather go without water or without WiFi, many of today’s hotel guests would choose to keep the WiFi. It’s no longer an amenity—it’s a necessity, says George Manuelian, Cisco director SP mobile solution. Manuelian looks at how to raise customer satisfaction levels and avoid those ubiquitous complaints about connectivity.

The Santa Clara Hyatt, Santa Clara, CA.

WiFi is no longer just about Internet access and it’s no longer a hotspot technology. Now WiFi is a platform that can be used at the back of the house too—for POS, security and housekeeping applications.

It’s no secret that the demand for bandwidth is going up—Cisco studies show that the amount of mobile data in 2015 will be 26 times the amount that existed in 2012. A lot of this is video traffic, in addition to the e-mail and television people have traditionally used.

One room, many devices Before, hoteliers could count on one room, one device. “But now, between my son, my wife and me, we have five devices, each consuming data,” Manuelian said. In 2016, a quarter of the world will have more than one device, and 1.2 billion smartphones will enter the market over the next five years.

“It’s not about hot zones—it’s about continuous service everywhere as people move about. Fifty-nine per cent of hotel guests expect a home away from home; 61 per cent expect the hotel to be even better than home.”

Access to WiFi is still a hot topic.

Ninety-three per cent of hotel guests say it is the number one amenity; 65 per cent expect it to be free; 41 per cent have never paid for it.

Some hotels are using a “resort fee” to package in the WiFi. As an example, MGM Hotels charges $15 to $25 a night and calls it a resort fee.

Mobile data growth is such that WiFi will surpass fixed wired connectivity shortly. Fifty-seven per cent of those surveyed have WiFi at home;

52 per cent have smartphones and 20 per cent have tablets.

next meeting is three doors down the hall on the left.

Not just about Internet

From servers to the cloud

WiFi is not just about Internet access and it’s no longer just a hotspot technology, Manuelian said. WiFi grew rapidly from cellular offload technology. Now WiFi is a platform that can be used by the back of the house too—for POS, security and housekeeping applications.

Cisco has worked with the Santa Clara Hyatt in Santa Clara, CA to implement this type of system.

“We’ve been collecting servers,” says Manuelian, referring to how hotels used to have separate systems and suppliers for WiFi, property management and in-room televisions.

“Now all those things are going up to the cloud. For example, e-mail

Marketing feedback There is a dashboard that enables personnel to look at every floor.

They can zoom into the lobby bar, for example, and give feedback to the marketing people.

If you assume that almost every person has a device, it’s easy to measure bar traffic. “It’s not just broadband, it can also count people.”

The hotel can have different security requirements for different areas of the hotel. For example, Cisco encrypts all its staff meetings.

Ubiquitous WiFi means that you can engage with the guest without an application. If they are going to watch CNN, you can offer that person coupons of the day.

Direct feedback is possible. For example, in Las Vegas, with your location via your mobile device, a hotel can provide a map showing you your

CBRE staffs up as hotel market soars VA N C O U VER—The Canadian hotel investment market is coming off one of the most active years on record and Cindy Schoenauer.

CBRE Limited is welcoming a new appraisal expert to address growing demand.

In 2012, Mark Sparrow moved to Vancouver as CBRE Hotels’ Director for Western Canada and was recently promoted to associate vice president. He was CBRE’s first hotel professional dedicated to serving clients in the region. Now he will be joined by Cindy Schoenauer, a hotel industry veteran, who will provide appraisal and underwriting services.

George Manuelian, Cisco director SP mobile solution spoke at the recent AHLA conference at The Banff Centre in Banff, AB.

is now in the cloud. If you want video streaming or to buy a movie, it’s all streamed down from the cloud.”

Advantages are that this simplifies deployment, and provides consistency from property to property.

Access points mapped At the Hyatt Santa Clara, all WiFi access points are mapped and sent to the cloud. You can see how areas are “We started to enhance our service offering in Western Canada in the aftermath of the recession. At the time, it was hard to imagine that the hotel market in the western provinces would be so active and that fundamentals would rebound so strongly,” said Bill Stone, executive vice president of CBRE Hotels in Canada.

“Canadian hotel investment volume reached a post-recession high of $2.1 billion in 2013 and Western Canada accounted for 48.5 per cent of total activity, up from 41.3 per cent in 2012. There’s no doubt that hotels are a sought after asset class and Western Canadian markets continue to be desirable locations for investors.”

Brian Flood, leader of CBRE Hotels’ appraisal/consulting division added: “Last year, we advised on over 200 hotels last year, worth over $3.0 billion. With the addition of Cindy Schoenauer in Vancouver,

impacted by access points. Blue dots show individuals logged into various access points.

Other colours—in this case red and yellow—show which areas are covered by the access points.

“You can be pro-actively looking at a location, and if something does go wrong, you can see it immediately—you don’t have to do a site survey.” we have someone with extensive knowledge of hotel assets and markets in Western Canada who can help accommodate some of the increasing demand for consulting and appraisal services in the region.”

Prior to joining CBRE, Schoenauer spent eight years with PKF, working on numerous hotel, resort, and tourism real estate assignments, including market studies, appraisals, portfolio valuations, asset strategies, and acquisition underwriting. She also worked at the Fairmont Waterfront and Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for four years.

Schoenauer holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a specialization in Hospitality & Tourism Management, along with a Post-Graduate Certificate in Real Property Valuation (PGCV) from the UBC Sauder School of Business. Schoenauer will receive her Appraisal Institute of Canada (AACI) designation in the coming months.

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www.canadianlodgingnews.com

Alex Buenefe: it’s not just retirees who work with CESO the hotel industry, there are not many people who volunteer their time as advisors.

“Everything is 100 per cent paid— airfare, pocket money based on the local cost of living, accommodation, meals, translators, interpreters and site expenses. In return, you give them your time and expertise.

Balance sheet unbalanced Asked about some of his most interesting assignments, Buenefe talked about a project in Czech Republic, when he quickly realized that the assets did not equal liabilities and equity.

Through a translator, he learned that the project had operated under the controlled economy of the Cold War era, where accounting systems didn’t necessarily match North American standards.

At a hotel in Slovakia, he wondered why there was nothing in the backyard of the property except grass.

Three weeks later, farmers came to cut the grass for hay. In a country where Alex Buenefe (centre) shown in 2009 with friends in San Luis, Colombia has worked as a volunteer with Canafarming land is at a premium, they use dian Executive Service Organization (CESO) since the mid-1990s when he was in his 40s. every square inch to grow grass for TORONTO—You don’t have to be re- about 35 years of hospitality manage- numerous projects ranging in length winter feed. tired in order to work with Canadian ment and hospitality education expe- from two to six weeks, while he is on Executive Service Overseas (CESO). rience, Buenefe has years of manage- holidays or between assignments.

Most rewarding assignment Hospitality executive Alex Buenefe ment experience in boutique, resort Buenefe was asked to evaluate has been with CESO since the mid- and corporate hotels in Canada. He Up-to-date knowledge two hotels in Bolivia. One of them, 1990s, when he was in his early 40s. has a degree in business administra“I’m still working,” Buenefe, 63, in the lowlands of Santa Cruz, didn’t Buenefe is a CESO volunteer advi- tion and professional development ac- told CLN. “That means my knowledge seem too promising. He talked to the sor and hospitality management ex- creditation from the American Hotel of the industry is up to date. I can of- new general manager, and gave her a pert who has travelled on assignment and Lodging Association. fer heads up on new trends, systems checklist, met with the women on the to the Philippines, Colombia, Bolivia, Buenefe was a volunteer with UNI- and methods.” He currently has a con- executive committee, and gave them Honduras, Jamaica and Eastern Eu- CEF Canada in the early 1990s, when tract at a delivery agency, teaching soft an overview of how to train staff for rope to assist with small and medium he met a woman who had done a proj- and technical skills to Ontario Works front office, catering and the restausized hospitality-industry businesses ect with CESO. Realizing you didn’t candidates. rant. develop their capacity. have to be retired to join, he signed “CESO is open to people of all ages A year later, he learned that busiA certified adult educator with up n 1993. Since then, he has been on who have the expertise they need. In ness was thriving and they had hired

18 more people.

“The hotel was going down, but after working with them and getting them motivated, they managed to pull it up and increase the business. Bolivia is not very rich—I was very encouraged by this example.

“It was a great opportunity to share my expertise, and that is what CESO is all about.”

ABOUT CESO o CESO is a registered charitable organization that builds economic and socially sustainable communities in Canada and abroad through skills-based volunteerism. o CESO was founded in 1967, and has delivered more than 47,500 assignments to date. o CESO has worked in more than 122 countries. o Key differentiators: are that CESO is bilingual–English and French. o CESO works locally in Canada and internationally. o They have expert volunteers with on average 25 years of experience in their fields. o Their volunteer assignments are strategic and short-term. o CESO’s program methodology is one of mentorship— building capacity at the local level with their clients so that the results will endure—ensuring the impact is sustainable long after the volunteer’s mission is done.

Canadian Hotel Investment Conference in pictures TORONTO—Canadian hotel industry executives and financiers gathered on May 6 at the Eaton Chelsea Hotel for 2014 the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference.

The opening panel discussion, called The Market is Hot, (top left), included, l to r, Lyle Hall, HLT Advisory; Craig Wright, RBC Capital Markets; Nora Duke, Fortis Properties; Bill Stone, CBRE Hotels; Rahim Lakhoo, Coastal Hospitality and Tony Cohen, Global Edge Investments.

The panel titled “We Bought This on the Upside,” (top right) included, back row, l to r, Drew Coles, Oxford Properties Group; Anil Taneja, Palm Holdings; Adrian Mauro, Chamberlain Architect Services. Front row: Donna Hilsinger, Algoma’s Water Tower Inn & Suites; and moderator Sara Glenn, Whetstone Partners.

Closing panel, l to r, moderator Joel Rosen of Horwath HTL; Neil Labatte, Global Dimension Capital Inc., Paul Scholz, Institutional Mortgage Capital, Robin McLuskie, Colliers International Hotels, and Bettina Graef-Parker, Aareal Bank AG.

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

PE OPLE

Quebec City, and in the late 1980s, was assistant director at Le Nouvel Hotel & Spa, in Montreal.

Arianna Huffington, Westin’s WellBeing Council.

Tim Muir, VP franchise development, Choice Hotels International.

Tim Reardon, general manager, Westin Harbour Castle..

Alexandra Dragomir, club manager, Le Centre Sheraton Montreal.

Galit Ben-Ary, national director of marketing, Atlific Hotels.

Farhia Omar and Matthew Presidente, Forage, Hotel Listel.

Rocky Wiggins, executive VP and chief information officer, WestJet.

Pooja Sharma, club manager, Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Toronto.

Following the recent launch of its global Well-being Movement, Westin Hotels & Resorts has added Huffington Post Media Group president Arianna Huffington to the Well-being Council. The movement is a $15 million campaign designed to enhance the well-being of guests around the world. As a council member, Huffington will serve as the expert on all things pertaining to the hotel brand’s Work Well pillar and will contribute content to the Movement’s website and the brand’s social media channels.

Huffington joins fellow Council member Andy Puddicombe, Headspace co-founder and meditation expert, who was appointed ambassador of the Feel Well pillar as part of the campaign’s late-March launch. As Westin’s Well-being Movement progresses, Huffington and Puddicombe will be joined by other council members, each of whom aligns with one of Westin’s six wellness brand pillars: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well and Play Well.

Atlific Hotels welcomes Galit Ben-Ary as national director of marketing. Ben-Ary brings over 10 years of senior marketing experience to the Atlific team.

In her role as national director of marketing, Ben-Ary will be responsible for developing and implementing all of Atlific’s marketing strategies. Her duties will include creative direction,

Serge Gagnon, director of sales/ business dev., Auberge du Littoral.

Jonathan Korol, SVP, investment and portfolio, SilverBirch Hotels.

Aravind Lakshmipuram, club manager, Sheraton Centre Toronto.

Ryan Gardecki, club manager, Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.

project management and management of Atlific suppliers and agencies such as branding, design, copywriting, social media, public relations and media planning. To ensure brand consistency, Ben-Ary will also work closely with Atlific’s revenue management, web, sales and executive and onsite hotel teams.

During her career, she has worked at the InterContinental Toronto Centre (previously known as the Crowne Plaza Toronto Centre), where she spent three years, and, from 2006 to 2011, served as marketing manager at Toronto’s Eaton Chelsea hotel (formerly the Delta Chelsea).

More recently, Ben-Ary was marketing manager for Transat Tours Canada, where, for three years, she was in charge of commercial marketing for the Transat Holidays and Nolitours brands in English Canada.

Serge Gagnon is the new director of sales and business development at Auberge du Littoral Hotel & Spa, in Quebec City.

Gagnon brings to his new role an extensive hotel industry background. Most recently, he served as night front-desk attendant at the Comfort Inn Airport East Ancienne-Lorette and before that, from 2006 to 2011, worked as night auditor at Hotel Gouverneur Sainte Foy. Previous to that, from 2002 to 2006, he served as night auditor at the Hotel Chateau Bellevue, in

Tim Muir has been appointed vice president of franchise development at Choice Hotels International. Reporting directly to David Pepper, senior vice president, global development, Muir will be responsible for the franchise growth of the Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Cambria Suites, Sleep Inn and Ascend Hotel Collection brands.

Muir brings more than 25 years of franchise and development experience to Choice Hotels.

Most recently, he served as senior vice president, franchise sales and development for Wyndham Hotel Group, where he was responsible for all new construction brands in North America.

Forage restaurant, in Vancouver’s Listel Hotel, has promoted Matthew Presidente to restaurant manager, replacing Margot Bolaro, who is on mat leave. Replacing Presidente as assistant restaurant manager is Farhia Omar.

During his career, Presidente has served in managerial roles at such Vancouver restaurants as Kettle of Fish, C and Raincity Grill, ultimately landing at O’Doul’s Restaurant & Bar, which previously occupied the Forage space and closed in June 2012. Presidente, along with chef Chris Whittaker, was part of the Forage launch team.

For some years, Omar has worked in the hospitality industry and in August 2013, joined Forage as hostess, having previously worked at the city’s Coast restaurant and Canvas bar.

SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Jonathan Korol as senior vice president, investment and portfolio management. He will be responsible for the company’s real estate group, managing the development, acquisition and asset management teams.

A Vancouver native, Korol is returning home from New York, where he most recently served as the co-founder and managing principal of Amadeus Property Partners. Previously, Korol served as vice president of real estate equity and debt investments at Apollo Real Estate Advisors.

After completing his Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of British Columbia, Korol began his career in investment banking with Merrill Lynch, in Calgary.

In 2004, he completed his Masters of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and embarked on a career in real estate investing.

Skål International Vancouver has inducted Rick Fisher as its newest member. Fisher is chairman of the board for Visitors’ Choice (Vancouver) and Canadian Visitor Publications and is general manager of City Passports.

He also serves as president of Vancouver Tourism Association and during his 30-year membership in that organization, has chaired the Wake Up Award committee three times.

Skål is an international organization that brings together all branches of the travel and tourism industry.

Representing the industry’s managers and executives, Skål has more than 20,000 members in over 450 clubs spread throughout 90 countries.

Tim Reardon has been named general manager of the Westin Harbour Castle hotel, in downtown Toronto.

Reardon brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience to his new role. Most recently, he was general manager of the Sheraton Gate-

way Hotel in Toronto International Airport and before that, served as general manager at the former Le Méridien King Edward Hotel, in downtown Toronto.

Since joining Starwood in 1999, Reardon has held a number of other leadership roles, including director of food and beverage at the Sheraton Atlantic City and director of operations, new builds and transitions for Starwood North America.

In addition, he is a longstanding member of Tourism Toronto, Skål International and the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and an active board member of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.

WestJet has named Rocky Wiggins executive vice president and chief information officer, effective June 2.

Wiggins joins WestJet from Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines, where he has held the position of chief information officer since 2012.

Prior to that, he was senior vice president and chief information officer at AirTran Airways and before that, served as vice president responsible for delivery management at Sabre Airline Solutions.

He also held various positions during a 20year career with US Airways.

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has named managers to oversee the club lounges at four of its Canadian properties, part of its recently announced plan to appoint 350 full-time managers to its Sheraton Club lounges worldwide.

In Toronto, Aravind Lakshmipuram will manage the hotel’s club lounge at the Canadian flagship Sheraton Centre Toronto.

Alexandra Dragomir will assume the role at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal, where she has worked for six years.

At Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport, Pooja Sharma, who joined the hotel in 2013, will oversee the club lounge.

At Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel, Ryan Gardecki has been announced as the new club lounge manager. He has worked at the hotel for seven years.

MasterBUILT has added five new hires to its team as the company expands in bringing more Microtel Inns and Suites to Canada.

Chris Hunter, is now director of development, MasterBUILT Hotels. He joins MasterBUILT Hotels from Morrison Hershfield and brings with him eighteen years of experience across the Western provinces.

Jamie Renaud, new financial accountant for MasterBUILT Hotels is a professional accountant with a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation and a Bachelor of Commerce degree and he brings over eight years of development and real estate experience.

Olga Lasenko has been hired as accountant, hotel operations, MasterBUILT Hotels, and will be supporting the entire accounting team.

Lasenko is in the process of completing the CGA program and has 13 years as an operations and general accountant.

Andrew Higgs, now asset manager and portfolio analyst at MasterBUILT, hails from HVS Global Hospitality Services in Vancouver where he worked alongside developers and hoteliers in a consulting and valuation role. He is a graduate of Ryerson with a Bachelor of Commerce in Hospitality and Tourism.

Daniel Lau is MasterBUILT’s new intermediate accountant, hotel operations. He comes to the company with a CMA designation and two years’ experience in real estate.

WE’RE LINKEDIN, ON FACEBOOK AND TWEETING DILIGENTLY. Canadian Lodging News has developed a social media strategy in an effort to foster conversation within the hospitality industry and get feedback from readers. Our editorial staff is out and about in the community, at industry events and conferences, getting in on the discussion and connecting with operators through social media. Focusing on targeted platforms – and using them well – is our key to providing real-time reporting at events, sharing relevant information and driving new readers to the website and brand. Go online for your fix of Canadian Lodging News, now with a fresh look, more photos and increased news updates. Read the magazine how you want and when you want with our smartphone and tablet-compatible digital edition. Reach the hospitality community in its inbox with our twice-monthly Canadian Lodging eNews, which provides dedicated content to the industry in an easy-to-read format. The e-newsletter is sent out the first and third Thursday of each month and hits industry leaders with dramatic pass-along readership.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

O p e n i n g s , s a l e s a n d r e n O vat i O n s

Hacienda Inn Creston rebrands as Magnuson CRESTON, BC—The Hacienda Inn Creston, in Creston, B.C., has rebranded and reopened as the Magnuson Hotel Creston.

As part of the rebranding, the 51-room hotel will upgrade its market position via an affiliation with Magnuson Hotels’ global portfolio of nearly 2,000 properties.

“We are proud to welcome Terry An and his entire staff, and are fully committed to increasing their property visibility and reservations,” Magnuson Worldwide CEO Thomas Magnuson said in a release.

The Magnuson Hotel Creston will expand its consumer awareness through Magnuson Hotels’ brand and its hotel reservation network, including 650,000 GDS travel agents, over 2,000 Internet booking channels such as Google, Facebook, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, Global Hotel Exchange and all major airline websites.

In other news, Magnuson has announced the rebranding of three hotels in Pensacola, FL, that were formerly franchised by Wyndham.

The properties have rebranded as the Magnuson Inn Pensacola, Magnuson Hotel Pensacola and M-Star Pensacola.

Delta Toronto accepts reservations TORONTO—Delta Toronto’s new flagship hotel in downtown Toronto’s South Core neighbourhood is accepting reservations in advance of its planned late-November launch.

Featuring 567 guestrooms, the four-star, full-service Delta Toronto will connect guests with the city’s financial and entertainment districts through direct access to the PATH underground public-transit system, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Union Station and the Union Pearson Express launching in 2015.

Guestrooms will average 400 square feet and offer views of Lake Ontario, the downtown skyline and CN Tower. A number of rooms will also offer four-piece bathrooms with freestanding tubs and separate showers. Additionally, the property will feature 16 extended-stay suites.

For hosting events, the Delta Toronto will offer 17,000 square feet of meeting and conference facilities as well as a 6,000-square-foot ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows.

A 4,000-square-foot terrace will also be available.

The hotel’s ground floor will host a contemporary 230-seat restaurant featuring an 80-seat outdoor patio and bar. Other amenities will include a gym, yoga studio, steam room, whirlpool and indoor pool.

In addition, the property will be built according to LEED standards and will feature technologies such as

heat recovery ventilation and lowflow fixtures and smartcards controlling room lighting and air based on suite occupancy.

Four Points WaterlooKitchener now open WATERLOO, ON—Four Points by Sheraton Waterloo-Kitchener Hotel & Suites celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 23.

Prior to opening, the hotel completed an extensive renovation to transform the Destination Inn and Suites into the newest addition to the Four Points portfolio in Canada. The newly renovated hotel features 104 guestrooms, with 52 Tower Suites, meeting facilities, on-site restaurant, lobby bar and 24-hour fitness centre.

Operated by Palm Holdings, the hotel features the brand’s signature Four Comfort bed along with amenities such as free bottled water, complimentary Internet access in all guestrooms and free WiFi in all public areas.

InterContinental Montréal’s family suite MONTREAL—The InterContinental Montréal has introduced a suite geared towards parents and children alike.

The new, 560-square-foot family suite offers a separate bedroom with a king-sized bed and plasma TV and a lounge area with a sofabed and TV. Children under 12 who stay in the family suite eat free of charge in the hotel’s Osco! restaurant, and the hotel’s welcome includes a gift bag and free movie for children.

In addition, the InterContinental offers a package targeting young families. Offered Thursday to Sunday with quadruple occupancy (two adults and two children or one adult and three children), the package includes one night in a Deluxe Irresistible room, breakfast and a family pass for the pirates or privateers exhibition at the Pointe-à-Callière museum.

Knights Inn flag to fly in Burlington, ON OAKVILLE, ON—The Knights Inn flag will fly in Burlington, ON, in the rebranded Town & Country Motel expected to relaunch June 20 as Knights Inn – Burlington, ON. “We are very pleased to welcome the Town & Country Motel to our Knights Inn system,” Glen Blake, president and CEO of Full House Franchise Systems Ltd. and master franchisor for Knights Inn Canada, said in a release. The Burlington property is the fifth new location announced by Knights Inn Canada in recent months.

Located 20 minutes from Hamilton International Airport, the 30-

room property offers amenities such as wireless Internet and free local calls. Jacuzzi suites and kitchenette rooms are available. Guest enjoy easy access to nearby shopping malls and the Royal Botanical Gardens, as well as several dining options within easy walking distance.

TownePlace Suites debuts in T. Bay, ON THUNDER BAY, ON—TownePlace Suites by Marriott has opened an extended-stay property in Thunder Bay, ON. Located eight kilometers from Thunder Bay International Airport, the TownePlace property offers studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens and separate living/working and sleeping areas.

Kitchens feature stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops, adjustable workspaces with built-in shelves and lighting and a flat-screen televisions. Most rooms also feature the Home Office Suite, providing flexible space and storage.

Other amenities include an indoor swimming pool and whirlpool spa, an exercise room open 24 hours a day, three meeting rooms, complimentary wireless Internet throughout the hotel and on-site business services including copying, faxing and printing.

A floor-to-ceiling TowneMap suggests nearby restaurants, popular night spots, recreation areas, shopping and services such as dry cleaners and car washes.

The property operates as a Marriott franchise owned and managed

by Easton’s Group of Hotels, based in Markham, ON.

Magnuson Hotel Creston

InterContinental Montreal Family Suite.

Homewood Suites No. 14 opens in Ajax, ON AJAX, ON—Homewood Suites by Hilton has opened an all-suite, extended-stay property in Ajax, ON. “Homewood Suites’ continued growth in Canada, with the opening of our 14th property in the market, speaks to guests’ trust and value for the brand,” said Bill Duncan, global head, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton, in a release.

The six-storey, 104-suite Homewood Suites Ajax features the brand’s signature amenities, including complimentary Internet, daily hot breakfast and evening dinner and drinks Monday through Thursday.

In addition, Homewood Suites properties feature fully equipped kitchens, separate sleeping and living spaces, complimentary grocery shopping service and recreational options.

Owned by Wella Investments Inc. and managed by Tasico Hospitality Group, the hotel is located at 600 Beck Crescent, close to Highway 401.

TownePlace Suites lobby.

The property offers easy access to boutique shopping, restaurants and golf courses.

Crowne Plaza Waterloo reopens following reno KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON— InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the opening of a 201-room Crowne Plaza property in Kitchener-Waterloo, ON, following a $12 million renovation financed by the owner, Vista Hospitality Group.

Located in the heart of downtown Kitchener’s business district, the Crowne Plaza Kitchener-Waterloo features eight suites, including a presidential suite outfitted with a Jacuzzi and fireplace.

For business travellers, there is 17,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and related amenities like complimentary WiFi access, SMART

Table connectivity and a 24-hour business centre.

The renovation completely revamped all guestrooms and the fitness centre in a more contemporary design. Guests have access to a bowling alley, mini-putt and yoga studio, as well as a swimming pool, sauna and squash courts. Handling foodservice is an upscale lounge and bar.

Moreover, the property offers the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage program, encompassing signature bedding, designated quiet zones on two floors and aromatherapy.

On the eco-minded front, the hotel has achieved IHG’s highest level of environmental certification through its Green Engage program. The Green Key 4 certification includes environmental initiatives pertaining to water conservation, energy savings programs with ENERNOC and recycling programs for cooking oils.

J U N E 2 014

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GTHA Spirit Awards 2014 TORONTO—Four hundred and fifty members of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) gathered on May 2 to honour exceptional ambassadors in the region’s hotel industry.

The third Annual Spirit Awards Luncheon presented by the Greater Toronto Hotel Association recognized 193 nominees and 20 award winners for their outstanding contributions in our industry.

“It is with great pride that the GTHA celebrates the service, professionalism and innovation of these outstanding ambassadors in the hotel community” said GTHA president and chief executive officer Terry Mundell.

“Their contributions to the visitor experience leave a lasting impression on the over 13 million overnight visitors to the Greater Toronto Area.

Our congratulations go out to each nominee and award winner for their exceptional service to guests visiting GTHA member hotels”.

Leslie Smith of the event’s Platinum Sponsor Smart Serve.

Violinist Sarah Davidson-Gurney.

And the winners were...

The winners of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association’s third Annual Spirit Awards were: o Accounting Ambassador of the Year—Dave Clark, The Fairmont Royal York Hotel; o Administration Ambassador of the Year— Mable Law, Hyatt Regency Toronto; o Banquet Ambassador of the Year—Roger Cabading, The Omni King Edward Hotel; o Bell Person Ambassador of the Year—Daniel Tesfamichael, Eaton Chelsea; o Concierge of the Year—Monika Grossenbacher, Renaissance Toronto Downtown Hotel; o Culinary Ambassador of the Year—Marcia Scott, Radisson Admiral Hotel - The Harbourfront; o Engineering Ambassador of the Year—Wence Pena, Toronto Don Valley Hotel & Suites; o Food and Beverage Outlets Ambassador of the Year—Victor Paulo, Holiday Inn Toronto Yorkdale and Ralph Selbach, Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre; o Guest Services Ambassador of the Year— Rocco Caprarella, Sheraton Centre Toronto; o Housekeeping Ambassador of the Year— Angelia Gayadeen, Delta Meadowvale Hotel and Rodolfo Teodoro, Hilton Toronto; o Laundry Ambassador of the Year—Joseph Manglicmot, Novotel Mississauga; o Reservations Ambassador of the Year—Carlo Nalli, Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville; o Security Ambassador of the Year—Krzysztof Mazur, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto; o Spa Ambassador of the Year—Dana Vjestica, Park Hyatt Toronto; o Steward of the Year—Fatima Xavier, The Westin Harbour Castle; o Switchboard Operator of the Year—Liliane Theodore, Sheraton Gateway Hotel; and o Valet Driver/ Door Person/ Shuttle Driver Ambassador of the Year—Ernest Cohen, Westin Prince Toronto.

Years of service—447 At the end of the event, all the nominees for Lifetime Achievement Award were called to the stage for a group shot, then the winner was announced. The people on the stage represented 447 years of service. The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Alice Marsh of InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel.

Event sponsors included: Smart Serve Ontario, American Express, The Beer Store, InterContinental Hotel Group, Starwood Hotel & Resorts, Andrew Peller Limited, Tourism Toronto and The CG&B Group insurance.

The members of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) represent 170 hotels with 36,000 guest rooms and more than 32,000 employees.

The Spirit Award.

The Spirit Awards menu and program.

Alice Marsh of InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel won the Lifetime Achievement Award. Her co-workers fondly call her “Mama”.

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18 |

BE F ORE

AN D

TOp

A F T E R

Coast Inn of the North pumps up the colour JACUZZI BEFORE

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

10

lI ST

Top 10 changes in online travel 1. Growth of the staycation Growth of the staycation (domestic vacations) where in the last 12 months more vacations have been taken within the country rather than international vacations. U.S. respondents travel less outside their country than other regions.

JACUZZI AFTER

2. Family/friends top influencers.

Recommendations from family / friends came in front as the top influence on the choice of a vacation destination (63 per cent) ahead of Internet searches (55 per cent). This also stands true for informing the finer details of the trip.

gUEsTROOm BEFORE

gUEsTROOm AFTER

3. Believability.

Globally, websites with vacation reviews were the most popular followed by professional travel guides and travel columns. The independence of the review is very important and this is linked to believability.

4. Purchasing varies by region.

Travellers in Asia Pacific (APAC) are more likely to click on online links and ads to purchase accommodation or transportation tickets. U.S. travellers were the least likely to purchase accommodation and transportation tickets from tourist board websites in comparison to the other regions.

By Don Douloff PRINCE GEORGE, BC—When Judy Henderson, principal and owner of Vancouver-based Inside Design Studio Inc., set about designing the renovation of guestrooms and guestroom corridors at Coast Inn of the North, in Prince George, BC, she and her team had to achieve a precise balance—not an easy task, given their mandate.

Specifically, the project had to reflect Coast Hotels’ ‘refreshingly local’ rebranding—which highlights the qualities unique to each of the Vancouver-based company’s properties in the U.S. and Canada—while being appropriate to the brand’s position in the marketplace.

Translation: the revamp had to exude plenty of style and be forward-looking in terms of design and still fit a moderate-range brand that is family friendly yet also caters to a business clientele, Henderson told CLN. On top of that, Coast Inn of the North would be the first property to showcase the rebranding.

Inside Design Studio met the challenge through the bold use of colour, sleek finishes and a streamlined design aesthetic.

Unveiled in early December, 2013, and bankrolled by a $4.1 million investment, the renova-

tion included a full update of 99 of 159 guestrooms (including 47 superior and 32 premium room types) with new bathrooms, carpets, window coverings and textured wallpapers.

Henderson sought to “pump up the colour” with an eye-catching guestroom palette that features mustard (drapes), raspberry (chairs) and, on walls, the signature purple associated with the rebranding.

To inject a more contemporary feel, the team brought in new lounge chairs, headboards, dresser units and night tables, all designed in a clean, streamlined style.

New LED lighting was installed, “making [guestrooms] as bright as possible” so guests can work anywhere in the space, said Henderson, who estimated that her company has designed between 50 and 60 hotel renovations.

When rethinking the bathrooms, the team brightened the space with new backlit mirrors.

To improve functionality, the team removed the existing doors and replaced them with sliding glass doors; installed walk-in showers in place of tubs; and brought in overhanging sinks, providing more standing room. New vanities provide more space to store toiletries.

Additionally, the team converted a Jacuzzi guestroom into a wellness room via a revamped

COM I NG

July 10: Coast Hotels 12 Annual Golf Classic, Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club, Coquitlam, BC. Contact: Mark Hope, Coast Hotels.

Tel.: 604-642-4104. Fax: 604-598-1509. E-mail: M.hope@coasthotels.com. Website: www.coast hotels.com.

Sept. 4-5: Hotel Data Conference, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville, TN. Tel.: 615-824-8664.

Fax: 615-824-3848. E-mail: hdc@str.com. Website: www.hoteldataconference.com.

Sept. 23-24: Canadian Resort Conference,

bathroom featuring a new, larger shower and soaker tub and yoga area.

In the guestroom corridors throughout the nine-floor property, Henderson’s team opted for a carpet colour scheme featuring contrasting grey and purple. Hallway accents and door markers also spotlight purple. On the top four floors, home to the priciest guestrooms, the team added, along the length of each corridor, stylized digital-print graphics in grey and blackand-white punctuated with gold.

Moreover, all of the hallways feature artwork—cut-wood logs embedded with mirrors—representing Prince George’s logging industry and echoing the rebranding’s ‘refreshingly local’ mandate.

Reviews have been glowing. Post-renovation, “guests have been asking management if they had widened the corridors” and, through survey cards, have effusively complimented the hotel’s new colours, said Henderson.

What lies ahead for the property? Coast Hotels is committing $2.9 million to renovate the remaining 60 guestrooms and enhance some of the public spaces. Inside Design Studio will design the public-space refurbishment, which will focus on the lobby and meeting rooms and likely be completed in 2015, said Henderson.

E V E N T S

Pantages Hotel Toronto Centre. Contact: Jon Zwickel, president and CEO of the Canadian Resort Development Association. Tel.: 407-7303565. Website: www.canadianresortconference. com.

Oct. 5-7: Atlantic Canada Showcase, Delta Prince Edward and PEI Convention Centre, Charlottetown, PEI. Contact: Debbie Mol. Tel.: 902-566-5008. E-mail: Dmol@tiapei.pe.ca. Website: www.atlanticcanadashowcase.com.

Oct. 7: MHA 14 Tradeshow, Victoria Inn Ho-

tel, Winnipeg. E-mail: info@centrex.ca.

Oct. 7-8: Western Canadian Hotel & Resort Investment Conference, Fairmont Pacific Rim and Fairmont Waterfront, Vancouver. Contact: Orie Berlasso. Tel: 416-924-2002. Website: www. hotel-resortinvest.ca.

Nov. 3-4: Connect — BC’s Food, Drink and Lodging Expo, Vancouver Convention Centre West. Contact: Nora Cumming. Tel.: 604-6285655. E-mail: Nora@connectshow.com. Website: www.connectshow.com.

5. Most important devices.

Keeping in touch with family and friends is by far the most important use of mobile devices while on vacation. After a camera, a phone was the next most likely device to be taken on vacation.

6. What’s newsworthy?

Checking social media networks on a mobile device is more common than checking the news.

7. Downloading travel apps.

Over 50 per cent of people are likely to download travel apps related to their vacation before they go. Overall, APAC travellers have a much greater tendency to download travel apps with only 11 per cent not using them compared to 38 per cent of U.S. travellers. This correlates with the number of people with smartphones/tablets.

8. WiFi connectivity a catalyst.

Interestingly, nearly half the respondents would be persuaded to get more involved in social media on vacation if free WiFi was available. A quarter of people stood firm and could not be persuaded to use social media while on vacation.

9. Positive experiences more likely to be posted.

Independent of location, consumers highlighted certain common values when travelling, including a desire to share and base decisions on honest, compelling content about individual travel experiences.

10. Content of interest to family/ friends.

More than a third of respondents said they would create or share content online if they thought it would be of interest to family and friends. But then again, vacationers could also be persuaded via loyalty discount schemes (what’s in it for me?)

For more information or to download the report, go to www.eyefortravel.com.

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