Canadian Lodging News - June 2015

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C A N A D I A N

LodgingNews June 2015 Vol. 12 No. 5

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HOUSING 7,000 AT PAN AM GAMES

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YOUR HOTEL’S ADDICTIVENESS

GRAND VILLA’S GREEN ELEVATORS

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FEATURE: GREEN AND CLEAN INNOVATIONS IN LAUNDRY

Around the table with the Marriott family Choice Hotels’ new identity

From left: Don Cleary, new Marriott vice-president Canada, Bill Marriott, Michael Beckley, Scott Allison, Debbie Marriott Harrison and Ron Harrison at the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference held in Toronto last month.

By Colleen Isherwood, Editor TORONTO — Big Picture Conferences scored a coup when they brought JW (Bill) Marriott Jr. to this year’s Canadian Hotel Investment Conference for a session consisting of an interview

by his daughter, Debbie Marriott Harrison. But two other journalists and I scored an even bigger coup, when we were invited to sit down with Bill, his daughter and son-in-law Ron Harrison for a private and wide-ranging discussion.

According to Debbie, her father’s leadership

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style is to sit back and be quiet during a meeting, listening carefully to what is being said and not letting anyone know what he is thinking. Then he asks the right questions and gets consensus.

Continued on page 14.

ROCKVILLE, MD—Choice Hotels International, Inc. is rolling out a company-wide new identity. The introduction includes a new look and an advertising campaign — created to heighten the company’s brand awareness — across multiple media platforms, including digital, mobile, TV and radio, and also features a revamped website. Using public relations, social media and strategic partnerships, Choice will communicate a new positioning that reinforces why travellers select Choice Hotels when they travel, according to the company.

“Our goal is to bring people together and welcome every guest, wherever their journey takes them,” said Robert McDowell, senior vice-president of marketing and distribution at Choice Hotels International, quoted in hotelbusiness.com. “We want to stand out and show people that we understand what truly matters to them.

Travel is not only about the destination. It’s about connecting with the people you are going to see there. Choosing to get out and go might not be the easiest option, but it’s the right one.

For the television campaign, The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ provides the musical anthem, highlighting scenarios where visitors can opt to stay at home or opt to attend, for example, a family or social event or business meeting. Ultimately, customers choose wisely — i.e. to connect in-person — for which they can book faster on Choice Hotels’ new and improved website.

More Choice coverage on page 6.

12:59 PM

Bright Brand.

Bright Future.

ILLUMINATING POSSIBILITIES Whether you want to build a new hotel or reposition your existing property, we are dedicated to helping you every step of the way.

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Hotel Saskatchewan’s $6-million reno

Exterior of the Hotel Saskatchewan.

REGINA — The Hotel Saskatchewan will become Marriott’s second Canadian Autograph Collection hotel by the end of the year, changing from the Radisson flag after $6 million in renovations this year.

“The staff and community are excited, although certain people don’t want us to change anything,” says Brian Munson, general manager of the 224-room former CP railway hotel built in 1927. “The community has a connection. They may have been married here or their parents may have been married here. We are where things happen.

“I tell them that the changes will maintain the elegance of the hotel.”

A little over half the rooms will be renovated this year. “Right now, all 224 rooms have different wallpaper and carpet — it’s a bit of a hodgepodge,” said Munson. “We are moving to a more contemporary decor and ‘enlarging’ the bathrooms.”

While they can’t physically enlarge the footprint of the bathrooms due to their plaster walls, Vancouver designer Doris Hager has created a larger look and feel by removing tubs from half of the rooms and installing glass showers which

make the bathrooms look bigger; using pocket doors and exterior opening doors to maximize space; and installing a makeup mirror within a larger mirror to give the illusion of size.

Sound insulation has been installed on connecting doors to reduce noise. The 120 queen rooms are now being transformed into California kings, since business travellers prefer king beds. The 27 suites, including the Royal Suite, are being renovated as well.

The Hotel Saskatchewan’s popular lobby bar’s masculine feel will be maintained, but bar seating will be expanded from five to 15 seats, there will be a window overlooking Victoria Park, and screens for sporting events.

“The footprint of the room is not changing,” said Munson. “It will still be 75 seats.”

Hotel Saskatchewan also has very a feminine tea room “that looks like my grandmother’s front room,” says Munson. The femininity will be retained, but hardwood floors and new furniture will provide updated elegance.

The lobby currently features plaques outlining the history of the hotel. These will be moved into the entrance to the restaurant, forming a mini-museum of hotel mementos.

“The reason I came to Saskatchewan was to work at this hotel,” says Munson, who has also worked at the first Canadian Autograph Collection hotel, the Algonquin in New Brunswick, plus Jasper Park Lodge and Banff. “I have a bit of an affair with the old hotels.”

Lodging for 7,000 at Pan Am Games TORONTO — When this issue of Canadian Lodging News hits desks it will be less than a month until the 2015 Toronto Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, which run from July 10 – 26 and Aug. 7 – 15, respectively.

About 7,600 athletes from 41 countries in the Americas and Caribbean will descend on the province, competing at more than 30 venues in 16 municipalities. With headquarters at the CIBC Pan/Parapan Am Athletes’ Village in downtown Toronto, there are beds for approximately 7,100 athletes, coaches and team officials for the Pan Am Games and 3,200 beds for the Parapan Am Games, according to the organizing committee, TO2015.

The Games will also operate five satellite accommodations for athletes and officials, to reduce travel time, in Hamilton at McMaster University; Niagara at Brock University; Alliston at Nottawasaga Resort; Barrie at Horseshoe Valley Resort; and in Minden at Pinestone Resort.

The Athletes’ Village is designed to be accessible and will incorporate a range of amenities including a fitness centre, a temporary dining hall, a hair salon, banking services, a coffee shop, a general store, a prosthetic and wheelchair repair centre, a polyclinic offering health care services and a multi-faith centre.

Funded by the province of Ontario, the Athletes’ Village sits on a redeveloped brownfield site in downtown Toronto next to the Don River.

Completed by Dundee Kilmer Developments on Feb. 20, the 14-hectare village will become a multi-use community following the Games and will include a market and affordable housing.

TO2015 is forecasting 10,000 athletes, coaches and officials will be fed at the Athletes Village during the Games, which includes preparing and serving 464,000 meals (see the info-

graphic below for amounts of food required).

Accessibility at the games With more than 1,600 para-athletes from 28 nations about to descend on Toronto for the Parapan Am Games, the city and surrounding areas have been working to ensure accessibility for all attendees.

“I fully believe that the TORONTO 2015 Parapan America Games will be historic,” International Paralympic Committee chief executive officer Xavier Gonzalez said in a statement.

“The Games are accessible for all, not just for the athletes, but also for the spectators, with every single venue having accessible seating and benefitting from accessible transport links.”

According to the Games organizing committee TO2015, thousands of volunteers — the largest call in Canadian peacetime history

— will be provided with accessibility training, developed with the support of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario.

The course will happen through an online learning module and will give volunteers a better understanding of accessibility and the ability to properly support athletes, spectators and tourists of all abilities.

“This will result in over 23,000 Ontarians becoming trained to properly support athletes, spectators and tourists of all abilities,” Brigitte Marleau, senior advisor of media and communications for the ministry of economic development, employment and infrastructure said in an email.

Marleau added the online course will be made available post-games to businesses, organizations and committees who use volunteers for events and festivals.

BRIEFS Airbnb hits 1 million rooms mark NEW YORK — The New York Times has reported that Airbnb is the first lodging entity to hit the one-million rooms mark, surpassing that number of rooms available in apartments, homes and ‘even former barns’. That means Airbnb has beaten other industry giants such as Marriott and Hilton in reaching that milestone.

The article quoted Mike Oshins, a hospitality management professor at Boston University, as saying self-employed travellers or those working for small companies were the most likely professionals to use Airbnb, because they don’t need frills such as concierge and room service and just want to save money.

Other business travellers use Airbnb to find lodging when big trade shows have filled city hotel rooms.

Airbnb made the news in Canada last month when one Calgary homeowner had $150,000 in damage done to their property when lodgers had an out-of-control party.

Airbnb covered the damage.

Hotels.com’s new Secret Prices TORONTO — Hotels.com has introduced a new program called Secret Prices. The program offers participating customers a greater selection of competitive hotel deals, most of which are not available on comparison sites.

Secret Prices offers thousands of specially negotiated rates and subscriber-only deals on hotels around the world.

To gain access to Secret Prices, customers can subscribe to Hotels.com emails, download the Hotels.com mobile booking app and/or sign up for the free loyalty program rebranded Hotels.com Rewards.

The Hotels.com loyalty program has more than 15 million members.

UFO Hotel to land in Baker, CA BAKER, CA — The first UFO Hotel in the U.S. is set to land in Baker, Calif. The $30-million project, which is being spearheaded by visionary, Luis Ramallo, will feature 31 rooms on two floors designed within a full-scale alien spacecraft where guests can spend the night in alien-themed rooms and dine in an alienthemed restaurant.

“We are tremendously excited about developing the first authentic UFO Hotel in the world, not just in America,” Ramallo told eturbonews.com. “There are tens of millions of SciFi and UFO fans in the world who have been dreaming of a venue just like this. They will finally have it.”

The UFO Hotel, which is in pre-construction development, will have an alien-themed lobby, spa, nightclub and other attractions, such as Sci-Fi fanatics and guests getting married in alien costumes — on their favorite planet.

CORRECTION: DAYS INN UPDATE In the May, 2015 issue of Canadian Lodging News, we made an incorrect statement in the Days Inns story on page 3. The last paragraph should read: “Prince gave the assembled franchisees three numbers to ponder: 73 per cent occupancy, $125 ADR and $91 in RevPAR. Those are the statistics for the quartile top performing Canadian Days Inns.”

CLN regrets the error.

June 2015 | 3

C A N A D I A N

EDITORIAL

Go ahead, make my day!

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at the ROW NYC hotel, booked last minute by our travel agent for a recent trip to Manhattan because of its $176 per night rate and its proximity to Times Square.

“Edgy” was my first thought as Steve and I entered the dark space with high ceilings.

The walls were hung with what appeared to be chain mesh curtains, the ceilings were slatted two-by-fours and there were lots of people standing at a high table using a bank of very slim, very new computers.

There were also lots of people in line for the registration desk. Hot and tired after a long taxi ride in from La Guardia airport, the line looked daunting.

There was a woman checking-in certain

priority club members with an iPad. She stopped and talked to the young man ahead of us who was impeccably dressed in a business suit — no, he wasn’t priority, he had booked via an online travel agency. We didn’t fit the priority profile — not rating anything more than a nod since we were rumpled boomers wearing jeans and casual jackets.

But when we finally reached the desk, our experience switched around completely. Behind the desk was Junior. He beamed when we presented our Canadian passports as I.D. “Canadians!” he enthused. “That means you get an automatic upgrade. We’re putting you in an upgraded corner room with a great view north up Eighth Avenue and west to the river. This is the room we photograph for our website and all our brochures.

“I have lots of friends in Canada — in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. I will soon be

visiting Montreal for the first time.

“Canadian? I can tell you are Canadian because you are smiling. Americans don’t know how to do that!

“And since you are Canadian, we will waive the resort fee as well,” Junior said.

I was grinning from ear to ear by the time he sent us on our way, pointing out that even with all the crazy New York taxes, our total price would be just over $200.

Upstairs, the hallways looked like city streets, with painted murals at the end of each hall showing New York street scenes. The room had the promised views, plus a wellthought out, compact, fresh and lovely decor.

The blinds even had writing on them that said, “Good Night”.

Junior, you made not just my day but my whole stay in New York.

— Colleen Isherwood, Editor

LodgingNews

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Steven Isherwood ext. 236 · sisherwood@canadianlodgingnews.com EDITOR

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Your hotel’s addictiveness

By Larry Mogelonsky For a fresh perspective on the guest experience, let’s reframe it in terms of chemicals — that is, how a brain responds to microand macro-interactions by releasing certain neurotransmitters. These are the molecules your nervous system releases to dictate further bodily actions and emotional states of mind.

We’re going to focus on five widespread and powerful neurotransmitters as they relate to guest-staff relations — four good and one bad. On the positive end of the spectrum, I remember them by asking the simple, relevant and acronym-tinged question: how DOES a hotel elicit positive emotions from its guests? In this case, the ‘DOES’ stands for: dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins and serotonin. On the opposite end is cortisol, which, although technically a hormone, is a must to avoid.

Neurotransmitters are instrumental in reward-seeking and affection-seeking behaviour. Dopamine is most directly associated with adventurous or reward-motivated behavior; when we find something we like, dopamine is released. Oxytocin is the ‘bonding hormone’, released after we encounter any displays of kindness, warmth or empathy. Endorphins are a series of naturally occurring opiates that inhibit pain and induce feelings of euphoria. Serotonin is the ‘feel good’ chemical, contributing to feelings of happiness, belonging, self-assurance, satiety and many others. Lastly, cortisol is the stress hormone and counteracts the release of several ‘positive’ neurotransmitters on top of its own metabolic and emotional effects.

Here’s a simple example: you are offered

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a free cookie by a friend (oxytocin); the cookie tastes good (dopamine and serotonin); your brain records that the cookie tastes good and remembers this encounter for future reference. In this instance, the cookie is provoking a positive feedback loop to reinforce the behaviour of eating more cookies.

Now consider one involving a front desk clerk checking-in a male guest. The guest arrives and the clerk smiles in return with a warm greeting (oxytocin). After a speedy check-in where the employee continues to talk and ask questions in a soothing yet confident tone (oxytocin and serotonin), the clerk gives the guest a complimentary spa treatment because he has attained a certain milestone within the hotel company’s loyalty program (dopamine and serotonin).

Upon redeeming his reward — an invigorating back massage — said guest feels a strong sense of relaxation and bliss (endorphins). Unfortunately, there was a minor spill in the spa entrance area and the guest nearly slipped while leaving (cortisol). He calmed down after the receptionist rushed to assist him and apologized profusely (oxytocin).

In essence, when inquiring about your hotel’s addictiveness, we are actually pondering what we can do to increase the release of the DOES neurotransmitters in our guests’ brains. The above uncomplicated example nonetheless effectively demonstrates the all-encompassing role that these hormones and neurotransmitters have as we go about our days. It shows that are there many straightforward ways to increase a hotel’s perception. It also illustrates how micro-interactions can act in succession to generate a far stronger and longer-lasting sentiment towards a person, place or object.

How does your hotel excite the senses?

What physical objects can you place in the

lobby, restaurants, bars or guestroom corridors to provide your guests with a palpable distinctive space? What features or amenities do you offer that would be considered exceptionally rare amongst your average guest? More to the point, what do you offer in terms of exciting and novel experiences?

Responding to these questions and adjusting your operations accordingly will have powerful subconscious effects with your clientele.

Before I sign off, a word on cortisol is required. This hormone is the antithesis of what you want. Along with adrenaline, it helps put you in ‘fight or flight’ mode as a result of stress or some other external hazard by arresting restive bodily functions. As part of our evolutionary development, we are built to vividly remember dangerous encounters so that we can do our best to avoid them in the future. In this sense, we often recall incidents of pain or suffering with far greater detail than those with the opposite circumstances.

Cortisol is partly responsible for our visceral reaction to seemingly unsafe or unhygienic conditions – what our primitive brains interpret as a precursor to danger. It is a powerful hormone and one you must do your best to avoid because one cortisol-inducing event may be enough to counteract a dozen others that promote serotonin or dopamine. As such, if you are hoping to deliver an ‘addictive’ experience, start by eliminating any perceived negatives, and then (and only then) build in your positive.

Larry Mogelonsky is president and founder of LMA Communications Inc. He is also the developer of Inn at a Glance hospitality software. His work includes three books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012) and “Llamas Rule” (2013) and “Hotel Llama” (2014). You can reach him at larry@lma.ca.

CONTACT US 905-206-0150

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD JASON CHESKES Above The Line Solutions VITO CURALLI Hilton Worldwide PHILIPPE GADBOIS Atlific Hotels & Resorts MARK HOPE Coast Hotels 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 ANDREW CHLEBUS LG Electronics

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June 2015 | 5

CHOICE HOTE L CONFE RE NCE COVE R AG E

Choice announces its first dual-brand Sleep Inn/MainStay Suites hotel LAS VEGAS — Choice Hotels announced on May 13 the opening of its first prototype dual-brand hotel under the Sleep Inn and MainStay Suites banners. The announcement came during the company’s 61st annual convention, held May 11-14 at Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas.

Owned and operated by JTM Hospitality, LLC, the new-build Sleep Inn/ MainStay Suites Meridian, Mississippi dual-brand hotel offers 69 guestrooms — 38 rooms under the Sleep Inn & Suites and 31 rooms on the MainStay Suites side.

JTM Hospitality has franchised with Choice Hotels for the past decade. This is the fourth Choice property in its expanding portfolio, with more projects in development.

“Each brand has its own great attributes.

The Sleep Inn brand is a select service hotel aimed at shorter guest visits, while the MainStay Suites brand offers amenities for extended stays, both at a great value,” said Jason Wood, lead development partner for JTM Hospitality, in a release.

Exterior of the combined Sleep Inn/Mainstay Suites in Meridian, Miss.

Construction efficiencies The hybrid design allows guests to experience two distinctive brands during their stay. For developers, these projects offer construction efficiencies, operational productivity through shared staff and both public space and back-of-house facilities, as well as the ability to tap into diverse customer bases. This allows hoteliers to address multiple travel market demands —business, leisure, transient and extended stay — all under one roof. To that end, the property features a shared fitness centre and meeting and event space for both brands.

Pat Pacious, executive vice-president and COO, Choice Hotels International.

New line of bath products At the convention, the Comfort brands unveiled the RAIO line of bath products.

These will come in addition to the Comfort brands’ rollout of other enhancements to the guest’s bath experience, complimentary breakfast and overall wellness initiatives.

Exclusive to Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites hotels, RAIO aims to evoke a hip, retail-brand feel and will be available to guests as shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and bar soap. Guest bathrooms will also feature larger, plusher towels and new shower curtains.

The Comfort brands’ free breakfast offerings, which already rate high in guest satisfaction, are set to improve. In response to guest feedback, new items such as Greek yogurt with healthy toppings like nuts, dried fruits and granola are being added to the menu. The Comfort brands’ guest welcome now includes lemon-infused iced water stations in all hotel lobbies.

The introduction of these latest programs is part of the Comfort brands’ improvement strategy. In recent months, all Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites proper-

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Steve Joyce, president and CEO, Choice Hotels International. ties added more bedside device recharge capabilities as a convenience for guests who carry multiple electronic devices.

In other convention news, Choice announced its search to hire for a newly created position this summer, the Ultimate People Person.

Ultimate People Person This summer, the Ultimate People Person will travel across the U.S., putting his or her gift

for gab and passion for people to work, acting as a company spokesperson and brand ambassador for Choice Hotels. Beginning their role at the end of June and working through the end of August, the Ultimate People Person will visit some of America’s coolest cities, such as New York, Las Vegas and Austin, Texas. On his or her journey, the Ultimate People Person will capture and share the stories of thousands of people through Choice Hotels’ blog and social media channels.

Comfort Bayer’s Lake wins Canadian Hotel of the Year

From left: Rhoda, Chen, Fauzia and Sherry.

Hiring deaf worker pays off for Hilton Comfort Hotel Bayer’s Lake in Halifax, N.S. TORONTO — Choice Hotels Canada announced on May 12 that Comfort Hotel Bayer’s Lake in Halifax, N.S., was named the 2015 Canadian Hotel of the Year at the 61st annual Choice Hotels International Convention in Las Vegas.

Comfort Hotel Bayer’s Lake was chosen from 11 hotel nominees for the annual award.

The nominees were recognized as the top performing properties among more than 300 hotels within Choice Hotels’ Canadian portfolio.

“From customer service to property maintenance, Comfort Hotel Bayer’s Lake has established itself as a leader in the hotel industry.

“This property consistently leads the charge

in key performance areas and has done a great job building a strong guest experience,” Tim Oldfield, managing director of Choice Hotels Canada, said in a release.

Previously winning Hotel of the Year in 2013, the property consistently demonstrates exceptional service and quality.

Located in the heart of the Bayer’s Lake Business Park, the hotel is minutes away from historic downtown Halifax, and popular attractions such as Exhibition Park, Granite Springs and Halifax Citadel.

The hotel amenities include free WiFi, free hot breakfast, a fitness centre, indoor pool and sauna.

TORONTO — The Hilton Toronto went to great lengths to accommodate a deaf woman hired in May 2014 and fostered an inclusive workplace, according to a blog posted on the website of Hospitality Workers Training Centre, a Toronto-based, non-profit organization.

During an intensive two-week training program at the centre, the woman, Fauzia, impressed course instructor Margaret Readings with her skills and exceptional attitude. Consequently, Readings thought Hilton Toronto would be a good fit for Fauzia.

Hilton Toronto’s executive housekeeper Me-An Vera-Fudge didn’t consider limitations when she heard of Fauzia’s disability. She only thought of how to make things work.

The hotel accommodates Fauzia in a number of ways: When Fauzia begins her shift, she places a letter under the door of each room

she’ll be cleaning. The letter clearly explains that she’s deaf and that she’ll knock to let guests know when she’ll be entering. So far, the process has been seamless, according to the blog. Rather than experiencing any pushback from guests, Vera-Fudge received a letter of praise from one guest who was delighted that the Hilton Toronto had a culture of inclusion.

Hilton staff use Blackberry technology to communicate with one another, making it easier for Fauzia to transition to being part of the team; texting allows Fauzia to share and receive information. Accommodating Fauzia has enhanced team cohesion and communications, noted the blog.

For more information or to inquire about training programs, contact the Hospitality Workers Training Centre — talent@hospitalitytrainingcentre.com.

Milnor has a solution for mid-sized hotels and hotel compounds looking to save both time and money. Milnor’s five-module “short” tunnel washers can have a significant effect on your water and energy consumption, without compromising linen quality your guests deserve. We’re talking about using as little as 0.3 gallons of fresh water per pound of room linen instead of 2 or more gallons in a large washer-extractor.

No matter how dirty your sheets, towels, or tablecloths are, hotel laundries across the country have seen remarkable improvement in wash quality with a dramatic reduction in water usage and energy. All-told PulseFlow®* tunnels will save more than 500,000,000 gallons of fresh water this year alone. And now, if your facility washes 1,000 pounds of linens an hour or more, you can take advantage of PulseFlow technology in a new, smaller five-module tunnel.

Contact an authorized Milnor distributor or call 504-712-7656 to find out more about getting big savings with a modest footprint.

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June 2015 | 7

Regenerative drive elevators at Grand Villa Casino save power

High-end suite design at Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby, B.C. BURNABY, B.C. — Last year, Grand Villa Casino became the first Canadian casino to switch to purchasing a renewable biogas option offered by FortisBC. This year, they are continuing their sustainability focus by incorporating energy efficiencies into their new high-end suites on the 21st floor, adding regenerative drives to their elevators and starting a fleet of Tesla electric-powered vehicles.

“We’re renovating our penthouse level at our hotel,” said Jeff Lee, energy operations manager for Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited.

“Currently we have 11 rooms turning into six ultra high-end suites. These new rooms will all have high-end fits and finishes but will also have energy conservation in mind with an efficient HVAC and lighting design.”

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning for the six new suites, to be completed by July 4, will consist of a complete ground up water-to-water heat pump system designed with efficiency in mind. It will be remotemounted on the 23rd floor, so that the

six suites are quiet. LED lighting and occupancy sensors to ensure the room is heated only when guests are present, are combined with upscale features such as very large bathrooms with heated floors and motorized blinds.

Grand Villa’s three guest elevators will receive a cabin refresh starting July 4, but by the end of the year, at least one of the elevators should be equipped with regenerative drive motors. When the elevators are moving downward, they generate energy which is fed back into the hydro grid.

“We’ll be only the fourth company to have installed regenerative drives as part of BC Hydro Power Smart.

As the elevators travel down, they will produce electricity which will be fed back into the hydro grid,” said Lee, adding that BC Hydro provides incentives to offset the higher costs of the elevators.

“We want to be different and give guests the idea that we are a special hotel,” said Lee. “When they ride the elevator, they’ll know they are producing energy.”

As a last part of the project Grand Villa will be purchasing an electric car (Tesla) as a fleet vehicle. The Tesla SUV model is projected to cost $70,000 to $100,000. Grand Villa expects to acquire its first Tesla vehicle in the third quarter of 2015, once the new models are released.

A second vehicle will be added in early 2016, and eventually even the company corporate car would be electric. The site vehicle’s mileage is 20,000 kilometres a year, meaning substantial savings in greenhouse gases.

Grand Villa will also be donating an efficiency project to L’Arche, a Burnaby non-profit organization that provides homes and day programs for people with and without developmental disabilities. The plan is to spend more than $20,000 to upgrade their lighting, hot water tank and landscape, with everything except labour donated by sponsors. The energy savings of approximately $1,000 per year are an enduring gift. Grand Villa is also donating $1,000 to L’Arche.

Stacked Marriotts in Markham

MARKHAM — The Gupta Group celebrated the opening of the first dual-brand Marriott hotel development in Canada on May 8.

The two hotels, Courtyard

by Marriott Toronto Northeast Markham and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Toronto Northeast Markham, are located in the same building in Markham, Ontario. The Courtyard takes up floors 2-8, while above on floors 9-14 is the Towne-

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Place Suites by Marriott.

At the opening, from left: Jack Heath, deputy mayor of Markham; Mike Jackson, senior vice-president, Easton’s Group; Michael J. Beckley, senior vice-president, Lodging Development Canada Marriott Hotels of Canada; Frank Scarpitti, mayor of Markham; the Gupta family: Reetu Gupta, managing director of The Gupta Group and vice-president Easton’s Group; Suraj Gupta;

Rashmi Gupta, senior vice-president of The Gupta Group/Easton’s Group and Steve Gupta, president and CEO, The Gupta Group and Easton’s Group; Michael Chan, MPP Markham-Unionville; Joe Li, Markham regional councillor and Oscar Fernandes, general manager of Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Northeast Markham and TownePlace Suites by Marriott Toronto Northeast Markham.

Fact: Gas is the single highest energy cost in operating a laundry.

Solution: Built to last, Electrolux dryers are precision-engineered for efficiency, ease of use, and superior drying results. With Electrolux’s high-tech Axial Airflow design, dryers consume 25% less gas and dry incredibly faster than competing models.

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CLEAN

GREEN

New equipment and innovative technologies, coupled with bestpractice measures, can help hoteliers’ laundry operations work in a more efficient, environmentally smart manner.

By Don Douloff

O

n-premises laundry (OPL) entails substantial hard costs, but by investing in top-notch equipment and systems, and implementing industry best practices, hoteliers can reduce their operating costs.

Making this easier are equipment manufacturers who continue to bring innovative machines and systems to market. The Tide Professional Coldwater Laundry System, for example, includes a near-neutral pH detergent, fabric softener, bleach and whiteness enhancer, and features an advanced system using enzymes specially designed for lower wash temperatures, which help break down stains without the need for higher water temperatures.

Laundry management is becoming more sophisticated and in April, Unimac unveiled TotalVue Powered by UniLinc, a cloudbased monitoring and reporting management tool that helps OPL managers take control of laundry efficiency.

TotalVue provides web-based access to key laundry operation data and performance dashboard reports, which can be used to make immediate adjustments that improve efficiency and minimize costs.

In the ‘outsourcing vs. OPL’ debate, Bill Brooks, Unimac’s North American sales manager, noted that “in-house laundry gives hotels the ability to track efficiency and ensure minimal resources are being utilized. By reviewing the costs of operating an OPL, which include equipment, linen replacement, labour, chemicals, utilities and maintenance, and then making changes that reduce these costs, hotel laundries can get more done with less money and in less time, with more control.”

Over at Ecolab, a provider of water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, Mike Brown, senior marketing manager, institutional, Canada, said the industry is trending towards solid laundry products to reduce packaging waste, and low temperature formulations. Trending, too, are oxidizing de-stainers, representing “a shift away from chlorine de-stainers.”

Recently, Ecolab introduced the Aquanomic system, which

offers solid and liquid chemistry and can save operators as much as 40 per cent on water and energy. Ecolab’s products work well in low temperatures and require fewer rinse cycles.

“Ozone is making a strong comeback in our marketplace,” according to Shane Bichin, district sales manager, equipment division, commercial and industry laundry consultant, for Haddon, which distributes laundry equipment and cleaning supplies in B.C. and the Yukon. Bichin noted that ozone systems, when managed and installed properly, can bring “huge hot-water savings.”

The Eco3Tex ozone oxidation system, offered by equipment distributor Coinamatic, brings the disinfection power of ozone and oxygen while reducing operating costs and environmental impact. Eco3Tex enhances the performance of chemicals and shortens the traditional wash cycle. Using cold water instead of hot, a typical laundry facility can generate cost savings to achieve full ROI within nine to 18 months.

For hoteliers looking to save money on their laundry operations, Bichin recommends installing “efficient, simple-to-use machines that have the ability of measuring the efficiency of the laundry operation and showing where improvements can be made.” Most important of all, however, is a well-trained staff.

“Even the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly features can be rendered useless if the staff is not using the machines properly or following best-practices procedures. The human element is what can make or break an operation, so it is important that time and effort is devoted to the most important asset in the laundry room.”

“Hoteliers have been able to look at their on-premise laundries differently,” said Dan Goldman, regional development business manager at Laundrylux. “After the lean years following 2008, they are now seeing that their occupancy rates, average daily rate and RevPAR all increase. This means there is a surplus of investment dollars to fund numerous improvements to all phases of their business. Interestingly enough, even though

profits have turned the tide, many hoteliers have learned the lessons of the lean years.

“Our washers compensate for the operator who does not bother to weigh the load; the washer actually weighs the load in the wash process,” said Goldman. “This means that the washer adds precisely the correct amount of water to match the load size — especially important when using hot water.” The Electrolux Line 5000 dryers feature reversing and autostop as standard.

Providing multiple ways to save on labour costs and improve employee efficiency are Milnor X-Series washer-extractors with vibration isolation and low-profile divided cylinder washer-extractors, from manufacturer Pellerin Milnor Corp. With a proper basket design to increase the mechanical action factor and clean linen in the first wash, and a large open area for maximum water extraction, hotel staff will not spend their time on costly rewashes. High extract rates ensure shorter wash time and less dryer time (lower extract rates are programmable for blends).

IPSO, provider of industrially designed laundry equipment, has added SmartWAVe technology to its 20- to 70-pound capacity IY softmount washer-extractors. This technology can significantly reduce OPL water and energy consumption by adjusting water levels based on linen material. SmartWAVe automatically senses a load’s water absorption level and adjusts water use accordingly at each stage of the wash cycle, reducing water and utility use.

Also introducing new machines is Xeros, which now offers high-performance dryers with shorter dry times to work in conjunction with its polymer bead laundry system and Xeros Sbeadycare laundry management program.

Among the new products are 80 lb and 120 lb OPL dryers providing an inverter system to ensure soft starts with less wear on the motor and belts and a fire suppression system built inside the dryer with an all-stainless-steel basket and front panels for durability.

Laundry BEST Practices Water is a major component of hotel on-premises laundry operations and therefore represents a major cost. The good is news is that there are many ways that hotels can become more water efficient in their operations. Here are some tips, provided by the City of Toronto.

For water savings in smaller motels, EnergyStar appliances should be used. The most common commercial-scale washer found in hotels is the washer-extractor, which performs all of the washer cycles in one cylinder, similar to a residential machine. The other technology is continuous batch washers or tunnel washers, which move linen by an internal auger through a number of internal components. Both technologies feature the same wash cycles, including: • Pre-rinse — removes loose soil.

• Wash — disinfects and cleans.

• Bleach — removes stains and enhances whiteness.

• Rinse — removes suspended solids and any remaining detergent.

• Sour — reduces the pH of the water to neutral to minimize further damage to the linens and reduce skin irritations.

• Finishing — reduces moisture by extracting water from the linen through centrifugal action.

Optimization of all of the above cycles is necessary to minimize water and energy use and to maximize cleaning.

Washer-extractors range in sizes from 16 kg to 363 kg.

They can be either top-loading or more commonly the frontloading style, with the front loaders using less energy and water. These washers use between 3,785 litres and 5,299 litres per 363 kg load.

Continuous batch washers, although only appropriate for large operations, can reduce water use by as much as 70 per cent.

Water-efficiency measures for hotel laundries include: • Install sub-metres on each machine and monitor for excessive water use and pending issues such as leaks.

• Improve maintenance practices, such as fixing leaks. This alone can generally reduce water use by 3 per cent.

• Do not under-load washers. A 10 per cent underload results in 10 per cent wastage of both water and energy.

• Reduce pre-wash to a minimum.

• Purchase machines with built-in internal washwater recycling.

• Repair live steam and condensate leaks.

• Install an electrically generated ozone laundry system, which can reduce water use by about 10 per cent, compared with that of conventional laundering systems.

• Adjust chemical and detergent levels for the wash cycle, to minimize water required in the rinse cycle.

• Allow guests to choose whether or not to have their towels and bedding laundered every day.

Larger projects to reduce water use in laundry operations include: • Install an electrically-generated ozone laundry system, which can reduce water use by approximately 10 per cent compared to conventional laundering

systems.

• Implement a greywater system that collects and retains water from washers as well as bathroom sinks and showers, then treats and stores the water for reuse in toilets.

In addition, many local utilities and municipal governments offer rebates and incentives to help hotels improve water efficiency. In Toronto, for example, properties looking to determine the best measures for their operations and also a way to help offset the costs of these improvements can apply to the City of Toronto’s Capacity Buy Back Program. The program, open to commercial and institutional water customers, offers a free water audit, and then rewards companies that implement measures with a one-time cash rebate of up to 30 cents per litre of water saved per average day.

Additional best-practice tips come from John Enright, sales rep, Eastern and Northern Ontario, at Harco, a distributor of commercial and industry laundry machines.

• For hotels of 400 or more guestrooms, automatic folding machines, capable of handling 600 bath towels or sheets per hour, save on labour.

• Choose a high-speed washer (featuring two hotand two cold-water valves). The difference between a high- and low-speed machine is 100 pounds of laundry per day. “Laundry is about pounds (washed) per hour,” said Enright.

• Laundry operations should always be sized for 100 per cent occupancy, so that when a hotel is full, it can keep up with demand.

June 2015 | 1 1

IHG Academy’s positive impact on hotels, participants TORONTO — InterContinental Hotels Group recently announced the opening of their 600th IHG Academy program, doubling the number operating globally in the past year. IHG Academy is a global collaboration between IHG hotels and local education providers that gives people a chance to learn the skills they need to find work and the opportunity to get a job in one of the world’s largest hotel companies. It began in China in 2006.

The purpose of IHG Academy is to enable hotels to develop relationships with schools and community organizations to develop individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in hospitality for future recruitment and provide them with practical experience.

The hotel agrees to induct participants into the world of hospitality with a work experience placement of between two and eight weeks. The participants will experience a job interview with full candidate feedback, and will have the opportunity to apply for a permanent job when they graduate from the IHG Academy.

Hotels may also offer hotel tours, guest speakers and career presentations by key hotel employees, information on how to put a resume together, job readiness interview support, mentoring and apprenticeships.

Linda Goulden, assistant HR director for InterContinental Toronto Centre, deals with IHG Academy issues, the schools and placements for her property, which signed its first partnership in 2013.

Goulden told CLN that InterContinental

Toronto Centre, InterContinental Yorkville and Holiday Inn Toronto Airport all work with Humber College and Centennial College. They also work with LinkUp, a company dealing with hiring and retraining people with disabilities, EnVision, which offers employment services for new immigrants and individuals in transition, and Goodwill.

“Within Canada, it gives us the ability to keep IHG and the hotels top of mind for graduating students,” said Goulden. “It also sets us apart from other companies when it comes to employer of choice as this program highlights that we are a company that encourages growth and development.”

To date, InterContinental Toronto Centre has had approximately 45 students/participants and they have hired 13 following completion of the program.

“With all three of our hotels working together, we had over 100 participants in the Canadian region to date,” Goulden said.

Plans for the future InterContinental Toronto Centre will continue to grow its current partnerships. “With Goodwill we are also expanding our relationship into other areas. We hope to enlist other organizations and schools to broaden and grow the awareness of IHG Academy and be able to provide opportunities to more participants.

“We plan to make this a program that continues to flourish and become a pillar for entry level opportunities to work at IHG hotels and

Linda Goulden. launch high-potential students into lifetime careers,” said Goulden.

Vijay Kumar was a student in the program and is now a mini-bar attendant at InterContinental Toronto Centre. “Starting my placement at InterContinental Toronto Centre as a student was a great opportunity,” he said. “It was also one of the biggest challenges in my life because I was beginning my career at a large company.

“During my training I gained a lot of knowledge about the hospitality industry, as well as learning how to accept the challenges I was faced with. The staff was always friendly, and it felt more like a second family instead of being

Vijay Kumar. at work.”

Kumar said he enjoyed the practicality of the program. “Instead of reading books, where you can only predict the situations, you are faced with a real situation and learn how to deal with it hands-on.”

Kumar added that the IHG Academy program helped him improve skills that he can use in both his personal and professional life. “I learned how to work in a team environment, in difficult conditions and how to use the resources available to help me get the best results. It was a great opportunity to experience the hotel business first hand.”

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1 2 | Canadian Lodging News

When he reduced costs by 13% with a new RTU, he wasn’t just saving money.

He was setting a precedent.

Once you start seeing the benefits of our incentives for upgrading to high efficiency HVAC systems, you’ll want to look into making other areas of your building like lighting, refrigeration and kitchen ventilation systems more efficient too. When you do, you’ll be joining thousands of companies across Ontario who are already enjoying the energy savings that our programs deliver.

Take a look at their stories and our incentives at

saveonenergy.ca/business

Subject to additional terms and conditions found at saveonenergy.ca. Subject to change without notice.

OM Official Mark adopted and used by the Independent Electricity System Operator.

June 2015 | 1 3

CHIC 2015 IN PICTURES TORONTO — While the highlight of this year’s Canadian Hotel Investment Conference had to be Debbie Marriott Harrison interviewing her father Bill, Himalaya Jain of ScotiaMcLeod also explained why low oil prices aren’t going away anytime soon. Here’s a pictorial look at CHIC held May 5 at the Hilton Toronto.

Big Country, Big Changes, Big Deals was the topic of the first panel moderated by Lyle Hall of HLT Advisory and consisting of Steve Giblin, SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts, Drew Coles, InnVest REIT and Bill Stone of CBRE Hotels.

Topics included consolidation of the industry, the contrast between transaction values in the U.S. and Canada, who is buying what in Canada, and the impact of oil on different regions.

Himalaya Jain of ScotiaMcLeod drilled deeper into the impact of oil, presenting a less optimistic view than the previous panel. While the earlier panel thought the low oil price problem might go away within the next year, Jain said the underlying world politics mean that the

prices are not likely to rise substantially any time soon.

Legendary hotelier Bill Marriott, his daughter Debbie Marriott Harrison and son-in-law Ron Harrison flew into Toronto for the conference, stopping en route from the airport to have a good look at the new Delta Toronto. At the conference, Debbie Harrison interviewed her dad, touching on topics such as leadership style, culture as a competitive advantage, and the need to leave your ego at the door. They also spoke about Marriott’s biggest successes and biggest mistakes, the octogenarian’s views on millennials, and his preference for colour rather than the current design trend toward grey, brown and other dark colours.

“I like reds and oranges,” he told the group.

“Finally, they got me a little red pillow. They put [the word out] on email so now I get it everywhere I go.”

One of the afternoon breakout sessions, titled Money Talks! started with the optimistic premise

Craig Shannon of Trimaven Capital Advisors, Himalaya Jain and Eric Watson of MasterBUILT Hotels. Infographic is visible behind Eric.

that “it’s a borrower’s market,” and continued to outline the current financing situation from the point of view of key lenders BDC, GE Capital and Wells Fargo, brokers Colliers and CFO Group, and borrowers InnVest and Holloway.

New this year was an artist who prepared real time infographics on each session.

The conference wound up with A View from the Top, as moderator Chuck Henry of Hotel

Capital Advisors and speakers Rai Sahi of Morguard Corporation and Jon Love of Kinsett Capital provided insights into the state of capital markets.

This was one of the largest CHIC conferences with 490 registrants compared to the all-time high of just over 500, said Orie Berlasso of conference organizer Big Picture Conferences. Next year is CHIC’s 20th Anniversary.

Drew Coles, InnVest REIT, Steve Giblin, SilverBirch and Bill Stone, CBRE.

Money Talks! panel from left: moderator Jason Arbuckle, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP; Lisa To, BDC; Michael Rapps, Holloway; Chantal Nappert, InnVest REIT; Mark Kay, CFO Group; Robin McLuskie, Colliers; Ed Khediguian, GE Capital and Abid Gilani, Wells Fargo Bank.

Bill Marriott: Check your ego at the door Continued from front page.

“Egos? Leave them behind,” Marriott told us. “You can’t delay decisions, you have to go out and touch and feel. You develop a style of listening. Perseverance is very important — keep moving the ball, realize success is never final and never rest on your laurels,” he advised.

Marriott learned a valuable lesson about listening during a visit to his family cottage by former president Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower visited with the intention of going quail hunting, and Bill’s father had stocked the grounds with plenty of quail. But it was a cold, blustery day, and Eisenhower was comfortable inside by the fire. When asked if they should go grouse hunting, young Bill took his cue from the president. “No, I think we should just stay here by the fire,” he said.

The biggest change?

The biggest change in hotels over the six decades Marriott has been in the business is the proliferation of brands.

“When I started there was Hilton, Sheraton, no Hyatt, Westin and Holiday Inn. Now [Marriott has] 19 brands, all for different market segments. We have been adding a brand a year for the last four years.

“We need brands to provide market opportunities and increase distribution. The key to success is wide distribution — we’re in an arms race

1 4 | Canadian Lodging News

with Hilton. By the end of the year, we hope to have one million rooms including those under development.”

On Delta “We are very proud of Delta,” said Marriott, who toured the new Delta Toronto on his way to the conference. “The best way to expand is through local acquisitions. Delta had distribution in Canada that we didn’t have. We have done the same thing with AC, which has a huge footprint in Spain.

Marriott also recently bought Gaylord, which has four big-box hotel complexes catering to conventions and groups. They are planning to build two more.

Generation blend While Marriott is conscious of the needs of the millennials, the executive vice-president of human resources is stressing Gen Blend — so that Marriott does not exclude any generation.

“The key is to be thoughtful,” Marriott said.

Global expansion Marriott is now in 80 countries, including recent openings in Haiti and Georgetown, Guyana. When working in other countries, “you have to be careful, manage risk, get other people to own your hotel and manage culture,” he said.

Managing culture sometimes means going into the technical colleges and sometimes going

Debbie Marriott Harrison interviews her father, Bill. deep into curriculum. “We’ve seen our influence in spades,” said Marriott. “The general manager at the Port au Prince came from the Marriott Champs Elysees, and the staff there are every bit as good as those in Paris.”

Biggest regret Looking back, Marriott said he regrets not pushing his father into hotels earlier. “He grew up with the Depression and he didn’t want debt.

He was very, very conservative. If we had gone into hotels earlier, we would have been the commander in chief.”

On family and business When Marriott’s son David was in first

grade, he was asked to draw a picture of his dad at work. He drew a man behind a desk wearing a tie. When asked to draw a picture of his dad at home, the picture was of a man behind a desk — with no tie.

Marriott made a point of being home at 6 p.m. each day for dinner with his family. After dinner, he would take off his tie and do some work at home.

At 83, he doesn’t talk about retiring. “I’m passionate — that’s what keeps me involved.”

He still works 50-60 hours a week and tours 250 hotels a year.

“I’m locked out of the house from 9 to 5,” he quipped. “I love it, I love to visit people and see the opportunities we create for people.”

Resorts of Ontario and FOBBA form provincial alliance ORILLIA, Ont. — Resorts of Ontario (ROO) and the Federation of Ontario Bed & Breakfast Accommodation (FOBBA) announced on April 27 that they have entered into a formal alliance effective May 1.

The alliance will enable these organizations to better represent, promote and serve their members while enhancing the operations of both.

ROO will apply its expertise in marketing the resorting experience in Ontario to FOBBA member B&Bs and will provide FOBBA with administrative support/services to fulfill FOBBA’s strategic plan and the goals of its volunteer board.

Each organization will maintain its own identity and its own board of directors.

Both boards will appoint a voting member to each other’s board.

FOBBA’s head office will operate in ROO’s headquarters in Orillia, Ont., and FOBBA member B&Bs will have the opportunity to participate in ROO membership and marketing programs, including annual conferences and strategies to attract new international business.

Today’s guests spend more time researching the quality of their accommodation. FOBBA has recently enhanced its quality assurance program with an expanded ratings and inspection process that ensures standards using a third-party organization.

The star rating is the public’s assurance of quality. FOBBA will continue to manage its inspection/ratings program while increasing public awareness of its brand through the alliance with ROO.

Left to Right: Resorts of Ontario — Eric Miglin, Killarney Lodge, secretary; Dianne Hounsome, Bayview Wildwood Resort, vice-president; Greg Elmhirst, Elmhirst Resort, chair; Mark Downing, Fern Resort, president; Federation of Bed & Breakfast Accommodation — Doug Frost, Forks in the Trail B & B, vice-president; Diane Tolstoy, Inn on the Moraine B & B, membership director.

Green stories and incentives at Live Green Toronto management.

When hotels share their green success stories, they benefit, since doing so can help bring incremental business and can boost market share, said panel moderator Kathryn Wakefield, director of client services at Tourism Toronto.

From left: Steve Ball, Green Key Global; Mark Singh, Live Green Toronto; Tracy Ford, Chelsea Toronto Hotel.

TORONTO — Hoteliers who follow eco-friendly practices would be wise to take advantage of available energy rebates and incentives, and need to tell their green story to the wider community, concluded two panels convened at Live Green Toronto’s Green Learning Series – Toronto Hotel Edition, held April 15 at Toronto City Hall.

increase their energy efficiency.

Incentives are also available from Toronto Water, according to panelist Kimberley Wright Caraballo, water consultant with Toronto Water.

Programs include capacity buyback, which provides a two- to three-hour audit to identify water-saving opportunities; and the sewer rebate program that rewards hotels for purchased water that’s not discharged back into the sanitary sewer system.

Electricity/gas incentives for Ontario hoteliers

Chelsea Toronto: get your green strategy going

Ammar Al-Taher, a consultant with Toronto Hydro, pointed out that electricity incentives are based on fees that hoteliers have paid in advance, as part of their regular hydro operating costs, so it only makes good business sense to recoup some of that money.

At Toronto Hydro, for instance, incentives include the Ontario small business lighting program, which offers a free assessment to identify potential energy savings, and also offers up to $1,500 in free lighting and equipment upgrades.

Chris Hamilton, team lead, commercial energy solutions, at Enbridge natural gas distributor, noted there are incentives available for hotels that undertake capital improvements, such as the Run it Right program, which provides an audit and then suggests ways that the property can

On the marketing-green-successes panel, Tracy Ford, public relations director at the Chelsea Hotel Toronto, said it’s important for hotels to implement a green strategy and then communicate it. “Get your ducks in order, get involved in the community and share your story,” she advised.

Last year, the Chelsea Hotel sponsored the Live Green Toronto Festival, held July 19, at Yonge Dundas Square and featuring more than 100 vendors of green products and services.

Since then, the property has begun working with EarthCheck, the scientific benchmarking certification and advisory group for travel and tourism, to undertake the process for bronze certification that involves auditing, measuring and benchmarking its energy consumption and waste

By Don Douloff

Green Key Global hotels must promote their efforts Steve Ball, director of business de-

velopment at Green Key Global, said that hotels who’ve attained Green Key status, attesting to their ecofriendly practices, must promote and highlight their sustainable efforts to their clients — and added that Green Key Global can assist with these efforts.

Mark Singh, program manager with Live Green Toronto, said the program, which is run by the City of Toronto, can help hotels tell their

green story, and noted the ways in which the program promotes ecofriendly community initiatives. These include The Local Dish, launched in April, which aims to amass Toronto’s largest collection of recipes incorporating local foods; the Live Green Toronto Awards, recognizing ecofriendly local businesses; and the Live Green Toronto card, which provides discounts at participating envirofriendly businesses.

Dr. David Martin ends term as Ryerson director TORONTO — Dr. David Martin ends his 10-year term as director of Ryerson University’s Hospitality and Tourism school on June 30, but he will still be with Ryerson for the foreseeable future.

‘I will have a sabbatical year starting in September to refresh my batteries. I’m looking at visiting academic roles in different universities where I can teach and do research,” he said.

In September, 2016, he will be back in the classroom at Ryerson.

The new director will arrive this summer.

One upcoming project is marketing the restaurant simulation he has been developing over the last 10 years. George Brown and Algonquin Colleges have already expressed interest in the program, called Simr — The Restaurant Simulation. SIR Corp. managers recently participated in a three-day accelerated program.

Simr uses simulations in a gaming format to explore the financial side of running a restaurant. “Lots of restaurants go out of business because the managers don’t understand the financial side,” Martin

Dr. David Martin. said.

Participants have fun exploring types of menus, portion sizes, staffing and budgeting in a competitive environment against other participants.

Simr is marketed through a company called Pro Simulation, which Martin owns along with partner Bernie McEvoy, also a professor at Ryerson.

Looking back, Ryerson’s move eight years ago from the old Ibis Hotel to the Ted Rogers Centre was a major milestone. “It was great to be able to build a learn-

ing lab including test and prep kitchens and a restaurant. We were also able to increase our research capacity through the Hospitality Tourism Research Institute headed

by Dr. Rachel Dodds.”

The greatest challenge has been keeping pace with the changing nature of the industry, replacing skill set training and front-line operations with hospitality and tourism management training.

“There’s a need for data analysis, research skills and critical thinking to prepare for a business that is changing instantaneously,” he said.

June 2015 | 1 5

O PE N I NGS/SALE S/R E N OS and Urban Capital. Covering one city block, the 200,000-square-foot tower will include the hotel, two restaurants, a coffee shop, four floors of office space and a parkade that will provide guests with direct access to the hotel via a skywalk. Centrepoint also includes the Skyloft condominiums residential component.

Starwood plans newbuild Westins in Alberta

Alt Hotel Winnipeg.

Alt opens in Winnipeg WINNIPEG — Groupe Germain officially opened Western Canada’s first no-frills-chic Alt Hotel April 30 in the heart of Winnipeg’s sports, hospitality and entertainment district.

As the first high-rise hotel to be built downtown in decades, the 20-floor, 160-room property occupies a prime location right across from the Winnipeg Jets’ home rink, the MTS Centre.

Alt Hotel Winnipeg has a fully equipped fitness room as well as seven meeting spaces totalling approximately 5,000 square feet, with large-format televisions, projection screens and equipment offering the latest technology. Also onsite is a creative lounge designed to hold brainstorming sessions or more informal meetings.

In the lobby, a snack counter serves food and beverages, including gourmet coffee.

Alt Hotel Winnipeg is part of Centrepoint, a $100 million real estate project developed by AXLP (a partnership of Artis REIT and Longboat Development), Groupe Germain Hotels

TORONTO — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the signings of two newbuild properties on May 11: The Westin Calgary Airport, owned by PAL Hospitality, and The Westin Edmonton Gateway, owned by Neelam Investments Ltd. With 250 guestrooms, The Westin Calgary Airport will be located directly on Calgary International Airport property. The five-storey hotel will feature a Westin Club Lounge, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, restaurant and lounge. The Westin Edmonton Gateway will offer 225 guestrooms, as well as a Westin Club Lounge, full restaurant, contemporary bar and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

The property will be located near the Anthony Henday Expressway, which encircles Edmonton, providing convenient access throughout the city and to downtown.

Both hotels will feature the brand’s signature amenities, such as the Westin Heavenly Bed, the Heavenly Bath experience and an ergonomic work area.

Starwood also welcomes The Gupta Group/ Easton’s Group of Hotels, which recently acquired The Westin Bristol Place Toronto Airport Hotel, assuming the franchise licensing agreement for the property. The hotel is located adjacent to Toronto Pearson International Airport and just 25 minutes from downtown Toronto. With the purchase of the property, Easton’s Group, led by owner Steve Gupta, will invest $9 million in renovations to the hotel during the next year.

Vrancor opens Hampton Inn in Timmins, Ont.

HAMILTON, Ont. — Vrancor Group an- QUEBEC CITY — Groupe Germain Hotels nounced on April 27 that it has opened a 115- and Groupe Le Massif announced on May 1 room Hampton Inn by Hilton in Timmins, an agreement that will see Groupe Germain Ont., bringing to 14 the company’s portfolio of Hotels become the official operator of Charlemanaged hotels in Ontario. voix’s Hotel La Ferme on June 1.

The property is owned by Riverside Hotel At the heart of the Le Massif de Charlevoix Timmins LP and operated by Vrancor Hospi- project, Hotel La Ferme, in addition to its 145 tality Corp., and marks the ninth Hilton World- rooms and lofts, features a railway station and wide branded property built by Vrancor Group public square, a restaurant that emphasizes since 2005.

Charlevoix’s terroir and market cuisine, café, Located at 848 Riverside Drive, Hampton lounge bar, multipurpose room, six meeting Inn by Hilton Timmins offers free WiFi; a 24- rooms, spa and gym. hour business centre with 23-inch computers “We have built a unique and recognized and complimentary printing; and an indoor hotel in the heart of Charlevoix and Groupe swimming pool and a fitness centre.

Germain, a major player in the Canadian hoThe hotel provides daily free hot breakfast tel industry, will bring its expertise to the desand Hampton’s On the Run Breakfast Bags, tination,” said Daniel Gauthier, president of available Monday through Friday. Hampton’s Groupe Le Massif ’s board of directors.

Perfect Mix Lobby provides a variety of seating, Groupe Germain Hotels, a Quebec-based and features an onsite TREATS Shop. family-owned company which owns 11 estabGuestrooms are equipped with the Clean lishments across Canada, including six outside and Fresh Hampton Bed, 42-inch LG LED TVs the province of Quebec, plans to open another with 60-channel high-definition digital cable, re- three properties in Ontario and Alberta by frigerator, microwave and POD coffee brewers. 2017.

Twenty deluxe studio suites, offering kitchenettes, additional space and a comfortable sleeper sofa, are available.

Two function rooms include the 1,350-square-foot Northern Room, divisible into two, which hosts up to 150 people, and Element 79 Boardroom, which accommoHotel La Ferme guestroom. dates up to 10.

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1 6 | Canadian Lodging News

Hotel La Ferme joining Groupe Germain

S U P P LY L I N E S Moneris/UnionPay partnership suits Chinese tourists TORONTO — Moneris, Canada’s largest payment processor, has partnered with UnionPay to provide Chinese tourists with the payment system they use most frequently at home.

The emerging Chinese middle class consists of 630 million people and is still growing.

“There are more people in the Chinese middle class that there are in all of North America,” said Jeff Guthrie, chief sales and relationship officer for Moneris.

Forecasts show Chinese tourists are expected to spend $1.6 billion in travel and tourism next year, and many of them use UnionPay. In 2014, Canada had half a million Chinese visitors, arriving for travel, to take in the beauty of Canada, as students or for business, particularly in the natural resources sector.

These travellers spent about $600 million in Canada on retail, food and accommodation.

“We started looking at ways to increase

value to our customers in the marketplace a few years ago,” said Guthrie. “Now we are the only full-acquirer of UnionPay in the country.” Other companies acquire UnionPay through a third party, meaning the process is not quite as seamless for the merchant.

“We have removed all the hassles,” said Guthrie. Merchants sign up, put the UnionPay decal on the door, insert cards when they are presented and get paid in Canadian fees.

Rates are 30 to 40 basis points less than MasterCard or Visa.

“It’s a powerful brand to the Chinese. Once Chinese people know UnionPay is accepted at a location, they will tweet and send messages to their friends saying they are able to use their card here. It’s something very familiar to them — even if they don’t speak English and see the sign.”

Guthrie says he has seen a big uptake among Canadian retail, restaurant and hotel operators since Moneris brought UnionPay to Canada earlier this year. Growth is fastest in areas frequented by Chinese tourists such as Vancouver, Toronto and Banff.

PEOPLE

Thomas Stewart, Concord Hospitality Enterprises.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group announced in early May the appointment of Greg Burgett as vice-president, development, Americas. Burgett will report to Phil Silberstein, executive vice-president, development, Americas and will lead development for the Midwest region of the U.S. A veteran of the hospitality industry, Burgett joins Carlson Rezidor from Vantage Hospitality Group, where he served as regional vice-president, development.

To tap into growing interest from investors within and outside of Canada eager to penetrate the country’s high barrier-to-entry hotel market, JLL announced on April 15 that it is expanding its hotel and hospitality presence with the addition of senior vice-presidents Mark Sparrow and Luke Scheer.

Sparrow and Scheer, who combined bring 20 years of hospitality industry experience, will be based in the firm’s Toronto office.

Both formerly worked as regional directors for Western Canada and Eastern Canada respectively, where they gained extensive knowledge of the disposition of assets. Sparrow and Scheer previously held positions with a global real estate firm, where, combined, they were involved in more than 75 hotel transactions worth more than of $2 billion, including high-profile transactions across the country.

JLL’s hotels and hospitality group provides real estate services for luxury, upscale, select-service and budget hotels; and other hospitality properties.

Luke Scheer, senior vicepresident, JLL.

Mark Sparrow, senior vicepresident, JLL.

Yola Marshall, IHG regional director, sales and marketing.

John Peyton, SVP brands and shared services, Starwood.

Skål International Vancouver announced on April 28 the induction of new members Tim Tindle and Markus Griesser.

Since 2013, Tindle has been the Western Region vice-president of Atlific Hotels and prior to Atlific, was general manager of the Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver, Marriott Pinnacle and the Vancouver Airport Marriott.

Griesser is general manager of the High Street regional shopping centre in Abbotsford. B.C. He recently returned from Austria, where he built a catering business. Before moving to Austria, Griesser was consultant to the developer of The Sidney Pier Hotel & Spa in Sidney, B.C. and then general manager for the first year of operation. He was also general manager of The Aerie Resort on Vancouver Island for 10 years.

been the lead facilitator in delivering Concord’s Dynamic Sales Training program.

Best Western PLUS Chateau Granville Vancouver welcomed new guest service reps Samantha Thebeau and Katey Da Silva in early May. Thebeau brings with her extensive experience in front office from the Holiday Inn Express in Moncton, N.B. Da Silva has recently moved to Vancouver and has previously worked in front office and customer relations at the Elm Hurst Inn & Spa in Ingersoll, Ont. Concord Hospitality Enterprises announced on May 4 that Thomas Stewart has been promoted to senior director of talent acquisitions and development. A 10-year Concord veteran, Stewart previously was the regional director of sales and marketing for the Southeast U.S., and has

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced on May 12 the appointment of Yola Marshall to the position of regional director of sales and marketing, Canada. Based in IHG’s regional headquarters in Mississauga, Ont., Marshall will oversee the hotel and sales marketing support and distribution and loyalty partnerships teams for IHG’s portfolio of 172 Canadian hotels.

She will also direct marketing and sales operations for all Canadian hotels as well as public relations and loyalty marketing.

With more than 21 years of hospitality experience, Marshall joined IHG in 2008 as director of sales and marketing for the InterContinental Toronto Centre. Most recently, she served as regional director of sales and marketing for IHG’s managed hotels in the Midwestern and MidAtlantic U.S. and Canada.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced on May 7 a series of leadership changes to the organization across its 10 global brands.

To lead this effort, Starwood has appointed John Peyton to the new role of senior vice-president, brands and shared services. During his 15 years at Starwood, Peyton has held a number of senior operations and marketing positions and in 2005, led a significant brand positioning effort for Starwood, called Building World Class Brands. In his new role, Peyton will also oversee food and beverage,

Markus Griesser was recently inducted into Skål Vancouver.

Tim Tindle was recently inducted into Skål Vancouver.

the role of global brand leader, The Luxury Collection.

Anthony Ingham has been named global brand leader, W Hotels Worldwide.

Brian Povinelli will continue in his position as global brand leader, Westin and Le Méridien.

Brian McGuinness, global brand leader, specialty select brands, will continue to oversee Starwood’s fast-growing Aloft, Element and Four Points brands.

All global brand leaders will report directly to Peyton.

Marie Rachel Charlebois, Quebec region, TravelOnly. revenue management and Starwood’s integration strategy for Design Hotels.

He will report directly to Starwood chief executive officer Adam Aron.

Dave Marr has been appointed global brand leader, Sheraton and Tribute portfolio.

Starwood veteran Jim Petrus returns to the company to take on the role of global brand leader, St. Regis.

Twenty four-year Starwood veteran Hoyt Harper has assumed

CLN digital edition: www.canadianlodgingnews.com

Greg Burgett, VP development, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

TravelOnly, a family-owned, Canadian-based travel marketing organization, announced on May 7 the appointment of Marie Rachel Charlebois as Quebec regional director of business development.

Charlebois will assume the roles of recruiting, training, providing marketing support and centralizing the agency’s corporate culture for the province.

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BEFORE AND AFTER

Best Western now a destination property

BEFORE.

By Don Douloff, Assistant Editor LEAMINGTON, Ont. — When drawing up its strategy for renovating the Best Western hotel in Leamington, Ont., Sunray Group wanted to create a destination property that was unique in the market, would appeal strongly to families and would draw from Southwestern Ontario and U.S. markets such as Detroit.

“Our goal is that guests don’t have to leave the (renovated) property,” said Gaurav Gupta, director of strategic marketing.

Adjacent amenities include Point Pelee National Park and a golf course.

In May, 2013, Sunray took over the hotel and in February, 2014, launched the renovation, which lasted 13 months and was unveiled in March.

The project cost $4.5 million and substantially remade the 94-room property, which was built in 1978 and is both owned and managed by the Oshawa, Ont.-based company. Currently, Sunray owns and operates 21 hotels in Ontario and Quebec under such banners as Best Western, Comfort Inn and Travelodge.

The extensive makeover begins with the exterior, where the renovation enclosed the whole north side (housing 30 guestrooms) in stucco. As a result, guests can now enter those rooms via the inside

TOP 10 LIST Ten ways to uncover (and deter) the criminal element in your hotel

AFTER. of the property instead of the outside, which had been the previous norm, said Shaun Gupta, director of real estate and development.

In addition, the renovation also raised the roofline, creating a taller façade, and added 100 light fixtures to the building’s exterior; repaved the parking lot, where 11 pole lights were added; and brought in new landscaping.

Inside, the changes are no less dramatic. There’s now a 20,000-square-foot atrium featuring a jungle gym, accommodating 80 children, that includes a half-sized basketball court, toddler player area, badminton court, ping-pong area, arcade and a television with soft seating.

Sixty guestrooms provide direct access to the atrium.

A fully renovated, 10,000-square-foot waterpark features a drop ceiling bearing a cloud pattern and other design details (palm trees, for example) that foster a beach-like ambience. Public bathrooms were gutted and redone.

Off the lobby, there’s a banquet hall decked out with new flooring and wallcoverings and seating 275 people; a prefunction area; and a meeting room divided into two and equipped with a full audiovisual system.

This reconfigured area gives more flex

space, provides a wide spectrum of meetings options and gives families the option of holding events there, said Gupta.

On the F&B front, the renovation replaced the existing restaurant with a 50seat bar bistro, located near the banquet and pre-function space and offering graband-go items.

With an eye to making the property more energy efficient, the project converted all lighting to LED and installed new HVAC, including energy-coil PTAC units, said Gupta.

In guestrooms, the refresh added new carpet, casegoods, bedding, drapes, pot lights, 42-inch smart TVs, Keurig coffee machines, fridges and microwaves, while the project outfitted bathrooms with new amenities such as vanities, and tubs sporting updated accent tile.

Redesigned corridors in the hotel are more family friendly thanks to a beige and green palette; eye-catching ceiling accents complemented by new lighting; and blue- and brown-hued carpet tiles chosen as much for their ease of replacement as their contribution to the area’s design scheme.

Response has been extremely positive to the all-encompassing makeover, said Shaun Gupta. “Guests can’t believe the transformation.”

Constables Wayne Birks and Heather Gramantik of Colleen the Calgary Police Services hotel/motel unit.

By , Editor BANFF, Alta. — Constables Wayne Birks and Heather Gramantik were on hand at the Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association annual conference in April. Part of the Calgary Police Services, they handle the only hotel/motel crime unit in North America. Here are some of their tips to help hoteliers uncover and deter crime in their hotels.

1.

Speak to the housekeepers and front desk people in your hotel. They are on the front lines and can often be the first to spot criminal activity.

2.

Don’t be afraid to enforce the rules. Your house, your rules. At check-in, most hotels require a photo identification and a credit card. If you’re not satisfied, get a guest to produce another card or photo. Criminals do produce fake I.D.s and they don’t like to be challenged.

3.

Don’t let criminals perceive your hotel as easy to get into. One hotel in Calgary had many hookers all from Montreal since the word had spread that the hotel was easy. Once hotel staff had some education and rules were enforced, they had no problems.

4.

No cleaning for three or four days should be an alarm bell. Every three days, a hotel by law can check a room.

5.

There are some tips for identifying prostitutes. They usually work in twos. They often look like they have lived a hard life. They often wear expensive clothes not very well.

6.

It’s okay to form opinions, educate staff and call police or refuse guests a room. If criminal guests are gone from the hotel, the problem is solved and word spreads.

7.

Most of the time no charges are laid. Ultimately the crime is second place to your hotel business — most of the time no charges are laid but the message is sent that your hotel is vigilant.

8.

Watch for suspicious signs of fraud. More than three cell phones could indicate criminals are taking cameras out of the phones to get data from PIN machines. The presence of embossers or holograms in a room likely indicate credit card fraud.

9.

It’s just a crime. Don’t ever put staff members in a position where they could get hurt. It’s not worth it.

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Oct. 18-19, 2015: CONNECT Food + Drink + Lodging. Vancouver Convention Centre West. Contact: Samantha Scholefield. Tel.: 604-628-5655. Email: Samantha@connectshow.com. Website: connectshow.com.

Oct. 19-20, 2015: Western Canadian Hotel & Resort Investment Conference. Hyatt Regency Hotel Vancouver. Contact: Orie Berlasso. Tel.: 866-887-4453. Email: Orieberlasso@bigpictureconferences.ca. Website: hotel-resortinvest.ca.

June 18, 2015: Choice Hotels Canada Charity Golf Tournament, Piper’s Heath Golf Course, Hornby, Ont. Proceeds go to the Aga Khan Foundation, Canadian Feed the Children and Sleeping Children Around the World.

Contact: Laura Armstrong. Tel.: 905-206-7346; Fax: 905642-7796. Email: Laura_armstrong@choicehotels.ca.

1 8 | Canadian Lodging News

Oct. 20, 2015: MHA ‘15 Tradeshow, Manitoba Hotel Association. Victoria Inn Hotel, Winnipeg. Contact: Jerry Weir, show manager or Ryan Kirkness, sales manager. Tel.: 204942-0671 or 888-859-9976. Email: info@centrex.ca. Website: www.ManitobaHotelAssociation.ca/mha15.

10. Call the police. Most of the time they would love to come.

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STAYING AGILE IS CRITICAL. FORTUNATELY, OPENING MORE THAN 1,100 NEW* HOTELS HAS KEPT US IN SHAPE. In the past six years, Hilton Worldwide has opened more than 1,100 new hotels around the world, bringing us to more than 4,000 hotels in 90 countries today.* In Canada, we have 104 hotels open from coast to coast with a growing pipeline of over 40 signed projects. Impressive growth, made possible by our ability to adapt to the world’s increasingly complex business environments. As a result, we’ve developed a wealth of experience creating and operating the most award-winning portfolio of hotels in the industry. Not a bad workout for a 95-year-old.

For development opportunities in Canada, please contact Tom Lorenzo, Vice President and Managing Director of Development (+1-203-463-3407, thomas.lorenzo@hilton.com), and Jeff Cury, Senior Director of Development (+1-514-695-6798, jeff.cury@hilton.com).

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*From January 2008 to January 2015

© 2015 Hilton Worldwide