Hotelier January/February 2024

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CONTENTS VO LU ME 37, N O. 1 | JANUARY/FE BR UARY 2024

FEATURES

ALL YOU CAN EAT

12 SHARING THE WEALTH

The breakfast buffet is making a comeback

A good franchise system brings value to hotels

15 MOD SQUAD

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Sonesta debuts a new soft brand

16 A PLACE TO GROW Hyatt Place continues its expansion across Canada

17 THE 2024 FRANCHISE REPORT A comprehensive listing of the industry’s top franchises

37 CUSTOMER CONNECTIONS CRM software is changing the game for hospitality businesses

43 THE BIG SHIFT Versatility is key in hotel restaurant design

46 CYBER CRIME STOPPERS Hotels take a fresh look at their cybersecurity measures

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48 LEVERAGING LOYALTY Loyalty programs are shaping hospitality

HOTELIER Trina White, GM, Parkside Hotel & Spa, Victoria

DEPARTMENTS 2

EDITOR’S PAGE

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CHECKING IN

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 1

EDITORIAL

WHAT’S TRENDING IN 2024?

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PHOTO BY NICK WONG

ith the new year now in full swing, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what’s ahead. At a time when travel and tourism has taken on greater significance, it’s interesting to see how consumers are changing their travel expectations, and from a hotelier’s perspective, it’s important to note how those changes will play into your business for the coming year.

Recently, Hilton Hotels released its 2024 Trends Report: What Millennials, Gen Z, Gen X and Baby Bomers Tell Us About Travel in the Year Ahead, which examines how each generation views travel.

According to this report, conducted by Ipsos, there are four themes that will serve as the catalyst of change and innovation for travel in 2024: travellers will invest in their sleep; travellers will invest in connectivity; culture and experiences will drive leisure decisions; and business travel trends will re-define experiences.

Not surprisingly, given the frenetic pace of life post-pandemic, and regardless of their age group, the number-1 reason travellers want to travel in 2024 is to rest and re-charge. When looking to relax, 60 per cent of travellers prefer resort locations, while 40 per cent prefer city destinations.

The need for increased connectivity means 80 per cent of travellers feel it’s important to book their trip entirely online. While on the road, 76 per cent of global travellers appreciate travel apps that reduce the friction and stress of travel. For 80 per cent of global travellers, being able to utilize personal devices seamlessly with on-property technology, from Wi-Fi to streaming apps, is important.

Increasingly, today’s travellers are looking for experiences when they travel so it’s not surprising that 64 per cent of global travellers say they aim to reduce other areas of their personal spending to prioritize leisure travel in 2024. Forty per cent of respondents’ top reason to travel in 2024 is to learn about different cultures and/or destinations; 24 per cent of global travellers are planning getaways for one-of-a-kind experiences, such as concerts or sporting events. And, approximately 45 per cent of each generation will travel to re-connect with friends and family.

Of course, as consumers plan their travel budgets for 2024, 49 per cent of their top focus is on culinary experiences, regardless which age group they fall into. Eighty-six per cent of travellers are interested in eating local and regional cuisine, while 82 per cent want to have a good restaurant within their hotel. Three-quarters of Gen Z’ers and millennials are interested in experiencing local, unique hotel bars during their 2024 travels.

And with time at a premium for all of us, those planning to travel for business are committed to maximizing that time on the road by incorporating opportunities for work, family or friends, and leisure, adding to the blurring of lines between business and leisure. Forty-six per cent of global full-time and self-employed workers plan to travel for business or bleisure; 24 per cent of business travellers plan to take a friend or family member with them on a business trip next year; and more than a third of Gen Z and millennial business travellers said they plan to extend a business trip in 2024 to enjoy leisure time before or after their work obligations.

And, with sustainability continuing to be top of mind for consumers and businesses alike, 74 per cent of travellers agree it’s important to minimize their environmental footprint. ◆ ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com

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Hospitality ROSANNA CAIRA Editor & Publisher AMY BOSTOCK Managing Editor NICOLE DI TOMASSO Associate Editor ROSELINE VICTORIA VIJAYAKUMAR Editorial Assistant COURTNEY JENKINS Art Director JENNIFER O'NEILL Production Manager TYLER BECKSTEAD Web Manager JIM SZABO Digital Marketing Manager JANINE MARAL Social Media Manager

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CHECKING IN THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS FOR HOTEL EXECUTIVES FROM CANADA AND AROUND THE WORLD

CHANGING OF THE GUARD Paul Cahill set to Lead Marriott in Canada

Paul’s extensive experience and deep knowledge of Canada makes him ideally suited to take on leadership of our Canadian operations

Liam Brown group president, U.S. and Canada, Marriott International

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Paul Cahill has been named SVP, Canada Operations at Marriott International, effective February 2024. Cahill will succeed Don Cleary, who will be retiring after more than 34 years with Marriott, as announced in October 2023.

Cahill currently serves as area VP, Canada, Marriott International, where he’s responsible for driving both topline and bottom-line results for all Managed by Marriott hotels and all brands in Canada. In his new role, Cahill will serve as a member of the U.S. and Canada executive leadership team and will function as the senior business leader for all brands across Canada. He’ll be responsible for ensuring that the region achieves all top-line revenue and profit goals, while maintaining positive and productive relationships with Canadian owners and franchise management companies.

Cahill began his Marriott career in 1987 and joined the Canadian team in 2015. After Marriott’s acquisition of Delta Hotels in April of 2015, he led the development and execution of a global multi-year brand strategy that would double the number of Delta hotels open and operating in the country by 2018. Prior to his current position, Paul served as the SVP of Global Brand Management for Marriott, where he was responsible for developing and leading multi-year global brand strategies for both the Marriott Hotels and JW Marriott brands.

“Paul’s extensive experience and deep knowledge of Canada makes him ideally suited to take on leadership of our Canadian operations,” says Liam Brown, group president, U.S. and Canada, Marriott International. “Canada is a critically important region for Marriott as we continue to invest in our hotels and brands, leveraging our strong growth momentum there. I’m confident that Paul is well-positioned to drive our future success in the region and build on the valuable relationships Marriott has developed over the years with Canadian owners, management companies and industry leaders.”

“Leading Marriott’s Canada operations is an incredible opportunity to continue to drive forward the growth we’ve experienced here over the last several years,” says Cahill. “I look forward to working with the strong operating team we have built in Canada to advance our business strategy, attract and retain top talent, and drive financial returns for the more than 270 hotels in Canada that fly our brand flags.” ◆ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 5

THE NEU WAY Marriott International has become the first hospitality company to introduce neuroinclusive practices at its largest customer events of 250 people or more globally. This commitment is a result of joining forces with The Neu Project, an initiative from Google’s Experience Institute (Xi) that aims to share resources designed to better accommodate and create a more inclusive experience during meetings and events for neuro-divergent attendees.

The neuro-inclusive practices that will be incorporated at Marriott customer meetings and events include a quiet room, which will be available for recovery from sensory overwhelm, restoration and regulation; tools and resources found at registration, such as sensory and fidget toys, noise-cancelling ear plugs, sleep masks, sunglasses, printed agendas and venue maps and details about loud music, flashing lights or surprise moments taking place during the event; and closed captioning for main-stage presentations.

Marriott will further its neuro-inclusion efforts by conducting active listening sessions with the community through conversations with The Neu Project and people who are neurodivergent, which will help shape future content.

CLOSING THE DEAL Morguard Corporation has sold its portfolio of 14 high-quality hotels for gross proceeds of $410 million. The portfolio of hotels, featuring Marriott, Hilton, IHG and independent hotels in major urban centres across Canada, including the Greater Toronto Area (specifically Toronto, Mississauga, Markham, Vaughan, Ont.), Ottawa, Halifax and Sudbury, Ont., was sold to an institutional partner.

Upon closing the transaction, Morguard re-paid first mortgage debt totalling $48.7 million, resulting in net proceeds of $361.3 million, before closing costs and customary adjustments.

INCREASING VALUE

Avison Young has sold the GEC Granville Suites Hotel, a 143-suite hotel with prominent commercial frontage in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

Sold for approximately $70 million to a local hotelier and prominent real-estate developer, the Granville was purchased in 2015 for $39 million, representing an increase in property value of 79 per cent. Avison Young’s Jason Mah, Karly Degroot and Brendan Hannah represented the sellers, Global Education Communities Corp.

The Granville will continue to operate as a hotel, honouring current and future reservations. White Spot will still operate on the ground floor. With minor capital upgrades to certain suites and common areas, there’s opportunity for future revenue growth in this 12-storey hotel. Additionally, a future development site with multiple high-density, mixed-use projects in the nearby Granville Loops Plan area could bring more visitors.

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DISCOVERING CANADA The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, has launched the new Tourism Growth Program (TGP). With $108 million in federal funding, this program will invest in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, small businesses and not-for-profits, helping them grow and positioning Canada as a destination of choice.

Canada’s seven regional-development agencies will deliver the program’s funding directly to businesses and other organizations over the next three years, supporting projects to help more domestic and international visitors discover all that Canada has to offer. The projects will also align with the new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy in support of sustainable tourism, outdoor experiences, Indigenous tourism, seasonal expansion and tourism in rural and remote areas with the goal of diversifying regional economies and spurring economic growth.

Promoting Indigenous tourism is an important part of the TGP, with 15 per cent of funds reserved for it. The Federal Tourism Growth Strategy targets a 40-per-cent increase of the tourism sector’s contribution to Canada’s GDP by the end of the decade.

SECRET HIDEAWAY The Bisha Hotel has launched its first speakeasy, Parlour 712, available exclusively to guests of the hotel.

Parlour 712 is a converted suite, tucked away on the seventh floor, designed by Lenny Kravitz’ design team. This hidden spot is accessible to hotel guests Friday and Saturday between 5 and 8 p.m. and features a daily changing password for entry. Guests can sip on complimentary drinks courtesy of DALMORE Whiskey indoors or within a heated winter dome on the terrace before heading out for dinner or ending the evening with a nightcap. The speakeasy will be open until Jan. 31, 2024.

SUCCESS STARTS HERE. EXPLORE THIRD-PARTY MANAGEMENT BENEFITS. Connect today!

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Courtyard Nanaimo Nanaimo, BC

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 7

A NEW ADDITION

SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY BWH Hotels has partnered with Call2Recycle to implement battery recycling across the BWH network. It’s the first time a major company in the Canadian hospitality sector has integrated battery recycling on a large scale as part of their sustainability strategy.

To date, 47 BWH hotels in eight Canadian provinces and territories have joined the Call2Recycle battery recycling program, with more set to join in 2024.

This responsibly dispose program will provide BWH with a free and convenient solution to dispose of used batteries from its operations. Battery-powered devices are omnipresent in the operations of the hospitality industry, including sensors, smoke detectors, door locks and room devices such as clocks or TV remotes.

This initiative is part of BWH’s global “Because We Care” sustainability program. Based on three pillars, Earth, People, Community (EPC), the program aims to increase sustainable practices and reduce the carbon footprint across its hotel network.

“We’re excited to see BWH leading the way for new sustainability and battery-recycling efforts in the hospitality sector,” says Joe Zenobio, president, Call2Recycle Canada. “Hotels are major users of batterypowered devices, and BWH’s recycling commitment will allow us to recycle greater volumes of used batteries and divert them from landfills, making a critical difference to protect the environment.”

8 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

Crescent Hotels & Resorts has added The Josie Hotel, An Autograph Collection to its Latitudes: Lifestyles by Crescent portfolio.

The Josie, nestled at the base of RED Mountain Resort, offers boutique accommodations with 106 guestrooms and suites, complemented by dedicated ski concierge services, inviting fire pits and fitness facilities providing a stylish mountain experience that captivates guests throughout the year.

At the heart of the hotel’s culinary offerings is The Velvet Restaurant and Lounge, presenting locally inspired craft cuisine. The open-concept layout features a dining room and lounge with a 360-degree bar offering views of the mountains and a glass-walled kitchen.

The Josie is equipped with more than 8,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting-and-event space. With the scenic backdrop of Rossland, B.C., these spaces are the perfect environment for retreats, incentives and social gatherings offering inspiration and fostering new ideas.

MOUNTAIN MAN Bill Grimshaw has been appointed executive chef at Wedge Mountain Lodge & Spa in Whistler, B.C. Grimshaw completed his culinary arts program at George Brown College in Toronto and was recognized with the prestigious Escoffier Society Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement Grimshaw further developed his culinary style and philosophy as executive chef at the Shaughnessy Restaurant at VanDusen Gardens and Basalt Wine & Salumeria in Whistler, B.C. before taking on his new role at Wedge Mountain Lodge & Spa. As executive chef, Grimshaw works closely with guests before they arrive to provide a truly personalized culinary experience.

Living across the street from the North Arm Farm, Grimshaw has forged close relationships with local growers and producers to obtain the best possible local ingredients available. hoteliermagazine.com

T R E AT YO U R H OT E L G U E ST S TO T H E U N F O RG E T TA B L E TAST E OF NESPRESSO Proud recipient of the 2023 Supplier of the Year Pinnacle Award

2023 PINNACLE AWARDS

Geoff McLean, president of Marketing at Basecamp Resorts

From left to right, Andrew Weir, Destination Toronto, Tim Reardon, Sheraton Centre Hotel, Jim Wielgosz, GTHA, Rosanna Caira, KML

Best of the best shine at KM

P H O TO G R A P H Y B

Carlos Oyanguren, president, Nespresso Canada, and Rosanna Caira, editor/ publisher, KML

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Edwin Frizzell, regional vicepresident Central Canada & General Manager, Fairmont Royal York, Sponsor and Host Hotel

Evan Ashton, Corporate Account Manager at Ecolab Kenny Gibson, president & COO, Sunray Group; Sandeep Gupta, president, Sunray Group of Hotels, and Rosanna Caira

Cristos Dinopoulos, Senior Vice President, MD North America, Unilever Food Solutions at Unilever

ML’s 2023 Pinnacle Awards

B Y WAY N E L I N D O

Amy Bostock, managing editor, KML and Rosanna Caira, editor/ publisher, KML

Roger Francis, president of Sysco Canada (left) and Andrew Davis, VP of Marketing, Foodservice and Ingredients and Export Division, Lactalis Canada

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 11

SHARING THE W

THE VALUE A GOOD FRANCHISE SYSTEM CAN BR TO HOTELS IS MORE RELEVANT TODAY THAN EV

BY LAURA PRATT

As COVID and the devastation it wreacked on the hospitality sector recedes into the rearview, the windshield lights up with promise for franchised hotels. A combination of factors plays into the scene, including an anticipation of construction costs and financing rates dropping, a renewed appetite for conversions, and a fresh interest in extended-stay properties and dual branding.

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It’s a growth story that’s being told across much of the franchised hotel scene right now. “In Canada, we have lower GDP growth compared to the U.S., which would normally put downward pressure on room demand, as the two are linked,” says Brian Leon, CEO of Choice Hotels Canada. “But what we’re seeing now is that as much as Canadians are starting to clamp down on expenses; they’re not cutting down on travel.”

Scott T. Duff, vice-president, Development – Canada, with IHG Hotels & Resorts, agrees, saying franchised hotels’ occupancy and average rates are significantly higher across the country than they’ve been for a long stretch, a development he credits to “revenge travel,” demographics (Boomers settling into their retirement years with road trips and younger generations prioritizing travel experiences), and consumers’ COVIDsprung pent-up demand. hoteliermagazine.com

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ANDRANIK HAKOBYAN

Throughout 2023 — “an important year of growth for Hyatt across Canada” — says Paul Daly, global head of Franchise & Owner Relations at Hyatt, the franchise hotel picture in Canada was “relatively robust and brands remained in demand.” He says Hyatt is positioned to double its brand footprint in Canada by the end of 2026, with more than 20 executed managed and franchised agreements across its distinct brands.

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WEALTH

FRANCHISE REPORT

RING VER

Franchised hotels, which are generally owner operated, are typically more agile and responsive to this kind of change than managed hotels, which tend to be larger full-service or luxury properties, says Duff.

Andrea Grigg, global head of Hotel Asset Management at CBRE, credits COVID with uncovering an important home truth about franchised hotels. “When everyone was assessing the viability of staying open hoteliermagazine.com

in the pandemic, an owner of a brandmanaged property had little control over the decision; they had to wait for the operator to make it while losing money every day. During COVID, owners realized how much oversight was required to ensure maximum profitability at hotels.

“The efficiency you can achieve by taking control of the operating model has become paramount in the current environment,” she says. “Hotel owners

are now entertaining the franchising model even more than before COVID.” In the Canadian market, says Daly, there’s been a shift from independently operated hotels toward franchised hotels over the last decade or so. “Just like in any market, the franchise model gives owners a strong sense of confidence when they’re stepping into a new market to have the backing of a well-known brand, especially if it’s a market they’re not currently in or don’t know very well.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 13

Franchised hotels allow owners to many markets where you can keep building have control of not only the hotel as a new product.” real-estate asset, but also its operation, Laurie also points to a spike in Aaron Laurie, vice-president, Lodging conversions as an antidote to the Development, at Marriott International, economics that continue to challenge a notes. And owners lacking experience lot of Marriott’s franchisees. “Conversions can have Marriott or a third-party reduce their risk of entering high-barrier-tomanagement team operate it on their entry markets,” he says, “because they allow behalf, or enrol in a training program. them to re-position their hotel and plug More than that, franchised hotels offer into Marriott.” owners the power of the big engine that At Marriott, which has 273 hotels in roars inside the central systems, which, Canada, a majority of the existing portfolio says Duff, “have become increasingly is franchised hotels, with ownership powerful and are extremely large drivers partners not only owning the real estate but of this demand into these hotels.” operating the hotel. Another uptick, Laurie Enter “soft branding”— another says, is in mixed-use development, such as emerging segment. Distinct from “hard the Humaniti Hotel in Montreal, which branding,” where a giant sign trumpets again favours hoteliers without experience the moniker of a long-entrenched hotel and allows developers to diversify into brand, in soft branding, an independent other forms of real-estate assets. hotel asset joins forces with a larger Mixed use is very popular, Nguyen Andrea Grigg management system so it might benefit confirms, with 98 per cent of that category global head of Hotel Asset from its branded systems around loyalty happening in major urban core centres.

Management at CBRE and reservations.

Marriott, says Laurie, doesn’t manage its “Soft branding is an opportunity for upper-midscale brands unless they’re large [a hotel] to elevate and differentiate its hotels in urban centres or resort locations, asset from the pack,” Duff says. and otherwise relies heavily on ownerGrigg believes “savvy owners will operators who need a measure of flexibility continue to explore franchising for their margins at their limited- or selectmodels and affiliation models over service properties, which tend to require brand-managed models and that the industry will look at less staffing and come with less hotel-management expertise. soft branding franchises as an idea to keep as much possible “Overall, it’s a healthy community right now, given the market, control over the business and operating model.” and performance is strong.”

Extended-stay hotels, where rooms feature onsite kitchens, Last year, says Choice’s Leon, was exceptionally impressive are also gaining traction in this new landscape — for travellers from the standpoint of hotel performance. “It far surpassed and developers alike. Duff cites the trend of dual branding, our expectations for overall RevPAR growth, given the strong where two franchised concepts — one an extended stay — share recovery we’d already had in 2022.” This bump, he says, has a location, as a site of particular growth. IHG, which has 190 been great for hotels generally and he says the resilience of franchised hotels in Canada, has been expanding its portfolio the industry elevates “the attractiveness of hotels as a highacross its Suites Collection to capitalize on this development; performing investment vehicle,” adding that, while financing the company added three regional extended-stay openings in and construction costs remain a challenge, “the overall 2023 and has 16 more in its pipeline. fundamentals are strong.

“Extended stay is really popular in terms of what deals are “The prospects for the industry are excellent and we’re being signed,” says Nicole Nguyen, senior vice-president with very optimistic. The landscape is healthy, and the outlook CBRE Hotels. “That, plus lifestyle boutique properties make is exceptionally bright. We have record levels of hotel up the hottest deals these days.” performance and there’s lots of interest in getting into the Marriott’s Laurie concurs that longer-stay visits are on the hotel business. The value a good franchise system can bring to climb in the post-pandemic universe, thanks to travellers’ hotels is more relevant today than ever,” Leon says. increasingly flexible work-leisure situations and an upped There’s a lot that’s unknown and outside our control in demand for larger-group travel. the world today, IHG’s Duff says, whether it be geopolitical, Much of this development, including Apartments by environmental, or economic. “But there’s a general degree of Marriott Bonvoy, opened in 2023, is taking place in the optimism. You’re hearing that interest rates are going to level conversion realm, rather than new builds, because of the rising off and even start to recede in ’24. That bodes well for new cost of materials and labour. developments and relieving pressure on household finances “Brands have recognized that their growth can’t come from to allow people to continue to travel. And the growth story new builds because market cycles make it hard to make new in Canada is going to be more the franchised model than the builds work,” Nguyen says. “And in Canada, there are only so brand-managed model.” ◆

The efficiency you can achieve by taking control of the operating model has become paramount in the current environment

14 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

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EDITORIAL

MOD Squad Sonesta debuts new soft brand

BY ROSELINE VICTORIA VIJAYAKUMAR

MATTHEW HICKS

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estled within the stunning vistas of the Rocky Mountains and strategically located minutes from Calgary International Airport, the 155-room Hotel 11, MOD, stands as a proud member of Avonos Hotels’ ownership group and is Sonesta’s newest soft brand.

Sonesta introduced its upscale MOD soft brand to offer independent hotels an opportunity to affiliate with Sonesta’s network while retaining their hotel names, identities, designs and established styles. Hotel 11 MOD a Sonesta Collection at Calgary Airport is the first MOD soft brand hotel in the portfolio worldwide.

“The introduction of the new MOD property in Calgary aligns with our ongoing commitment to broaden our presence in Canada and further expand the Sonesta portfolio,” says Keith Pierce, Sonesta’s executive vice-president and president of Franchise & Development.

“This new opening represents a significant milestone in Sonesta’s softbrand journey and we eagerly anticipate further growth of our MOD offerings.”

Guests can access all MOD hotels through Sonesta’s website and call centre and have access to Sonesta’s extensive distribution channels and services. This strategic alignment provides guests with additional destinations to earn and redeem Sonesta Travel Pass points. hoteliermagazine.com

“MOD is uniquely positioned within Sonesta’s upscale portfolio and offers guests flexibility by catering to their unique lifestyle and travel needs,” says Pierce, adding MOD meets and exceeds the demand for flexibility by augmenting hotels with curated F&B and eclectic design.

Hotel 11, MOD marks the first MOD property, a noteworthy milestone in Sonesta’s soft-brand journey. Owners Nick and Shona Karas chose Calgary for its entrance into Canada because they were eager for a soft-brand opportunity as they de-flagged from Wyndham. The property’s proximity to the Calgary Airport made it highly desirable for its visibility in the local market.

The property boasts large, welldesigned rooms and an array of amenities, including a 24/7 indoor pool with hot tub, onsite fitness centre, free airport shuttle and three meeting spaces totalling 3,700 sq. ft. Freeport Food & Drink, the hotel’s onsite restaurant and lounge, offers breakfast and dinner daily.

“We’re excited to unveil the inaugural property of MOD, Sonesta’s newest soft brand, in Calgary,” says Shona Karas. “The hotel’s generous space and convenient location deliver an unparalleled guest experience, catering to both business and leisure travellers exploring Western Canada.”

Entrepreneurs and investors interested in joining Sonesta can explore franchise

details, which include an application fee of $75,000 or $500 per room; a royalty fee that amounts to five per cent of Gross Room Revenue (GRR); a marketing fee set at 2.5 per cent of GRR; and loyalty fees which are 4.5 per cent of Qualified Room Revenue.

These fees contribute to the comprehensive support provided by Sonesta, ensuring that franchisees leverage the strength of the brand, its proven business model and continuous innovation in the dynamic hospitality industry.

“The opportunity to explore MOD as a brand with softer brand standards, but the full support of Sonesta’s distribution behind it is just what we were looking for when we wanted to re-flag our hotel,” says Nick Karas. “The chance to be the first makes it even more exciting for our team and our guests.” ◆ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 15

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FRANCHISE REPORT

A Place to Grow Hyatt Place continues its expansion across Canada

BY MORAG MCKENZIE

P

ositioned at the top of the upscale select-service segment, Hyatt Place is a global brand with a growth focus on the locations that matter most to Canadian and international business and leisure travellers. Established in 2005, the brand currently operates nine pet-friendly hotels across Canada, including locations in Kelowna and Prince George in B.C., the Calgary Airport and EdmontonWest in Alberta, downtown Montreal, Ottawa-West, Mississauga and Brampton in Ontario and Moncton in New Brunswick. Internationally, Hyatt Place boasts 417 properties.

The brand’s boutique-inspired design and scalability are key factors drawing developers to this upscale focusedservice brand. Among the brand’s defining features are guestroom design that creates distinct zones for sleep, work and relaxation, as well as 24/7 food-and-beverage offerings. Rooms at Hyatt Place properties range in size from 297 to 628 sq. ft. and standard rooms (which account for about 96 per cent of units), feature a partition separating the sleeping area from the living-room-style “cozy corner,” with a sofa or sleeper sofa.

“The Hyatt Place guest is a self-reliant business or leisure traveller. They’re multitasking, ambitious professionals who travel out of necessity and are constantly balancing the priorities of work and life,” 16 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

explains Scott Richer, VP, Real Estate & Development (Canada), adding the brand’s target market is the same whether operating in Canada or internationally.

The cost to build a Hyatt Place varies across Canada based on region, specific site, type of hotel, customization et cetera. Franchise fees include an application fee of US$75,000 in addition to $500/room for hotels with more than 150 rooms. Royalty fees are five per cent of gross room revenue (GRR), while the marketing fee is 3.5 per cent GRR. In 2022, Richer says Hyatt established a cross-functional corporate team dedicated to Canada, “enabling us to focus on growing Hyatt’s brand presence across the country with new and existing owners, to bring these — and more — exciting openings to life.”

Looking ahead, Hyatt Place has 16 properties in the pipeline, with goalrs to expand its footprint at some of Canada’s busiest airports, including Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport (2025),

Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto (2025) and Vancouver International Airport (2026). It will also open Hyatt Place Mississauga – Airport Corporate Centre in 2024.

One of Hyatt’s competitive advantages, says Richer, is that it has room to grow in Canadian markets, meaning ample territory for developers who don’t have to worry about inter-brand competition.

He says Hyatt’s growth strategy in Canada reflects the company’s focus on “growing thoughtfully in the markets that matter most to our World of Hyatt members and guests,” adding “We recently announced that we are positioned to double Hyatt’s brand footprint in Canada by the end of 2026, with more than 20 executed managed and franchised agreements across our distinct brands, including Hyatt Place. This includes several sought-after destinations that currently do not have a Hyatt hotel such as Port Elgin and Whitehorse.”◆

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AC HOTELS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - first AC Hotel opened in 2011 - one property in Canada; 232 international properties - one property in development for Canada Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$90,000 plus US$500/room in excess of 150 guestrooms - royalty fee 6% of GRS - program services contribution 3.85% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 2.5% of GRS); plus US$10,000/year; plus US$220/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

ALOFT HOTELS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu

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History, Plans - first Aloft Hotel opened in 2006 - three properties in Canada; 225 international properties - two properties in development for Canada Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$75,000 plus US$500/room in excess of 150 - royalty fee 5.5% of GRS - program services contribution 3.15% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1% of GRS); plus US$10,000/year; plus US$220/room/year.

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - site location - site review and analysis - staff training - supplies

ASCEND HOTEL COLLECTION Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in Canada in 2009 - 26 properties in Canada; 306 international properties (all franchised) Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $300 per room; minimum $45,000 - advertising fee 1.25% - royalty fee 4% - reservation fee 1.25% Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - first Autograph property opened in 2010 - 10 properties in Canada; 288 international properties - two properties in development for Canada Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 - royalty fee 5% of GRS - program services contribution 2.02% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1.5% of GRS); plus US$40,000/year; plus US$450/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

Franchise Costs - total investment $9,643,350 14,544,310 - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3% GRR - application fee $500/room; $50,000 minimum Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - site selection - staff training - supplies

BAYMONT BY WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EEVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - established in 1974 - six properties in Canada; 522 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: new construction & conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $26,000 or $260 per room - total investment $184,467 - $9,652,858 - application: $2,500 - royalty: 5% of GRR - marketing: 3.5% GRR

Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing InterContinental Hotels - conventions and area meetings Group (IHG) - development & design 2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 - field support Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 - financial assistance avidhotels.com VP Development, Canada: Scott Duff - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation History, Plans - purchasing - established in 2017 - quality assurance audits - one property in Canada; 62 - quality control international properties - reservation systems - plans to add three properties - staff training in Canada - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

AVID HOTELS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 17

BEST WESTERN BWH Hotels 6557 Mississauga Rd., Unit D Meadowvale Ct. 1 Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6 bwh.com President & CEO: Larry Cuculic Chief Development Officer: Brad LeBlanc History, Plans - established in 1946 in Long Beach, Calif.

- 58 properties in Canada; 1,679 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $49,000 minimum, plus $200/room for properties with more than 50 rooms - marketing fee 2.1% of GRR - royalty fee 5% of GRR; for a qualifying existing Best Western owner fee is 3.5% of GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - revenue management - site location - staff training - supplies

BEST WESTERN PLUS BWH Hotels 6557 Mississauga Rd., Unit D Meadowvale Ct. 1 Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6 bwh.com President & CEO: Larry Cuculic Chief Development Officer: Brad LeBlanc History, Plans - established in 2011 in North America - 116 properties in Canada; 1,076 international properties

- royalty fee 5% of GRR; for a qualifying existing Best Western owner fee is 3.5% of GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - revenue management - site location - staff training - supplies

BEST WESTERN PREMIER BWH Hotels 6557 Mississauga Rd., Unit D Meadowvale Ct. 1 Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6 bwh.com President & CEO: Larry Cuculic Chief Development Officer: Brad LeBlanc History, Plans - established in 2003 in Europe and Asia, 2011 in Canada and U.S. - 12 properties in Canada; 114 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $49,000 minimum, plus $200/room for properties with more than 50 rooms - marketing fee 2.1% of GRR - royalty fee 5% of GRR; for a qualifying existing Best Western owner fee is 3.5% of GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - revenue management - site location - staff training - supplies

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $49,000 minimum, plus $200/ room for properties with more than 50 rooms - marketing fee 2.1% of GRR

18 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

BW PREMIER COLLECTION

BY BEST WESTERN BWH Hotels 6557 Mississauga Rd., Unit D Meadowvale Ct. 1 Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6 bwh.com President & CEO: Larry Cuculic Chief Development Officer: Brad LeBlanc History, Plans - established in 2014 - seven properties in Canada; 77 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $25,000 plus application fee of $4,000 - monthly fee (sales, marketing and technology fee) 5% of GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - revenue management - site location - staff training - supplies

CAMBRIA HOTELS Choice Hotels International 915 Meeting St., Ste. 600 North Bethesda, MD 20852 Kris C. Crundwell, Regional VP, Development, Canada (Choice Hotels International, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Brands) History, Plans - founded in 2007 - 71 internal properties - more than 30 properties in the pipeline Franchise Costs - initial fee - $500 per room (new franchises), minimum of $60,000; $750 per room (transfers/ renewals), minimum $65,000 USD

- royalty fee: 6% GRR - system feel 3% GRR Services - advertising/marketing - Choice Privileges® | Rewards

By Choice Hotels® - design - dedicated Design and construction Team - site location - staff training - supplies

CANADAS BEST VALUE INN Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - established in 1999 - franchised by Red Lion Hotels Franchising Canada, Inc., since 2017 - 20 properties in Canada - sister brand, Americas Best Value Inn, franchised in the U.S., has 480 properties Franchise Costs - initial/application fee $16,500 for first 50 rooms; $150/room over 50 - monthly membership fee (Royalty) first 50 rooms $23.50/ room/month; 51 to 75 rooms $19.50/room/month; 76+ rooms $18.50/room/month ($860 monthly minimum) - marketing fee $17/room/month - no loyalty fees Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - reputation management/guest relations - local marketing support - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

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CANDLEWOOD SUITES InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 candlewoodsuites.com Vice-president Development, Canada: Scott Duff History, Plans - established 1995 - two franchised properties in Canada; 370 international properties - plans to add 10 properties in Canada Franchise Costs - total investment $12,217,200- 18,328,830 - royalty fee 5.5% GSR - marketing fee 2.5 % GSR - application fee: $500/guest suite, $50,000 minimum Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - site location - staff training - supplies

CANOPY BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury History, Plans - established in 2014 - one property in Canada (franchised); 40 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $85,000 for the first 250 rooms, plus $400 per additional room - royalty fee: 5% of Gross Rooms Revenue

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Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

CLARION Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in 1994 in Canada - six properties in Canada; 237 international properties (all franchised) Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $300 per room; minimum $35,000 - advertising fee 1.75% - royalty fee 3% - reservation fee 1.25% Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

CLARION POINTE Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in 2020 in Canada - three properties in Canada; 61 international properties (all franchised) Franchise Fees - initial franchise fee: $300 per room; minimum $35,000 - advertising fee 1.75% - royalty fee 4% - reservation fee 1.25%

APA Hotel International Limited 700 - 535 Thurlow Street Vancouver, B.C., V6E 3L2 coasthotels.com Senior Vice-President, Development: Mark Hope History, Plans - established in 1972 in Gold River/ Tahsis, B.C. - 32 properties in Canada; nine international properties (31 franchised in total) - continued expansion planned in Western Canada and the U.S. Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $15,000 minimum, or $150 per room, whichever is greater - advertising fee 2% - distribution fee 1.5% (reservations fee) - royalty fee 2% - revenue management fee 1% - other fees 1% Services - accounting - advertising/marketing - design - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - reservations and distribution - revenue management - site location - staff training - supplies

COMFORT Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in 1989 in Canada - 147 properties in Canada; 1,959 international properties (all franchised) Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $300 per room; minimum $45,000 - advertising fee 1.75% - royalty fee 5.50% - reservation fee 1.75% Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

COUNTRY INNS & SUITES

BY RADISSON Choice Hotels International 915 Meeting St., Ste. 600 North Bethesda, MD 20852 choicehotelsdevelopment.com/ brands/#countryinn-and-suites Kris C. Crundwell, Regional VP, Development, Canada (Choice Hotels International, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Brands) History, Plans - founded in 1987 - seven properties in Canada Franchise Costs - initial fee - The greater of $50,000 USD or $500 per Sleeping Room - royalty fee 5.75% of Gross Room Revenues (“GRR”).

- marketing fee 2.5% of Gross Room Revenues - reservation fee 1.25% of Gross Room Revenues

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 19

Services - advertising/marketing - Choice Privileges® | Rewards

By Choice Hotels® - design - site location - staff training - supplies

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - established in 1983 - 37 properties in Canada; 1,266 international properties - nine properties in development for Canada Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$90,000 plus US$500/room in excess of 150 - royalty fee 6% of GRS - program services contribution 3.35% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 2% of GRS); plus US$10,000/year; plus US$220/room/year.

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

CROWNE PLAZA HOTELS AND RESORTS InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 crowneplaza.com Vice-president Development, Canada: Scott Duff

History, Plans - established in 1983 - five properties in Canada (all franchised); 396 international properties Franchise Costs - total investment: $ 42,639,650$74,165,500 - royalty fee: 5% GRR - marketing fee: 3% GRR - application fee: $500/guest room, $75,000 minimum Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - site location - staff training - supplies

CURIO COLLECTION

BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury History, Plans - established in 2014 - one property in Canada (all franchised); 147 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: US$75,000 for the first 250 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 5% of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

20 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

DAYS INNS HOTEL & SUITES

DAYS INN BY WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com Executive Vice-President and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - Established in 1970 - 105 properties in Canada; 1,411 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: new construction & conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $35,000 or $350 per room - total investment $196,873- $6,907,975.

- application: $2,500 - royalty: 5.5% of GRR - marketing: 3.8% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

Days Inns - Canada Master Franchisor in Canada Realstar Hotel Services Corp., Division of Realstar Hospitality (Wyndham Hotel Group) 77 Bloor St. W., Ste. 2000 Toronto, ON M5S 1M2 daysinn.ca President and COO: Irwin Prince History, Plans - franchising in Canada began in 1992 - 105 franchised properties in Canada; 1,500-plus international properties - plans to add five (+/-) properties in Canada Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $45,000 - application fee $1000 - royalty fee 5.5% - marketing fee 1.5% - reservations fee 2.3% Services - advertising/marketing - design - global reservations - national sales network - operational support - purchasing - site review and analysis - staff training - tradeshow representation

DELTA HOTELS AND RESORTS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu

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History, Plans - acquired Delta Hotels and Resorts in 2015 - 40 properties in Canada; 92 international properties - one property in the pipeline for Canada Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 guestrooms - royalty fee 5% of GRS - program services contribution 2.16% of GRS (includes a contri bution to the marketing fund of 1.5% of GRS); plus US$45,000/ year; plus US$380/room/year

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

DOUBLETREE BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury History, Plans - established in 1969 - 20 properties in Canada (all franchised); 669 international properties

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$75,000 for the first 250 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 5% of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

ECONO LODGE Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in 1990 in Canada - 38 properties in Canada; 688 international properties (all franchised) Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $250 per room; minimum $25,000 - advertising fee 1.75% - royalty fee 4.00% - reservation fee 1.25%

WE DEVELOP. WE FRANCHISE. ALL ACROSS CANADA.

VISIT SUPERIORLODGINGCORP.COM OR CALL 403.543.8800

Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

History, Plans - established in 1984 - four properties in Canada (all franchised); 266 international properties

ELEMENT HOTELS

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$75,000 for the first 250 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 3.5% year one; 4.5% year two; 5.5% year three and thereafter of Gross Rooms Revenue

Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - Brand established: 2006 - five properties in Canada, - two pipeline properties in Canada; 95 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$75,000 plus US$500/room in excess of 150 - royalty fee 5.5% of GRS - program services contribution 3.15% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1% of GRS); plus US$10,000/year; plus US$220/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury

Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - established 1987 - 31 properties in Canada; 1,247 international properties - 22 properties in development for Canada Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$75,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 125 - royalty fee 5.5% of GRS - program services contribution 3.85% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 2.5% of GRS); plus US$7,000/year; plus US$135/room/year.

22 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - established 1995 - 33 properties in Canada; 273 international properties - six properties in development for Canada Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$75,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 150 - royalty fee 5.5% of GRS - program services contribution 3.15% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1% of GRS); plus US$10,000/year; plus US$220/ room/year.

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

GUESTHOUSE EXTENDED STAY Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - franchised by Red Lion Hotels Franchising, Inc. since 2015 - re-launched as Extended Stay Brand in late 2020 - 10 international properties - expansion planned for Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $20,000 for first 60 rooms; plus $150/room over 6t membership fee $60/room/ month (includes royalty and marketing) Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

HAMPTON BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury

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History, Plans - established in 1984 - 69 properties in Canada (65 franchised); 2,947 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: US$75,000 for the first 150 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 6% of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

HILTON GARDEN INN Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury History, Plans - established in 1996 - 29 properties in Canada (all franchised); 988 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: US$75,000 for the first 150 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 5.5% of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

hoteliermagazine.com

HILTON HOTELS & RESORTS Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury History, Plans - established in 1925 in Texas - 14 properties in Canada (nine franchised); 603 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: US$75,000 for the first 250 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 5% of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 holidayinnexpress.com Vice-president Development, Canada: Scott Duff History, Plans - established in 1991 - 116 franchised properties in Canada; 3,015 international properties - plans to add 18 units in Canada Franchise Costs - total investment: $10,979,758 16,579,767 - royalty fee: 6%GRR - marketing fee: 3% GRR - application fee: $500/guest room; $75,000 minimum

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - site location - staff training - supplies

HOLIDAY INN HOTELS AND RESORTS InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 holidayinn.com development.ihg.com Vice-president Development, Canada: Scott Duff

Franchise Costs - US$75,000 flat franchise fee - royalty fee: 5% of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

HOMEWOOD SUITES

BY HILTON

History, Plans - established in 1952 - 51 franchised properties in Canada; 1,143 international properties - plans to add seven properties in Canada

Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury

Franchise Costs - total investment: $15,477,910 23,284,610 - royalty fee: 5% GRR - marketing fee: 3% GRR - application fee: $500/guest room; $50, 000 Minimum

History, Plans - established in 1989 - 23 properties in Canada (22 franchised); 539 international properties

Services - advertising/ marketing - design - management - site location - staff training - supplies

HOME2 SUITES BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$75,000 for the first 150 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 3.5% year one; 4.5% year two; 5.5% year three and thereafter of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

History, Plans - established in 2009 - nine franchised properties in Canada (all franchised); 635 international properties

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 23

HOWARD JOHNSON

BY WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - established in 1954 - 18 properties in Canada; 269 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: new construction & conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $35,000 or $350 per room - total investment $301,284 - $11,114,482 - application: $2,500 - royalty: 4.5% of GRR - marketing: 2% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

HYATT HOUSE Hyatt Hotels Corporation 150 N. Riverside Plaza Chicago, IL 60606 hyattplace.com Vice-President, Real Estate and Development (Canada): Scott Richer History, Plans - one franchised property in Canada; 134 international properties (franchised and managed) - nine in the pipeline for Canada

Franchise Costs - application fee US$75,000 plus US$500/room (over 150 rooms) - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

HYATT PLACE Hyatt Hotels Corporation 150 N. Riverside Plaza Chicago, IL 60606 hyattplace.com Vice-President, Real Estate and Development (Canada): Scott Richer History, Plans - established in/franchising since 2005 - nine franchised/managed property in Canada; 417 international properties (franchised and managed) - 16 in the pipeline for Canada Franchise Costs - application fee US$75,000 plus US$500/room (over 150 rooms) - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

HYATT REGENCY Hyatt Hotels Corporation 150 N. Riverside Plaza Chicago, IL 60606 hyattplace.com Vice-President, Real Estate and Development (Canada): Scott Richer

24 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

History, Plans - established in 1967; franchising since 2006 - three managed Hyatt Regency properties in Canada; 237 international properties (franchised and managed) - one in the pipeline for Canada Franchise Costs - application fee US$100,000 or US$400/room (whichever is greater) - royalty fee 6% GRR plus 3% F&B - program fee: refer to current FDD Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS & RESORTS InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 intercontinental.com Vice-president, Development Upscale & Luxury: Alex Kuhl History, Plans - established in 1946 - two properties in Canada (all managed); 214 international properties Franchise Costs - total investment $96,928,750 139,284,300 - royalty fee 6% GRR - marketing fee 3% GRR - application fee $500/room; $100,000 minimum Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - site location - staff training - supplies

KIMPTON HOTELS & RESTAURANTS InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 3 Ravinia Dr. Ste 100, Atlanta, GA,30346 kimptonhotels.com VP Development, Canada: Scott Duff History, Plans - established in 1981 - one franchised property in Canada; 77 international properties Franchise Costs - total investment: $54,726,187 77,062,781 - royalty fee 6% GRR, plus 2% of gross food-and-beverage sales - marketing fee 3% GRR - application fee $500/room; $100,000 minimum Services - advertising/Marketing - design - management - site selection - staff training - supplies

KNIGHTS INN Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - franchised by Red Lion Hotels Franchising, Inc., since 2018 - 18 properties in Canada; 160 international properties - expansion underway in Canada Franchise Costs - initial/application fee $16,500 for first 50 rooms; $150/room over 50 - royalty for first 50 rooms $40.50/ room/month; 51 to 75 rooms $36.50/room/month; 76+ rooms $35.50/room/month ($1,620 monthly minimum)

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- marketing fee $17/room/month - no loyalty fees

- technical services - worldwide sales

Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

LE MERIDIEN HOTELS

LA QUINTA BY WYNDHAM

History, Plans - established in 2005 - 120 international properties

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - established in 1968 - two properties in Canada; 916 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: new construction & conversion = $5,000 plus the greater of $55,000 or $550 per room - total investment: $4,254,021 $15,244,470 - application: $2,500 - royalty: 4.5-5% of GRR - marketing: 4.5% GRR Support - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies

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Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu

Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 - royalty fee 5% of GRS - program services contribution 2.42% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1% of GRS); plus US$50,000/year; plus US$510/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

MARRIOTT HOTELS (INCLUDING JW MARRIOTT) Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu

History, Plans - established in 1957 (Marriott) and 1984 (JW) - 19 properties in Canada (three JW and 16 MH); 686 international properties (118 JW and 568 MH)

- loyalty fee: 3 - 4.75% of all qualified hotel loyalty revenue (excludes members’ first stay) depending on brand segment - distribution fee: varies depending on the channel

MICROTEL INN & SUITES

BY WYNDHAM

Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 - royalty fee 6% of GRS, plus 3% of gross food-and-beverage sales - program services contribution 1.62% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1% of GRS); plus US$50,000/year; plus US$510/room/year

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com Executive VP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

MGALLERY HOTEL COLLECTION Accor North & Central America 155 Wellington St. W., Ste. 3300 Toronto, ON M5V 0C3 group.accor.com/en/hoteldevelopment SVP Development, Luxury Americas: Mark Purcell History, Plans - first MGallery in Canada opened in December 2021 in Vancouver, B.C.: Hotel Belmont Vancouver MGallery Hotel Collection - MGallery Hotel Collection is comprised of more than 110 hotels worldwide Franchise Costs - initial franchise Fee: $50,000 95,000 plus additional amounts based on room count and brand segment - royalty fee: 5% of gross room revenue - marketing fund fee: 2% of gross room revenue or 1.5% of gross operating revenue depending on brand segment

History, Plans - Established in 1986 - 26 properties in Canada; 330 internationally - Initial franchise fee: New Construction = $2,500 plus the greater of $40,000 or $400 per room - Total investment $6,816,044 to $8,450,250* New Construction Only - Advertising fee: 2% GRR. - Royalty fee: 6% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

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MOD – A SONESTA COLLECTION Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - New soft brand launched 2023 - one hotel in Calgary - expansion underway in U.S. & Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $75,000 or $500/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 2.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 4.5% qualified room revenue Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - groups, meetings, conventions - sales and support - guest recognition program - reputation management/guest - relations - local marketing support - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales - procurement assistance - design assistance

MONTE CARLO INNS Monte Carlo Hotel Motel International 218 Export Blvd. Ste. 601 Mississauga, ON L5S 0A7 montecarloinns.com VP of Operations: Justin Meffe VP, Franchise Development: Danny Pedone

History, Plans - established in 1984 - eight properties in Canada (all franchised) - looking to expand in southern Ontario Franchise Report - initial franchise fee $30,000 or $400/room - advertising fee 2% - royalty fee 5% Services - advertising/marketing - design - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

Services - advertising/marketing - design - global reservations - operational support - purchasing - site review and analysis - staff training

MOXY HOTELS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - established in 2014 - 133 international properties - five properties in the pipeline for Canada

MOTEL 6 Master Franchisor in Canada Realstar Hospitality Corp., Division of Realstar Hospitality (G6 Hospitality LLC) 77 Bloor St. W., Ste. 2000 Toronto, ON M5S 1M2 motel6.com President and COO: Irwin Prince

Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$90,000 plus US$500/room in excess of 150 - royalty fee 5.5% of GRS - program services contribution 3.85% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 2.5% of GRS); plus US$7,000/year; plus US$135/ room/year

History, Plans - franchising in Canada began in 2003 - 34 franchised properties in Canada; 1,400 plus international properties - plans to add five (+/-) properties in Canada

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $40,000 - application fee $1,000 - royalty fee 5% - marketing: 1.5% - reservation: 2%

Accor North & Central America 155 Wellington St. W., Ste. 3300 Toronto, ON M5V 0C3 group.accor.com/en/hoteldevelopment SVP Development, Luxury Americas: Edouard Schwob

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NOVOTEL CANADA

History, Plans - first Novotel in Canada established in 1985 in Mississauga, ON - six properties in Canada; 570+ international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise Fee: $50,000 95,000 plus additional amounts based on room count and brand segment - royalty fee: 5% of gross room revenue - marketing fund fee: 2% of gross room revenue or 1.5% of gross operating revenue depending on brand segment - loyalty fee: 3 - 4.75% of all qualified hotel loyalty revenue (excludes members’ first stay) depending on brand segment - distribution fee: varies depending on the channel

QUALITY Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in 1955 in Canada - 102 properties in Canada; 1,782 international properties (all franchised) Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $300 per room; minimum $35,000 - advertising fee 1.75% - royalty fee 5.00% - reservation fee 1.75% Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

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History, Plans - founded in 1907 - 14 properties in Canada

PARK INN BY RADISSON Choice Hotels International 915 Meeting St., Ste. 600 North Bethesda, MD 20852 800-547-0007 choicehotelsdevelopment.com Kris C. Crundwell, Regional VP, Development, Canada (Choice Hotels International, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Brands) History, Plans - founded in 1986 - nine properties in Canada Franchise Costs - initial fee - The greater of $45,000 USD or $450 per Sleeping Room - royalty fee 5.5% of Gross Room Revenues (“GRR”) - marketing fee 2.0% of Gross Room Revenues - reservation fees 1.25% of Gross Room Revenues Services - advertising/marketing - Choice Privileges® | Rewards By Choice Hotels® - design - site location - staff training - supplies

Franchise Costs - initial fee - The greater of $75,000 USD or $500 per Sleeping Room - royalty fee 5% of Gross Room Revenue (“GRR”) - marketing fee 2% of Gross Room Revenue - reservation fee 2% of Gross Room Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - Choice Privileges® | Rewards

By Choice Hotels® - design - site location - staff training - supplies

RADISSON BLU Choice Hotels International 915 Meeting St., Ste. 600 North Bethesda, MD 20852 800-547-0007 Kris C. Crundwell, Regional VP, Development, Canada (Choice Hotels International, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Brands) History, Plans - Radisson Blu has roots dating back to the opening of the SAS Royal Hotel in Denmark in 1960 - brand was established in 2009 - two properties in Canada

RADISSON Choice Hotels International 915 Meeting St., Ste. 600 North Bethesda, MD 20852 800-547-0007 choicehotelsdevelopment.com choicehotelsdevelopment.com/ brands/#radisson Kris C. Crundwell, Regional VP, Development, Canada (Choice Hotels International, Cambria Hotels, Radisson Brands)s

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Franchise Costs - initial fee - Greater of $100,000 USD or an amount equal to $500 per Sleeping Room- royalty fee 5% of Gross Room Revenue (“GRR”) - marketing fee 2% of Gross Room Revenue - reservation fee 2% of Gross Room Revenue

Services - advertising/marketing - Choice Privileges® | Rewards

By Choice Hotels® - design - site location - staff training - supplies

RAMADA BY WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - established in 1954 - 77 properties in Canada (all franchised); 774 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: new construction & conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $35,000 or $350 per room - total investment $209,364 - $18,275,703 - application: $2,500 - royalty: 4.5% of GRR - marketing: 2% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

RED LION HOTEL Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - franchised in the U.S. since 1999 - 27 international properties - expansion in Canada planned Franchise Costs - application fee $300/room; minimum of $60,000 - royalty fee 5% of GRR - marketing fee 3% of GRR - no loyalty fees Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

RED LION INN & SUITES Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - franchised in the U.S. since 1999 - 32 properties in the U.S. - expansion underway in Canada

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Franchise Costs - application fee $300; minimum of $40,000 - royalty fee 5% of GRR - marketing (program) fee 3% of GRR Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

RENAISSANCE HOTELS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - acquired Renaissance Hotels in 1997 - three properties in Canada; 173 international properties - one pipeline property Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 - royalty fee 5% GRS - program contribution services: 2.12% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1.5% of GRS); plus US$50,000/ year; plus US$510/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management

- purchasing - staff training - supplies

RESIDENCE INN BY MARRIOTT Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - acquired Residence Inn in 1987 - 26 properties in Canada; 873 international properties - four properties in the pipeline for Canada Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$90,000 plus US$500/suite in excess of 150 - royalty fee 6% GRS - program services contribution 2.56% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 2.5% of GRS); plus US$6,000/ year; plus US$65/suite/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

RODEWAY INN Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in 1993 in Canada - nine properties in Canada; 467 international properties (all franchised)

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Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $200 per room; minimum $15,000 - advertising fee 1.75% - royalty fee 4.00% - reservation fee 1.25% Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

ROYAL SONESTA Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - 17 hotels international properties, one in Canada - further expansion underway in Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $75,000 or $500/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 4.5% qualified room revenue Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

SHERATON HOTELS & RESORTS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - brand established in 1974 - 18 properties in Canada; 415 international properties Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 - royalty fee 6% of GRS, plus 2% of gross food-and-beverage sales - program services contribution 2.42% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1% of GRS); plus US$50,000/year; plus US$510/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

SIGNATURE INN Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - re-launched 2018 - 9 properties in the U.S, including Signature (midscale) properties - expansion underway in Canada

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Franchise Costs - application fee $20,000 for first 70 rooms; plus $150/room over 70 - flat membership fee $50/room/ month (includes royalty, marketing, and PMS license) minimum of $2,000 per month - no loyalty fees Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

SLEEP INN Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 choicehotelsdevelopment.ca Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Canada Inc.: Brian Leon History, Plans - established in 1996 in Canada - four properties in Canada; 443 international properties (all franchised) Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: $300 per room; minimum $35,000 - advertising fee 1.75% - royalty fee 5.00% - reservation fee 1.75% Services - advertising/marketing - design - staff training - supplies

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SONESTA ESSENTIAL Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - launched in 2020 - five international properties, - expansion underway in Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $65,000 or $500/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 3% qualified room revenue Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

SONESTA ES SUITES Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - Launched in 2012 - 92 international properties, one in Canada (Toronto) - expansion underway in Canada

Franchise Costs - application fee $65,000 or $500/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 2.5% qualified room revenue Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

SONESTA HOTELS & RESORTS Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 255 Washington St Ste 270 Newton, MA, 02458-1634 Development@sonesta.com franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - 43 international properties - expansion underway in Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $75,000 or $500/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 4.5% qualified room revenue

- local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

SONESTA SELECT Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - Launched in 2020 - 59 interational properties - expansion underway in Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $65,000 or $500/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 3% qualified room revenue Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program

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SONESTA SIMPLY SUITES Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - Launched in 2020 - 62 international properties - expansion underway in Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $50,000 or $400/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 2.5% qualified room revenue Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations - revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

SPRINGHILL SUITES

BY MARRIOTT Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu

History, Plans - established 1995 - two properties in Canada; 541 interational properties - four properties in pipeline in Canada Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$75,000 plus US$400/suite in excess of 150 - royalty fee 5.5% of GRS - program services contribution 3.85% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 2.5% of GRS); plus US$10,000/ year; plus US$220/suite/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

STAYBRIDGE SUITES InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 staybridgesuites.com VP Development, Canada: Scott Duff development.ihg.com History, Plans - established in 1997 - 12 franchised properties in Canada; 306 interational properties - plans to add eight more properties in Canada Franchise Costs - total investment: $17,742,375 26,629,495 - royalty fee 5.5% GSR - marketing fee 2.5% GSR - application fee $500/suite; $75,000 minimum Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - site selection

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- staff training - supplies

STUDIO 6 Master Franchisor in Canada Realstar Hospitality Corp., Division of Realstar Hospitality (G6 Hospitality LLC) 77 Bloor St. W., Ste. 2000 Toronto, ON M5S 1M2 studio6.com President and COO: Irwin Prince History, Plans - established in 1999 - two franchised properties in Canada; 100+ international properties, plans to add two (+/-) properties in Canada Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $40,000 - Application Fee: $1,000 - Royalty fee: 5% - Marketing: 1.5% - Reservation: 2% Services - advertising/marketing - design - global reservations - operational support - purchasing - site review and analysis - staff training

SUPER 8 BY WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com Executive VP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - Established in 1974 - 122 properties in Canada; - 2,569 international properties

Franchise Costs - Initial franchise fee: New Construction & Conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $25,000 or $250 per room - total investment $232,032 - $5,678,048 - application: $2,500 - royalty: 5.5% of GRR - marketing: 3% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

SUPERIOR LODGING CORP. Master Franchisor / Territorial Developer in Canada (Wyndham Hotel & Resorts) Ste. 2900, 500 – 4th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2P 2V6 superiorlodgingcorp.com EVP, Operations: Trevor Hagel EVP, Franchising and Development: Nigel Lucas History, Plans - established in 1992 - 254 properties in Canada - plans to increase brand port- folio by 10-per-cent net growth in 2024

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Master Franchisor in Canada: Travelodge by Wyndham Thriftlodge Territorial Developer in Canada: Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Ramada by Wyndham (Eastern Canada) Super 8 by Wyndham Wingate by Wyndham Wyndham Garden by Wyndham

SURESTAY HOTELS BWH Hotels 6557 Mississauga Rd., Unit D Meadowvale Ct. 1 Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6 bwh.com President & CEO: Larry Cuculic Chief Development Officer: Brad LeBlan History, Plans - established in 2016 - 15 properties in Canada; 413 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee $35,000, plus an additional $100 per guestroom over 100 guestrooms, plus application fee of $2,500 - monthly sales and marketing fee 4% of GRR - royalty fee 4% of GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - lease negotiation - management - purchasing - revenue management - site location - staff training - supplies

TAPESTRY COLLECTION

BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury

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History, Plans - established in 2017 - three properties in Canada (all franchised); 117 international properties

- revenue management assistance - STR/Rate Shop - travel industry sales

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: US$75,000 for the first 250 rooms, plus US$400 per additional room - royalty fee: 5% of Gross Rooms Revenue

Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu

Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

THE JAMES Sonesta RL Hotels Franchising, Inc. 400 Centre St. Newton, MA, 02458-1634 franchise.sonesta.com SVP, Franchise Development – Jason Yarbrough RVP, Franchise Development – Andre Giannandrea History, Plans - one international property - expansion underway in Canada Franchise Costs - application fee $75,000 or $500/room - royalty fee 5% GRR - marketing fee 3.5% GRR - loyalty fees: 4.5% qualified room revenue Services - advertising/marketing - CRS and CRO - CRM - design assistance - groups, meetings, conventions sales and support - guest recognition program - local marketing support - procurement assistance - reputation management/ guest relations

THE LUXURY COLLECTION

History, Plans - established in 1998 - 113 international properties Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 guestrooms - royalty fee 5% of GRS, plus 2% of gross food and beverage sales - program services contribution 2.32% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1% of GRS); plus US$40,000/year; plus US$450/room/year

TOWNEPLACE SUITES

BY MARRIOTT Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - established in 1997 - 21 properties in Canada; 476 international properties - 22 properties in the pipeline in Canada

Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$75,000 plus US$400/suite in excess of 125 - royalty fee 5.5% of GRS - program services contribution 3.35% of GRS (includes a contribution to the market- ing fund of 2% of GRS); plus US$7,000/year; plus US$135/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

TRADEMARK COLLECTION

BY WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - established in 2017 - 14 hotels in Canada; 171 hotels international properties Franchise Costs - initial fee: new construction & conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $35,000 or $350 per room - total investment: $239,674 - $15,991,618 - application: $2,500 - membership: 4% of GRR - marketing: 2.5% GRR Services: - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training

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- supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu

TRAVELODGE

BY WYNDHAM

History, Plans - three properties in Canada; 103 international properties - two properties in the pipeline for Canada

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - Established in 1939 - 101 hotels in Canada; 340 international properties Franchise Costs - initial fee: new construction & conversion = $1,500 plus the greater of $35,000 or $350 per room - total investment: $182,029 - $10,172,149 - application: $1,500 - membership: 4.5% of GRR - marketing: 2% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

TRIBUTE HOTELS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 guestrooms - royalty fee 5% of GRS - program services contribution 2.42% of GRS (which includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1.5% of GRS); plus US$40,000/year; plus US$450/ room/year.

Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

TRU BY HILTON Hilton 7930 Jones Branch Dr. McLean, VA 22102 hilton.com/en/corporate/ development/ President & CEO: Christopher Nassetta Senior Director, Development, Canada: Jeff Cury History, Plans - established in 2016 - three properties in Canada (all franchised); 247 international properties Franchise Costs - US$75,000 flat franchise fee - royalty fee: 5% of Gross Rooms Revenue Services - advertising/marketing - design - Hilton Honors guest-reward program

32 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

- management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

(THE) UNBOUND COLLECTION BY HYATT Hyatt Hotels Corporation 150 N. Riverside Plaza Chicago, IL 60606 hyattplace.com Vice-President, Real Estate and Development (Canada): Scott Richer History, Plans - established in/franchising since 2016 - one franchised property in Canada; 23 international properties (franchised and managed) Franchise Costs - application fee US$100,000 or US$300/room (whichever is greater) - royalty fee 7% GRR - program fee: 3.5%GRR Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - site location - staff training - supplies

WESTIN HOTELS & RESORTS Marriott International, Inc. 2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 marriottdevelopment.com SVP, Lodging Development, Marriott Select Brands East Region & Canada: Adam Sherer VP, Lodging Development, Eastern Canada: Aaron Laurie Senior Director, Lodging Development, Western Canada: Duncan Chiu History, Plans - 14 properties in Canada; 229 international properties

Franchise Costs - initial application fee US$100,000 plus US$400/room in excess of 250 - royalty fee 7% GRS, plus 3% of gross food-and-beverage sales - program services contribution 3.02% of GRS (includes a contribution to the marketing fund of 1.325% of GRS); plus US$50,000/ year; plus US$510/room/year Services - advertising/marketing - design - management - purchasing - staff training - supplies

WINGATE BY WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History, Plans - established in 1996 - eight properties in Canada; 188 international properties Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: new construction & conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $36,000 or $360 per room - total investment: $358,055 - $13,826,535 - application: $2,500 - royalty: 4.5% of GRR - marketing: 4% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems

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- staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

WORLDHOTELS COLLECTION

- preferred purchasing relationship - public relations - revenue management - WorldHotel rewards - worldwide sales team

WorldHotels 28 West 44th Street, The Club Row Building, Ste. 720 New York, NY 10036 President: Ron Pohl Chief Development Officer: Greg Habeeb

WYNDHAM GARDEN

History, Plans - established in 1970 - 10 properties in Canada; 137 international properties

History, Plans - five properties in Canada; 144 international properties

Franchise Costs: - initial franchise fee (including application fee): $15,000 to $35,000 - marketing fee determined by size of hotel - two business models: distribution model or royalty fee = 3% of GRR Services - full distribution - hotel training - marketing - preferred partnerships (ota, consortia, corporate, etc)

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com EVP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson

Franchise Costs - initial franchise fee: new construction & conversion = $2,500 plus the greater of $35,000 or $350 per room - total investment $432,773 - $17,339,748 - advertising fee 3% GRR - royalty fee 5% GRR Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?

Leadership

WYNDHAM Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 22 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 wyndhamdevelopment.com Executive VP and Chief Development Officer: Chip Ohlsson History,Plans - Established 1996 - one property in Canada; 167 international properties

Don't see your company listed here?

Franchise Costs - Initial Franchise Fee: New Construction & Conversion - $10,000 plus the greater $50,000 or $500 per room - Total investment: $1,331,711 - $86,065,031 - Application: $10,000 - Royalty: 5% of GRR - Marketing: 3% GRR

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Services - architectural services/design - advertising/marketing - conventions and area meetings - development & design - field support - financial assistance - group tour material - group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

- group savings - lease negotiation - purchasing - quality assurance audits - quality control - reservation systems - staff training - supplies - technical services - worldwide sales

Industry Reports

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Operations & Trends

Hotelier

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TRENDS

LEVERAGING LOYALTY Hotel loyalty programs transform into sophisticated platforms

BY NICOLE DI TOMASSO

Since their debut in 1983 by Holiday Inn and Marriott, hotel loyalty programs have evolved from simple pointbased systems to sophisticated platforms. The initial goal was straightforward — entice guests to return by rewarding points for each stay, which could then be redeemed for free rooms or airfares. While rudimentary by today’s standards, these early programs laid the foundation for a new era in customerretention strategies.

Now, hotel operators are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance customer loyalty and set themselves apart in a crowded market. Modern loyalty programs have expanded through partnerships with credit-card payment processers, airlines, car-rental services and entertainment venues, offering a more comprehensive selection of 34 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

lifestyle rewards. This versatility enhances the perceived value of the loyalty program and encourages members to engage with a brand across various touchpoints.

“Loyalty programs need to respond to this growing desire among consumers for a more personalized experience or risk becoming irrelevant,” says Danielle Brown, Chief Marketing Officer at Montreal-based Plusgrade, a provider of ancillary revenue solutions for the global travel industry. “Consumers’ attitudes towards brands have changed, and they expect the companies they transact with to take the time to understand their needs.

A one-size-fits-all approach isn’t a sustainable model anymore.”

Plusgrade recently launched multiple loyalty solutions for The Leading Hotels of the World (LWH), the largest hoteliermagazine.com

collection of independent luxury hotels. Plusgrade’s loyalty business unit, Points, provides several benefits for LWH’s tiered guestloyalty program, Leaders Club, where members now have the opportunity to make an immediate lumpsum purchase of rewards through the Purchase Points feature, allowing members to access hotel stays and experiences sooner.

Additionally, Leaders Club members also have access to the Gift Points feature to offer greater flexibility in how points are redeemed, allowing them to buy points for friends and family. Points partners include Choice Privileges Rewards, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, Radisson Rewards and more.

“Our ability to leverage data and analytics to deliver innovative promotional constructs and greater personalization has resulted in strong results for our partners,” says Brown. “We work closely with them to dive deeply into extensive member data and apply sophisticated modelling to deduce the best products and offers to put in front of special groups or members at a given time. It’s this level of relevancy that helps nurture true loyalty.”

The Hilton Honors mobile app was launched nearly a decade ago, “and since then, it has been an evolving benefit that [the company] continuously updates and customizes based on member and guest feedback,” says Jenn Chick, global head, SVP, Hilton Honors, Customer Engagement & Partnership, Hilton. hoteliermagazine.com

The app allows guests to book their stay, select their room, check-in and check-out from their mobile device. Additionally, guests can use the Digital Key feature to unlock their guestroom door and access other areas of the hotel that require a key, as well as the Digital Key Share feature, which allows one guest to share their room key with up to four additional people or devices. Chick says the Background Elevator Unlock feature “is one of the newest innovations of Digital Key, allowing guests to automatically connect to and unlock elevators if their Hilton Honors app is open in the background of their iOS device.”

Other loyalty app enhancements include personalizing in-room technology with Hilton’s Connected Room Experience, allowing guests to select their favourite TV stations and streaming apps; selecting any combination of points and money to pay for a stay; and notifying guests of complimentary room upgrades before check-in through an automated upgrades program.

Most recently, the company introduced new benefits for its Hilton Honors American Express Surpass and Aspire Cards to provide more ways to earn points on everyday spending. New perks for the Surpass Card include 4x Hilton Honors Bonus Points on U.S. online retail purchases; up to $200 back in statement credits annually for eligible Hilton purchases made directly at participating properties; and complimentary

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 35

EDITORIAL

Switching It Up Hilton digital key

National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status, while the Aspire Card now offers up to $400 in statement credits annually for eligible purchases at participating Hilton Resorts; up to $200 in statement credits annually on eligible flight purchases; $189 in statement credits per calendar year after members sign up and pay for a CLEAR Plus membership; One Free Night Reward after spending $30,000 in purchases in a calendar year; complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status; and cell phone protection, among other improvements.

This year, Chick says the company “will be launching Hilton for Business, which aims to transform the business-travel experience and expand [the company’s] events booking capabilities. Hilton for Business will feature a new booking website designed especially for smalland medium-sized businesses, as well as targeted benefits and more opportunities for businesses to earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points upon program registration and travel milestones.”

Chick continues, “The intersection of digitalization and travel is propelling the industry forward as we collectively look for ways to improve the stay experience. As a result, we’re focused on understanding how data can enable us to meet the specific needs of our guests and take considerable measures to ensure we’re leveraging valuable customer insight to help us improve our loyalty program. Our 36 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

priority is to quickly address travellers’ evolving preferences, passions and pain points by tracking trends, alleviating challenges and delivering improved products and services.”

Furthermore, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s loyalty program, recently revealed a multi-year agreement with Live Nation Canada, granting members access to exclusive concert and stay experiences at hundreds of Live Nation-promoted shows across Canada. Loyalty members can also earn points when booking hotel stays directly, offering a more personalized experience and opportunities to earn free nights and other benefits.

“According to a recent Live Nation study, [more than] 30 per cent of Canadians have travelled at least 100 kilometers to attend a concert or festival, and [more than] 70 per cent of concertgoers who stay overnight for a live event choose to stay at a hotel,” says Beatriz Fuentes, area director of Marketing, Canada, Marriott International in a company release.

In Canada, Marriott Bonvoy members can redeem points for other experiences through partnerships with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Montreal Canadiens, among others.

As the industry continues to evolve, the role of loyalty programs in shaping the future of hospitality remains indispensable. ◆

A

ccor’s lifestyle hospitality brand, Ennismore, has taken a different approach to loyalty with the launch of its Dis-loyalty 12-month subscription last year. The program encourages members to explore new destinations by being disloyal and brings together more than 75 hotels and 150 restaurants and bars from 10 globally renowned brands, including 25hours Hotels, Mama Shelter, The Hoxton, Mondrian and SLS. With the Dis-loyalty membership, there’s no need to earn points, climb tiers or wait for rewards. Members will get instant perks from the moment they sign up through a dedicated online platform, according to a company release.

Members will get five core benefits, including 50 per cent off newly opened hotels in the first three months after opening; 20 per cent off every first-time stay in every hotel; 10 per cent off for return stays; 10 per cent off food and drink in any restaurant, bar or coffee shop; and one free barista-made drink (coffee, tea, hot chocolate) for every day of the year. Dis-loyalty is also donating five per cent of membership revenue to local charities.

hoteliermagazine.com

OPERATIONS

Connecting With Customers Managing guest relations is a snap with software

BY ROBIN ROBERTS

FREEPIK.COM

I

t’s been said that people will forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. It could also be said that to manage an unforgettable relationship with your customers, it wouldn’t hurt to strive for all three. That’s not always humanly possible, however, that is where a little technical help — such as a customer relationship management system, or CRM — comes in.

Simply put, a CRM is an integrated, data-driven software system that tracks, stores and manages information about your current, future and prospective guests — what and how they booked, the facilities they used, and how satisfied hoteliermagazine.com

(or not) they were with their experience.

Using this information helps hoteliers and their teams communicate with these guests before, during and after their stay, and informs any changes they might make as a result.

“We used to take out ads in the newspaper and Yellow Pages,” says Edward Keenan, vice-president, Resort Operations for Clique Hotels & Resorts, of early efforts to attract guests. After their stay, staff would gather up all the comment cards left in the rooms and catalogue them manually on paper.

“We’ve come a long way since then.”

Now, instead of wrestling with tedious spreadsheets, log books and ledgers of old, today’s CRM systems electronically

collect and compile guests’ profiles and store them in one central, secure place.

Starting from the minute a guest books a room, a CRM system will confirm their reservation, ask about any special needs or requests, send reminders about their upcoming stay, provide a time frame for cancellations, check them in, allow you to interact with them during their stay via their preferred communications tool, such as phone, email, or live chat, about any concerns or issues, check them out, and then follow up after they’ve left with a thank you note and, possibly, survey, which could include an incentive for completing it.

CRM software will also track guests’ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 37

feedback via social media sites such as TripAdvisor, Google and Yelp. This allows the hotelier to see what went right and what went wrong, and to respond in a timely and appropriate manner, as well as make operational changes and improvements to meet those needs and expectations.

“Even in the context of hospitality, we say “customer” instead of “guest”

because one of the key roles of a CRM is to connect all the different profit centres on-premises via APIs [application programming interface] into unified customer profiles,” says Adam Mogelonsky, partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited. “[This allows a hotelier to] for instance, know what motivates guests to spend at the restaurant or, conversely, how to

encourage locals dining at your restaurant to recommend your hotel to their friends.

“A well-structured CRM can do this and far more when it comes to micro-segmentation.

But a forewarning: it isn’t cheap to get all these data connections in place.

And a CRM then requires a dedicated manager to direct all the workflows.”

NUTS AND BOLTS Keenan says he and his team are currently testing two systems — TravelClick and Revinate — for use in their mountain and city properties across Western Canada before they make a final decision. They narrowed down the two after researching their options, attending technology conferences, talking with the various retailers and providers, and even quizzing other hoteliers about their systems.

“Not only do [these two systems] manage our customer relationships as far as maintaining contact information, email data bases, and email-marketing software, they do all of our online relationship management by monitoring review sites, which let the properties know when they have a review so they can engage appropriately.”

He says the systems also provide an opportunity for upgrades, cross-sells or upsells, which might include a better room or a deal on a spa package.

Many people have access to the software, including the general managers, guest-services managers, revenue managers as well as sales and marketing teams who use it for insight into guests’ booking history, purchasing patterns, needs and preferences based on how they interacted with a hotel’s website.

This knowledge helps to better customize service, as well as to anticipate demands. It’s also valuable for tracking and compiling who responds to your marketing messages — you can even test out which email subject lines garner the most clicks — so you can tailor marketing campaigns.

38 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

hoteliermagazine.com

BOONS AND BENEFITS A good CRM system is more efficient and cost-effective in the long run, as it does away with repetitious, tedious, administrative work, freeing up staff to service guests personally, which results in those unforgettable experiences. And those positive experiences enhance customer loyalty, which translates into good reviews, which translates into more (and repeat) bookings, which results in more profitability.

Keenan says he’s already able to track how much revenue is generated from certain email campaigns. “We find that the direct email campaigns are very successful and [the system] provides metrics on how well it does. It follows through to the booking so we’re able to verify [which] one generated this amount of money in this campaign and the dates that it worked well for.”

CRM systems also provide realtime performance data around slow and busy periods, so your sales and marketing teams can identify new leads, design targeted email campaigns, as well as understand and respond to market conditions.

along with robust reporting features to track your hotel’s performance and analyze data trends and patterns.

It should also be efficient and user friendly. But the primary feature should be, of course, targeted to the customer — their needs, behaviours, preferences and ways to support that — since it’s a customer relationship management tool, after all. But the system should also streamline work and integrate seamlessly with your other tech, such as PMS, RMS, and API. A CRM system can be simple — primarily managing bookings and reservations — or more complex — tracking customer loyalty and rewards — based on how many people and departments will be using it. Since users may overlap many departments, they will all need to be trained, so you’ll want to work with a company that offers instruction, set-up, implementation and customer service support.

Some of the top platforms include Salesforce, Revinate, Track, Inn Flow and Hubspot, each specializing in a

particular function, such as real-time guest communication, guest-experience management, top-notch segmentation tools for targeted marketing, guest feedback analysis, which will give you a good picture of your hotel’s reputation, to sales tracking to a focus on events and banquet management, to manage hotel scalability and financial management.

Systems can range from $10 per user per month all the way up to $100 per user per month. Some big chains, such as Hilton and Choice, use their own proprietary systems for their unique needs.

THE HUMAN TOUCH Keenan says hoteliers have historically been slow to automate their systems simply because hospitality is a humanfocused industry, and they run the risk of losing that. Still, he believes there’s a valid place for technology within the industry.

“There could be a hotel [that a business traveller] stays at regularly that may not need to see the guest-service agent every time, or wait in line to get their key. Maybe they can go to a kiosk and get it there.”

On the flip side, leisure travellers are interested in what to see and do in the area, and consulting with a living, breathing concierge is much more satisfying. “Also, a robot will likely not greet a repeat guest by their name or offer them a better room.”◆

THE RIGHT FIT The right CRM system is the one that works for your particular needs.

A sprawling resort’s needs may differ from those of a busy casino or a small boutique hotel. It’s important to research which features you’ll need and which ones you won’t, as well as your goals and objectives. For example, do you want to primarily manage and analyze guest data? Or is it more important to streamline workflow to improve operational efficiency and productivity? Do you need a system that can manage multiple properties? In other words, it should be customizable for building email or messaging tools, hoteliermagazine.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 39

F&B

Bounce-Back

The much-loved breakfast buffet is making a comeback

BY ROSELINE VICTORIA VIJAYAKUMAR

T

he breakfast buffet, beloved by frequent leisure and business travellers alike, has undergone a massive transformation in the post-pandemic era. Though behaviours seem to be snapping back to the new normal, many safety measures are still in place as guests seek to enjoy a diverse selection of breakfast offerings while remaining shielded from potential health risks.

“The majority of hotel segments that previously featured breakfast buffets have re-instated them, albeit with some modifications,” says Steven Gilbert, director of Procurement at Choice Hotels Canada. “While these offerings may not fully resemble their pre-COVID state, guests have become accustomed to this amenity and continue to expect it as part of their hotel experience.”

CAUSES FOR CONCERN Health-and-safety measures remain a source of concern for hoteliers.

Stringent sanitation protocols and crowd-control measures have been implemented to ensure guest safety, and re-configured buffet layouts and 40 40 || JANUARY/FEBRUARY JANUARY/FEBRUARY2024 2024

touchless dispensers aim to provide a safe dining experience. Hotels have found numerous workarounds to maintain a balance between guest satisfaction and health concerns.

“Streamlining the buffet offering, such as reducing the number of hot meat and egg offerings, was beneficial as it reduced the required labour while still meeting the guest’s expectations,” says Gilbert.

“Streamlining the breakfast offering made it easier for hotels to manage food waste and reduce equipment costs.”

Labour challenges remain paramount, requiring strategic planning and training programs.” Amy Hulbert, vice-president, Boutique and Upscale Brands, BWH Hotel Group says, “Labour is another challenge for hoteliers. As turnover continues to be a source of concern across the industry, finding the right solutions from an offerings standpoint can alleviate some of the labour issues.”

Additionally, supply-chain issues and disruptions in sourcing and maintaining quality ingredients have forced hotels to re-evaluate their procurement strategies to ensure a steady supply of resources. Notably, many hoteliers have turned to local suppliers for procurement of resources.

SEGMENTATION APPROACH Complimentary breakfast buffets have become an enticing factor for increasing guest reservations. Midscale and luxury hotels have been strategically balancing safety and affordability to ensure a safe yet attractive breakfast experience for guests.

“You eat with your eyes,” says Hulbert.

“Our offerings have always been something guests look forward to in their stay, but in addition to seeking out additional food offerings for our buffets, we’re also focused on the display of these items so that they’re appealing to guests. We’ve identified a package that allows hotels some flexibility in how things are displayed, while keeping aesthetics, ease of use and sanitation all in mind. We’re also encouraging [locally sourced] items on our buffets.”

For the extended-stay segment, Sonesta Hotels has brought back improved buffets post-COVID. During the pandemic, Sonesta ES Suites experimented with grab-and-go breakfast, however, guests said that they missed the morning hot-buffet offerings.

“We therefore put together a creative breakfast offering that moves away from the traditional scrambled eggs and bacon and provides more versatility to our hoteliermagazine.com hoteliermagazine.com

Comfort Inn & Suites, Ingersoll, ON

hoteliermagazine.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 41

guests through customizable, healthy fresh toppings on all our breakfast stations,” says Brittany Hattingh, director of Brand Programming, Sonesta Hotels. “In the full-service segments, we’ve brought back buffets and have incorporated more lifestyle cuisine into the menu planning to cater to the more health-cautious traveller.”

BUILDING UP BREAKFAST The present buffet landscape is a smooth blend of tradition and adaptation.

Hotels have embraced new trends in menu offerings and presentation styles to cater to evolving guest expectations.

Noteworthy concepts include thematic breakfast events and interactive culinary experiences that elevate guest satisfaction. Creativity in menu planning has become the key to driving guest engagement, and inventive breakfast options have become a standout clause for hotels aiming to raise the bar. “[Our supply team has] set our breakfast offerings apart from the competition and they’ve been focused on food and display options for our hoteliers,” says Hulbert. “Guests are looking for healthier options, as well as gluten- and dairy-free items, which we’re working into our offerings.”

Similarly, Hattingh adds, “Before, guests had to ask for a vegetarian or vegan meal as a special request, but now we include vegan and gluten-free options built into the menu as part of the standard offerings.”

42 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

AGE OF ADVANCEMENT Sanitation stations and modern equipment are crucial for maintaining a safe buffet environment. The advancement of technology in hotels has played a significant role in minimizing physical contact. Digital menu displays and ordering systems have helped the cause, allowing guests to make selections with minimal physical interaction.

Sonesta has introduced the Sonesta ES Suites Breakfast program and a newto-market automated yogourt dispenser as part of its Sonesta Essential Breakfast.

“We’re enhancing presentations and incorporating new technology such as an on-demand, self-service pancake machine,” says Hattingh. “Our breakfast program at Sonesta Essential incorporates a self-service coffee machine with options so guests can have their coffee customized to their tastes.”

Hattingh continues, “Buffet technology continues to improve, which allows for a better guest experience and more flexibility to be creative with our presentations and setups. We’re currently experimenting with re-chargeable, cordless induction units which will remove the need to be close to a power outlet or hide cords from guest view. This could be a game changer for hot food to be presented anywhere, especially for unique outdoor locations. Also, using vessels such as disposable bamboo items can be an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic.”

Gilbert adds, “To facilitate modern breakfast service, essential equipment includes temperature-controlled units to maintain the ideal temperature for hot and cold items without posing a risk of guest burns. It’s advisable to have beverage dispensers for both hot and cold drinks such as coffee, tea, juices and milk. The use of automated equipment and dispensers is encouraged to reduce contact points. Additionally, maintaining organized plate, bowl and utensil stations is essential to present a clean and well-structured buffet setup.”

“In addition to traditional convection ovens and cooktops, we’re testing some amazing commercial convection ovens that are truly a one-stop-shop for preparation of breakfast items, as well as dinner and lunch options,” says Hulbert.

As hotels navigate the complexities of ensuring safety without compromising the essence of the buffet experience, adaptability and innovation will be key to sustained success. ◆

Best Western Plus Mobile Inn & Suites breakfast

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DECOR & DESIGN

EAT, PLAY, WORK Restaurant design is adapting to the times

BY DENISE DEVEAU

Le Boulevardier Restaurant, Le Germain Hotel Montreal

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Over the past few years, there has been a marked shift in hotel restaurant design. Whether the restaurant space is large or small, in the lobby or on another level, hotel restaurants are evolving into gathering spaces that can dynamically adapt depending on the time of day and guests’ needs.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 43

Activating common spaces, including food-and-beverage operations, can be important revenue drivers, according to Zébulon Perron, founder and creative director, Atelier Zebulon Perron in Montreal. “In approaching restaurants from a design standpoint, you have to make sure the spaces are conducive to attracting not only guests, but locals. You can’t really sustain food-and-beverage operations with just hotel guests.”

Restaurant spaces need to able to work all day, he adds. “Spaces don’t live the same way from the morning to the evening. They should be able to transition seamlessly from one part of the day to another. Achieving that involves a subtle alchemy in the way of finishes, ergonomics, lighting, and colours.”

Revenue is not the only drawing card.

A restaurant in a dynamic setting can serve as a meeting place for every person and purpose, says Perron. “There’s a real advantage when someone travelling can mingle with locals. The key is treating spaces as opportunities for people to strike up conversations.”

Perron’s team has worked on multiple food-and-beverage projects, 44 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

each of which has its distinct flair. The Honeyrose Hotel Montreal, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel’s chic, brasserie-inspired Commodore Restaurant for example, brings the Gatsby era to life with its classic art-deco details, rich surfaces, and custom lighting. The area also includes a cafe that converts to a wine bar at night.

“The feeling is of being on a beautiful luxury ship,” says Steve Lavergne, general manager. “The wood on the walls, the smoked mirrors, leather furnishings, and natural plants add warmth and richness to the atmosphere.”

Features include terrazzo floors, leather banquettes and a colour palette that seamlessly combines muted earth tones.

Custom lighting which evokes the 1920s can be adjusted throughout the day.

“There are many elements in the design that people have never seen except in the movies,” says Lavergne.

“It’s unlike anything else in Montreal.”

Connecting with the city was a vital consideration in the design, says Lavergne. “Since we are a 143-room hotel, the restaurant would not survive if we could only count on the hotel guests.

It was really important to have an open door on the street.”

Connecting with the street is a compelling focal point for the redesigned Le Boulevardier Restaurant at the Hôtel Le Germain Montréal. The only hurdle was the restaurant was on the second floor.

“The challenge was figuring out how to connect the restaurant with the lobby and create a sense of excitement for visitors,” says Marie Pier Germain, vice-president of Sales and Marketing for Germain Hotels in Montreal. “We had to find a way to make a negative a positive.”

The answer was replacing the lobby staircase so that it would lead visitors to the restaurant rather than to the back of hoteliermagazine.com

KEVIN DE REUS [HOLIDAY INN TORONTO DOWNTOWN CENTRE]; GARY BRINTON [THE SIMON HOTEL]

(clockwise) HONEYROSE Hotel, COMMODORE Restaurant & Café; Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre; The Simon Hotel Restaurant & Bar; HONEYROSE Hotel COMMODORE; Le Boulevardier Restaurant, Le Germain Hotel Montreal

the building. “Now when people walk in, they can hear what is happening and smell the food,” says Germain.

The renovations were inspired by the ’60s, when the building was originally built, and feature a mix of curved lines, chrome highlights and velour coverings for a warm tactile feel. Custom lighting

by Montreal-based Lambert & Fils sets the stage for any occasion.

The restaurant bar is integrated with the kitchen area and can be closed for more intimate gatherings. “It’s nice for solo travellers to sit at a bar and chat with the bartender or people next to them,” says Germain.

The cityscape is constant part of the dining experience. The restaurant has a distinct cultural advantage in that it directly faces an iconic wall mural across the street, she notes. “No other place on the street has such an unobstructed view.”

For diners not facing the panoramic window, the mirrored ceiling allows them to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of people walking on the streets, while people outside the hotel can glance up to view the bustling activities within the hoteliermagazine.com

restaurant. “Allowing people on the street to see the reflection of people eating is a small gesture that really makes a difference,” says Germain.

For the Trio Restaurant at the Simon Hotel in Sydney, N.S., the 2,500-sq.-ft. restaurant is a welcoming tribute to the Cape Breton cuisine and lifestyle.

“It’s in a great little location on the waterfront,” says Garth Ruggiero, corporate director, Food and Beverage for Atlific Hotels. “Trio was always a celebratory place to go for special occasions rather than a chain restaurant or local pub.”

While it always had the look and feel of an upscale restaurant, “We wanted to take the decor up a notch,” he says. The latest design by Jolanta Lukus of Royal Design Inc. in Toronto started with removing walls to create a more open environment and extending the patio to take advantage of warmer weather.

Opening the space made the restaurant a real hub for the community, says Ruggiero. “We don’t believe in doors. We don’t want to tell people they can’t sit here and enjoy a coffee. Now it’s a place where people want to be seen.

Rather than being closed in, there are windows all around.”

The design replaced the original brown and dark colour palette with an mix of vibrant blues, greens, and lemon yellow. Light grey tile, bright wine-

coloured leatherette chairs, and woodgrain fronting on the bar adds to the upscale ambience.

Versatility also came into play.

Additions include a captain’s table in the back area with sliding panels that can be rented out for private functions.

“When the doors swing open, they can see a live cook line,” he explains.

When it comes to design of public spaces, it’s all about making buildings — including restaurants — a welcoming place for the public, says Germain.

“When people travel, they like to get a sense of who lives and works in the area. Today’s hotel restaurants are becoming cool places to have a drink and meet people.”◆ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 45

TECHNOLOGY

Call Security Hospitality businesses take a fresh look at their cybersecurity measures

BY NICOLE DI TOMASSO

46 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

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technology becomes more advanced, so does cybercrime.

As a result, hospitality businesses need to take a fresh look at their cybersecurity measures.

The hospitality industry is one of the most vulnerable industries to cyber-attacks for several reasons. First, hospitality businesses collect, process and store a large amount personal information about their customers and employees. Second, the adoption of mobile and contactless technologies creates additional opportunities for attackers. Lastly, without the challenge of a global pandemic, the industry is generally slow to adopt new security measures, leaving it vulnerable to emerging threats and scams.

According to the Cybersecurity Annual Research Report 2022 commissioned by Rackspace Technology and conducted

by Coleman Parkes Research, more than half (56 per cent) of hospitality IT leaders cited cybersecurity as one of their C-suite’s top three business concerns, ahead of issues such as inflation (52 per cent), hiring and retaining talent (48 per cent) and supply chain/logistics management (50 per cent). However, less than half (37 per cent) of hospitality professionals said they’re fully prepared to respond to cybersecurity attacks.

Top threats include phishing attacks, which are often delivered via email spam or text message in an attempt to trick individuals into giving away sensitive information or login credentials; ransomware, which takes information and certain systems hostage to gain financially from those who pay to free the data; DDoS (distributed denial-of-service), where regular items, such as sprinkler systems or security cameras can be hijacked; POS (point-of-sale) attacks, where customers’ creditcard details are stolen; and DarkHotel hacking, where cyber criminals use a hotel’s Wi-Fi to target business travellers.

Recently, Hyatt Hotels increased its investment in cybersecurity to safeguard its systems. “Hyatt manages and mitigates cybersecurity and privacy risks through a number of solutions,” says Benjamin Vaughan, Chief Information Security Officer, Hyatt. “Some recent examples include testing Yubikey technology [from Yubico] for hotel colleagues at a limited number of properties across Canada and the U.S. Hyatt also works with HackerOne on a public Bug Bounty Program in an effort to proactively identify issues in our systems. To date, Hyatt has paid out more than USD $700,000 in bounties to security researchers around the world.”

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and Santa Clara, Calif., Yubico’s solutions enable passwordless logins using the most secure form of passkey technology to prevent phishing attacks, streamline employee authentication and improve the guest experience.

“Passwords are a flawed technology because they rely on a symmetric secret,” says Derek Hanson, VP of Standards and Alliances at Yubico. “The server has a copy of the password and [the employee] needs to have a copy of the password. This scenario is problematic because no one can prove that the person who possesses a password is the person that’s supposed to be logging in.” hoteliermagazine.com

Previously, Hyatt was using mobile-based MFA, with onetime passwords (OTP) sent via SMS messages to authenticate to apps or re-authenticate at random intervals. However, the high volume of prompts conditioned users to hit approve for every prompt. Now, Hyatt has provided front-of-house employees with the YubiKey 5 NFC (USD $50) to support portable tap-and-go authentication and call centre and back-ofhouse employees with the YubiKey 5C Nano (USD $60).

“The YubiKey is assigned to an individual user,” says Hanson.

“It’s similar to the experience you’d have using a debit card to take cash out of an ATM. There’s a device and a PIN that securely unlocks access to your accounts. Once a device receives a PIN, the YubiKey can be removed and employees can go about their day. Rather than pulling out a mobile device, nobody is going to think twice about an employee plugging a key into a computer from a customer standpoint.”

When it comes to selecting the right YubiKey, Hanson says it depends on organizational requirements and the technology already in use. And, from a security perspective, Yubico doesn’t support updates to its firmware to ensure the updating process can’t be abused.

“YubiKeys are designed with no moving parts. They have an indeterminate amount of life,” says Hanson. “To help organizations who want to refresh their tokens, we’ve launched subscription models for enterprises to make sure their users have the latest and greatest features,” adding that new versions of firmware are something the company continuously looks at updating according to customer needs. Furthermore, the company has started to look at tying the YubiKey to shift work where employees can store the keys in lockers onsite.

Hanson continues, “It’s not often that [hospitality] businesses can deploy a piece of technology that improves security, usability and customer experience at the same time without draining budget and resources. Building phishingresistant user accounts should be at the top of every IT executive’s wish list for 2024.” ◆

Verizon’s 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) examined 16,312 incidents, of which 5,199 were confirmed data breaches.

Of those, 254 incidents were recorded in the accommodation and foodservices industry alone, with 68 confirmed data breaches. The incidents described in the report took place between Nov.1, 2021 and Oct. 31, 2022. Top patterns included system intrusion, basic webapplication attacks and social engineering, representing 90 per cent of breaches. Of the data compromised, 41 per cent was payment; 38 per cent was credentials; 34 per cent was personal; and 26 per cent was other.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 | 47

HOTELIER

BEYOND GREEN

Trina White finds success through sustainability and exemplary hospitality

BY ROSANNA CAIRA

A

s a native of Cowichan, B.C., Trina White’s original dream was to work in forestry ― fitting given her upbringing and her passion for the outdoors and environmental stewardship. But, somewhere along the way, her journey veered in a new direction and she landed in the Sales department of the Delta Hotels’ Prairie Regional Office in Calgary.

“I went to Malaspina University for three years to study biology,” says White. She then moved to the Camosun School of Business, where she earned a diploma in Business Administration in Tourism Management, later earning a Masters of Tourism Management at Royal Roads University in 2013, where she also teaches in the Tourism and Hospitality Management program, specifically on sustainability.

White has been GM of the Parkside Hotel & Spa in Victoria B.C. since its opening in 2009. “The hotel initially had one tower with the front desk, which is where our current spa is. The entire opening (including two towers) was completed in 2013. This hotel is unique in that it was built from the ground up as a hotel model based on sustainability with exemplary hospitality and welcoming amenities in an urban environment.”

“The Parkside Hotel & Spa leads with a mission of hospitality and a core focus on sustainability.

We're really proud of our physical property, built with sustainability intentions. We're even prouder of our team ― a collective of warm, inclusive, and caring members. We constantly review our core values, ensuring we provide an authentic experience for our guests while fostering a creative and energetic environment for our associates.”

Her efforts have earned the hotel plaudits as a leader in sustainable hospitality. “As a carbonneutral, biosphere-certified hotel, we're the first urban hotel in the world to be members of Beyond Green, a diverse portfolio offering a range of guest experiences in unique locations worldwide, focused on intentional travel.”

Later this month, the hotel will be renovating its pool area change-rooms while also testing a new look in 25 of its rooms. Its core customer group is a mix of leisure and family on the weekend and corporate during mid-week, with many of its customers coming from Vancouver’s lower mainland.

The hotel currently boasts an ADR for the year of $240 with a RevPAR at $210.

To stand out from the competition, White says it’s important to “Be authentic and think outside the box. You can keep the classics but have a current, modern twist to it.” She leads with a style she describes as “down-to-earth, approachable, genuine, transparent and honest ― and always with a warm smile. People often comment on my smile and how welcoming it is.”

After several years in the business, White now measures success differently. “In the early years, it was about placing first ― whether I was rowing competitively or in getting reviews. I had to score high. As I’ve grown, my measurement of success has changed. Now it’s how is my team feeling? Do they feel supported? Do they feel set up for success?” ◆ 48 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024

QUICK QUIPS Personal Status: Married with a blended family of four teenagers Stress busters: I keep my schedule consistent. It makes for a long day, but I keep a routine, that includes 6 a.m. workouts during the week and hikes on Sunday.

I also cherish my spare time and keep this for fun things with the family.

Biggest mistake and what you learned from it Life lessons make us more robust, and if you learn from them, it’s not a mistake. Even when I was 26 and bought a restaurant on my credit card (which was a total life lesson), I still do not see it as a mistake.

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HOSTED BY ROSANNA CAIRA Check out the Checking In podcast to listen to conversations between editor and publisher Rosanna Caira and hotel industry leaders speaking about the issues impacting the dynamic hotel industry.

E43. ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE SARA ANGHEL PRESIDENT & CEO | GREATER TORONTO HOTEL ASSOCIATION

E42. AT YOUR SERVICE CARLOS NG FAIRMONT ROYAL YORK

JEREMIAH TOMAS LANGDON HALL COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL

E41. LEADING WITH CARE TIM REARDON GENERAL MANAGER, SHERATON CENTRE HOTEL TORONTO

E40. GROWING THE BRAND MARK WILLIS CEO | FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE

YIGIT SEZGIN CHIEF BRAND & COMMERCIAL OFFICER | FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE

CHECKING IN podcast episodes are available at hoteliermagazine.com/category/media/podcast/ or find them on and

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