THE MAGAZINE FOR HOTEL EXECUTIVES/JULY~AUGUST 2015 $20 THE 2015 CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470 MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470 CANADIAN PUBLICATION hoteliermagazine.com STAYING AGILE IS CRITICAL. FORTUNATELY, OPENING MORE THAN , NEW* HOTELS HAS KEPT US IN SHAPE. In the past six years, Hilton Worldwide has opened more than , new hotels around the world, bringing us to more than , hotels in countries today.* In Canada, we have hotels open from coast to coast with a growing pipeline of over signed projects. Impressive growth, made possible by our ability to adapt to the w o r l d ’ s i n c r e a s i n g l y c o m p l e x b u s i n e s s e n v i r o n m e n t s . A s a r e s u l t , w e ’ v e d e v e l o p e d a w e a l t h o f e x p e r i e n c e c r e a t i n g and operating the most award winning portfolio of hotels in the industry. Not a bad workout for a year old. For development opportunities in Canada, please contact Tom Lorenzo, Vice President and Managing Director of Development + , [email protected], andJeff Cury, Senior Director of Development + , [email protected]. STAY AHEAD hiltonworldwide.com *From January to January Hilton Worldwide Volume 27, Number 5 | July/August 2015 Contents Features 8 CHART TOPPERS Strategic acquisitions propel Canada’s market leaders to achieve strong top-line growth By Jackie Sloat-Spencer Scan to view 11 GROWING THE BRAND our website With the installation of a new president helming Marriott Hotels of Canada, and the acquisition of Delta Hotels and Resorts, the stage is set for aggressive growth By Rosanna Caira 13 THE 2015 TOP 50 REPORT LISTINGS 26 BATHROOM BLISS Timeless appeal and lavish showers make for happy hotel guests By Iris Benaroia 31 THE LONG HAUL Extended-stay lures developers with its higher occupancy and draws customers to the comforts of home By Denise Deveau Departments 35 SAFETY IN NUMBERS 2 EDITOR’S PAGE The top-down approach to guest security 3 CHECKING IN By Jennifer Febbraro 44 HOTELIER: Philip Meyer, Rosewood Hotel Georgia, 39 STATE YOUR PREFERENCE Vancouver Hotel operators are leveraging technology to offer customized experiences By Laura Pratt COVER DESIGN BY MARGARET MOORE COVER DESIGN BY MARGARET MOORE hoteliermagazine.com JULY/AUGUST 2015 HOTELIER 1 EDITOR’S PAGE TIME TO GROW t’s summer, and the living is easy. Or is it? With summer in full swing, there’s Iplenty of activity to keep the hotel industry abuzz. In Toronto, the Pan Am MITCH KOSTUCH FOUNDER Games (July 10 to 26) and Parapan Am Feb. 11, 1931 – Oct. 23, 2014 Games (August 7 to 15) promise to bring ROSANNA CAIRA | EDITOR & PUBLISHER an influx of tourists into Canada’s major [email protected] hub, and will test the city’s mettle, and the MARGARET MOORE | ART DIRECTOR hotel industry’s ability to ensure the safety [email protected] and security of its guests (see story on p. 35). BRIANNE BINELLI | MANAGING EDITOR HELEN CATELLIER | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Throughout the country, activity abounds. JACKIE SLOAT-SPENCER | ASSOCIATE EDITOR [email protected] The installation of David Goldstein as presi- dent of the Vancouver-based Canadian DEREK RAE | MULTIMEDIA MANAGER [email protected] Tourism Commission last winter, followed by the announcement of its MEGAN O’BRIEN | DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER [email protected] rebranding as Destination Canada at the annual Rendez-vous Canada COURTNEY JENKINS | GRAPHIC DESIGNER marketplace, held in Niagara Falls, Ont. certainly promises to usher in a [email protected] new era for the association. And, of course, the federal government’s plan CHERYLL SAN JUAN | ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected] to invest $30 million over three years to the Connecting America tourism MARIA FAMA VIECILI | ACCOUNT MANAGER [email protected] campaign, means there will be funds available to Destination Canada and STEVE HARTSIAS | ACCOUNT MANAGER its partners to finally start promoting this country as it should. As Goldstein [email protected] WENDY GILCHRIST | SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER said, “We will be looking to use innovative approaches to entice increasing [email protected] DANNA SMITH | SALES & MARKETING numbers of Americans to travel to Canada.” Certainly, it’s just what the COORDINATOR doctor ordered for this great, vast country. [email protected] Additionally, there are a host of other changes being made that should JIM KOSTUCH | DIRECTOR help solidify Canada’s global tourism position. For example, the Canadian [email protected] CIRCULATION | PUBLICATION PARTNERS government recently announced changes to the country’s visa policies, [email protected] including the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorization project in 1 (877) 326-6759 2016, following which the visa requirement will be partially lifted for DANIELA PRICOIU | ACCOUNTING MANAGER [email protected] Mexican, Brazilian, Romanian and Bulgarian travellers. Later this summer, a new visa office will also be opened in Guangzhou, China. ADVISORY BOARD: The greater influx of tourists bodes well for Canada’s dynamic hotel David McMillan, AXIS HOSPITALITY INTERNATIONAL; industry. And, not surprisingly, there’s plenty of news on the hotel devel- Bill Stone, CBRE; Anthony Cohen, CRESCENT HOTELS — GLOBAL EDGE INVESTMENTS; Charles Suddaby, opment side as well. Mergers and acquisitions continue to alter the hotel CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD LTD. — HOSPITALITY & GAMING GROUP; Christiane Germain, GROUPE landscape in Canada. For example, Marriott International’s acquisition GERMAIN HOSPITALITE; Ryan Murray, HARBOUR of Delta Hotels and Resorts should stimulate synergies between the two HOUSE HOTEL — NIAGARA’S FINEST INNS; Michael Haywood, THE HAYWOOD GROUP; Lyle Hall, HLT brands, fuelling continued growth in Canada while also creating opportu- ADVISORY; Drew Coles, INNVEST REIT; Scott Allison, nities for expansion of the Canadian brand into new, international markets MARRIOTT HOTELS CANADA; David Larone, PKF CONSULTING; Geoffrey Allan, PROJECT CAPITAL (see story on p. 11). Certainly, these days, it’s all about growth. MANAGEMENT HOTELS; Stephen Renard, RENARD INTER- NATIONAL HOSPITALITY & SEARCH CONSULTANTS; And what better time to talk about growth than in this current issue, Anne Larcade, SEQUEL HOTELS & RESORTS which features our signature “Top 50 Report” (see story on p. 8). As always, HOTELIER is published eight times a year by Kostuch Media the report is a barometer of success in the industry. As the industry’s best Ltd., 23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6, jockey for position, one-upping each other with strategic mergers and (416) 447-0888, Fax (416) 447-5333. All rights reserved. Subscription rates: Canada: $25 per year, single issue $4, U.S.A.: acquisitions, new brands, and a slew of product innovations, it’s clear that $30 per year; all other countries $40 per year. Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement #40063470. Member it’s all in a day’s work, no matter what the season. of Canadian Circulations Audit Board, the American Business Media and Magazines Canada. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund for our publishing activities. ROSANNA CAIRA Printed in Canada on recycled stock. Editor and Publisher [email protected] FOLLOW US: For daily news and announcements: @hoteliermag on Twitter and Hotelier magazine on Facebook 2 JULY/AUGUST 2015 HOTELIER hoteliermagazine.com CTHE LATESTh INDUSTRY NEWSe FORc HOTEL EXECUTIVESk FROMin CANADA g AND AROUNDI nTHE WORLD INDIGENOUS TRAVEL EXPERIENCES The Rendez-vous Canada show, held in May at the Scotiabank Convention Centre THE COOL FACTOR in Niagara Falls, Ont. attracted 1,600 American tourists are the focus of the CTC’s sleek new tourism strategy and brand reinvention delegates and more than 450 buyers BY JACKIE SLOAT-SPENCER from 28 countries, who engaged in a speed-dating style of meeting face-to- face with Canadian tourism sellers. This he former Canadian Tourism Commission is hoping a chunk of change year, the show welcomed the Aboriginal from the federal government will stimulate a new wave of U.S. tourism. Tourism Association of Canada, which In May, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged $30 million towards T brought 17 First Nations tourism organiza- attracting U.S. tourists to Canada, Minister of State Maxime Bernier (above right) tions to the showroom floor and gener- took to the stage at Rendez-vous Canada to announce the agency’s rebranding. ated more global awareness about “Destination Canada is more than just a name change. The new corporate identity changes the way we are telling Canada’s story — and speaks more to Canada’s Aboriginal tourism industry. our vision and more to exploring. It’s a new kind of organization, with deep roots with a tremendous legacy of innovative marketing and creative partnerships,” says CTC president and CEO David Goldstein (above left), clarifying that the ACHIEVEMENT CTC will remain the legal name for the commission. UNLOCKED According to Destination Canada’s year-end report, Canada’s tourism revenues “Six years ago, in June of 2009, the HAC grew by 4.7 per cent in 2014, reaching $88 billion. Overnight trips to Canada (Hotel Association of Canada), together from the U.S. reached 11,479 visits last year, which grew by one-per-cent over the with several industry stakeholders, met previous year. The funds will go towards the new Connecting America campaign, with Prime Minister Harper seeking his which aims to attract an additional 680,000 visitors during the next three years. government’s support for our industry. Heralded as a new chapter for the tourism industry, the agency is evolving At the time our country was in depths from a paid media marketing organization to a content marketer.