c
a
n
a
d
i
a
n
LodgingNews October 2014 Vol. 11 No. 8
c a n a d a ’ s
l o d g i n g
BRING ON THE BUTLERS
Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152
Story on page 14
While Starwood’s Aloft hotels experiment with robotic butlers, the former head of Fairmont’s Gold Floor program is conducting courses for butlers (and nannies) of the more traditional type. Clarence McLeod, right, now GM of Azuridge Estate Hotel, works out of the 13-room property set in the foothills of the Rockies not far from Calgary. His market is wealthy clients from around the world and, of course, upscale and boutique hotels. With him, l to r, are Kathryn Boyle, Julie Williamson and Jimmy-Lee Vennard.
b u s i n e s s
n e w s p a p e r
More Microtels coming from MasterBUILT By Colleen Isherwood, editor CALGARY, AB — When MasterBUILT was founded in April 2011 by Superior Lodging Corp. and Jayman MasterBUILT/JWI Investments, their mandate was to develop and open 75 Microtel by Wyndham hotels by 2036. MasterBUILT COO Eric Watson has a more immediate goal. He has made a wager with Mark Sparrow of CBRE that MasterBUILT will have 22 Microtels by the end of 2016. So far, they seem to be on track. There are seven Microtels open in Canada—in Blackfalds (Red Deer), AB, Estevan, SK, Lloydminster, SK, Parry Sound, ON, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Timmins, ON and Weyburn, SK, for a total of 536 rooms. Last month, they broke ground for an 87-room Microtel in Bonnyville, AB. “It’s a good market, and we have land for another hotel that will probably be built in 2016,” Watson told CLN. “It’s a boom town that needs a few more hotels,” he said. The Bonnyville property, plus the existing Microtel in Lloydminster and one planned for next spring in Cold Lake, AB, will provide a hub of properties all in one area, which makes sense from a management viewpoint. Seven new Microtels are planned for 2015, with an additional 10 construction starts for 2016. “The permitting and planning is taking longer than it used to, but we’re planning for that,” Watson added. MasterBUILT is focusing on ownership, construction and opportunities in Western Canada, with an eye on management hubs like the afore-
mentioned trio of hotels in the Northeastern Alberta oil patch. “We are looking for management partners in the East, as we like to have someone more local in the market,” Watson said. “We are actively developing in Ontario, working with other builders. In Southern and Central Ontario, the economies for any new construction are a bit stressed, but there are pockets of opportunity. We would like to have something in the GTA, but we’re in no rush,” he added. MasterBUILT is also looking at opportunities in Quebec, starting in secondary and tertiary markets, through a partnership agreement.
Restaurant synergies “Everyone in Weyburn, SK is excited about the Brown’s Social House beside the Microtel in Weyburn,” Watson said, describing the rapidly-expanding restaurant chain as ‘a scaleddown version of Cactus Club.’ The restaurant should be open by next summer. “We have a mutual interest in working together where we can. We see them as very synergistic with our brands,” Watson said. In cases where there is no nearby restaurant, MasterBUILT will consider developing one. “We have a strong preference for franchise restaurants —we don’t want to manage them,” Watson said.
This is Economy Lodging. This is Motel 6.
M688_FranchiseDevelopmentAd_CLN.indd 1
$ 5 . 0 0
Continued on page 3
P.3
Connecting Food + Drink + Lodging
The BC Connect conference and tradeshow returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre Nov. 3-4 along with the BC Tourism and Hospitality Summit.
P.6
PKF: A tale of 13 Canadian Cities
The PKF Outlook Forum predicted positive numbers for 2015, although outlooks varied in major Canadian markets.
Breakfast programs are growing & innovating
P.8
When it comes to breakfast, hotel guests are seeking healthier, more varied and creative options—while still indulging themselves.
Motel 6 Canada 416.966.8387 motel6@realstarhospitality.com A division of Realstar Hospitality
1/11/13 4:54:12 PM