INTEREL, the world's fastest growing manufacturer of integrated room technologies in the luxury hospitality industry, has announced the appointment of Michael Cohen as the company's SVP Key Accounts responsible for leading INTEREL's market entry into the Americas and managing its sales and business development efforts for key global accounts.
Puzzle Partner continues to expand with the announcement that hospitality technology industry icon Jules Sieburgh, CHTP, has joined their team. Mr. Sieburgh will be advising promising future technologies on strategies, VC funding and advancing angel investments. The arrival of Mr. Sieburgh, in addition to the recent addition of Seth Christian, supports the vision of growing the firm's depth of services for technology startups.
CheckMate, the leading mobile guest engagement platform, has appointed industry veteran Patricia Brusha to drive their Canadian expansion as Director of Channel Sales. In her new position, Patricia will be responsible for education and implementation of CheckMate's revolutionary platform to all Canadian hotel partners including brands, independents, management companies, and franchise owners. She will also develop and oversee the company's reseller program worldwide.
The Canadian lodging market is on track for a recordbreaking year in 2014. Many markets across Canada will achieve their highest RevPAR ever this year. Challenging winter conditions in many parts of the country hindered the performance of the Canadian lodging market in the first quarter, which led to temporary market concern, but the second and third quarters of 2014 have seen a remarkable strengthening of market fundamentals. According to RBC, the growth in Canada's real gross domestic product (GDP) picked up to 3.1% in the second quarter of 2014 following weak growth of 0.9% in the first quarter, which parallelled the tepid growth in lodging demand in the same time period. The weaker loonie and the stronger US economy fuelled economic growth in Canada in the second and third quarters, and this increase in economic activity has translated into very solid demand gains in the Canadian lodging market. Consequently, the national occupancy is projected to reach 65% for 2014, which is fractionally higher than the previous record-breaking occupancy set in 2007.
Fairmont Tremblant welcomes Éric Beaupré as executive chef. Beaupré brings over 15 years of experience to this position, beginning his culinary career in 1997 as chef de partie, Hotel Vogue, Montreal. Since then, he has held chef de partie positions with Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Casino Lac Leamy, Hull, Quebec, The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and The Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Most recently, Beaupré was the executive sous chef of Fairmont Tremblant.
PhoneSuite, a leading provider of telecom solutions designed exclusively for the hospitality industry, has signed an agreement to have its full line of Voiceware IP-PBX products distributed in Canada by Calgary-based Total Hospitality Solutions.
This is the second installment in a three-part series examining the impact of the Chinese market on Canada's lodging industry, with special emphasis on the city of Vancouver (Read first installment here). In this installment, we examine the unique context that informs the decisions of the Chinese investor, the motivations these investors have for investing in foreign markets, and why the Vancouver hotel market is poised to see an influx of Chinese capital.
Novotel North America has announced the promotion of Michael Singer to Area General Manager of all Toronto Novotel hotels. Currently General Manager of Novotel North York and a 25-year veteran of Accor, the world's leading hotel operator, Singer will oversee all Novotel operations in the Toronto area. - In addition to his role as current General Manager of Novotel North York, Singer will be responsible for the operations of all Novotel Toronto hotels to maximize performance and quality. He will be tasked with creating a strategic plan for market growth in Toronto by implementing cohesive sales, PR, and marketing activities among all properties, while also overseeing F&B profitability and assisting in conceptual culinary developments. Singer will also be charged with monitoring growth of income and improving "flow" through the area hotels, while also assisting individual properties as needed in increasing market share and business stability.
This is the first installment in a three-part series examining the impact of the Chinese market on Canada's lodging industry, with special emphasis on the city of Vancouver. In this installment, we examine Vancouver's connection with Chinese immigration and the role that this history plays in the current surge of investment and tourism into Vancouver from the People's Republic of China. Chinese investor attitudes and tourism to Vancouver will be discussed in the second and final installments of the series.
Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa is pleased to announce the appointment of Warren Janes as General Manager. Working closely with the entire resort team, Janes will oversee all aspects of the resort including day-to-day operations, owner relations, directing and developing staff, and maximizing guest satisfaction.
Christophe Descroix ESSEC IMHI 1990 has been appointed Vice President of Finance Hotels Division at Sunwing Travel Group based in Toronto. Prior to that Christophe worked for 11 years with Melia Hotels from Director of Finance France up to Corporate Administration Vice President. Previously Christophe worked as CFO for Opteaman and Club Med World.
I liken the running of a hotel to the movement of an army – all the various teams and squads coordinated in sync for a common goal. And indeed, the staff at a hotel is often a virtual army, numbering the hundreds with any departments' work invisible to the outside world (think covert ops). A property cannot function without these back-of-house processes, but because only fellow employees – and not guests – are privy to their inner details, it's not hard to sniff out what makes them truly effective.
Hilton Worldwide today announced the signing of a new hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia: The Hollis Halifax – A DoubleTree Suites by Hilton. The 120-room all-suite hotel, formerly a Radisson Suite Hotel, is currently undergoing renovation and is expected to be fully converted by early September.
Serge Simard was recently appointed Regional Vice President, Eastern Canada and General Manager, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth effective August 4, 2014. Mr. Simard succeeds Richard Payette who retired on June 27th, after 16 years overseeing a portfolio of iconic Fairmont properties in Montréal, Québec City, La Malbaie, Tremblant, Montebello and Ottawa. Mr. Simard will transfer from Nairobi where he has held the position of Regional Vice President, Africa & India since 2009, with overall responsibility for operations of six properties. His 35 years of hospitality experience and extensive Food & Beverage expertise make him perfectly positioned to take the reins of the Eastern Canada region.
Manpreet WALIA IMHI 2003 has been appointed Senior Manager, Strategy & Transformation Services, RBC, Toronto Canada. Prior to that Manpreet has spent 11 years with Accenture where she was Global Service Development Manager, Toronto, Canada.
The Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) are proud to announce a credential recognition agreement that will offer hotel administrators the opportunity to hold credentials from both organizations. This agreement is an excellent example of two national organizations working together to serve their sector and address the needs of the industry.
At last, the Canadian lodging market returned to pre-debt-crisis performance levels in 2013, enabling new records to be set for RevPAR in 2014 and especially in 2015 (unadjusted for inflation). These new highs will be a continuation of the strong growth sustained in 2013, when the Canadian market realized a RevPAR increase of 3.9%, buoyed by the high RevPAR growth in oil and gas markets across Canada. Constrained growth in the national supply base, at 0.5% in 2013, has also helped to keep occupancy levels strong.
Continuing to enhance its longstanding presence and expanding portfolio in Canada, Hilton Worldwide today announced it is approaching the 100 hotel milestone in Canada with the upcoming opening of a dual-branded Hampton Inn by Hilton and Homewood Suites by Hilton Halifax-Downtown, Nova Scotia property, owned by Canada-based SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts. Six of Hilton Worldwide's brands currently have properties in Canada, with Home2Suites by Hilton debuting in the market later this year. The first hotel within the project, the 135-room Homewood Suites Halifax-Downtown, is slated to open in mid-May, while the 181-room Hampton Inn by Hilton will follow with an opening in June.
From the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference in Toronto, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced today that it will expand its Canadian portfolio to 70 hotels within the next 12 months. The Aloft Calgary University, Starwood's first Aloft hotel in Western Canada, opened last month, following the February opening of Four Points Waterloo-Kitchener Hotel & Suites. The momentum continues with the upcoming openings of Four Points Regina, Four Points Surrey, Four Points Moncton and the Element Vancouver Metrotown. This activity comes after a strong 2013, which included the openings of Four Points Edmonton International Airport, Four Points Kelowna Airport, Four Points Edmundston and Element Vaughan Southwest, maintaining Canada's position as Starwood's 2nd largest market outside the U.S.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) today announced the opening of Aloft Calgary University, the first of its cutting-edge Aloft brand hotels in western Canada. Owned by University Hotels Ltd., the hotel underwent a multi-million dollar transformation prior to conversion. Aloft Calgary University features an urban design aesthetic with 143 stylish guest rooms, 4,000 square feet of meeting space and a lively social atmosphere.