Canadian Lodging News - September 2014

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LodgingNews

September 2014 Vol. 11 No. 7

c a n a d a ’ s

l o d g i n g

b u s i n e s s

Accent goes wild with Hotel Zed

Mandy Farmer said they decided on the short punchy name of Hotel Zed because it has rebellious connotations, there is a ‘Z’ in the site’s postal code and it is the Canadian/British pronunciation of the last letter of the alphabet.

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By Jonathan Zettel, assistant editor VICTORIA, BC—After a decade of vision and planning, the team behind Accent Inns has launched a funky one-off brand in Victoria, BC designed to stand out from the crowd.

The 62-room Hotel Zed opened for business in May as a property stamped with the vibrant colours and retro-chic of the 1960s and 70s.

“It’s quite a departure from Accent Inns, so it was a real challenge to get my shareholders to look at this and invest money in a dated property,” Accent Inns president and chief executive officer Mandy Farmer told CLN. Keeping with the modernized retro theme, guests of the hotel can be shuttled around town for free inside a

revamped 1967 Volkswagen Bus, listen to indie-rock vinyl records or play ping-pong in the hotel lounge.

Each room contains a television, a mini-fridge, a working rotary phone, a retro alarm clock, a refurbished 1960s government-issued desk and locally-sourced artwork.

The property offers several room options: The King for a Night room, has one king-sized bed; The ZED 2 Bed room has two queen beds; The Bachelor Pad has one queen bed; and The Sweet Suite has two queen beds, a pull-out sofa and a kitchenette designed for families.

There are no coffeemakers inside the rooms, which Farmer said is an attempt to get people out of the rooms and socializing in the main

Mandy Farmer.

Photo: Keri Coles.

lobby where coffee is served.

The rooms also contain free Wi-Fi and a media hub so guests can plug in tablets, smartphones or laptops to watch movies on the television. Or for less tech-inclined visitors, each room contains a collection of familyfriendly comic books.

Farmer said she hopes to celebrate the grand opening in the spring of 2015, after the onsite restaurant, Ruby’s Diner, is up and running. Currently, a parking variance is stalling Continued on page 3

n e w s p a p e r

Sheraton Centre to start $90M reno TORONTO—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will undertake a $90-million renovation of the Sheraton Centre Toronto, transforming the hotel’s 1,371 guestrooms and suites.

Set to begin in early November and be completed in 2015, the project will bring a fresh look to guestrooms with colours, patterns and lines inspired by Sheraton’s brand design and a new energy efficient HVAC system.

The completed renovation will include full guestroom and suite refurbishment, as well as replacement of all floor and wall finishes in public corridors and hallways. In addition, the hotel will add two guestrooms, bringing the total room count to 1,373. All guestrooms and suites will feature new case goods, seating, lighting, mirrors and window treatments.

Additional features include wallmounted 50-inch flat-panel televisions in all guestrooms and suites; allwhite Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds; and completely renovated bathrooms featuring low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets, reducing water consumption throughout the building. Some of the renovated bathrooms will feature walk-in showers.

An energy efficient, variable refrigerant flow HVAC system will allow guests to control the thermostat in their room, and guestrooms will feature a wired and wireless Internet platform.

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Minimum wage roundup

Minimum wage has increased or is set to rise in nearly every Canadian province this year, affecting tourism and hospitality.

Special coverage of HITEC 2014

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Profound technological change is coming to the hotel world— and HITEC 2014 offered a preview of what’s in store.

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How Vantage expansion impacts Canada

Roger Bloss.

CLEVELAND, OH—Earlier this summer, Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc. announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire America’s Best Franchising, Inc.’s hotel brands – America’s Best Inns & Suites, Country Hearth Inns & Suites, Jameson Inn, Jameson Suites, Signature Inn, and 3 Palms Hotels & Resorts.

The deal will add 200 hotels to Vantage’s current tally of 1,100 Americas Best Value Inn, Canadas Best Value Inn, Value Inn Worldwide, Value Hotel Worldwide, Lexington Inn, Lexington Hotel and Lexington Legacy properties, Roger Bloss, president and CEO told CLN. Canada has just one America’s Best Inn & Suites in Niagara Falls, but Bloss indicated that could soon change. “I see tremendous potential for Canada,” he said. Currently Vantage is looking at restructuring and movement among the brands. “We want to make sure we are clear on what each of the seven core brands represents.”

After Labour Day, Vantage will gather everyone for a stratification meeting to determine the differences between the brands; then get buy-in from the company’s board and members; and finally get human and technological structures in place.

“Everyone can have a chance at our annual conference (to be held in Las Vegas in early December) to see where they fit. Some properties will move from brand X to brand Y—we will clearly identify and stratify the brands and let the 1,300 hoteliers decide.

“They might try new markets—looking for options and opportunities that give them the

highest ROI possible.”

In other Vantage news, Canadas Best Value Inn has added two locations to its portfolio— a 62-room former independent in Whitecourt, AB and a 67-room former Ramada in Valemount, BC. CBVI now totals 30 Canadian properties in seven provinces and territories.

There is also one Lexington Inn & Suites in Windsor, and the single America’s Best Inn & Suites.

“Our new properties are coming in all shapes and sizes, including new-builds and conversions,” said Bloss.

“Our unique new construction program, which waives membership fees for the first year of operation and gives hotel owners the choice of using ABVI’s prototype or their own design, continues to attract a lot of interest. Independent hoteliers are joining to enjoy our numerous innovative programs and comprehensive resources that help them drive revenue. And conversions from other chains remain high, reflecting ABVI’s status as an affordable alternative to the legacy brands.”

Americas Best Value Inn (including Canadas Best Value Inn and Value Inn Worldwide) has over 1,000 hotels throughout North America.

New brand, new baby at Home2 Suites EDMONTON—It’s been described as the “hip and humble” little sister of Hilton’s Homewood Suites extended stay brand. Now Home2 Suites has come to Canada as part of a dual branded campus near West Edmonton Mall. Home2 Suites is Hilton’s seventh brand in Canada.

Freshly opened, Home2 Suites joins the DoubleTree, which opened at the end of January, and the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts manages the hotels.

Grant McCurdy, general manager for both hotels, had this to say about the opening: “The Home2 opened July 30th and our first guests were a couple expecting their first child. Early the next morning they were off to the hospital and gave birth to a baby girl.

“A great start to the birth of Home2 in Canada.”

McCurdy says the new limited service, extended stay hotel is very efficient from both a guest and operations point of view. While the full-service DoubleTree and its restaurants requires 350 staff members, Home2 Suites adds just 25 more.

“The DoubleTree is the mother ship for finance, sales and human resources, and there’s a designated sales person for Home2 Suites at the DoubleTree.” He adds that each property has a

hotel manager: Donica Wilkie-Morrow at the Home2 Suites and Barnie Yerxa at the DoubleTree.

“We want Home2 Suites to be extended stay—three or more days and ideally five. On the fifth day, we do a deep clean of 35 minutes and we run the dishwasher. Otherwise, we do a 12-minute cleaning per day. The idea is that we have six cups, plates and flatware and by the sixth day, guests are down to the last cup, etc.”

The cleaning process, like other aspects of Home2 Suites, is environmentally friendly. All cleaning materials from Ecolab are biodegradable and all-natural; showers use the Neutrogena pump; and there’s no plastic—all dinnerware is washable and reusable, said McCurdy.

He describes the design as modern, uptempo and eclectic. “Nothing matches, there are bright colours and it’s fun,” he said.

The Oasis, the interactive lobby, includes a breakfast area with an upgraded continental breakfast, and a business centre. There’s an outdoor patio with a firepit and a barbecue near the pool. Unlike many of the 37 American Home2 Suites, the hotel has an indoor rather than outdoor pool—a practicality considering Edmonton’s northern climate.

In related news, SilverBirch is proud to an-

the opening of the diner. “[The diner operators] are going to make sure it is such a hit with the locals that we get it packed in there, so that will create a vibe for the whole property,” Farmer said.

The property has saunas and an indoor/outdoor pool with sliding glass doors that can be closed off in the colder months. A bubblegum painted water slide will be operational all year round. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” Farmer said. “It really whips you around, so that’s a huge hit with families and those who are young at heart.”

The project, Farmer said, was not without its pitfalls, including finding asbestos in the walls during renovations and having to environmen-

tally remove a leaking oil tank beneath one of the pool decks.

“It’s been an absolutely amazing experience for me to learn,” Farmer said.

The property opened while the site was still under construction and Farmer said it remains to be seen if the project is a success.

“Usually the first year is a bit of a struggle, especially with a brand new name and a new project,” she said. “We hope that next year will be a better snapshot of the business.”

The property is pet, motorcycle and bicycle friendly with designated pet rooms and secure spaces to lock up bikes and motorcycles.

According to Farmer, it was difficult coming up with a name, with several options being turned down by focus groups. Finally, she said they decided on the short punchy name of Ho-

NE W S

BR I E FS

Sandman accepts bitcoin for reservations VANCOUVER—Sandman Hotel Group is the first Canadian hospitality company to accept bitcoin as a valid form of payment, as guests can now make reservations at over 40 hotels across Canada using the online currency.

“We can tell you without question that more and more of our customers are seeking to pay with this currency, and our job as hoteliers is to be accommodating to the changing needs and requests of our guests,” vice-president of marketing Salim Kassam said in a release.

Sandman has partnered with bitcoin payment processor Coinbase for the initiative.

Study reveals eco-benefits of Airbnb home sharing SAN FRANCISCO—A study released

by Cleantech Group (CTG) reveals that home-sharing accommodation company Airbnb promotes a more efficient use of existing resources and is an environmentally sustainable way to travel.

According to the study, travelling with Airbnb results in significant reduction in energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and encourages more sustainable practices among both hosts and guests.

Cleantech Group analyzed over 8,000 survey responses from hosts and guests worldwide and conducted research on residential and hotel sustainability levels and practices. For the values presented in this study, CTG compared residences to the most sustainable and energy-efficient hotels.

NY hotel rescinds online review fine

Grant McCurdy.

nounce that McCurdy has been selected as the 2014 Alto Ambassador by the Alberta Tourism Awards Committee in honour of his successful career of almost four decades.

Each year, the Alberta Tourism Awards Committee recognizes an exceptional Albertan who has made an outstanding contribution to the province’s tourism industry.

Hotel Zed caps off a decade of dreams continued from page 1

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tel Zed because it has rebellious connotations, there is a ‘Z’ in the site’s postal code and it is the Canadian/British pronunciation of the last letter of the alphabet.

“This has been a labour of love—for a decade I’ve wanted to do this,” Farmer said.

The King for a Night room

NEW YORK—The Union Street Guest House in Hudson, NY, learned the hard way that it doesn’t pay to bully guests.

According to the New York Post, the hotel had attempted to fine wedding groups $500 for negative online reviews posted by any members of their parties.

Hundreds of people took to Yelp.com to complain about the policy and write mostly fake, eviscerating reviews of the property. Following the outcry, hotel management removed the policy from the Union Street’s website.

HAC call for entries OTTAWA—The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) is accepting entries for the 2014 Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence.

The awards program recognizes individuals, companies or properties that have demonstrated significant accomplishments, exemplary leadership and tireless commitment to the industry in the following categories: The Humanitarian Award, The Human Resources Award, The Green Key Environment Award, The Green Key Meetings Award and The Stephen Phillips Passion for Hospitality Bursary.

Deadline for submissions is Oct. 23 and the awards will be presented Feb. 2-3 at the HAC Annual Conference, in Toronto.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Canada’s minimum wages to rise in most provinces Provincial minimum wage at year’s end in 2011 and 2014

TORONTO—Minimum wage has increased or is set to rise in nearly every Canadian province this year.

In Alberta, it will increase to $10.20 on Sept. 1 following annual hikes since 2012.

On Oct. 1, Saskatchewan and Manitoba’s wage will increase to $10.20 and $10.70 respectively. The

most recent rise in Saskatchewan was in 2012 from $9.50 to $10.

Manitoba saw wages increase in 2012 and 2013 to $10.25 and then $10.45.

In Ontario, minimum wage increased in June to $11. The previous rise was in 2010 to $10.25.

Quebec’s minimum wage work-

ers saw an increase to their base rate in May to $10.35. In la belle province, hourly wages increased in 2012 to $9.90 and in 2013 to $10.15.

Nova Scotia saw its minimum wage increase by 10 cents to $10.40.

It has seen slight raises for more than three consecutive years, increasing from $10 to $10.15 in 2012

and to $10.30 in 2013.

Prince Edward Island will incur two increases this year. In June, minimum wage increased from $10 to $10.20 and will be set at $10.35 in October.

Newfoundland and Labrador last saw a minimum wage increase in 2010 to $10. In October, the province’s rate will increase to $10.25, with another 25-cent hike the following year.

In the Yukon, minimum wage increased from $10.54 to $10.72 this year. In 2012, the territory saw two bumps, bringing the minimum wage to $9.27 and then $10.30.

Minimum wage in Nunavut, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Northwest Territories will hold at $11, $10.25, $10 and $10, respectively.

Minimum wage rates in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have not changed since 2011. The last increase in B.C. was in May 2012 from $9.50 to $10.25.

In New Brunswick, minimum wage has not moved since April 2012, when it saw a 50-cent hike.

A lower minimum wage exists in some provinces for liquor servers or employees who usually receive gratuities: Alberta ($9.20), B.C. ($9), Ontario ($9.55) and Quebec ($8.90).

New StatsCan study According to Statistics Canada, the average national minimum wage amounted to $10.14 in 2013.

In a study released on July 16

Novotel introduces Play to lobbies

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entitled The ups and downs of minimum wage, 1975 to 2013, analysts looked at “real minimum wage” over the years by translating the average of provincial wages over the time period into 2013 dollars to account for inflation and allow for comparison.

According to the data, real minimum wage was “almost identical” last year and in 1975 at $10.13, but it varied within the time period.

The real minimum wage declined to $7.53 in 1986 and increased to $8.81 in 1996. Up until 2003, it remained stable at about $8.50. Since then, real minimum wage has increase by almost $2, from $8.27.

Last year, the proportion of Canadian workers earning minimum wage was 6.7 per cent, up from five per cent in 1997. According to StatsCan, the increased proportion—which mostly occurred between 2003 and 2010—was to some degree a result of increases in minimum wage rates in many provinces.

According to StatsCan, 17 per cent of employees in the retail trade and 27 per cent of those in the accommodations and foodservice sector were paid the minimum wage rate in 2013. These sectors accounted for more than 60 per cent of those earning minimum wage in Canada.

The proportion of employees paid at minimum wage varied by province in 2013, led by Prince Edward Island (9.3 per cent) and Ontario (8.9 per cent). Alberta had the lowest rate at 1.8 per cent.

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PARIS—Novotel is introducing “Play” to its lobbies as part of the Web 3.0 hotel experience.

Better than an in-room iPad, it consists of 40inch digital tables that are fully interactive, fun and educational, according to parent company Accor’s VP of consumer technology David Esseryk.

“Novotel has a tradition of innovation for almost 40 years. We try to have the best technology that is both affordable and usable. People have iPads at home, but this is a huge tablet, not like the ones they have at home,” Paris-based Esseryk told CLN. The new system replaces the X-box, which was very successful for five years.

“It’s a table, a touchscreen, it’s socialization,” said Esseryk. “The table is right in the lobby area next to the bar.”

It’s ideal for parents with kids who want to have a drink at the bar. “The parents can relax and enjoy themselves, while the kids are working or playing on the table. At the test pilot in New York, the parents are playing at the table too. Until now, Novotel had a segregated kids’ corner— they should have a location next to the parents.”

Esseryk noted that anyone can use the tables — they’re not strictly limited to hotel guests.

The first of the “Play” digital tables are being installed this summer, with a big rollout that includes Canada’s seven Novotels in 2015. In addition to the New York installation, Novotel plans 10 pilot projects mostly in European cities including Paris, London, Milan and Amsterdam, followed by Casablanca, Rio di Janiero, and Brussels.

THE ULTIMATE IMMERSIVE VIEWING EXPERIENCE. Samsung introduces the Curved Hotel TV in Canada.

Samsung continues to take the guest experience to a whole new level with the game-changing curved hotel TV, which offers: • An innovative design that creates a truly immersive viewing experience

• Easy TV-mobile interaction feature for all mobile devices

• Powerful performance with a quad-core processor

• Simple content sharing through AllShare and Screen Mirroring

All TVs are equipped with Samsung LYNK™ DRM technology and are REACH 3.0 compatible, making the Samsung Curved TV easy for property managers to install, customize, and control.

samsung.com/hospitality Samsung Hospitality Sales: 1-855-678-9245

© 2014 Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., used with permission.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

O&B and INK team up at Trump Tiny chefs are part of

Westin Eat Well Program

The Calvin Bar.

TORONTO—Under the guidance of Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants and INK Entertainment, Trump Toronto’s redesigned bar and restaurant was slated to open by Labour Day weekend.

The pair took over operations of the Trump International Hotel & Tower’s foodservice and entertainment on Jan. 1.

With the help of design firm II by IV Design, the 31st story Stock restaurant and Suits bar closed Aug. 24 for a speedy renovation, reopening as high-end supper club America and The Calvin bar.

The 5,000-square-foot restaurant will seat about 100, with 30 in the bar area and private dining space for 40 in the mezzanine.

Planning and building has been going on for months so the changes could come together within the short time frame, said INK founder and chief executive officer Charles Khabouth.

He said the space was to be transformed entirely, short of moving the

walls, with a large focus on standout artwork, texture and changing the tables and seating, such as adding some loveseats. “It’s a lot warmer, it brings people together more. It’s much more conducive to dining and staying and hanging out,” said Khabouth.

“The lighting plays a huge role for me,” Khabouth noted. “You could walk in on a Friday and the whole room has a beautiful, deep purple or blue light feel to it and maybe after dinner we’ll change it. I want to change the space by way of lighting.”

Open for all dayparts, America restaurant’s culinary team consists of chef de cuisine Bill Osborne, Trump Toronto executive chef Markus Bestig and O&B corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh.

O&B co-founder and partner chef Michael Bonacini said America’s menu reflects regional U.S. fare.

“We wanted a name that was big, powerful, strong, bold and unapologetic and just timeless,” said Bonacini. “We agonized for some time and we kept coming back to America; and

we decided, ‘yes, let’s go for it.’ This is Trump, this is an iconic brand.”

He said the big, bold personality of the hotel brand spills into the food.

“We wanted to create a menu that reflects the diversity of the cuisine of America,” said Bonacini. He points to the different cuisines found in California, Louisiana or New Mexico to illustrate the point.

“You’re really getting that sort of Route 66 culinary tour of America, but it’s not as literal as that,” said Bonacini. A crispy frog cobb salad with avocado, cactus, Tiger Blue cheese and sauce piquante features frog legs from the Florida everglades. “That dish, I think, touches on a number of fairly strong, identifiable American items,” said Bonacini.

Bonacini thinks a braised beef shank wheeled out to the table for four people will become a signature item.

Average check at America will range between $40 and $75 per person without alcohol.

Top: A chef in training flips crepes at The Westin Eat Well Menu for Kids launch with SuperChefs, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, in New York. (John Minchillo/AP Images for Westin Hotels & Resorts). Bottom: Ashley Koff.

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STAMFORD, CT—Tiny chefs helped launch The Westin Eat Well Menu for Kids recently in New York city, flipping and decorating crepes, and rolling out pasta with the aid of adult SuperChefs.

This event marked the next stage of Westin Hotels & Resorts’ year-long Westin Well-Being Movement with the announcement of two new nutrition-focused partnerships with SuperChefs and The Juicery and the newest member of the brand’s Well-Being Council, dietician Ashley Koff, registered dietitian. Koff joins council members Andy Puddicombe, Headspace co-founder and mediation expert, and media mogul Arianna Huffington in guiding and inspiring new initiatives, leveraging proprietary research to inform and introduce new programs throughout the year.

As an advocate for wellness and healthy eating, Westin teamed up with SuperChefs, a group of doctors, dentists, dietitians, chefs and other experts dedicated to educating kids on the importance and the fun of eating smart, to create The Westin Eat Well Menu for Kids.

The extensive new menu, which has rolled out to properties worldwide, includes eight signature dishes created and tested by kids. A new, dedicated fresh juice and smoothie offering, Westin Fresh by The Juicery, is currently rolling out to hotels worldwide.

“As we continue to roll-out innovative wellness options for our guests as part of the Westin Well-Being Movement, we saw this as a perfect opportunity to introduce two new programs that are carefully customized to help guests continue their healthy eating habits while travelling,” said Brian Povinelli, global brand leader for Westin & Le Méridien Hotels. “Both SuperChefs and The Juicery have made great strides in making it easier to help maintain a healthier life while promoting the importance of good nutrition.”

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S E P T E M B E R 2 014

G7’s hospitality solutions

Gordon Carncross

TORONTO—G7 Hospitality Group, Inc. has launched four hospitality solutions, a series of thorough and affordable turnkey products to meet the primary needs of independents and small chains.

“There are numerous clients out there, other than the brands,” Gordon Carncross, principal and co-owner of G7, told CLN. “We are looking at independent hotels, small chains and owner/ operators, many of whom are a little nervous about being solicited by so-called consultants.

“We take our existing services, and let the client know that we go in, we give the scope of the work, we give a firm price and then we do it.

There are no add ons,” Carncross said.

“During the initial conversation with the client, we find out what they think the issues are—we ask lots of questions. We then develop a scope of work—all at no cost. Once we agree on the scope of the work, the client edits it and we price it out as a total project,” he noted.

Hospitality solutions’ initial four offerings include the following: o Crisis management planning, emergency preparedness. “I have yet to see an independent hotel with a crisis management plan,” said Carncross. “It’s not a tremendous expense—you just need to know how to do it.” o Leadership mentoring: You can call a friend. “Mentors should not be the person’s boss,” Carncross stressed. o F&B Profitability Roadmap: Happy customers and a better bottom line. “We don’t just cut costs. We find out what the issue is and send a catering expert or a marketing expert in to deal with that problem,” noted Carncross. o Website Assessment and Optimization: a site that looks better, navigates better, sells better.

G7 recently broadened its team of consultants to include people whose backgrounds, expertise, and regional intelligence further expand the company’s offering.

“Last year’s expansion was kind of a Goldilocks thing,” Carncross explained. “We wanted to be big enough to have good geographical coverage of North America with people who have experience in food and beverage, marketing, direct sales, etc., but not so big that the members wouldn’t know each other and work with each other. It’s very important that members know how other members work so that when a project comes up, they know who is the best fit.”

G7 Hospitality was founded in 2009 by Armin Schroecker and Klaus Tenter. It has partnership affiliations with Laguna Strategic Advisors and Cayuga Hospitality Advisors.

For details go to: www.g7hospitality.com

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Steven Salm and Michael Steh.

Chasing Colette

TORONTO—Colette Grand Café, the latest in the Chase Hospitality Group (CHG)’s cluster of restaurants, opened at the end of July. The 150-seat, 5,000-square-foot restaurant located at the base of the Thompson Hotel, formerly Scott Conant’s Scarpetta, is helmed by Michael Steh, former executive chef of Sir Corp.’s Reds Bistro.

“We went through 15 iterations or more in discovering Colette’s identity,” said Steh. In designing Colette, CHG president Steven Salm and Steh considered everything down from the barrel vault ceilings and hand painted tile to small colour notes such as the stripes on the napkins matching the embossed glass plates rimmed in platinum and blue, clear, so that diners can see the table below. “Colette is all about details,” said Salm.

Average check ranges from $55 to $85 for dinner, said Steh, and a “cirque du soleil meets brunch” service was planned for late summer.

Menu items include a seafood assortment of crab, shrimp, mussels with aioli and an assortment of prepared and raw vegetables with breadsticks. Between the café and the adjoining bakery offering pastries and dog biscuits for local canine lovers and their pets, Steh, chef de cuisine Matthew Swift, and the 45-person back of house crew (30 savoury and 14 pastry/ commis positions, overseen by Steh’s wife Leslie Steh as the executive pastry chef) are preparing items for all dayparts, he said.

To build buzz before the restaurant’s opening, a food truck and two bespoke “bicyclettes” hit Toronto streets offering samples to passersby.

CHG’s next project includes Little Fin, set to open in mid to late September with the same design team and chef, said Salm.

550 Wellington Street West. (647) 348-7000. www.colettetoronto.com. @colettetoronto

THEY CAN FORGIVE

AN OVERCOOKED STEAK,

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Building buzz at the Royal York

By Kristen Smith, assistant editor TORONTO—Lost and lonely pollinator bees can find solace in the Toronto Fairmont Royal York’s rooftop bee hotel.

The pilot project—designed in conjunction with Burt’s Bees, Pollinator Partnership Canada and Sustainable. TO Architecture + Building—will involve the construction of three other pollinator bee hotels in Toronto, including at Pioneer Village, and one in Guelph, ON. The bee hotels are made with a collection of nesting materials such as wood, twigs, fallen branches, soil and pith-filled holes. Designed to attract and protect solitary bees by replicating natural nesting sites, the hotels allow the local pollinators to breed and lay eggs.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts properties have been home to apiaries since 2008, with honey bee programs at more than 20 hotels globally as part of the company’s sustainability program.

Public relations director Mike Taylor said the bee hotel, which opened in June, was a natural extension of the property’s rooftop gardens and six apiaries.

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152

Fairmont Royal York executive chef Collin Thornton and the rooftop pollinator bee hotel.

“We were looking at the overall issue of bee health and noticed that solitary bees are just as important to our local ecosystem, if not more important, from a purely bee-species perspective and we realized that part of their decline was loss of habitat,” said Taylor.

Across North America, the number of pollinator bees has been declining for decades—largely caused by loss of habitat—which affects the ecosystems. Bees pollinate more than 80 per cent of flowering plants, fruits and vegetables.

Royal York executive chef Collin Thornton designed a pollinator beefocused menu for EPIC Restaurant to draw attention to the bee hotel— which was designed to resemble the Toronto skyline—and the issues facing the declining species.

“There’s still a lot of people that just don’t seem to know what’s going on,” said Thornton. “Obviously, the message hasn’t really gotten to everybody and we need to get it out there, so anything that we can do to help is in all of our best interests, not just because we sell food but, no bees, no people.”

Continued on page 3

A new brand for Hilton

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Hilton Worldwide announced last month it would launch the Curio Collection.

Catering to bike travellers

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A look at how some brands are catering to motorcycle riders with amenities.

BUT NEVER A DIRTY PLATE.

Innovation and employee engagement critical to success

By Don Douloff TORONTO—Constant innovation and engaging employees are critical to business success, according to two hotel industry veterans who outlined the rise of their respective brands at the inaugural Toronto event hosted by hospitality consulting company HVS on June 18.

Held at The Carlu, in Toronto, HVS Hotel Market Connections presented Christiane Germain, copresident, Germain Hospitalité and

Kathleen Taylor, former chief executive officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and current chairman of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).

This marked the second year HVS has hosted Hotel Market Connections events on the same day in multiple cities. Last year, events were held simultaneously in 12 U.S. cities, while this year’s sessions unfolded in 11 cities globally, including Vancouver, also making its Hotel Market Continued on page 3

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Saving a historic hotel from the wrecker’s ball

Kym Hutcheon at Chepstow Inn

By Jonathan Zettel CHEPSTOW, ON—The owner of a bed and breakfast in the hamlet of Chepstow, ON, near Walkerton, 200 kilometres northwest of Toronto, has restored the historic King Edward Hotel, saving it from demolition.

Kym Hutcheon, a councillor with the municipality of Brockton, bought the property built in 1869 for $130,000 and opened a three-room bed and breakfast under the banner of the Chepstow Inn in mid-May. Hutcheon told CLN a deal prior to her purchase would have seen many of the hotel’s original pieces—including the original bar—sold off and the building razed.

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An open house drew more than 200 people who came through to see the renovations. “People came through with pictures and stories of their own,” Hutcheon said. “It was really nice to hear all their positive feedback … the community has been very supportive.”

The three rooms—the Hartlieb, the Fleming and the McNab—were named after previous owners of the

building. Hutcheon, who went to school for fashion and interior design, designed each of the rooms, using some of the original artifacts.

Each refurbished room is smokefree and has its own heat control, washroom, flat-screen television, beverage maker and desk with free wireless Internet.

Hutcheon said she spent more than the buying price on renovations.

She has plans for a two-suite coach house at the back of the property and a spa in the basement of the building, but says the B&B will have to generate revenue before she starts those projects.

“There’s a lot of possibilities, it’s just stepping stones,” she said.

On the main floor, a dining room and a sitting room could hold at least 60 people for family events or meetings.

Restaurant in the works Next summer, with the help of her daughter Mackenzie, Hutcheon hopes to launch an onsite restaurant on the main floor where the bar used to exist. She said the restaurant would fill the gap left after the Dunkeld Tavern burned down in March 2013.

The restaurant will offer local fare at an affordable price, she said pointing to the trend toward local, organic menu items.

Currently, a full breakfast is served, with gluten-free and vegetarian options available.

RTO 7 marketing pays off Hutcheon said provincial tourism groups such as Ontario’s Regional Tourism Organization 7—which includes Simcoe, Grey and Bruce counties—have really pushed to market the area as a four-seasons destination. She said she is a member of the Walkerton Chamber of Commerce and has contributed a night’s stay as a prize for the Explore the Bruce campaign, which allows tourists to collect stamps from various destinations in the area. The inn is also advertised through BBCanada.com.

Hutcheon said the venue is available for weddings and will house events including psychic readings, scrapbooking and family history research.

Each room is $110 per night or $120 for a double occupancy with check-in times after 4 p.m. and check-out by 11 a.m.

Gearing up for Culinary World Cup

Golden Horseshoe Culinary Team at the gala, front row, right to left: Carl Copp (retired RCMP), Tony Fernandes, Michael Pigeon, Lois Brown (MP Newmarket-Aurora), Thushara Fernando, Solanch Fernando. Back row, from right to left, Edouard Colonerus, Wolfgang Roessler, Kyle Guerin, Ron Stevenson, Michael Maddison, Chaminda Palihawadana. Not shown is Oliver Nguyen, who will accompany the team to the Culinary World Cup.

TORONTO—The Golden Horseshoe Culinary Team and Community Outreach Canada held a fundraising gala on Aug. 22 at the Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport hotel. This is the only Canadian team that will participate in the Culinary World Cup to be held in Luxembourg Nov. 20-28, 2014.

As part of its partnership with Community Outreach Canada, the team has invited Oliver Nguyen, a young man with a speech impediment, to join them in Luxembourg, and possibly in Erfurt, Germany for the Culinary Olympics in 2016.

Nguyen has been with Community Outreach Canada for five years, and has been working with the team to fulfill his dream of becoming a chef.

For a video on Nguyen’s work with the chefs, go to www.canadianlodgingnews.com.

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“Drake-by-the-lake” opens

Drake innkeepers Jessica and Chris Loane with son Harrison.

By Kristen Smith, assistant editor WELLINGTON, ON—Following a two-year restoration of a late 1800s foundry building, the Drake Devonshire was slated to open on Sept. 15 in Wellington, ON. The new Prince Edward County hotel will have 11 guestrooms and two suites. The inn also features a full service dining room, private event spaces, a permanent and rotating art collection, an outdoor patio, a creek side deck and fire pits.

The team at the Devonshire includes innkeepers Chris and Jessica Loane and head chef Matt DeMille.

The cantilevered dining room offers views of Lake Ontario and seats between 60 and 70.

With the guidance of Drake corporate executive chef Ted Corrado, DeMille created a farm- and lake-to-table menu, including some Drake standards, such as its burger and fried chicken. Some new Prince Edward Country menu items are on offer, such as the farmer’s lunch with smoked fish, devilled eggs, fruit, cold roast beef, rye and sourdough breads, horseradish cream and mustard ($17), a tomato and strawberry salad ($12), seafood chowder ($20), Kendall Dewey Fisheries pickerel with corn

Real

and crab panzanella and salsa verde ($22), and rabbit carbonara with handmade papardelle ($18).

DeMille said the menu aims to make the destination appropriate for everyone, not only hotel guests, but residents and people passing through.

“There is stuff on there like the seafood chowder that reads simply, but when it lands in front of you, you’re blown away,” said DeMille, who started out at Canoe restaurant in Toronto straight out of chef school and held posts at Le Sélect Bistro, Parts & Labour and Enoteca Sociale before moving to Wellington, ON, as executive chef at Pomodoro Trattoria & Wine Bar, which is directly across the street from his new gig.

“When I saw that the Drake had purchased this property, I had to get in here,” said DeMille.

He noted that his cooking style has changed quite a bit over the years and he is focused on creating dishes using a few really good ingredients, cooked simply. “I’m not doing asparagus 25 ways, I’m doing asparagus with a nice char grill, tossed in a little lemon juice with a mint aioli, something like that,” DeMille said.

His 14-person team includes executive pastry chef Christine Fancy.

The Devonshire will also have community events such as pig roasts, clambakes and barbecues.

Like the Drake’s Toronto properties, the Devonshire has its own house wine, Vintner’s Daughter, which is made by Rosehall Run winery in Wellington.

Jonathan Humphrey created the cocktail menu, which highlights local spirits and herbs, such as the Sandbanks Sour featuring local red wine syrup.

The Devonshire lobby has a small Drake General Store offering snacks, toiletries, Drake’s clothing line and

estate

Holiday Inn

Markham, Ont.

MARKHAM, ON—The Holiday Inn Markham is a 299-room hotel offering a restaurant and lounge with 17,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The hotel is well located on Woodbine Avenue at Steeles Avenue East and Highway 404 in Markham, Ontario.

gift items.

Under the direction of John Tong of +tongtong design firm, the décor juxtaposes the feel of a historic country home with modern design. Tong worked with the Drake team and chief executive officer Jeff Stober to create “a cheeky nod to ‘rustic Canadiana’,” while incorporating original elements from the building.

The inn also has a games room with glass walls and a barn-like pavilion for special events.

Each guestroom features a mix of vintage and custom crafted furniture, a quote from Al Purdy, the late poet from nearby Wooler, ON, and a mural created by Canadian artist Rick Leong.

“We’ve worked really hard to incorporate a number of classic Drake elements, whether cultural, artistic, design- or service-focused, and we think that our customers will agree it’s been well worth the wait,” Stober said in a release.

While open for business, the “Drake-by-the-lake” will celebrate its grand opening and first summer season in spring 2015 after finishing touches are completed throughout the fall and winter.

Drake Devonshire head chef Matt DeMille. Photo Nigel Powers.

tR a n s a ct ion s

Holiday Inn Markham, Ontario Transaction date: May 2013 Location: Markham, Ontario Property type: Full service hotel Vendor: Westmont Hospitality Group (Markham Woodbine Hospitality Ltd.) Purchaser: Easton’s Group of Hotels Price: $11,000,000 No. of rooms: 299 Unit rate: $36,800 (rounded) Overall cap rate: 3.80 per cent

The hotel was originally developed in the early 1980s and was in need of capital investment. Since the hotel opened, the Markham area has developed into one of Canada’s premier business locations. With the entry of new competition and the aging of the asset, the hotel had lost market

share in recent years.

Following the sale, the purchaser closed the hotel to complete a full renovation and repositioning program. The hotel will re-open as Canada’s first dual-branded Courtyard and TownePlace Suites by Marriott.

This sale is a good example of a very active sector within the hotel industry at this time. Providing the hotel is well located, older assets in mature, developed areas provide an opportunity for significantly higher returns.

Given the attractive purchase price and the cost to renovate, these hotels can (re)enter the market at a lower cost base compared to newly developed properties. As many older urban areas continue to regenerate, we expect this trend will continue to grow.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Algonquin Resort’s re-opening and 125th anniversary Braxton’s Restaurant and Bar at the Algonquin Resort.

Executive chef Lisa Aronson.

SAINT ANDREWS, NB—In a celebration commemorating the hotel’s 125-year history, the Algonquin Resort also marked its re-opening in June, following an 18-month renovation of the property.

The Algonquin first opened in June 1889 and became Canada’s first Autograph Collection hotel—Marriott International’s portfolio of independent hotels—when it reopened this year following an 18-month “rafters to registration” renovation.

Toronto designer Robynne Moncur of Moncur Design created the Algonquin’s guestrooms and public spaces. The hotel’s new décor reflects its Victorian origins and features a living room-style lobby with a two-sided fireplace.

The resort’s foodservice also got an overhaul with the renovation of the Clubhouse and Braxton’s Restaurant and Bar, named for one of the property’s first chefs. George Braxton is celebrated as the first African American man to lead a luxury resort kitchen and publish a cookbook, which focuses on simple, regional cuisine.

This became the philosophy for dining in Braxton’s Restaurant and Bar. General manager Tim Ostrem said the 50-seat bar and 46-seat patio is an upscale-casual environment, with lobster sliders, charcuterie and cheese boards and the chef ’s signature seafood chowder.

Its cocktail list is inspired by regional ingredients, such as honey produced on-property and herbs from executive chef Lisa Aronson’s rooftop garden. Aronson has been with the property for seven years and was acting chef during the renovations until being moved permanently into the role in January.

The dining room, which seats 50, is a formal, intimate environment with a focus on regional cuisine, such as butter-poached lobster with sweet potato gnocchi, locally sourced scallops with a mushroom risotto and shrimp and grits with locally sourced medallion of halibut, Ostrem said.

Ostrem noted The Clubhouse has some seafood items, but more of a farm-to-table focus.

The restaurant seats 62, with an 18-seat bar and a patio overlooking the 18th hole of the seaside Algonquin Golf Course.

Braxton’s bar accommodates up to 120 diners with the resort’s “anyplace dining,” which includes the lobby area, with its soft seating.

Diners can also eat outdoors on a veranda, by

the fire pits, pool or in the second-floor herb garden.

“Because we’re licensed everywhere except our indoor pool, there is the opportunity to be able to sit and enjoy a glass of wine or a nice charcuterie plate anywhere,” Ostrem told CLN. “We had eight [dining] outlets in the past servicing a 233-room resort which, while it provided a fairly elaborate experience, was inefficient,” said Ostrem.

Everything was re-invented from “stunning design with a lot of bold, vibrant colours” to concept and layout. “There was this re-imaging of the food and beverage operations to ensure that they were much more efficient and effective,” he said.

The location of the main restaurant shifted within the common space, the kitchen line was moved, the dining room moved closer to the kitchen, the bar was opened up and a patio was added.

The resort also features 19,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

Southwest Properties and New Castle Hotels & Resorts purchased the hotel from the province in 2012 with the intent of restoring the estate. “Throughout the renovation process, we were very cognizant of the fact that we had been entrusted with a piece of New Brunswick’s history,” Jim Spatz, chairman and chief executive officer of Southwest Properties, said in a release. “We set out to preserve the authenticity of this cherished hotel and simultaneously elevate it to meet modern expectations for a luxury resort.”

Originally developed as a summer resort, the Algonquin is now a year-round destination.

Alex Svenne to head Inn at The Forks’ new restaurant Discover where a career with IHG could take you…

Looking for a great career in hospitality with Room to be Yourself? Discover the life and culture at IHG. Go to ihg.jobs to find out more.

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Jonathan Holiday Inn

Alex Svenne (pictured above) is the new executive chef at Winnipeg’s Inn at The Forks, where he will be responsible for all culinary operations including banquet and catering, room service and a new casual fine dining restaurant slated to open in early this month.

“I will continue to provide quality and value by using local ingredients and artisanal producers, while taking my casual fine dining style to a new level with this exciting concept,” Svenne said. “The new restaurant at Inn at The Forks will be about food, fun and community, and I look forward to the opportunity to cook in front of my guests and to get to know them through the dining experience.”

In 2006, Svenne opened Bistro 7¼ with his wife Danielle. He previously worked at Tap & Grill, Green Gates and Pasta la Vista. He also held the role of executive chef at Pineridge Hollow in Springfield, MB.

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Dalvay chef makes the switch to historic P.E.I. property

By Colleen Isherwood, editor DALVAY BY THE SEA, PE—It’s been a big shift coming from the 197-room Hilton Saint John to a small, historic lodge with 33 rooms, but four months into the job, chef Allan Chapman is enjoying his work.

“At Hilton, we had the capabilities to prepare food for up to 1,100 people in our banquet facility,” he said. Chapman added a 150-person banquet is the most the Dalvay kitchen could handle comfortably.

“At Hilton, I was limited to what I was able to do in the kitchen as far as cooking. At Dalvay, I can participate in the everyday prep and

Chef Chef Chapman Chapman

the actual cooking of meals for our guests.”

Built as a summer home in the 1890s, Dalvay by the Sea is a national historic site in Prince Edward National Park. It 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.

Chapman, who started at Dalvay in late March, has 31 years of experience and has worked in seven provinces at properties including the Chateau Bromont in Quebec.

“There has been lots to do to get things in order and planned for the season, including

Chef Chef Chapman’s Chapman’s revamped revamped menu menu includes includes aa lobster, lobster, scallop scallop and and shrimp shrimp dish. dish.

menus and re-organizing and changing the layout of the kitchen for faster service,” he said.

One of the best things about working at Dalvay is access to locally grown products.

“Our local purveyors are fantastic,” said Chapman. “It is great to see the passion these folks have in growing their products. BlueField Natural Products supplies us with our beef products and Cranbush Farms will supply us with produce once it is available to us.

Our seafood is often just hours out of the water and is supplied by MR Seafood. And the Cheese Lady supplies us with a variety of Gouda cheeses that are just incredible to work with. I feel I have the freshest of fresh products to work with, which makes it that much

Dalvay dining room.

more fun to create different dishes. Thank you P.E.I.”

Menu changes The MacMillan Room, the dining room at Dalvay, seats 85 people. It is a room with a rounded side that gives everyone a view of the grounds and Dalvay Lake.

Chapman said he has rewritten all of the menus to showcase his repertoire of dishes, but he has kept a few Dalvay classics.

One is the sticky date pudding. “I once said, ‘that sticky date has to go.’ Jaws dropped faster than ants on a Smartie. Then I just started chuckling and walked away.”

Dalvay is open from late May until the end of September. During the winter months, Chapman has other projects with Dalvay owner D.P. Murphy Inc. He will return to Dalvay in the spring.

One of the benefits of the job is “watching our team learn and become a small family.

They are energetic and passionate about our vision for guest service and satisfaction and just plain great people. “My team are young folks who have gone to or will return to culinary school in September,” said Chapman.

Sous chef Dylan Baird and demi-chef Hailey Byrne are returning team members and graduates of Charlottetown culinary programs.

WCHRIC: number crunching, TFWs, NextGen hoteliers looks at strategic objectives such as picking winning markets, the timing of purchases, increasing value by expanding or improving a property, and more.

Also on the agenda is a discussion exploring Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program. The moratorium on the program has

Carrie Russell

VANCOUVER–Thanks to a combination of an increased number of travellers and higher rates, Western Canada outperformed Eastern Canada with RevPAR growth, year-to-date through July, of more than seven per cent.

That’s the word from Carrie Russell, managing director of HVS, who gave CLN a sneak preview of her presentation to the Western Canadian Hotel & Resort Investment Conference, which takes place Oct. 7-8 at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and Fairmont Waterfront, in Vancouver.

Western Canadian urban and resort markets will come under the microscope via performance metrics, market trends, hotel and resort values, stakeholder profile and motivations, and sale details from Russell and co-presenter Mark Sparrow of CB Richard Ellis.

Kicking off the conference on Oct. 7 is an intense networking session hosted by the Fairmont Pacific Rim, followed by conference sessions on Oct. 8 at the Fairmont Waterfront.

Other highlights include a presentation by Ryan Pomeroy, Jonathan Korol and Fayaz Manji, who will reveal details of a past transaction.

It’s one thing to know the asset, buyer and cap rate—but what about how the deal was created?

Tsur Somerville, PhD/professor at UBC’s Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate

ended and an “overhaul” and new rules unveiled.

What are the changes that limit access to the program? What are the penalties for employers who break the rules? Join Dave Kaiser, Celia Koehler, Peter Parmar and a representative from Service Canada, Matthew Wong for this discussion.

In a session titled “Deal analysis: Do hoteliers

rely on gut intuition or analytic approaches?” attendees will get both sides of the story when they meet “the cowboy” Marc Staniloff and “the computer” Jason Wight.

Delegates will also hear from the next generation of innovative hoteliers—Aleksa Mrdjenovich, Marcel Berube and Hugo Germain.

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

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Vantage Continues its Exceptional Growth

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Holiday Inn launches Journey to Extraordinary

with the Addition of these Fine Brands

Double amputee Scott Rigsby is the subject of a video in Holiday Inn’s new digital campaign.

Owners worldwide have embraced Vantage’s innovative brand affiliation model that offers members low fees, flexible agreements, reasonable brand standards, and A Voice and A VoteSM in their brand’s direction while providing the most comprehensive resources in the lodging industry.

“By combining our brands under one umbrella, Vantage continues to enhance its competitive advantage with a full line of brand segments that address the needs of both hotel owners and consumers. Members of Vantage’s brands now have greater distribution, more marketing dollars and enhanced exposure, and additional revenue-generating programs and resources.”

- Roger Bloss, Founder, President, and CEO of Vantage Hospitality

Bill Hanley

Group President, International Division

804-308-2627 804-922-3937 Cell

ATLANTA, GA—The world changed for Scott Rigsby at the age of 18 when a truck accident caused him to become a double amputee. Told that he would never walk again, he went on to not only walk, but become a marathoner, triathlete, world record holder, author and motivational speaker. Part of his journey included months at the Holiday Inn Resort, Panama City Beach, FL, where he went to get rehabilitation assistance. It was a time of great financial hardship, and the understanding of the hotel’s owner, Julie Hilton, helped see him through.

Holiday Inn is using Rigsby’s tale as a Signature Story in its new digital marketing campaign, Journey to Extraordinary. Guaranteed to create a lump in the throat if not actual tears in the viewer, the story videotapes Rigsby, now reunited with Hilton. To view the YouTube video, go to www.canadianlodgingnews.com. To link to the Tumblr site go to http://holidayinn.tumblr. com/ Journey to Extraordinary is the next evolution of last year’s Change Your View platform, which stressed that Holiday Inn has been changing the way people travel for 60 years, and it continues to change today in order to keep guests comfortable, connected and coming back.

This new campaign celebrates the inspiring journeys of its many guests, by sharing their unique narratives through the brand’s first digitally-led, multimedia marketing approach.

Maurice Cooper, vice president Holiday Inn Brand, Americas, says the campaign is a powerful extension of the idea that the guests are the centre of everything. “It’s an opportunity to show

8th Largest Hotel Company Worldwide with 1,000+ Hotels

VantageHospitality.com 888-316-2378 Maurice Cooper

how Holiday Inn helps enable guests along their journey,” he said.

“It’s a targeted and effective digital-led campaign. Digital platforms are growing up every day—and our guests are there looking for content. The campaign helps guests understand why they should stay at Holiday Inn. “For more than 62 years, the Holiday Inn brand has played a pivotal role in helping to enable the extraordinary journeys of millions of guests who come through our doors,” said Cooper.

“While they may find themselves traveling different roads in life, there is always a Holiday Inn hotel to meet the needs of our guests and help them move forward on their journey. Each of our guests have a unique connection to the brand and their own story to tell, which the Journey to Extraordinary campaign creatively celebrates, while hopefully inspiring fresh ones along the way.”

Holiday Inn has partnered with organizations such as Tumblr, Nonfiction Unlimited, International New York Times, Mashable and MBAs Across America (MBAxAmerica). The campaign began on July 23, and new content will be rolling out through November 2014, with stories added weekly across the Holiday Inn brand’s various digital platforms, including Tumblr, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Holiday Inn brand kicked off its Journey to Extraordinary campaign by producing “Stories from Holiday Inn Hotels,” a series of short videos and social media posts highlighting the unique stories of real guests at various Holiday Inn hotels. This content was shared on the Holiday Inn brand’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages.

To produce Scott’s Signature Story, the Holiday Inn brand teamed up with Nonfiction Unlimited and one of its directors, Stacy Peralta, legendary skateboard professional turned award-winning documentarian, including two Sundance Film Festival awards.

“Scott’s story was serendipitous—Scott was at the airport one day when some of our team members were there—it was a good news story all around and he was happy to tell them about his experience,” Cooper said.

While it’s still early in the campaign, Cooper sees a good level of engagement—the photos and videos on Tumblr have been viewed millions of time. “It encourages people who want to tell their stories too.”

“It can only help to build the brand—and there are exciting developments to come,” Cooper noted, hinting that there will be some exciting news surrounding the campaign at the IHG North American Investors and Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Oct. 27 to 29.

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What’s it take to get that international booking?

3. Make it culturally correct

If there’s one, overriding theme here, it’s to make sure your OTA understands your target customer. This will impact design, user interface, and payment options that resonate with native shoppers. For example, the Japanese language is difficult to type on a computer. Therefore, instead of having a search field to type in the desired destination, we’ve created drop down menus and buttons for top searched destinations. This improves both time to search and conversion.

Also, different cultures use different payment types, and your OTA needs to adapt to meet those cultural preferences. In the US,

credit card payments are the norm, but in India, the locals prefer direct bank billing. And then in Brazil, installment plans are the common way to pay for even everyday purchases.

If you want to attract these potential guests, your OTA needs to offer these options, as well.

4. Be visible and relevant Finally, you can do all these things, but if travelers don’t know about your business, how are they going to transact with you? You need to build a brand and employ effective marketing campaigns in these regions. Expedia spent more than $2 billion in marketing in 2013, and that money goes to search engine

marketing, advertising, metasearch, public relations, social media and marketing partnerships to drive awareness and demand to the sites that showcase your property.

International travel is a tremendous opportunity for hoteliers. International travelers generally book farther out, cancel half as often and stay twice as long. The right strategic partner that has the expertise and resources to deliver this demand can make a real difference to your bottom line.

Adam Anderson is director of industry relations, Expedia. Prior to joining Expedia, he worked in marketing and PR for technology companies Microsoft and Dolby Laboratories.

By Adam Anderson From coffee makers designed to brew your morning cuppa before you get out of bed to cars that park themselves, it seems like technology is capable of something new and wonderful every day. And while many of these time savers are just that—invaluable resources that restore precious minutes back to our calendars—that does not mean that unmanned operations are the solution to all things online. Take, for example, your international capabilities to reach new customers. International markets are a great source of incremental bookings, so make sure your hotel has a plan in place to reach what could be some of your hotel’s most important new customers.

While some might think that a U.S. site merely needs a Google translation to be good to go, this most certainly is not the case. Don’t worry, with the right OTA partnership, you can position your hotel well to these prospective visitors with minimal effort. Here are a few things to consider when considering your OTA partnership as a means to drive international bookings.

1. Talk the talk Some businesses argue that since English is spoken in virtually every country, why go through the effort of translating at all? It’s about confidence and convenience. The customer wants to know that they are booking exactly what they want, that they understand the terms and conditions, that they are comfortable with how the site works, and also that they are dealing with a company that values their customs and culture and, therefore, their business. It’s easy to see that this will be a more effective approach than a generic, allpurpose English site.

Taking this a step further, the quality of the translation matters, too. Too often, translations are either shoddy or read nothing like how a local would speak.

More often they come across as if a far-from-perfect translation program were used instead. Also, different dialects of a language are spoken in different countries.

For example, Argentina, Spain and Mexico all have different dialects of Spanish; it is important to use the right version for your site in those countries.

Companies like Expedia, have invested heavily in a multi-lingual staff and technology to assist them. Having experts on the ground in a given country provides invaluable insight into correct linguistic tone, style and commonly-used idioms. For example, Expedia has the capabilities to translate content into as many as 38 languages, which is a huge plus considering we market 240,000-plus hotels in more than 70 countries worldwide.

BC’S EVERYTHING HOSPITALITY TRADE SHOW MARK YOUR CALENDARS

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2. Keep the currency It should go without saying that the easier the shopping process, the higher the conversion rate. It’s easier for a guest in Taiwan to plan a trip to your hotel in California if they can easily understand your nightly rate.

Transacting in the local currency takes the guesswork out of the booking process for guests who are unfamiliar with the U.S. dollar or don’t want to calculate exchange rates.

For more Information call 1.844.628.5655 or visit connectshow.com facebook.com/connectshowbc

twitter.com/connectshowbc

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

16 |

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

DRESS FOR SUCCESS Properly conceived, fashion-forward hotel uniforms can boost staff morale, animate and brand a property’s spaces and enhance the guest experience.

By Don Douloff

on’t look now, but when it comes to staff uniforms, hoteliers are injecting a little glamour into the mix. Gone are the days when hotel employee uniforms were primarily functional.

These days, fashion rules—and woe betide the hotelier who turns a blind eye to style and skimps on quality.

“Uniforms are a huge issue, because you’re dealing with a big demographic range and a wide variety of body types, sizes and shapes,” Julie Duquette, owner/operator of Vancouver-based DG Uniforms, tells CLN. “Staff morale is tied to what they’re wearing.”

As a result, hotel senior executives and general managers are looking at ways to please their employees, she says. To that end, the hotel industry is attempting to “be more cool,” favouring casual, more relaxed and stylish looks that are also comfortable.

At the same time, hotels are keeping it classic, since they want their uniforms to have some longevity, says Duquette. Consequently, customization is popular. “Hoteliers are willing to put more time and effort into uniforms to make sure everyone is happy, rather than just ordering off the shelf.”

D

No Limits Design uniforms.

CONTRASTING HUES Duquette, whose company focuses primarily on women’s styles, says colours no longer have to match, and that contrasting hues—say, navy blue uniforms against a lobby’s red colour scheme—hold sway.

Casual looks for women can translate as knit, rather than woven, tops and fewer button-up blouses.

For men, casual looks can include ensembles that omit a tie: woven dress shirt paired with a vest; blazer accessorized with a pocket square; or cardigan, says Duquette.

When it comes to colour, the big

consideration, she says, is, “what will stand the test of time?” Her current favourites include teal, steel blue and deep plum (for women) and gingham (for men). Tone-ontone also works: a grey skirt with lighter grey blouse, for example.

In restaurants, dresses are hugely popular, says Duquette. “It’s all about the right cut, fabrics and fit, to suit a wide variety of body types and sizes.” Consistency of style is key, too, since uniforms help brand the environment.

Nowadays, hotel uniforms have

to follow retail fashion trends while being high-quality enough to withstand continual use, says Mélanie Dumas, sales rep at No Limits Design Uniforms, based in Laval, QC. Hotels are showing dressy looks with sophisticated and refined lines.

Suits are well tailored, using the best materials on the market, and are made to fit and flatter any figure, says Dumas. She adds that although classic colours such as black, white and grey will always be around, brighter colours, such as blue, are gaining traction.

The Algonquin Resort’s Tartan Rosette.

S E P T E M B E R 2 014

| 17

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

MARKET POSITION

Town & Country Uniforms.

Uniforms reflect a hotel’s market position, says Dumas. Non-conventional apparel colours, for instance, often reference the property’s own colours. For a certain type of hotel, casual yet polished attire, such as jeans and a nice shirt, is trending. “For upscale establishments, a complete suiting look is still popular.”

Among housekeeping staff, “we are no longer seeing the old style of uniform: black skirt, white lace shirt and black apron,” continues Dumas. The trend, she says, is to dress housekeeping employees in

a stylish and comfortable manner approaching that of the front desk.

For their part, front-desk staff typically wear dressier clothing: pencil skirt or pants with a longsleeve shirt, or jackets and sleeveless vests. “Adding some accessories such as a tie or bowtie is a good way to have a complete look and add some colour.”

Over at Town & Country Uniforms, marketing director VeraidaLyn Bermejo reports that increasingly, “comfortable scrub uniforms for women are being considered for housekeeping staff. For men, po-

los and jean-style pants made with breathable polyester and spandex material, allowing male housekeeping staff to stay cool and dry, are popular.”

Among lobby staff, “chic and sharp” is the motto. Jackets, skirts and clean-cut pants paired with a coloured shirt and tie is a classic look, says Bermejo. Hotels can stay in style, without overhauling their whole uniform image, by updating accessories to a more fashionable colour or pattern, or changing their shirts to a new colour, adds Bermejo.

VISUAL PUNCH Indeed, small changes can pack a big visual and thematic punch. When the Algonquin Resort, in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, NB, reopened in June following a $30 million restoration, staff uniforms featured accessories patterned in Canadian Maple Leaf Tartan—trim on banquet server vests, bow ties and ties for all food and beverage servers, ties on front-desk men, lapel rosettes on front-desk women— following the lead of the hotel’s bellmen, who have been wearing tartan kilts for about 20 years, according to Denise Bradbury, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.

The Algonquin is now part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection of hotels, which use regional accents to differentiate themselves, and the Algonquin introduced the accessories to be unique, says Bradbury.

In specialized hospitality apparel, the most contemporary looks

are neutral suiting ensembles—specifically, greys and navy blues with splashes of raspberry, cobalt, teal and aqua, says Katerina Helebrantova, senior apparel designer at Cintas Corp.

These on-trend bright colors are seen in accessories like ties and pocket squares, as well as check and plaid dress shirts for men and blouses for women.

There is a definite trend toward the dressed-up yet relaxed merchandised look, such as dress slacks or dark denim with tailored tops, says Helebrantova.

The non-uniform look is quite prevalent (among housekeeping staff) and for lobby staff, the key trend continues to be a coordinated look between male and female employees through different merchandised ensembles, she notes.

Another important component of the hospitality uniform is footwear

Cintas uniforms.

and here, too, stylish looks are on trend.

“In the past, safety shoes were simply a tool to perform a task or job,” says Keith Freeman, senior vicepresident of marketing and sales for SR Max, a Greensboro, NC-based supplier of safety shoes. “Today, asso-

ciates demand style, comfort, durability and good slip resistance in the workplace.”

Freeman says, “companies have traditionally mandated either black or possibly white work shoes, to be compliant with uniform and brand requirements. Today, those restric-

tions are being removed. Colours are becoming more prevalent as accepted shoes for uniforms. Athletics continue to be a style of choice and the available colours mimic those in standard fashion trends—coral, blues, reds, pinks and purples, (which) create a dramatic impact.”

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL VANCOUVER CASE STUDY “We wanted a more modern take on fashion—a slimmer profile, more relaxed suiting and a more fitted, tailored look.”

That directive, from Marcie Pokocky, director of housekeeping at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, defined a key goal adopted by the property’s team when it decided, in late 2012, to rebrand the uniforms for hotel assistant managers, front desk/concierge, bellmen/car jockeys and Yew restaurant hostesses comprising 100 to 120 of the 450 onsite employees.

In a Vancouver market “saturated with luxury hotels,” it was key that the revamped uniforms look fresh and new in order to not only be noticed by Four Seasons guests but also “surprise and delight them,” says hotel manager Joerg Rodig.

Style is a “critical” part of the hotel’s branding and of the “experience guests have when they walk through the door,” he says. “We see ourselves as a lifestyle brand and want to be fashion-forward.” That mandate

includes the esthetics of the hotel’s public spaces—and front-of-house staff help animate those spaces, he says.

Working with Fourmy luxury brand, of Cintas Corp., the Four Seasons Vancouver team—Pokocky, Rodig and regional vice president and general manager Robert Cima—along with Elyse Campbell, director of sales Canada hospitality at Cintas, undertook the design phase, which unfolded over three to four months.

The process was highly collaborative, involving idea boards created by Fourmy to reflect the team’s input, followed by uniform samples given to staff so they could assess comfort and fit.

Especially collaborative was the design process involving restaurant hostesses, who are constantly on the move as they go about their duties.

In the end, the team used a dress worn one day by a hostess as a starting point for the redesign.

The rebranded hostess dresses

display fit-and-flare styling in vibrant red, with an accentuated belted waist and necklace.

Female hotel assistant managers now have two uniform options. Option one is a classic sheath dress featuring a colour blocked silhouette in navy with ivory contrast, coordinated with a navy bolero-style jacket.

Option two features a contemporary three-quarter-sleeve dress in matte jersey fabric in heather grey and bold off-white contrast.

Male front desk and concierge staff now wear slim-fit suiting in a navy midnight plaid pattern, along with a classic slim-fit shirt in a navy and white gingham check fabric. A tie incorporates dimensional detailing in a red, cream and blue basketweave pattern.

Female front desk and concierge employees are outfitted in a navy bolero jacket similar in style to the ensemble. A straight skirt in navy midnight plaid complements the suiting worn by male front desk and concierge staff. A silk garnet-red

charmeuse blouse adds colour and is complemented with a double-strand gold necklace.

Among bellmen and car jockeys, the ensemble includes a midnight navy slim-fit jacket with a contrast collar in charcoal grey. Trousers are a modern flat-front slim fit and are custom-made to include pockets on either leg. The jacket is equipped with added tabs to secure radio wires from view. To complete the look, bellmen and car jockeys sport handmade wool felt fedoras with a diamond crown.

The new uniforms were introduced between June and

September, 2013, and have garnered enthusiastic approval from staff and guests alike, according to Rodig and Pokocky.

Four Seasons Vancouver.

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

18 |

HITEC 2014: THE FInal Word

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Kyle Zwaagstra of Axxess Industries was on hand at the Axxess booth shown above.

aisles, one gets an intense feeling that profound

allocation. In essence, consolidating all these

or to another within the same brand (or house

change is coming to the hotel world. Every ven-

spokes on the wheel frees resources and employ-

of brands). Enter algorithms and the power of

dor had a keen eye on how to better service our

ees’ time for other critical tasks such as guest

Big Data analysis. By harnessing a much larger

guests – that is, using technological innovations

services.

scope of data points alongside tapping into a

to optimize the guest experience both directly

Paving the way this year were several exhibi-

person’s social media footprint, hotels can make

and behind the scenes. Taking a few reflective

tors who have developed solid platforms which

recommendations that are customizable to the

breaths on my flight home, here are some of the

allow smartphones to act as keycards. I still re-

individual.

general trends I noticed.

member a few years ago when mobile check-in

At HITEC, there was an impressive showing

was all the rage. Not only is mobile check-in a

of startups and established firms tackling this in

The mobile life

commonplace integration, but these same sys-

many fascinating ways. Essential to this was the

The nexus of the guest experience is moving

tems now let you remotely checkout, make vir-

imperative that any personalization tool must

away from the front desk and into your pocket or

tual concierge requests, or open your guestroom

integrate with other systems, chiefly the PMS,

purse. We’re all ‘on the go’ and we all want what

door or safe using a short-range Bluetooth con-

mobile platforms or a property’s social net-

we want precisely when we want it. Yes, mobile is

nection.

works, all under the snappy new GMS acronym

king, and with that comes numerous opportuni-

Rest assured, a paperless world is well on its

(guest management system). By sourcing a per-

ties for hotels to streamline aspects of guest ser-

way to fruition. Remote check-ins and wireless

son’s online preferences and using predictable

vice before, during and after they stay at a hotel.

room entries are great features to offer guests

algorithms, a hotel can heighten guest engage-

(This is taking into account that the bandwidth

eager to avoid waiting in line while cloud-based

ment from the outset and tailor a vastly different

By Larry Mogelonsky,

requirements are increasing exponentially, re-

management software will reduce the milling of

experience to two different guests, even though

Contributing editor

quiring total upgrades on this front, too.)

trees in the back-of-house.

they have reserved the same room type at the

Scott Gaskill, president, Sovee translation and video technology, Chattanooga, TN.

But here’s the scary part: because literally

same time of year.

LOS ANGELES—Arriving in Los Angeles in late

every vendor is working towards some sort of

Personalization now an expectation

But this is a two-way street. Whereas before

June for this year’s HITEC, you’d be tempted to

mobile interface, from the guest’s perspective,

The expansion of mobile platforms in con-

these personalization tools would be seen as a

spend the week entirely outdoors under the near

having such platforms is no longer a value-add

junction with better monitoring services – both

value-add, as they reach maturation, guests are

perpetual sun, desert heat and zero humidity

but an expectation. If you aren’t fully mobile-

in the form of improved website tracking as well

beginning to expect their preference to be recog-

that is Southern California. But upon entering

integrated within the next few years, expect the

as location analytics – has spurred a new wave

nized beforehand. In this arms race to continu-

the cavernous West Hall of the Convention Cen-

more savvy customers to be turned off by your

of customizable services to offer guests. It’s no

ally surpass guest expectations, not only do you

ter, if you had any sense about you, you’d know

antediluvian ways.

longer a matter of figuring this out postmortem

need to have an integrated personalization sys-

that the best prize was far from the beaches and

The future is your smartphone replacing

after guests have left and in anticipation of their

tem, but you must also utilize it in ways to fully

blazing sunbeams. Not even lunchtime FIFA

your wallet, credit cards and passport. But this

return or their joining your loyalty program. It’s

help with a customer’s needs, be it something

matches would distract.

sort of science fiction won’t materialize for many

happening while guests make reservations and

that involves room preferences or in the form of

With row after row of smaller booths sur-

years. In the meantime, the hospitality industry

will soon be a cornerstone during a consumer’s

an online concierge.

rounding the grand displays from major tech

is primed to be a forerunner in helping the tran-

initial travel research.

companies in the center, there was enough here

sition through many innovative tech upgrades,

During this discovery phase, the underlying

to ensure that my skin wouldn’t darken a shade

both through mobile-driven guest interfaces as

concept is to better convert lookers to bookers.

This has been an ongoing trend for several

beyond pale white. All told, just over 330 differ-

well as cloud-based management tools.

Energy is everything

By delivering a personalized experience from

years now and already many hotels have taken

ent vendors were in attendance, with the lion’s

Starting with a hotel’s PMS and central res-

the start, it makes the purchase decision less in-

steps to reduce their environmental impact. In

share from the United States, England and India.

ervation system, both can now be readily hosted

timidating and it tees the customer up for sub-

a lot of ways, hotels are leaders when it comes

The Canadians brought their game, too, with

on the cloud with many cost-saving and service-

sequent travel choices such as what attractions

to sustainable design. It all has to do with cost

nearly 40 booths hailing from coast to coast.

enhancing possibilities. Web-based platforms

to see, where to eat and whether there are any

savings at the back-of-house as well as creating

With so many gadgets, accessories, software plat-

allow the systems to be decentralized, liberating

events taking place.

a positive sentiment for guests. Several suppliers

forms, devices big and small, and company reps

IT staffers from constant software and hardware

This trend started many years ago as an ex-

at this year’s HITEC are taking energy saving to

to explain their wares for hours on end, this was

updates. Further, the cloud allows access from

tension of loyalty programs, online reputation

the next level with smart thermostats (otherwise

surely the hospitality conference of the year.

any authorized device so that managers can stay

management and the need to drive more direct

known as an EMS or energy management sys-

With an eye on the future and a reverence for

on top of key daily metrics whether they are on-

bookings. Every purchase, criticism or special

tems) with such features as Internet-based con-

the traditions of our industry, every booth deliv-

site or off property. Cloud-based systems can

request would be catalogued and earmarked as

trols that connect to a guest’s smartphone, tem-

ered in excitement as well as utility. Walking the

also be deployed for staff scheduling and time

a preference for later visits to the same property

perature optimization and occupancy sensors.

S E P T E M B E R 2 014

| 19

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

Here are some photos of the Canadians who attended HITEC 2014. More photos can be found at www.canadianlodgingnews.com. Mark your calendars for HITEC 2015, which will be held in Austin, TX, June 15-18, 2015

Christelle Pigeat and Vincent Tessier of Mobile Simple.

Patrick Paris demonstrates Squirrel’s latest POS system.

Mike Berezowski (left) and Frank Verhagen of WebRezPro.

Tim Buck from ATX Networks, located in Ajax, Ontario.

Celayix Software offers workforce management solutions.

Denzil Solomon, Book4time spa management software.

Display Systems Int’l of Saskatoon—video messaging systems.

London-based InfoTech researches hospitality/gaming.

On the television front, a few big tech giants

Televisions are an important part of the en-

One more note on energy and smartphones:

solution for hotels to capitalize on this scenario

showed off their latest iterations of the OLED

ergy mix nowadays partly because of the pro-

guests may feel reluctant to leave their rooms

and augment service – mobile charging stations.

flatscreen, which maintains (or even enhances)

liferation of the multi-screen experience. That

without a healthy charge on their mobile de-

With one of these handy, guests can sit at a table

picture quality while using drastically less energy

is, the frequency with which they are in use has

vices. That, or they may immediately seek some

in the lobby or a restaurant and calmly recharge

than their plasma or regular LED counterparts.

increased as they provide great background

tucked away wall plug at the next destination for

their phones. The bonus to this value-add is that

Keep in mind that these new models are a couple

noise while a guest focuses on his or her cellular,

this express purpose. The traditional answer has

guests aren’t bound to the nearest available elec-

years away from reaching an affordable price,

tablet or both. This combination of devices can

been to provide more available recharge units,

trical plug, which is oftentimes in their rooms,

but when they do, be prepared for a property-

seriously deepen a room’s energy drain, further

which is cantankerous at best as it involves rear-

freeing them to make additional purchases at

wide upgrade for considerable long-term cost

necessitating compensations and cost savings in

ranging furniture and drilling through walls.

one of your F&B outlets.

savings.

other areas.

Luckily, several companies have found a new

Continued on next page

Unique

hospitality

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20 |

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Spotlight Canada Continued from previous page

Robots for room service and Google Glass for the front desk...

Novelty is a talking point A motto to live by at these sorts of confer-

service or Google Glass for your front desk or concierge staff.

ences is that you know a company is on to some-

Novelty doesn’t always mean obscure atten-

thing good if it has competition. That said, there

tion-grabbing products. It also encompasses to-

were a few outliers at HITEC offering gadgets so

tal overhauls to a hardware or software system.

eclectic that the average hotelier would dismiss

Opposite to this are minor, incremental version-

them at first glance. While such installations may

coded updates or tech ‘band-aids.’ Whereas sys-

only serve a limited purpose, it’s the novelty that

tem revamps are expensive, time consuming and

counts.

a headache when it comes to training, band-aids

They get guests talking and add a little fresh-

aren’t. But incremental upgrades can only take

ness to their hotel experience. So, consider how a

you so far, especially with all the new fluid and

consumer will remember his or her stay at your

robust system designs featured at HITEC.

property – if at all – when you are next in a posi-

If your property currently uses a platform

tion to purchase such devices as robots for room

that is more than three years old, consider introducing a novel system to the mix. Even though it involves more upfront agony, it will keep you apace with modern technology integrations and consumer expectations as well as save your hotel from incompatibility issues down the road.

From the consumer’s perspective One of the dilemmas at HITEC is that many vendors brought their ‘dream team’ to the event, which consisted of IT and software personnel Tim Corbett (left) and Eric Daggett of Guesttek, based in Calgary.

along with a few sales, marketing and PR manag-

All was not quiet on the Canadian front either. I’m proud to report that our fellow Canucks are pioneers in all the latest, including business communications hardware, networking solutions, PMS software, POS products, workforce management solutions, energy management systems and guest interaction platforms.

In general, the most relevant word to summarize our nation’s presence at HITEC was: automation. Canadians understand that in order for technology to be viable, it must integrate fluidly with preexisting as well as future infrastructure systems. No device or software platform came without the ability to computerize a certain B2B operation or electronically enhance a specific point of guest interaction. On that note, there were a few fascinating Canadian vendors worth a quick mention: o Axxess Industries specializes in devices and software to refine explicit aspects of the guest experience, such as their electronic ‘Do Not Disturb’ signage as well as their tray tracking motion sensors which allow room service staffers to instantly know what’s been left in the hall. o B4checkin offers an online booking engine and reservation system that can be customized to reflect an independent hotel’s brand in addition to a suite of merchandising and monitoring products that simplify payment methods, drive conversion and facilitate better customer feedback. o Guest-tek provides hotels with conver-

Greg Thomson and Beth Hamilton of B4checkin, which is based in Halifax.

gent interactive platforms to heighten the in-room experience for guests such as video on demand services, bandwidth controls and robust mobility solutions. o Mobile Simple Solution (IAS), Inc. offers an elegant mobile application that encompasses all the necessary functions for room attendants to perform their daily tasks, helping capture more onsite revenue, improve minibar operations and maximize profits in the process. o Squirrel Systems builds food and beverage POS solutions that allow hotels to manage interactive menu displays and settle checks directly to guest folios, all with the versatility to accommodate formal table settings, prix fixe menus, fast casual restaurant models, pre authorized payments for bars and cafeteria venues. o Verdant Environmental Technologies has developed a smart thermostat with automatic detection systems for unoccupied guestrooms, special nighttime preferences and remote, web-based monitoring, amounting to sizeable reductions on energy consumption.

ers. While these individuals were primed to chat with other managers and owners – that is, the decision makers – many could not distill the concept behind their products to a length suitable for easy transmission amongst consumers.

There are so many products for a manager or owner to choose from that the only way a vendor can get any real traction is to have a clear and concise business concept. Moreover, staff members must be able to quickly convey how a product or brand feature works and what its benefits are to consumers or else they simply won’t use it. It’s like a game of broken telephone – the less explaining you have to do at the beginning, the less likely your message will be jumbled as it spreads along the chain of command or amongst guests.

In order to truly understand how consumers will interpret a product or how a vendor can help advance your business, you have to see each in action. As an owner or senior manager, you really need to attend HITEC to fully grasp just how vast and fruitful the tech world is. So block out June 15-18, 2015 in Austin, Texas and see you there! ________ Larry Mogelonsky (MBA, P. Eng) is the founder of LMA Communications Inc. (www. lma.ca), an award-winning, full-service hospitality consulting and communications agency.

Larry is one of the hotel industry’s most published authors and has been recognized by HSMAI as one of the Top 25 Minds in Hospitality.

CANADIAN LoDgINg News

2014 REPORT

TOP 65 CHAINS

Research by Peter Elliott

C

anadian Lodging News’s annual report once again includes the top 35 hotel brands in Canada with information such as gross sales, units by region and rooms by region. The report also lists the top 20 developer/owners and management companies, providing similar information; and the top 10 Canadian hotel management firms. Regional breakdowns are tabulated as well.

Canadian hotel managers making news include Westmont, which has lost 15 properties this year as its partner, InnVest REIT, has sold off a number of its hotels, notably Comfort properties.

SilverBirch has replaced the Citadel Hotel in Halifax with two Hiltons, a Hampton Inn and a Homewood Suites. SilverBirch also opened the first Home2 Suites by Hilton near West Edmonton Mall this summer.

Superior Lodging Corp. surpassed InnVest REIT as the largest Canadian developer-owner, thanks to the addition of some new-build Microtels and the fact that InnVest has sold off some of its properties. Holloway Lodging acquired 17 Travelodge properties from Royal Host, making it the fourth largest developer/owner in the country. Temple REIT is on a tear when it comes to purchases, adding eight hotels in 2013 and five more so far in 2014. Temple continues to have Atlific manage many of its new acquisitions. Sunray is also in acquisition mode, and has bought six hotels in the last 12 months including its first three Quebec properties.

Brand news includes Delta, which opened a hotel in Waterloo, ON this summer, and will open its flagship Toronto location this fall. Delta also plans to open properties in Thunder Bay, ON and Prince George, BC next year.Days Inns opened hotels in Vernon, BC, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Leamington, ON, Grande Cache, AB, North Bay, ON and Stouffville, ON in 2014. Six Homewood Suites by Hilton have opened in the past year, in Ajax, ON, Halifax, Hamilton, Calgary Airport, Winnipeg Airport and Waterloo/St. Jacobs, ON.

TOP 10 CANADIAN HOTEL MANAGERS

by units

UNITS (CAN 2014)

UNITS (CAN 2013)

ROOMS (CAN 2014)

ROOMS (CAN 2013)

EXPANSION NOTES

Westmont Hospitality Group

120

139

15,166

17,946

Westmont has lost 15 properties as its partner, InnVest, has sold off a number of its hotels.

Atlific Hotels

57

52

8,700

8,160

Atlific has won management contracts at 4 new hotels and lost 4 in the last year.

Delta Hotels & Resorts

39

N/A

10,879

N/A

Delta Toronto flagship to open in fall 2014.

3

Pacrim Hospitality Services

39

39

4,005

3,812

Pacrim has added the Days Inn in Whitecourt, AB to its portfolio.

5

4

Lakeview Management

27

32

2,105

2,610

Lakeview is no longer managing any Travelodges in AB or ON. They also do not manage the Super 8 in Timmins, ON.

6

5

SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts

17

19

3,790

4,386

The Citadel Hotel in Halifax has been replaced by two Hilton hotels, a Hampton Inn and a Homewood Suites.

The first Canadian Home2 Suites by Hilton opened August, 2014.

7

N/A

VJ Management

14

N/A

1,181

N/A

VJ has 7 branded and 5 independent hotels, all in Saskatchewan.

8

7

Concord Hospitality Enterprises Co

12

12

1,689

1,689

9

8

Larco Hospitality

8

8

2,424

2,424

10

N/A

MasterBUILT Hotels

7

N/A

536

N/A

RANK 2014

RANK 2013

1

1

2

2

3

N/A

4

COMPANY

There are now 7 Microtel hotels in Canada. Weyburn, SK and Red Deer (Blackfalds), AB and Sault Ste Marie, ON are amongst their newest locations.

TOP 20 CANADIAN DEVELOPMENT/OWNERSHIP FIRMS

by units

UNITS (CAN 2014)

UNITS (CAN 2013)

ROOMS (CAN 2014)

ROOMS (CAN 2013)

SALES $MILLIONS (CAN 2014)

SALES $MILLIONS (CAN 2013)

Superior Lodging Corp.

141

132

9,364

8,901

N/A

N/A

Currently there are 131 Canadian Super 8s from coast to coast along with 3 Wingate Inns and 7 Microtels.

1

InnVest REIT

119

134

15,142

16,839

686.1

617.1

InnVest REIT sold 15 hotels with about 2,000 rooms over the last year. Renovating a large number of properties currently.

3

3

Canalta Hotels

37

37

2,389

2,389

N/A

N/A

Canalta converted 3 of its Super 8s to Canalta brand. They are in Brooks, Ponoka and Rocky Mountain House, AB.

4

10

Holloway Lodging

35

17

4,151

1,684

N/A

58.4

Holloway sold the Holiday Inn Express Kamloops and bought the Days Inn in Whitecourt, AB in 2014. Holloway also acquired 17 Travelodge properties from Royal Host.

5

5

Lakeview Hotel Management Inc

35

25

2,923

1,844

32.1

32.0

6

7

Temple Hotels

31

23

4,289

3,000

156.1

99.8

7

4

bcIMC

29

29

7,259

7,259

N/A

N/A

8

6

Fortis Properties Corporation

23

23

4,430

4,430

248.0

178.0

9

9

Silver Hotel Group

17

17

2,650

2,650

N/A

N/A

10

12

Northampton Group Inc.

15

15

1,902

1,902

29.5

N/A

11

19

Sunray Group of Hotels

14

10

1,533

979

N/A

N/A

12

13

Sterling Group Inc

14

14

914

914

N/A

N/A

13

14

Vrancor Hospitality Corp.

13

13

1,951

1,951

N/A

N/A

Vrancor expects to open their latest hotel, a Homewood Suites in Hamilton, in 2014.

In 2013, they built the Holiday Inn Express in Timmins and bought the Waterfront Hotel in Windsor and also the Holiday Inn Express North York.

14

16

Mayfair Properties

12

12

1,137

1,137

N/A

N/A

Mayfair is working on a Hilton in North Vancouver.

15

17

d3h

12

11

997

919

N/A

N/A

An 80 -room Home Inn & Suites at the Regina Airport is now open.

16

N/A

Prestige Hotels

12

N/A

981

N/A

N/A

N/A

17

11

Easton's Group of Hotels

11

15

2,066

2,688

N/A

N/A

18

18

Genesis Hospitality

10

10

1,416

1,416

N/A

N/A

19

N/A

Pomeroy Lodging

10

N/A

923

N/A

N/A

N/A

20

20

Bellstar Hotels & Resorts

10

10

920

920

N/A

N/A

RANK 2014

RANK 2013

1

2

2

COMPANY

EXPANSION NOTES

Temple bought 8 hotels in 2013 and 5 so far in 2014.

The Greenwood Hotel in Winnipeg was converted to a Best Western and the Greenwood in Calgary became a Ramada in 2013.

Sunray has bought 6 hotels in the last 12 months, including its first 3 hotels in Quebec.

Easton's recently sold the Fairfield Mississauga and the Motel 6 Peterborough.

CANADIAN LoDgINg News

TOP 65 CHAINS 2014 REPORT Regional Breakdown

TOP 10 WESTERN DEVELOPER/OWNERS by region

TOP 10 ONTARIO DEVELOPER/OWNERS by region

Units (West): 91 Units (Can): 141 Rooms (West): 6,026 Rooms (Can): 9,364

Units (West): 37 Units (Can): 37 Rooms (West): 2,389 Rooms (Can): 2,389

Units (West): 21 Units (Can): 31 Rooms (West): 2,885 Rooms (Can): 4,289

Units (West): 17 Units (Can): 29 Rooms (West): 4,257 Rooms (Can): 7,259

Units (West): 17 Units (Can): 119 Rooms (West): 2,967 Rooms (Can): 15,142

Units (On): 55 Units (Can): 119 Rooms (On): 7,658 Rooms (Can): 15,142

Units (On): 36 Units (Can): 141 Rooms (On): 2,383 Rooms (Can): 9,364

Units (On): 14 Units (Can): 15 Rooms (On): 1,153 Rooms (Can): 1,902

Units (On): 13 Units (Can): 13 Rooms (On): 1,951 Rooms (Can): 1,951

Units (On): 12 Units (Can): 35 Rooms (On): 1,978 Rooms (Can): 4,151

Units (West): 17 Units (Can): 35 Rooms (West): 1,396 Rooms (Can): 2,923

Units (West): 14 Units (Can): 35 Rooms (West): 1,427 Rooms (Can): 4,151

Units (West): 12 Units (Can): 12 Rooms (West): 1,137 Rooms (Can): 1,137

Units (West): 12 Units (Can): 12 Rooms (West): 997 Rooms (Can): 997

Units (West): 12 Units (Can): 12 Rooms (West): 981 Rooms (Can): 981

Units (On): 11 Units (Can): 14 Rooms (On): 1,082 Rooms (Can): 1,533

Units (On): 10 Units (Can): 17 Rooms (On): 1,378 Rooms (Can): 2,650

Units (On): 10 Units (Can): 11 Rooms (On): 1,755 Rooms (Can): 2,066

Units (On): 10 Units (Can): 14 Rooms (On): 567 Rooms (Can): 914

Units (On): 9 Units (Can): 35 Rooms (On): 868 Rooms (Can): 2,923

TOP 10 WESTERN HOTEL BRANDS by region

TOP 10 ONTARIO HOTEL BRANDS by region

Rank 2013: 1 Units (West): 107 Units (Can): 198 Rooms (West): 9,847 Rooms (Can): 18,495

Rank 2013: 2 Units (West): 84 Units (Can): 131 Rooms (West): 5,380 Rooms (Can): 8,502

Rank 2013: 3 Units (West): 55 Units (Can): 77 Rooms (West):5,212 Rooms (Can): 7,732

Rank 2013: 4 Units (On): 52 Units (Can): 101 Rooms (On): 4,189 Rooms (Can): 8,615

Rank 2013: 5 Units (On): 47 Units (Can): 83 Rooms (On): 4,136 Rooms (Can): 7,824

Rank 2013: 1 Units (On): 66 Units (Can): 145 Rooms (On): 5,822 Rooms (Can): 12,168

Rank 2013: 2 Units (On): 61 Units (Can): 198 Rooms (On): 5,784 Rooms (Can): 18,495

Rank 2013: 4 Units (On): 36 Units (Can): 101 Rooms (On): 3,326 Rooms (Can): 8,615

Rank 2013: 5 Units (On): 33 Units (Can): 86 Rooms (On): 3,249 Rooms (Can): 8,853

Rank 2013: 6 Units (On): 33 Units (Can): 131 Rooms (On): 2,167 Rooms (Can): 8,502

Rank 2013: 7 Units (West): 40 Units (Can): 86 Rooms (West): 4,108 Rooms (Can): 8,853

Rank 2013: 6 Units (West): 39 Units (Can): 41 Rooms (West): 5,662 Rooms (Can): 6,132

Rank 2013: 8 Units (West): 31 Units (Can): 145 Rooms (West): 2,596 Rooms (Can): 12,168

Rank 2013: 9 Units (West): 29 Units (Can): 29 Rooms (West): 3,639 Rooms (Can): 3,639

Rank 2013: 10 Units (West): 27 Units (Can): 65 Rooms (West): 3,768 Rooms (Can): 11,865

Rank 2013: 9 Units (On): 30 Units (Can): 87 Rooms (On): 3,229 Rooms (Can): 8,357

Rank 2013: 3 Units (On): 30 Units (Can): 83 Rooms (On): 2,987 Rooms (Can): 7,824

Rank 2013: 7 Units (On): 29 Units (Can): 61 Rooms (On): 2,063 Rooms (Can): 4,283

Rank 2013: 8 Units (On): 27 Units (Can): 65 Rooms (On): 5,539 Rooms (Can): 11,865

Rank 2013: 10 Units (On): 22 Units (Can): 33 Rooms (On): 859 Rooms (Can): 1,305

TOP 10 QUEBEC DEVELOPER/OWNERS by region

TOP 10 ATLANTIC DEVELOPER/OWNERS by region

Units (Qc): 26 Units (Can): 119 Rooms (Qc): 2,989 Rooms (Can): 15,142

Units (Qc): 8 Units (Can): 8 Rooms (Qc): 1,284 Rooms (Can): 1,284

Units (Qc): 6 Units (Can): 7 Rooms (Qc): 794 Rooms (Can): 880

Units (Qc): 6 Units (Can): 141 Rooms (Qc): 449 Rooms (Can): 9,364

Units (Qc): 5 Units (Can): 29 Rooms (Qc): 1,667 Rooms (Can): 7,259

Units (Atl): 21 Units (Can): 119 Rooms (Atl): 2,598 Rooms (Can): 15,142

Units (Atl): 9 Units (Can): 35 Rooms (Atl): 746 Rooms (Can): 4,151

Units (Atl): 9 Units (Can): 15 Rooms (Atl): 659 Rooms (Can): 2,923

Units (Atl): 8 Units (Can): 23 Rooms (Atl): 1,789 Rooms (Can): 4,430

Units (Atl): 8 Units (Can): 141 Rooms (Atl): 506 Rooms (Can): 9,364

Units (Qc): 4 Units (Can): 4 Rooms (Qc): 1,220 Rooms (Can): 1,220

Units (Qc): 4 Units (Can): 4 Rooms (Qc): 549 Rooms (Can): 549

Units (Qc): 3 Units (Can): 14 Rooms (Qc): 451 Rooms (Can): 1,533

Units (Qc): 3 Units (Can): 14 Rooms (Qc): 180 Rooms (Can): 914

Units (Qc): 3 Units (Can): 3 Rooms (Qc): 898 Rooms (Can): 898

Units (Atl): 7 Units (Can): 7 Rooms (Atl): 1,162 Rooms (Can): 1,162

Units (Atl): 6 Units (Can): 6 Rooms (Atl): 576 Rooms (Can): 576

Units (Atl): 4 Units (Can): 29 Rooms (Atl): 625 Rooms (Can): 7,259

Units (Atl): 4 Units (Can): 8 Rooms (Atl): 513 Rooms (Can): 1,061

Units (Atl): 4 Units (Can): 4 Rooms (Atl): 188 Rooms (Can): 188

TOP 10 QUEBEC HOTEL BRANDS by region

TOP 10 ATLANTIC HOTEL BRANDS by region HOTELS & RESORTS

Rank 2013: 1 Units (Qc): 28 Units (Can): 145 Rooms (Qc): 2,226 Rooms (Can): 12,168

Rank 2013: 2 Units (Qc): 21 Units (Can): 87 Rooms (Qc): 1,956 Rooms (Can): 8,357

Rank 2013: 3 Units (Qc): 14 Units (Can): 198 Rooms (Qc): 1,527 Rooms (Can): 18,495

Rank 2013: 4 Units (Qc): 10 Units (Can): 54 Rooms (Qc): 478 Rooms (Can): 2,805

Rank 2013: 5 Units (Qc): 8 Units (Can): 8 Rooms (Qc): 1,164 Rooms (Can): 1,164

Rank 2013: 1 Units (Atl): 20 Units (Can): 145 Rooms (Atl): 1,542 Rooms (Can): 12,168

Rank 2013: 2 Units (Atl): 15 Units (Can): 198 Rooms (Atl): 1,310 Rooms (Can): 18,495

Rank 2013: 7 Units (Atl): 10 Units (Can): 44 Rooms (Atl): 1,065 Rooms (Can): 11,965

Rank 2013: 3 Units (Atl): 9 Units (Can): 9 Rooms (Atl): 1,101 Rooms (Can): 1,101

Rank 2013: 4 Units (Atl): 9 Units (Can): 87 Rooms (Atl): 590 Rooms (Can): 8,357

Rank 2013: 0 Units (Qc): 8 Units (Can): 77 Rooms (Qc): 938 Rooms (Can): 7,732

Rank 2013: 6 Units (Qc): 7 Units (Can): 86 Rooms (Qc): 1,844 Rooms (Can): 8,853

Rank 2013: 0 Units (Qc): 6 Units (Can): 61 Rooms (Qc): 510 Rooms (Can): 4,283

Rank 2013: 9 Units (Qc): 6 Units (Can): 101 Rooms (Qc): 458 Rooms (Can): 8,615

Rank 2013: 10 Units (Qc): 6 Units (Can): 131 Rooms (Qc): 449 Rooms (Can): 8,502

Rank 2013: 5 Units (Atl): 8 Units (Can): 131 Rooms (Atl): 506 Rooms (Can): 8,502

Rank 2013: 6 Units (Atl): 7 Units (Can): 86 Rooms (Atl): 1,896 Rooms (Can): 8,853

Rank 2013: 8 Units (Atl): 7 Units (Can): 101 Rooms (Atl): 650 Rooms (Can): 8,615

Rank 2013: 9 Units (Atl): 7 Units (Can): 61 Rooms (Atl): 529 Rooms (Can): 4,283

Rank 2013: 0 Units (Atl): 6 Units (Can): 6 Rooms (Atl): 344 Rooms (Can): 344

CANADIAN LoDgINg News

TOP 65 CHAINS 2014 REPORT TOP 35 CANADIAN HOTEL BRANDS RANK 2014

RANK 2013

1

1

2

by units

UNITS (2014)

UNITS (2013)

ROOMS (2014)

ROOMS (2013)

Best Western International Canada

198

200

18,495

18,093

Opened new property in Peace River, AB recently. Has launched a new extended stay prototype; new build PLUS level

2

Comfort (CHC)

145

147

12,168

12,278

Five properties under development across Canada.

3

3

Super 8 (WYN)

131

136

8,502

8,906

Super 8s opened recently in Fox Creek, AB and Huntsville, ON.

4

4

Days Inns - Canada (REA)

101

99

8,615

8,585

Opened locations in Vernon, BC, Sault Ste Marie, ON, Leamington, ON, Grande Cache, AB, North Bay, ON and Stouffville, ON in 2014.

5

7

Quality (CHC)

87

82

8,357

7,926

Five properties under development across Canada.

6

6

Holiday Inn Express (IHG)

86

82

8,853

8,368

Opening hotels in Spruce Grove, AB and Fort St. John, BC in the fall of 2014.

7

5

Travelodge (Canada) Limited Partnership (TRA)

83

84

7,824

7,995

Looking to expand across Canada.

8

8

Ramada Worldwide (WYN)

77

76

7,732

7,670

The Greenwood Inn at Calgary Airport converted to Ramada recently.

9

9

Holiday Inn Hotel & Resorts (IHG)

65

65

11,865

11,865

Opening a new hotel in London, ON in the fall of 2014.

10

10

Howard Johnson Canada (WYN)

61

60

4,283

4,230

Howard Johnson's latest hotel is in Cornwall, ON.

11

11

Econo Lodge (CHC)

54

53

2,805

2,793

Two properties under development.

12

12

Delta Hotels and Resorts

44

41

11,965

10,990

Opened a new Delta in Waterloo, ON in summer 2014. Flagship Delta Toronto at South Financial Core is slated to open in fall 2014. Also opening a new 150-room hotel in Thunder Bay, ON and a 170 room hotel in Prince George, BC in 2015.

13

13

Sandman Hotel Group (SAN)

41

41

6,132

6,132

Opening Sandman Signature in Kamloops, BC and Sandman Hotel in Oakville, ON in 2014.

14

14

Hampton Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites (HIL)

39

37

4,305

4,044

Three Hamptons are scheduled to open in 2014 ... Calgary Airport North, Halifax Downtown and Winnipeg Airport.

15

15

Knights Inn Canada Franchise Systems Limited (FUL)

33

30

1,305

1,148

Knights added hotels in Brechin, ON, Lloydminster, AB, Brooks, AB, and Edmonton South, and lost Christina Lake, BC, Burnaby, BC and London Downtown.

16

16

Coast Hotels & Resorts

29

29

3,639

3,952

Coast lost the Coast Edmonton East Hotel (258 rooms) and have recently gained the Coast Canmore Hotel (164 rooms). There have been other changes over the last year (303 room Coast Edmonton House Hotel converted to condos).

17

18

Four Points by Sheraton (STA)

28

26

4,086

3,866

Opened in Regina, SK and Waterloo, ON in 2014.

18

17

Canada's Best Value Inn (VAN)

27

27

1,219

1,207

Added a hotel in Trenton, ON in 2014.

19

19

Motel 6 (REA)

24

22

2,079

1,973

Opened locations in Regina, SK, Airdrie, AB and Innisfail, AB in 2014.

20

20

Lakeview Management Inc

22

22

1,637

1,604

The Grand Hotel at Winnipeg Airport is Lakeview's newest property.

21

21

Courtyard by Marriott (MAR)

21

21

3,835

3,734

New Courtyards in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Markham, ON and Oshawa, ON in 2014.

22

22

Hilton Garden Inn (HIL)

21

21

3,255

3,260

23

24

Residence Inn by Marriott (MAR)

20

19

2,928

2,808

24

23

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

19

20

9,954

9,989

25

25

Sheraton Hotels and Resorts (STA)

18

18

7,969

7,969

No new Sheratons planned for Canada.

26

28

Marriott Hotels & Resorts (MAR)

16

15

5,355

5,465

Added the Marriott Quebec City in 2014.

27

26

Radisson (CAR)

16

16

3,090

3,055

The Edmonton Hotel and Conference Centre is converting to Radisson in September, 2014.

28

N/A

Homewood Suites by Hilton (HIL)

16

10

1,812

1,068

Six Homewoods have opened in the last year (Ajax, ON, Halifax, Hamilton, Calgary Airport, Winnipeg Airport and Waterloo/St. Jacobs, ON).

29

27

Westin Hotels & Resorts (STA)

15

15

5,638

5,671

30

29

Hilton (HIL)

15

15

5,456

5,308

31

33

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott (MAR)

14

11

1,562

1,234

32

31

Canalta Hotels

14

12

963

725

33

35

Prestige Hotels

13

11

1,081

1,009

34

30

Executive Hotels & Resorts

12

14

1,969

2,080

35

32

Canad Inn

11

11

1,326

1,326

COMPANY

EXPANSION NOTES

Added the Residence Inn Ottawa Airport in late 2013.

Opening hotels in Kamloops, BC and Barrie, ON in 2014.

Canalta opened a hotel in Lac La Biche, AB recently. They also converted a Super 8 in Brooks, AB to the Canalta brand.

200-room McPhillips Station Casino Hotel plans to open in 2014.

RECREATIONAL pROjECTs CAN bE up ANd RuNNINg THIs EAsILY WITH AsI. ASI is providing leading developers fast, easy-to-deploy, customized water and wastewater solutions. Using some of the most advanced environmental technologies, we make it easy to get your project started and your existing sites running more efficiently.

No two projects are exactly alike so we develop right-sized, custom solutions that are tailored to your specific situation.

From obtaining regulatory approvals, to design, build and ongoing operation, we provide a single-point of accountability and cost certainty for our clients. For over 25 years we’ve made water our core business, so you can focus on what you do best.

Customized water & wastewater solutions.

asi-group.com

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

26 |

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

prod u ct s UniMac hardmount washer-extractors

Hardmount washer-extractors

Dry hands for a cause

Oil Eater cleaning solution

UniMac’s redesigned UW 85-160-pound hardmount washer-extractors (above, centre) feature the UniLinc Control System—available on all larger capacity models within the UW series—providing an easy-to-use performance and maintenance data system. OPTispray Rinsing Technology provides faster cycle times and saves 45 per cent of non-wash water with every bath. www.unimac.com

Until June 30, 2015, Cascades is donating 50 cents per case sold—with a minimum donation of $5,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation—of its pink hand towels, while supplies last.

Made from 100-per-cent recycled fibres, Cascades Pink hand towels (shown at right) are available in multifold, universal roll and roll towel. www.bcrfcure.org

Biodegradable, non-corrosive, non-toxic and non-flammable, water-based Oil Eater Orange cuts through grease, oil, fats and grime. Ideal for cleaning stoves, exhaust hoods, countertops, concrete floors and walls—and leaves no residue.

Available in a 32 oz. spray, 1-gallon bottle and 5-, 30-, and 55-gallon containers. www.oileater.com

Eco-friendly plates

Designer restroom accessories

One-piece pedestal tub

Eco-friendly plates from Klover Sales include the Bamboo Leaf Square Dish, available in three sizes and featuring a bamboo leaf pattern; the disposable and biodegradable Square Wood Plate; and the Sugarcane Square Plate, available in a range of sizes from large serving trays to small appetizer portions. www.kloversales.com

The new Signature Series of designer restroom accessories from Cintas Canada, Ltd. offers businesses a stylish alternative to the traditional, industrial look of the standard commercial restroom. The collection includes everything from soap and toilet paper dispensers to air fresheners and trash cans—all in a sleek, functional and customizable design. www.cintas.ca/signatureseries

Laney 2 one-piece pedestal tub.

Every minute matters when it comes to saving lives.

MTI Baths’ Laney 2 one-piece pedestal tub (top right) is made of durable acrylic and features a curved rim. Comes standard as a soaking tub or may be ordered as an air bath. Available with therapy options such as Chromatherapy, Stereo H2O and Radiance, a heating system that warms the tub’s interior shell. www.mtibaths.com

That’s why companies are turning to Rescue 7 for quick-to-deploy life-saving equipment like the Evacusafe Excel Chair.

Motorized chair

Dry hands for a cause with Cascades.

Evacusafe Excel chairs are lightweight and fea- Drop chair reintroduced Evacusafe chairs are specifically help people ture a Excel friction-controlled trackdesigned for slow and conRepublic ofto Fritz Hansen has reintroduced the Panasonic Canada’s WJ-NV300 networkwith video limited trolled descent, and easily glide down stairs, fire 1958 Arne Jacobsen Drop chair (below), in six or impaired mobility.

Network video recorder

recorder (below), designed for small to medium- escapes and flat surfaces, with up to 400 pounds plastic colors—black, white, storm blue, stone sized businesses, delivers reliable, embedded vid- on board (no lifting or manual handling re- grey, fire red and sand yellow—available with eo surveillance. The system’s scalability, through quired). Once ground level has been reached, chrome powder-coated Excel chairs are lightweight and easytheto set uporand use. legs in matching coone interface, makes it easy to adjust to different chair handles fold away and turn the device into lours. Available with textile or leather upholstery.

With track for slow and controlled property sizes or surveillance needs. Can be pro- a afriction-controlled www.fritzhansen.com temporary wheelchair. grammed to monitor multiple hotels. www.rescue7.net descent, the Excel easily glides down stairs, fire escapes or www.panasonic.com/ca/home/

Eco-friendly plates from Klover Sales.

flat surfaces, with upLED tolamp 400 pounds on board, no lifting Indoor-outdoor Ipnos is a new indoor-outdoor LED light sculpor manual handling required. ture designed by Rossi & Bianchi Studio for

FLOS. Ipnos is a hollow cuboid, from which light emanates between its metal frames. Weighing Once ground level has been reached, the Excel chair handles two pounds, Ipnos is portable yet remains sturdy through wind and other elements. fold away and turn theweather device into a temporary wheelchair. www.usa.flos.com Network video recorder from Panasonic.

Fritz Hansen reintroduces Drop chair

With a supportive flat seat base, armrests and padded headrest the chair offers comfortable seating for extended periods of time.

Kärcher Commercial Sweepers

Motorized Evacusafe Excel chair.

When not in use, Evacusafe Excel chairs fold flat for hanging.

Each chair ships with a set of wall hooks, an “Evacuation Chair” wall sign and a sturdy, long lasting protective cover.

Excel Evacuation Chair Specifications: Load Capacity

Sweep i n g

400 lbs.

Height (folded/open) Depth (folded/open) Width S o l u tio n s In d o o r s Weight

or

44.5”/52” 11.5”/39” (max) 25.5” Ou30 tdlbs. o o rs

Length in use

56.25”

Learn more.

Contact us today.

Rescue 7 Inc. 107-550 Alden Road Ontario, Canada L3R 6A8 Email: sales@rescue7.net Office: 905.474.0770

T h e c h o i c e o f E X E C U T I V E H O U S E K E E P E On R Stheaweb: n d www.rescue7.net housekeeping s t a f f f r o m N e w f o u n d l a n d t o Va n c o u v e r I s l ©a2014 n dRescue . 7 Inc.

Excel Evacuation Chair Benefits: • Friction-controlled track helps the Ipnos sculptured indoor-outdoor LED lamp. chair glide smoothly down stairs under single-person operation • Four wheels make the chair easy to maneuver; also doubles as a temporary wheel chair • Lightweight, easy to set up and use, providing swift and safe evacuation Oil Eater Orange cleaning solution.

• Supportive flat seat, cushioned head, arm and foot rests included at no additional cost.

• Foot operated brake and quick release safety harness for secure, safe operation

Av a i l a b l e a t K ä r c h e r S a l e s d e a l e r s c o a s t t o c o a s t

1.888.705.9444



www.karcher.ca Cintas Signature paper towel dispenser.

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

S E P T E M B E R 2 014

| 27

S UPPLY

Aptech dashboards give operators an advantage TripAdvisor launches GreenLeaders in Canada

Green Key Global unveils v2.0 of meetings program

NEWTON, MA—TripAdvisor has launched its GreenLeaders program in Canada to help travelers plan greener trips by highlighting hotels and bed-and-breakfasts engaging in environmentally friendly practices.

Developed in consultation with the International Center for Responsible Tourism Canada, the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Tourism Partnership, the program awards qualifying hotels and B&Bs TripAdvisor GreenLeaders status based on the ecofriendly practices the properties have in place.

Under the program, travelers can tailor their search on TripAdvisor for hotels participating in the program and view a detailed list of environmentally-friendly practices they can expect at each location.

The program ranks a property’s green practices based on four levels of participation— Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum—which will be shown prominently on the property’s listing on the TripAdvisor site.

TripAdvisor GreenLeaders launched in the U.S. in April, 2013, and is the largest green hotels program of its kind in North America.

OTTAWA—Green Key Global has launched version 2.0 of its Green Key Meetings Certification Program, developed with the assistance of senior meeting planner professionals and incorporating current meeting-practice elements as well as complementing APEX/ASTM Green Meeting Standards.

Co-created by Green Key Global and the MPI Foundation of Canada, the Green Key Meetings program is a comprehensive assessment tool for lodging and event facilities that host meetings of any size. The program is a tool for travel, meeting and conference planners to determine a facility’s level of commitment to environmental issues.

To support ASTM/APEX standards, Green Key Meetings v2.0 focuses properties on activities related to meetings and events, ultimately helping them to align with ASTM/APEX. These activities include: create written reduction plans for energy, waste and water; create numeric targets against which to benchmark progress, including the creation of baselines; and the use of specific technologies and activities to help reduce waste, water, pollution and energy.

PITTSBURGH, PA—Aptech’s Execuvue dashboard’s flexible platform allows clients to view dashboards with an array of data and a variety of charts or graphs. Anyone within an organization who requires performance management information can view it on whichever device best suits them wherever they may be. Execuvue leverages the latest IBM/Cognos tools to deliver mobile data and is drawing enthusiastic responses from multi-property, multi-flag operators.

The dashboard solution automatically can gather data from separate hotel property man-

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agement systems daily and combine it with each property’s STR comp-set information. Furthermore, Aptech merges the data, analyzes it and creates interactive reports and mobile tablet dashboards for every property.

Karcher scrubber drier nominated for award CAMAS, WA—Karcher’s new BR 35/12 compact scrubber drier has been nominated for the 2014 ISSA Innovation Award Program.

The BR 35/12 scrubber drier provides outstanding maneuverability, as the steering wheel directly controls the machine’s brush head.

Its maintenance-free lithium ion rechargeable battery provides significant weight savings over the use of conventional battery technology, making it light and easy to handle.

Turning the brush head inward allows the BR 35/12 to clean in reverse.

The stainless steel steering column is height adjustable and can be folded down for storage and transportation, and the roller brush cleans highly structured floors efficiently, thanks to a small surface area ensuring high-contact pressure.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

PE OPLE

Dominique Colliat, EVP, hotel services, North America, Accor.

David Dvorak, former VP catering, Starwood now at Cendyn Arcaneo.

Vancouver chef David Hawksworth kicked off Silver Star Festival.

Frank Windsor, general manager, Rinnai tankless water heaters.

Duff Lampard, executive chef, Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Grant Sceney, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Bartender of the Year.

Celso Thompson, director of sales and marketing, Hotel X Toronto.

Tom Tittel, VP operations, Eastern Cda., SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts.

Accor hotel group has announced the appointment of Dominique Colliat to the position of executive vice president, hotel services, North and Central America and Caribbean. A 27-year veteran of Accor, Colliat began her career at Accor managing a succession of hotels in the Caribbean, France and Great Britain. In 1998, she departed the company after 20 years to join Club Med, where she became vice president, operations of Club Med North America, Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2006, Colliat returned to Accor to help reposition the Sofitel brand, and in 2009, she was promoted to senior vice president, operations for Sofitel Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

There’s a new head of the kitchen at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as Duff Lampard has been named executive chef, taking over the 14,000-square-foot kitchen and 49-person staff from Angelo Fernandes. A former chef de partie at Alberta’s Chateau Lake Louise and Jasper Park Lodge, Lampard has also been executive chef of Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle and a professor of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism at George Brown College. The kitchen staff changes follow a $6 million renovation of the MTCC’s kitchen in 2013.

Dan Craig will be helming the kitchen at the Delta Toronto hotel when that property launch-

Dan Craig, executive chef for Delta Toronto, which opens late this fall.

Todd Ryan, director of sales and marketing, Starwood Hotels.

Laura Bevan, human resource advisor, Tourism Association of PEI.

Tejash Chauhan, VP, risk and asset management, SilverBirch.

es at the end of November. Craig most recently worked as executive chef at e.b.o restaurant in the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre in Burnaby, BC. Craig trained in Australian restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, and in 2007, he competed against 26 other countries to win the Grand Gold Medal at the la Châine des Rôtisseurs International Competition, in Adelaide.

Pamela Cornelio has been named Eden Textile’s account manager covering the Greater Toronto Area and Eastern Ontario region. Her previous experience includes 10-plus years of hotel sales management for various Toronto hotels. Most recently, Cornelio was senior sales manager for DoubleTree by Hilton Toronto Airport (now called the International Plaza Hotel), where she worked from 2009 to 2013 looking after the corporate and association market segments. From 2007 to 2009, she was catering sales manager for the Four Points by Sheraton Mississauga Meadowvale.

David Dvorak, CMP, the former vice president of catering and event management for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, has joined strategic meetings management software developer Cendyn Arcaneo in the newly created role of vice president, strategic accounts. Dvorak brings over 30 years of industry experience to the position. Prior to his work for Starwood,

he served as director of convention and event services at Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Cendyn Arcaneo is headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, and has offices in Toronto and London, UK. Grant Sceney of The Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver was crowned the 2014 Canadian Bartender of the Year in the Diageo World Class Canada competition. In late June, 10 of the country’s best mixologists competed for Canada’s Bartender of the Year title during four challenges over two days testing their bartending knowledge, skill, speed and showmanship. As the 2014 Canadian champion, Sceney travelled to Britain, where he competed against bartenders from 42 countries at the World Class Global Finals from July 28 to Aug. 1.

Todd Ryan has been named area director of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Eastern Canada, based at the Westin Ottawa. Ryan brings more than 15 years of hotel and sales experience to the position. He comes to Ottawa from New York City, where he was area director of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels. Previously, he was director of sales and marketing at the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. Ryan has also worked in sales and marketing positions in San Antonio, TX, and Monterey and San Francisco, CA, with the Westin, Sheraton, Hilton and Hyatt brands.

Vancouver chef David Hawksworth hosted a dinner kicking off Silver Star Mountain Resort’s Wine and Food Festival that took place the weekend of Aug 8. On the evening of Aug. 8, Hawksworth served a four-course menu, paired with Okanagan wines. “This is the first time we have collaborated with a highprofile chef like David,” said Jesse Crockett, Silver Star’s hospitality director. In addition to Hawksworth’s appearances, the festival featured food and wine seminars and art gallery viewings.

Daphne Dickson joins hotel SystemsPro as vice president of customer satisfaction. In her VP role, she will oversee support for the company’s hotel SalesPro, hotel Sales & CateringPro, hotel ServicePro, hotel WebSpace and hotel ProposalPro products. Based in hotel SystemsPro’s Atlanta headquarters, Dickson is a 10-year hospitality veteran who began her hotel career as catering manager for a large full-service property in Atlanta and over time has gained extensive operations and support experience.

Hotel X Toronto At Exhibition Place has named Celso Thompson director of sales and marketing. Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thompson immigrated to Montreal in April, 1987, and has more than 16 years experience in the hospitality industry. He recently served as director of sales, catering and marketing for a leading downtown property in Toronto. He has also worked at hotels in Montreal and Philadelphia for both hotel corporations and independent properties.

Located in a 29-storey building on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition, on Toronto’s waterfront, Hotel X Toronto is set to open in late 2015. The property will be owned and managed by The Library Hotel Collection.

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Laura Bevan has joined the Tourism Industry Association of Prince Edward Island (TIAPEI) as human resource advisor.

At TIAPEI, Bevan’s duties include maintaining and promoting the organization’s tourism website, co-ordinating workshops and seminars, delivering presentations to promote careers in the tourism industry and offering human resource guidance to tourism industry members.

A graduate of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, with a bachelor of commerce degree and a certificate in human resource management, Bevan has worked at Halifax’s The Chronicle Herald in the human resources department and completed an internship with the provincial government.

Tankless water heater manufacturer Rinnai has announced that Frank Windsor has joined the company as general manager. With 23 years’ experience at Kohler, Windsor has risen through a series of leadership positions, including branch manager in Atlanta and Detroit; director positions for builder, hospitality and commercial sales; retail sales; and the central region. He most recently held the position of vice president of sales, Plumbing America.

SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Tom Tittel as vice president of operations, Eastern Canada and the promotion of Tejash Chauhan to vice president, risk and asset management.

In his new role, Tittel will work closely with SilverBirch’s Eastern Canada hotel operations and the corporate sales and marketing team in the company’s satellite office in Toronto.

Chauhan joined SilverBirch in July 2010 and brings over 12 years of experience as an engineering and risk management professional specializing in the development of broad-based, proactive risk management practices. Prior to joining SilverBirch, he was a vice president at Aon Risk Services in Vancouver.

SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts has also announced the appointment of Rick Fraser as director of sales for the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre Regina. Fraser brings nearly 25 years of marketing and sales experience to SilverBirch. Previously, he worked in the advertising industry; was executive director, Regina Chamber of Commerce; and most recently VP sales and marketing with Postmedia in Saskatchewan.

owned and managed hotels in Canada and the U.S. McAteer joined Concord in 2003 and was promoted to VP, sales and marketing in 2005.

Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions with Marriott International, including area GM for Courtyard and certified regional sales trainer for Residence Inn. Cody Milch has been promoted to vice president, OPL sales and PLUS, at Laundrylux.

He will now lead all OPL business throughout North America for Electrolux and Wascomat products as well as PLUS. Last year, Milch joined Laundrylux as PLUS product manager and has made great strides in generating business and developing the PLUS service and technology.

Working with Electrolux Professional, Milch and his team will develop relationships with architects, consultants and others to specify the company’s products into projects.

MasterBUILT Hotels Ltd. has announced the appointment of Donna Fahey as director of sales and marketing; Carrie Larose as manager, hotel openings and Scott Provan as project coordinator, MasterBUILT Hotels construction division.

Prior to her appointment, Fahey worked at Bellstar Hotels & Resorts and most recently held the role of director of sales and marketing at the Delta Bow Valley, in Calgary.

Larose’s previous roles with Helms Briscoe and Calgary’s Blackfoot Inn contribute to her successful track record in sales, marketing and operations. She will be responsible for the preopening of the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham properties that are under development with MasterBUILT. A 21-year veteran with Jayman MasterBUILT, Provan has moved through the Jayman organization in a variety of roles and responsibilities, from production designer in 1993 to corporate estimating in 2002, followed by positions as regional estimator, pricing estimator and senior estimator. He will report to David

Roger Crellin, executive director, FCS Computer Systems.

Graeme Barrit, CEO Itesso, was formerly president of Coast Hotels.

Kevin McAteer, SVP marketing and sales, Concord Hospitality.

Cody Milch, vice president OPL sales and PLUS, Laundrylux.

Donna Fahey, director of sales and marketing, MasterBUILT Hotels.

Carrie Larose, manager, hotel openings, MasterBUILT Hotels

Bengert, vice president, construction.

Nick Vesely, who has an extensive background managing landmark luxury hotels including Sutton Place Toronto, has taken on a new role as general manager of Cambridge Suites Hotel Toronto as of Aug. 5. Vesely comes to Cambridge Suites after a two-year term as executive director of Living Life on the Avenue, a luxury retirement home at Eglinton and Avenue Road in Toronto. Prior to that he was GM of Sutton Place for 15 years, until it closed in 2012.

Over his 35-plus-year career, he has had proven success in all facets of hotel operations. He has also managed the Bristol Place and Park Plaza hotels in Toronto. Vesely is active in the Ontario tourism industry, having served with Tourism Toronto and the Greater Toronto Hotel Associa-

tion. In 2009, he was named Hotelier of the Year by the Ontario Hostelry Institute.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has promoted three veteran employees within the Americas region.

Colleen Keating has been named to the newly created position of senior vice president, franchise operations and compliance, and Lynne Dougherty will assume the new role of senior vice president, owner services and franchise administration. In addition, Vera Manoukian has been promoted to senior vice president, operations for the North Region, which includes all of the full-service hotels in Eastern Canada from Ontario to Newfoundland. All three executives will report to Bob Hermany, chief of North American and global initiatives for Starwood.

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FCS Computer Systems (FCS) has named Roger Crellin executive director, with responsibilities focusing on North America and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Crellin’s experience includes serving as chief operating officer for Cologne-based Acentic gmbH, a designer and manufacturer of IP television components and multimedia services, and serving as general manager at Fujifilm Retail Australasia.

Former Coast Hotels & Resorts president Graeme Barrit has been named chief executive officer of hospitality technology provider Itesso.

Barrit’s primary responsibilities will include helping Itesso bolster its advanced technology offerings worldwide and transition from a software solutions provider to a service company with industry leading SaaS (Software as a Service) offerings. Prior to joining Itesso, his 30-year career included positions as regional director of sales and marketing for Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and director of sales for Commonwealth Holiday Inns. He has also served as a co-chair for the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council.

Hotel operator Concord Hospitality Enterprises has announced the promotion of Kevin McAteer to senior vice president, marketing and sales, responsible for direct sales, e-commerce and revenue management for the company’s 90

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Call 905.206.7316 or go to ChoiceHotelsFranchise.ca to learn more

©2014 Choice Hotels Canada Inc. All rights reserved.

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TH E

WIN NE RS ’

UniMac awards its 2013 distributor of the year RIPON, WIS.—Laundry equipment specialist UniMac has given Super Laundry its 2013 Distributor of the Year award. For more than 40 years, UniMac has presented this award to one of its distributors.

“When determining our top distributor each year, we not only look for a company

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

CI RCL E

with impressive sales growth, but one that shows proven dedication to its customers and providing the best in quality service,” said UniMac national sales manager Bill Brooks in a release. “With its expanding geographical footprint and exceptional customer service, Super Laundry has made its mark as both a valued member of UniMac’s distributor network and of the on-premises laundry industry. ”

The Distributor of the Year award is given to the top performing UniMac distributor based on total sales volume for the year.

Super 8 in Amherst, NS celebrates 10th anniversary AMHERST, NS—The Super 8 property in Amherst, NS, celebrated its 10th anniversary at the end of May, marking the occasion with

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Lobby of Super 8, Amherst, NS

a kids’ bouncy castle and pony rides, arcade games, a BBQ, raffle and 50/50 draw raising money for the West Highlands Elementary School Enhancement project.

Spearheading the celebration was general manager Janalyn Smith and her staff.

Offering 50 guestrooms and suites, Super 8 Amherst serves a SuperStart Breakfast, and provides free parking and unlimited local and toll-free calling. In-room amenities include microwave, mini-fridge, 32-inch flatscreen TV and coffeemaker with tea service.

Choice golf tourney raises $30,000 for charitable partners TORONTO—Choice Hotels Canada’s first annul charity golf tournament, held in June, raised $30,000 for its charitable partners.

In support of the Choice Hotels Canada Foundation, the event drew more than 100 players to Piper’s Heath Golf Course in Milton, ON. Activities included a hole-in-one contest, beer sampling, prizes and a silent auction.

The money raised was split evenly among three charitable partners, including the Aga Khan Foundation Canada; Canadian Feed the Children; and Sleeping Children Around The World.

The evening wrapped up with a reception and dinner.

Westin Prince marks 40th anniversary with tea festivities

PLATINUM LEVEL SPONSORS

TORONTO—In July, the Westin Prince Hotel in Toronto celebrated its 40th anniversary with afternoon ruby tea festivities.

With the hotel leadership team on hand, the property, located in North Toronto, celebrated four decades in business welcoming guests from far and wide.

“We’re honoured to be celebrating the ruby anniversary at the Westin Prince,” general manager Ashok Baghel said in a release. “Over the years, the city has grown exponentially, yet the hotel remains cradled on 15 acres of beautiful parkland and we’re the only hotel in Ontario to receive AAA Four Diamond Status for 39 consecutive years. I would like to extend heartiest congratulations to all of our dedicated associates for taking such great care of our guests and local visitors.”

In addition, Baghel noted that six associates currently employed at the property have been with the hotel since its doors opened in 1974.

SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS

INNER CIRCLE SPONSORS A. Lassonde Inc. • FRHI Hotels & Resorts • Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee Inc. BENEFACTOR SPONSORS Ecolab • Hunter Amenities International Ltd. • Maple Leaf Foodservice McCain Foods Canada • PepsiCo Beverages Canada • The Fairmont Royal York

Westin Prince’s 40th anniversary cake

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Raising decibels to address noise problems A sound like softly-blowing air

Sound masking systems consist of a speaker on the wall or ceiling (near left and circled in pink above) and a small electronic user control device (far left).

This installation was at Fogo Island Inn. Photo of room: Alex Fradkin. Photos of speakers and controls: Paddy Barry.

BURLINGTON, ON—Noise can be a major problem for hotels—a problem they don’t always hear about. It could be the ice machine or elevator noise, the parties going on in the next room, people running in the halls, or the door slamming as someone leaves to catch an early morning plane.

Niklas Moeller is VP of KR Moeller Associates Ltd., which specializes in sound masking using LogiSon Acoustic Network, with hotel projects that include the Fogo Island Inn in Joe Batt’s Arm, NL, the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York City, the Ritz Carlton in Charlotte, NC and the Marriott Springhill Suites in Sacramento, CA. “I do a lot of business travel, so I’m not surprised to see that noise regularly tops the list of guest complaints, according to the J.D. Power North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study of 2010,” said Moeller.

“Not even luxury properties are resistant to this problem. The 2011 study delved even deeper, finding that only 43 per cent of guests made their dissatisfaction known to staff and, of those, just 35 per cent said the issue was fixed. That left 85 per cent of noise problems unreported or unresolved.”

Moeller, who takes sound analyzing equipment with him on his travels, noted that the main problem with hotel rooms is that they are too quiet. The background sound level in guestrooms is very low, ranging from the high 20s to the low 30s in decibels, without mechanical system noises from air conditioners, etc.

Hotels are constructed well and block out vast quantities of noise, resulting in a deathly silent interior environment, Moeller told CLN. “The noises that do come through are rarely very loud—usually less than 40 decibels. They’re disruptive because of how loud they sound relative to the background sound.”

Moeller gave an example to illustrate his point. If you are sleeping at home, a dripping faucet or the wind outside can irritate or wake you, but on an airplane where the decibel level is a consistent 78 to 80 decibels, it’s possible to sleep through some of those things.

“Strangely enough, sound masking systems raise the noise in order to make it more quiet.

It’s counter intuitive, but this smooths out and covers up intermittent noise. You don’t hear the traffic outside or the airplane overhead.

The amount of change in sound won’t wake you.”

Sound masking covers frequencies ranging from 100 to 5,000 Hertz and sounds like air blowing softly through a vent, but less noticeable than a mechanical noise, said Moeller.

A dimmer switch can be installed in each room to allow guests to control their acoustic comfort. A sign on the wall, a little acrylic plaque or a tent card explains the purpose of the control. “Once people are introduced to it, it’s not hard to use,” Moeller noted.

Installation consists of a flush-mounted speaker in the wall or ceiling of a guestroom, along with a small electronic user control device.

Sound masking systems can be incorporated in initial building design and construction—the Fogo Island Inn chose this option.

But for hotels looking to renovate, sound masking is far less costly than adding absorptive material such as ceiling tiles, panels and flooring or replacing technologies with quieter options.

“It’s relatively easy to retrofit—we need one or two hours in a room, that’s all,” Moeller said. The cost ranges from $150 per room to several hundred dollars per room.

Operationally it costs next to nothing as it consumes very little energy.

Moeller’s first hotel project was a hotel in New York City that had issues with a noisy bar located at the bottom of an open atrium that had generated a number of guest complaints.

“They did a trial installation on a couple of floors, then later did all eight floors. They connected all the rooms together and put them on a timer that ramped things up when the bar was noisy and ramped them down afterward,” Moeller said.

That first installation took place more than 10 years ago. One employee from that hotel moved to another property in Florida,

Fogo Island Inn of Joe Batt’s Arm, NL incorporated sound masking in its design.

and installed the sound masking system in his hotel.

Successful installations Moeller stressed the need for guest control capabilities—the one installation where the hotel didn’t want guest controls was unsuccessful.

Hotels should make sure the sound masking system is installed correctly, usually near the bed.

They should make Niklas Moeller sure they have the right kind of masking sound, and that frequencies are adjusted to a level people find comfortable. Finally, if the hotel wants to time the noise levels, a networked system gives greater control of zoning and sche duling.

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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

Atlific to manage Ontario and Alberta Properties TORONTO—Atlific Hotels has taken over management of three Ontario properties — Days Inn Thunder Bay North and Days Inn & Suites Thunder Bay and TownePlace Suites

by Marriott Sudbury, all of which were recently acquired by Temple Hotels Inc.

Located in the heart of downtown, Days Inn & Suites Thunder Bay is a limited-service, three-storey property with 92 guestrooms. The hotel features a complimentary breakfast, 700-square-foot meeting space, fitness room, indoor swimming pool with spa and free Wi-Fi. Days Inn Thunder Bay North, recipient of the 2014 TripAdvisor Certificate of Ex-

cellence Award, is a limited-service, threestorey property offering 92 guestrooms.

Situated five km from downtown Thunder Bay, the hotel offers complimentary breakfast, in-room microwave and refrigerator, a 350-square-foot meeting room and fitness room.

Tracy Kennedy has been appointed general manager of both properties.

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

With 105 suites, TownePlace Suites by Marriott Sudbury extended-stay property features fully equipped kitchens, work areas with personalized voicemail, and free high-speed Internet. Guests can also enjoy The Lobby Lounge, a complimentary daily hot breakfast, barbecue facilities and a picnic area.

Atlific Hotels is also managing the TownePlace Suites

by Marriott Red Deer, which opened to the public late last month.

“Atlific is excited to take on the management of this newly built 92-room TownePlace Suites,” said Tim Tindle, VP operations, Atlific Hotels. “This property is the first fully extended-stay hotel in the market, and was designed to provide an upscale residential atmosphere for guests looking for a comfortable long stay.”

Best Western launches properties in Fox Creek and Lethbridge, AB LETHBRIDGE, AB—Best Western has launched two properties in Alberta, Best Western Plus Fox Creek and Best Western Plus Service Inn & Suites, in Lethbridge.

Located on the Highway to Alaska, with easy access to both Grande Prairie and Edmonton, the Fox Creek property features 59 guestrooms and seven suites (spa rooms are available, as are full kitchenette rooms). Amenities include a pool and exercise facility and in-room features such as cable television and free Wi-Fi access.

At the 113-room Lethbridge property, amenities include a two-storey waterslide, pool with swim jet and hot tub, 24-hour fitness facilities and meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 60 people.

Guestroom amenities include complimentary highspeed wireless Internet, fridge, microwave and coffee maker.

Best Western Fox Creek lobby.

Boutique hotel opening mid-September north of Toronto TORONTO—The 140-suite World on Yonge by Liberty Suites was slated to open mid-September in a mixedused development comprising office, retail and condominiums located on Yonge Street north of Steeles Avenue, in Thornhill, ON, north of Toronto.

The boutique property features a fitness centre, green roof terrace and swimming pool, billiards room, golf simulator, media room and multi-function party room. Vince Midolo will act as the hotel’s general manager.

Delta to open at Calgary’s new airport terminal in late 2015 CALGARY—Delta Hotels and Resorts will open a 318room hotel in conjunction with Calgary airport’s new international terminal, expected to be completed in late 2015.

Located within the terminal complex currently under construction, the Delta Calgary International Airport will offer direct access to the hotel lobby from the international terminal’s flight arrival and departures levels and vehicle access at the departures level.

The property will consist of 318 ModeRoom guestrooms and suites; more than 17,000 square feet of conference and meeting space, including a 6,000-squarefoot ballroom and a combination of executive boardroom-style and conference rooms; a restaurant and lounge; a spa and indoor pool; and a fitness centre.

Additional plans for new openings include Delta Waterloo in Ontario in August; Delta Thunder Bay in Ontario in 2015; Delta Prince George in B.C. in 2015

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Artist’s rendering of Delta Calgary Airport.

and Delta Burlington in Ontario in 2018. Delta’s flagship hotel in downtown Toronto is scheduled to open in late autumn 2014.

Fairmont Empress Sold VICTORIA, BC—The Fairmont Empress hotel, in Victoria, B.C., was sold in July on behalf of Ivanhoé Cambridge to a private investor. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Known as the Castle of the Coast, the Fairmont Empress has operated for 106 years on a harbourfront site. The property offers 477 guestrooms, extensive meeting space and a number of food and beverage outlets, and is renowned for its afternoon tea service.

Handling the sale was Cushman & Wakefield Ltd. Brokerage.

Hilton Garden Inn West Edmonton’s renovation TORONTO—Hilton Garden Inn West Edmonton has completed a renovation of its public spaces and all 160 guestrooms.

Public spaces featured in the renovations were the lobby, on-site dining facilities including the Garden Grille & Bar and Backyard Lounge & Patio, function space, and pool and whirlpool. The “Heart of the Garden” lobby evokes the ambiance of a backyard garden party.

In-room amenities include functional workspaces, the Garden Sleep System, HD TV and suites with double-sided electric fireplaces, a wet bar and a luxurious whirlpool tub.

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The pool at Holiday Inn Express Fort St. John.

Knights Inn flag flies in Sudbury, ON and Brooks, AB OAKVILLE, ON—The Knights Inn flag will now be flying in Sudbury, ON, at the Belmont Inn, and in Brooks, AB, at the Tel Star Motor Inn. Completely renovated in October, 2012, the Belmont Inn features complimentary wireless Internet in public areas and a 24-hour business centre. Additional amenities include complimentary guest breakfast and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. All guestrooms are equipped with LCD televisions.

The 35-room Tel Star Motor Inn is located one mile south of the Trans-Canada Highway.

All rooms are recently renovated and feature a microwave, fridge and free high-speed wireless Internet. In addition, the property offers kitchen aid rooms available upon request.

Holiday Inn Express now in Calgary, Yorkton, Fort St. John YORKTON—InterContinental Hotels Group has opened Holiday Inn Express properties in Calgary, Yorkton, SK and Fort St. John, B.C. The six-storey, 113-room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Calgary NW—University Area includes 49 suites, a business centre, indoor swimming pool with waterslide, and a meeting space accommodating up to 160 people. Additionally, the hotel features a heated underground parking facility. The hotel is owned by 722413 Alberta Ltd. and managed by Stanley Park Investments, and is franchised by an affili-

ate of IHG. Located at 63 7th Avenue North, one kilometre from downtown, the 103-room Holiday Inn Express Yorkton features 21 suites, including four family suites. The property is owned by 101149013 Saskatchewan Ltd. and managed by VJ Management Inc., and is franchised by an affiliate of IHG. The 99-room Holiday Inn Express Fort St. John hotel, located at 9504 Alaska Road, features an open-concept design and amenities such as an indoor pool, waterslide, hot tub, fully equipped fitness centre, approximately 1,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a 24hour business centre. It is owned by Pomeroy Lodging and managed by Pomeroy Inn & Suites Inc., and is franchised by an affiliate of IHG. All three hotels offer a complimentary breakfast bar serving hot and cold items.

Hilton signs deal for DoubleTree Suites in Halifax HALIFAX—Hilton Worldwide has signed the 120-room Hollis Halifax, A DoubleTree Suites

by Hilton, in Halifax, NS, in a former Radisson Suite Hotel that is undergoing a renovation expected to be completed by September.

Centrally located in the city’s heart, the 10-storey property will feature suites each offering complimentary Wi-Fi, HDTV, wet bar, microwave and mini-refrigerator. Other amenities include an indoor heated pool, whirlpool, fitness centre, business centre and complimentary Internet access. The property is owned and operated by Manga Hotels, Inc.

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Hilton Garden Inn West Edmonton lobby.

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Radisson signs independent Edmonton property MINNEAPOLIS, MN—Radisson has signed a property, previously an independent operating as the Edmonton Hotel and Convention Center, that’s expected to open Sept. 12 following a rebranding. Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre Edmonton, located at 4520 76 Avenue Northwest in Edmonton, features 168 guestrooms and 40 suites, and two full-service restaurants. The hotel will offer complimentary high-speed wireless Internet, along with a fitness centre, swimming pool, steam room and hot tub as well as a 24-hour business centre. In addition, the property is close to popular attractions including the Edmonton Expo Centre, Northlands Park and Rexall Place.

Westin opens 200th property STAMFORD, CONN.—In late June, Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced that Westin had reached the 200th hotel milestone with the opening of The Westin Chongqing Liberation Square, in China. Starwood expects to open nine new Westin hotels worldwide in 2014 and almost another 30 by the end of 2016, with almost half of those new hotels in Asia Pacific, the brand’s fastest growing region.“While we do not have any upcoming new openings for Westin in Canada, we currently have 15 Westin hotels and resorts coast to coast,” a company spokesman told CLN. “Our development team is committed to growing the brand with the right partners in the right places with the right properties in Canada.”

www.canadianlodgingnews.com

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DE SIGN

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F EAT U R E

Wellness room incorporates Feng Shui

Patricia McClintock

Patricia McClintock of Patricia McClintock & Associés enjoys the scope the HI Connect Design Show provides each Spring—it’s the only show where designers can implement their designs. This year, they designed the Wellness guestroom, incorporating elements of feng shui with those of the best spa facilities.

“Guests today enjoy and understand the value of spas,” McClintock told CLN. “Many are quite overwhelmed by communications; their lives are filled with pressure, non-stop.

“Many of the brands have spas—the ex-

perience can be continued in the guestroom.”

And spa resorts typically are in a different price range from that of people who, for example, have kids in their room.

To design the room, McClintock worked with suppliers to incorporate feng shui—which aims to have all of the five elements of fire, earth, metal, water and wood balanced in every room of a living space.

McClintock did not concentrate on equipment, but rather on creating a mood, so the guest is “wrapped in a Zen environment.”

A key to the mood is the whole wall featuring a Canadian forest scene, with a river flowing through it. This can be changed to reflect the community—in Saudi Arabia the view might be of the Sahara and camels, McClintock said.

“It can be applied to any geography, from Venice to Tokyo,” she noted.

The floor is mainly wood, rather than carpet. And because nature is rugged and we don’t control it, the area rug is cut so that it looks like there is a river along one edge. There’s a big, round outdoor couch to complete the natural feel.

The couch faces a glass wall that hides distracting but necessary items such as drawers, wardrobes, a minibar in the centre, and a little sink. The television is incorporated into that wall—when you move the glass wall, you move the TV. Another wall features a long fireplace with a

COMI NG

Sept. 23-24: Canadian Resort Conference, 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.

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

profusion of greenery.

The fourth side features a desk incorporating a little water fountain for a soothing effect.

“All of the people [at HI Connect] who looked at the room felt the wellness—the room projected that emotion in people,” said McClintock. “They asked, ‘Can we lie down on the bed?’ The reaction was extremely positive.

We’ve gotten a lot of calls. Even our competitors would come back again and again.”

McClintock added that the design of the room was realistic—that it would not be hard to implement. The size was 300 square feet of space, the size of a standard hotel room.

It might be a bit difficult for the brands to implement the concept because they often specify certain products and standards. But certainly, the owner of a boutique property could do it, she said.

After the three-day HI Connect show, held at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN, the display was dismantled and the products were returned to suppliers.

“It’s good for suppliers and designers even it if is a lot of work. The suppliers can look at how their products fit into the whole room. And owners realize that the design creates an environment that reflects the needs of travellers.

McClintock’s company, Patricia McClintock & Associés Inc. is based in Montreal and the company celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

E V E N T S

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.

Oct. 7: MHA 14 Tradeshow, Victoria Inn Hotel, Winnipeg. E-mail: info@centrex.ca.

Oct. 13-14: 16th Annual Shared Ownership Investment Conference, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, FL. Website: sharedownershipinvestment.com. E-mail: Information@sharedowner-

shipinvestment.com.

Oct. 20-23: The Lodging Conference, Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, Phoenix, AZ. Contact: Brent Tinter, conference manager. Tel.: 800-252-3540. E-mail: info@lodgingconference. com. Website: www.lodgingconference.com Nov. 3-4: Connect Show— BC’s Food, Drink and Lodging Expo, Vancouver Convention Centre West. Contact: Nora Cumming. Tel.: 604628-5655. E-mail: Nora@connectshow.com.

Website: www.connectshow.com.

10

lI ST

Gateway to Growth: Top 12 takeaways The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) recently released Gateway to Growth: Creating Investment Opportunity in the Canadian Hotel Industry. Here are some of its key takeaways from TIAC president and CEO David Goldstein.

1. Capital is not patriotic.

The global competition for capital investment is fierce. Simply put, capital is not patriotic; it is mobile and seeks out the most profitable returns.

2. Stability and growth important.

Hotel performance, market demand and government policies all factor into the equation. It’s from these indicators that two desirable characteristics of an asset need to be satisfied: stability and growth.

3. Drop in international visitors undermines confidence.

A key factor that is undermining investor confidence is the drop in international visitors to Canada. In 2000, one-in-three travellers in Canada was an international visitor and by 2013, the number fell to less than one-in-five.

4. ADR, RevPAR underperforming.

Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR), both key indicators for the health of the accommodations sector, are not meeting their potential for the industry.

5. Hotels aren’t generating desired profits.

Hotels are creating employment and tax revenues, but not generating desired profits for the pension funds, private and corporate investors seeking competitive returns.

6. Canada needs to increase the number of international visitors.

World tourism is growing at an average pace of 5 per cent, Canada is not keeping pace, tracking annual growth at 1.5 per cent. Canada, with its wealth of compelling tourism experiences, considerable market demand from the U.S. and overseas, along with its strong brand worldwide is in an opportune position to realize significant growth.

7. TIAC’s five per cent Growth Plan.

Through the five per cent Growth Plan TIAC is engaged with the federal government through the following recommendations to increase Canada’s global competitiveness and attract its fair share of international travellers: 8. Government must co-invest.

That the government increase funding for co-investments with industry in strategically aligned marketing campaigns led by the CTC to drive demand in key markets, particularly the U.S. 9. Government should review airline competitiveness.

The government should launch a review of the competitiveness of Canada’s air transportation cost structure and continue to pursue strategic air access agreements.

10. Visa process modernization.

Modernize the visitor visa process by reducing red tape and investing in processing infrastructure.

11. Federal labour program reform.

Reform federal labour programs to reflect the unique needs of the tourism industry.

12. Invest in tourism products.

Invest in tourism products that drive international visitation such as parks, festivals and attractions.

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STAYING AGILE IS CRITICAL. FORTUNATELY, OPENING MORE THAN 1,100 NEW* HOTELS HAS KEPT US IN SHAPE. In the past five years, Hilton Worldwide has opened more than 1,100 new hotels around the world, bringing us to more than 3,900 hotels in 90 countries today.* In Canada, we have 86 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 93-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, Director of Development (+1-514-695-6798, jeff.cury@hilton.com).

STAY AHEAD

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*From January 2008 to January 2013

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