January/February 2021

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R H O T E L E X E C U T I V E S / J A N U A R Y ~ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 

PLUS: THE 2021 FRANCHISE REPORT 

THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL 

Experts say travel will resume —but it will look a little 

different in a post-COVID-19 world 

CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470 

BRIGHTER 

DAYS AHEAD 

Franchisors & franchisees 

have high hopes for a strong 

industry rebound 

SAFE 

PASSAGE 

Hotel operators weigh in on 

post-pandemic health-andsafety 

protocols 

SEAMLESS 

STAYS 

Guests and operators 

are embracing mobile 

check-in technolgy 

hoteliermagazine.com

CONTENTS 

VOLUME 33, NO. 1 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 

40 

29 

44 

FEATURES 

DEPARTMENTS 

7 THE FRANCHISED 

FUTURE 

Hotel-industry experts predict 

brighter days ahead 

11 THE 2021 

FRANCHISE REPORT 

A comprehensive listing of 

the industry’s top franchises 

29 THE FUTURE 

OF TRAVEL 

Branding success comes from 

meeting guests’ expectations 

32 SAFE PASSAGE 

Hotel leaders discuss new 

COVID-19 safety protocols 

38 FISHING WHERE THE 

FISH ARE 

Revenue teams should look to 

non-traditional data sources 

40 BREAKFAST BARRIERS 

COVID-19 has had severe 

impacts on breakfast buffets 

42 STREAMLINED STAYS 

Hotels and guests are 

embracing mobile check-in 

2 EDITOR’S PAGE 

4 CHECKING IN 

44 HOTELIER 

Ryan Killeen, 

The Annex, Toronto 

38 

hoteliermagazine.com JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 | 1

EDITORIAL 

INSPIRING 

TRAVEL TRENDS 

Almost a year after the pandemic surfaced, COVID- 

19 continues to fuel uncertainty. And, just as 

consumers were finally starting to feel somewhat 

optimistic, given the wide distribution of vaccines, 

a second wave of the virus hit around the world — 

leading us to question when our lives will return to normal. 

The answer remains murky and there are a host of variables 

to consider: How quickly can the vaccine be distributed around 

the world? Will there be a subsequent need for vigilance as the 

virus mutates? And, realistically, can we resume travelling before 

everyone is vaccinated? 

While much remains unclear, the reality is pent-up demand 

for travel means consumers will want to return to some sense of 

normalcy sooner rather than later. But, what will travel look like 

in the post-COVID-19 world? (See story on pg.29). Below are six 

key trends from U.S.-based Amadeus Hospitality that will shape 

travel in 2021: 

1. Go Big (near or far) or Stay Home: When travel 

returns, consumers will likely gravitate towards ‘big-idea’ 

or ‘bucket-list’ trips to tick off once-in-a-lifetime adventures. 

The survey found 55 per cent of travellers said they 

would travel for 14 days or more and 60 per cent expected 

to take only a few trips a year. 

2. Nomadic Travel: Companies such as Airbnb and Love 

Home Swap are embracing the trend along with countries 

such as Barbados, which offers the “digital-nomad” visa. 

With COVID-19 causing travel restrictions and stress, there’s a clear desire for 

longer holidays that let people take their work with them. 

3. The Loyalty Shift: COVID-19 has caused the definition of loyalty to morph. 

Travel providers now demonstrate their loyalty to travellers through their 

commitments to health, hygiene and safety. 

4. Swipe Right on Tech: Touchless tech will inspire traveller confidence. 

That means transparency, clear communication and seamless payments and 

boarding are the winners of 2021. 

5. Travel Agents: While the Internet caused the demise of many travel agencies, 

the pandemic is now highlighting their critical role. As a result, 2021 will see 

travel agents become the fountains of all knowledge. 

6. Travel with an impact: Today’s travellers want to minimize their footprint 

and make sure their presence is having a positive 

impact on their host destination. Travellers also want 

to do good: a recent survey found 68 per cent of 

travellers want the money they spend 

ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com 

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PHOTO BY NICK WONG 

2 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 


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ADVISORY BOARD 

Andrew Weir, Tourism Toronto; Anne Larcade, Sequel Hotels & Resorts; 

Anthony Cohen, Cresent Hotels — Global Edge Investments; Bonnie 

Strome, Hyatt Hotels; Christiane Germain, ; Germain Hotels; 

David McMillan, Axis Hospitality International; Don Cleary, Marriott Hotels; 

Geoffrey Allan, Project Capital Management Hotels; 

Hani Roustom, Friday Harbour Resort; Heather McCrory, Accor; 

Reetu Gupta, Easton's Hotels; Ryan Murray, The Pillar + Post Hotel; 

Stephen Renard, Renard International Hospitality & Search Consultants 

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

A LASTING 

LEGACY 

Tourism industry mourns the 

passing of Charlotte Bell 

Charlotte was a proud, 

"strong and passionate 

leader for our collective 

cause. She was a role 

model for young female 

leaders on how to be 

tough, effective, and 

a visionary, while still 

leading with kindness. 

She leaves a proud 

legacy across Canada 

and numerous political 

leaders have expressed 

their respect, grief and 

common loss' 

Dave McKenna 

Board Chair, TIAC 

The passing of Tourism Industry Association of 

Canada (TIAC) president and CEO Charlotte Bell 

in December shook the Canadian tourism industry. 

Bell was appointed president and CEO of 

TIAC in 2015 and led the organization in its mission 

since, working to improve the Canadian tourism industry’s 

global competitiveness as an international destination 

through leadership and advocacy. And, throughout the 

pandemic, Bell and TIAC advocated on behalf of the 

industry and for the future of the visitor economy. 

Prior to joining TIAC, Bell was a senior consultant 

with Capital Hill Group and had been vice-president of 

Corporate Affairs for the Atlantic Lottery Corporation. 

Earlier in her career, she spent more than 25 years in the broadcasting sector in Canada and 

had an extensive background in advocacy, strategic planning and public affairs. 

Bell also served on a number of boards through her career, including Canadian Women 

in Communications, The Banff International Television Festival and Advertising 

Standards Canada. 

Gudie Hutchings, MP for Long Range Mountains, acknowledged Bell’s contributions to 

the industry in the House of Commons, saying “Many of us know Charlotte as the CEO of 

TIAC, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada. We know her passion for the tourism 

and hospitality sectors and we know that during the pandemic that passion only grew. Her 

forward thinking and outright love for this industry, its leaders, workers and clients, many 

of us have seen fi rst-hand. We have seen the results of her hard work and planning among 

the many winding roads that she has travelled throughout our country from coast to coast 

to coast. Charlotte is now travelling another road, and wherever this road leads, I know 

her passion for tourism will always be with her.” 

In her role as president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, 

Charlotte embraced her advocacy role to include MMBC and the importance 

of business events to the Canadian economy. We will be forever grateful for her 

leadership and friendship,” Meetings Mean Business Canada stated in an email. 

“Charlotte will always be remembered in the familiar things she touched, spoke 

and was passionate about. Her memory will continue to live in the lives of all of 

us who knew her and the legacy she leaves behind. 



FROM 

BEST 

TO 

BETTER 

Best Western Hotels & Resorts 

(BWHR) has selected Franklin- 

Covey’s ‘gold standard’ leadership-development 

curriculum to 

assist in further elevating leadership 

excellence in its general 

managers across North America. 

BWHR will provide general 

managers from every hotel in 

North America with access to 

FranklinCovey’s All Access Pass. 

This comprehensive access will 

complement BWHR’s existing 

training programs, which include 

the Care Every Guest Every 

Time employee training. Franklin- 

Covey’s All Access Pass is an 

annually renewable program 

providing Passholders with 

unlimited access to the 

company’s entire collection 

of content and solutions 

available through a variety 

of channels. 

LEADING 

TOURISM 

David Goldstein is Travel Alberta’s new CEO. 

He takes over the role from Chris Heseltine, 

who served as the acting CEO for six months. 

Goldstein has an extensive background in tourism 

and media, most recently serving as COO at Gusto 

Worldwide Media. Prior to this, he was president 

and CEO of Destination Canada for nearly fi ve 

years, in addition to his nearly five years as president 

and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association 

of Canada (TIAC). Heseltine will continue as 

vice-president of Economic Development and 

Community Engagement for Travel Alberta with 

acting responsibility for Strategy, Insights and 

Stakeholder Engagement. 

After fi ve years at the 

Hazelton Hotel, most 

recently as the its 

managing director, Hani 

Roustom has left the 

Toronto luxury property. 

Roustom is now CEO 

of the Friday Harbour 

Resort, an all-seasons 

waterside resort on Lake 

Simcoe, in Innisfi l, Ont. 

THAT'S 

A WRAP 

Hotel-industry icons David 

Larone and Brian Stanford are 

Brian Stanford 

David Larone 

beginning their transition into 

retirement as CBRE Valuation 

and Advisory Services (VAS) embarks on a new chapter. 

Larone and Stanford have guided hotel development, investment and operations 

decisions for four decades. The pair helped build PKF Consulting into an industry 

leader before joining forces with CBRE in 2015. 

“Not only are they subject-matter experts, they are also gentlemen,” says Paul 

Morassutti, vice-chairman, CBRE. “We have benefitted from their professional 

guidance and personal friendship all these years.” 

Nicole Nguyen, Rebecca Godfrey and David Ferguson will form the new senior 

leadership team of CBRE’s VAS hotels operation. 

RECOGNIZING 

EXCELLENCE 

Mandy Farmer, CEO of Accent Inns and Hotel Zed, was awarded the 

RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Excellence Awardin November. 

The RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards is the premier 

national awards program celebrating the achievements of the 

most successful and impactful women who have demonstrated 

excellence across multiple sectors. The Entrepreneur Excellence 

Award recognizes how Farmer has run her business, contributed 

to the community and taken care of her employees. 


SETTING 

UP CAMP 

Basecamp Resorts opened its newest hotel in 

December near downtown Revelstoke, B.C. 

Basecamp Revelstoke features 32 units equipped 

with remote keyless entry, a full kitchen, washer 

and dryer, complimentary wireless Internet, a 

fl at-screen LED TV with cable and a private patio 

with outdoor seating. The property also offers two 

shared rooftop hot tubs, free access to cruiser bikes 

for guests and complementary parking. Interiors 

feature vaulted living spaces to capitalize on the 

scenery and original artwork produced by local 

Revelstoke artist, Hayley Stewart. Basecamp 

Resorts’ portfolio also includes four properties in 

Canmore, Alta. — Basecamp Canmore, Basecamp 

Lodge, Lamphouse Hotel and the recently opened 

Basecamp Suites. 

Reetu Gupta was named 

among Women’s Executive 

Network’s (WXN) 2020 

Canada’s Most Powerful 

Women: Top 100 Award 

Winners, marking her 

second-consecutive year 

on the list. Gupta, who was 

recognized in the awards’ 

BMO Entrepreneurs category, 

is the president and CEO 

of The Easton’s Group of 

Hotels and The Gupta Group, 

the co-founder and Chief 

Strategy Offi cer of Rogue 

Insight Capital. and president 

and CEO of The Gupta Family 

Foundation 

NEW FRONTIER 

Accor has launched a new Apartments & Villas website, dedicated 

entirely to the rental of private residences and extended-stay hotel 

properties. The site makes more than 50,000 apartments, villas and 

chalets available, drawing from Accor’s 15 extended-stay hotel brands, 

as well as the company’s portfolio of branded private residences, 

which are privately owned and frequently included in managed-rental 

programs, and one-of-a-kind private rentals (onefi nestay), in more than 

350 destinations. The Apartments & Villas website offers fully equipped 

apartments, villas, houses and suites while allowing guests to enjoying 

all the benefi ts of the ALL - Accor Live Limitless program, as well as 

Accor’s new cancellation policy and the intensifi ed hygiene-andprevention 

measures (Allsafe). 

LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW 

OUR CANADIAN-BASED 

TEAM CAN HELP GROW 

YOUR BUSINESS! 

1.800.646.2435 

development@travelodge.ca 

travelodge.ca/development 

OVER 100 LOCATIONS 

ACROSS CANADA

THE FRANCHISE REPORT 

The 

FRANCHISED 

Future 

Hotel franchisors and franchisees 

have faced steep challenges in 

the past year, but there’s hope 

for brighter days ahead 

BY DANIELLE SCHALK 

OTEL FRANCHISE companies spent much 

of 2020 in defense mode, responding to the COVID-19 

crisis with franchisee-support packages, new policies and 

procedures and heightened levels of communication, while 

also working with industry associations to advocate for 

government support. And, while navigating the pandemic has 

been challenging and forced major hotel companies to make 

a lot of tough decisions, the franchisors that most effectively 

supported and guided franchisees through the crisis are 

expected to see a return on their investment. 

Brian Leon, president, Choice Hotels Canada, describes 

the current economic uncertainty as a “double-edged 


INDUSTRY 

INPUT 

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL: “We’ve had an 

unprecedented level of engagement with [our owner 

and franchisee community] this year, including weekly 

webinars in many regions and more frequent interactions 

with our owner advisory committees,” Arne Sorenson, 

president and CEO, Marriott International, said 

during the company’s third-quarter 

investors’ call. “We’re deeply 

committed to working closely 

together to manage through these 

challenging times. We remain 

focused onreducing their costs 

as much as possible in this 

environment.” 

sword” 

in terms of its 

impact on hotel 

franchising. “We 

saw very significant 

impact and have 

seen the availability 

of financing [dry up], so 

that translates to a negative 

impact on new-build growth,” 

he explains. “We’ve also seen a 

big reduction in hotel transactions, [which] are often a good 

source of conversion growth for a system like ours.” 

Combined, this has resulted in a “primarily negative impact 

on growth in the short term,” says Leon, adding, “We are 

seeing that change and there are some positives that come out 

of this as well.” 

“What we’re going to see, in hotel franchising, is a lot of hotel 

owners question what they’re getting out of their franchisors and 

wanting to make sure they’re getting [good] value,” says Leon. 

“And, those of us that are able to provide that great value [are 

going to see] really good opportunities to continue to grow.” 

In the current environment, a key part of that value is 

consumer confidence. With cleanliness and safety top of mind 

for current and future travel, it’s expected that trusted brands 

will hold an advantage over their competition going forward. 

“What we may have demonstrated to hotels that are not 

presently affiliated with any brand is that there’s some solid 

merit in having a brand affiliation, because you do get the 

weight of global brands to come to the table to create these 

policies and procedures in a fast, efficient manner,” says Irwin 

Prince, president and COO of Realstar Hospitality — franchisor 

of the Days Inn, Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in Canada. 

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT 

The circumstances of the past year led to the delay of hotel 

openings, as well as a reduction in the number of new 

signings, effectively stunting the growth of franchise brands. 

But, even by the end of the year, signs were improving. 

In its Q3 2020 earnings report, Marriott International indicated 

strong openings in the quarter, with net rooms growth for the 

year expected to reach 2.5 to three per cent. And, the company’s 

president and CEO, Arne Sorenson stated, “Although signings 

are not as strong as in 2019, they’re quite solid considering the 

extraordinary impact of COVID-19 on our industry…We’re also 

encouraged by the increasing number of conversations we’re 

having around conversions.” 

Leon also stresses that new opportunities will present 

themselves. “With the reduced pipeline of new hotels 

coming online…as demand comes back to the market, 

there will be a more favourable demand-supply 

relationship,” he explains. “That’s going to create some 

good new-hotel development opportunities.” 

That said, Leon expects Choice will see more 

immediate gains on the conversion front, as independent 

hoteliers recognize the value of branded systems, which 

has been proven through the crisis. “The support we’ve been 

providing to our hotels has been a good story for our company,” 

he says. “Our development team, [is] getting calls from people 

saying ‘we hear good things about Choice and we want to talk 

about branding in the future.’” 

And, Leon isn’t the only one to hold this sentiment. “In 

the near term, quality brands should benefit as investors 

are expected to focus on brand companies that have shown 

they’re out-performing the market based on strong programs 

in place in response to COVID-19,” agrees Tim Marvin, EVP 

of U.S.-based JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group. 

And, in May, Ralph Hollister, Travel & Tourism analyst for 

London-based GlobalData, noted COVID-19 may accelerate 

the trend of independent hotels joining soft brands. “Large, 

multi-national chains have the brand and marketing power 

to outline new hygiene standards to vast amounts of potential 

guests,” he explains. “This may create a new pull factor that 

could help large chains consume even more of the global 

market share post-pandemic.” 

With the industry’s segments impacted to varying degrees 

by restrictions and uncertainty — and the resulting effects on 

demand — some franchises are expected to outperform others 

when it comes to future development. 

According to data from CBRE Hotels, Canadian limitedservice 

properties saw a 69-per-cent RevPAR decline in Q2 

2020, while RevPAR for resorts dropped 83 per cent and 88 per 

cent for full-service hotels. The company’s COVID-19 Recovery 

Framework also highlights limited-service properties as the 

first segment to see recovery as local leisure and local/regional 

corporate travel return, followed closely by focused-service and 

extended-stay. By comparison, business is not expected to return 

to full-service and resort properties until much later, due to their 

reliance on group and business travel. 

As Marvin points out, companies that specialize in the 

property types that have shown resiliency and performed well 

through the pandemic “are expected to outperform and it’s 

likely more developers will adjust their short-term strategies 

to take advantage of these dynamics.” 

“We’ve seen that our midscale segment has significantly 

outperformed the overall industry,” Leon explains. “From a 

standpoint of profitability, [operators have] realized our limitedservice 

hotels can be operated efficiently [and] have a great 

agility to be able to respond to things like the [fluctuating] 

occupancy rates we’ve seen.” 

Leon points to Choice’s Quality and Clarion Pointe as 

mid-scale conversion brands that are poised to present key 

growth opportunities as the industry moves forward. For more 

up-scale conversions, he calls out the Ascend Collection soft 

brand as a key opportunity. 

Choice H 

Penticto 

Garry H 



LONG-TERM LOOK 

There are other shifts expected to develop within hotel 

franchising, in the mid- to long-term, as travel recovers and 

we move through the post-pandemic world. 

Marvin notes the pandemic crisis may have a lasting impact 

on the structure of major franchise companies. “Historically, 

many brand companies have pushed to maintain a significant 

mix of managed assets under their brand portfolios. This 

strategic decision is to help protect the brands (particularly 

luxury brands) by controlling operations, as well as to provide 

revenue to support large management infrastructures,” he 

explains. “During COVID-19, brand companies have downsized 

their organizations in an effort to reduce expenses. As franchising 

requires less support and infrastructure than managing properties, 

we’re seeing brands more willing to franchise than in the past. 

It’s likely brand companies will use this time to permanently 

re-structure their organizations to become more profitable 

and franchising will be more prevalent.” 

Also among the lasting shifts will be changes to brand 

standards. “One of the things we’re looking at pretty aggressively 

— and I suspect some of our competitors are, too — is 

opportunities to eliminate costs from the business,” says Leon. 

As he explains, short-term service changes caused by 

COVID-19 restrictions have caused some to re-think offerings. 

As an example, he says, “My expectation would be breakfast 

isn’t going to go back to exactly the way it was before. 

Complimentary breakfast will come back and still be part of 

the value proposition for guests, but [will] probably look a 

little bit different.” 

What will this look like? Leon suggest a greater focus on 

grab-and-go offerings could be in store. 

Other changes could include more rooms featuring kitchenettes, 

eliminating in-room coffee, greater use of technology 

and streamlined operations. 

“The pandemic has accelerated the pace of change 

on some of these fronts,” says Prince, who points to how 

frequently rooms are cleaned during a stay as a key area 

where shifts are taking place. 

In fact, a U.S. customer survey conducted in May by Fuel, 

a South Carolina-based software and marketing company, 

revealed travellers have varying opinions when it comes to 

the level of housekeeping service desired during their future 

hotel stays. ‘Only when requested’ emerged as the most 

popular response, being the preferred service level for 29 per 

cent of respondents. However, this increased to 35 per cent 

for the millennial cohort. Daily full-service housekeeping is 

still preferred by 22 per cent of respondents, while another 22 

per cent would like daily towel changes.◆ 

PHOTO BY STUART BISH (CHOICE HOTELS CANADA'S HOTEL PENTICTON) 

INDUSTRY 

INPUT 

otels Canada's Hotel 

n (above) and Fort 

otel 

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS: 

“Though it has been a tumultuous time for all of us in our industry, our 

teams continue to innovate with an eye towards the future, [and] with 

an eye towards maximizing the value we provide to our franchisees. We 

recently deployed three state-of-the-art initiatives aimed at increasing 

bookings at our hotels and increasing overall franchisee profitability,” 

Geoffrey A. Ballotti, president and CEO, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said 

during the company’s 2020 Q3 earnings call, highlighting its broadened 

digital investment strategy, Wyndham Direct and the company’s updated 

mobile app, which launched in September. 

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL GROUP (IHG): 

“We’re in partnership with our owners, so it’s hugely important to us that 

our owners succeed. Many of them we have been in partnership with 

for decades, so we’ll do everything we can to bring business into the 

hotels — that is the most important thing that we can do right now,” Paul 

Edgecliffe-Johnson, CFO, IHG PLC, said during the company’s Q3 2020 

results call. “We can help them think about their manning models and 

how they reduce costs. We can help them with any information they 

might need for re-financing, et cetera, but the greatest benefit we can do 

is deploy our systems and our outperformance to drive the greatest possible 

level of revenue to their hotels.” 


Open the door to more. 

When looking for an investment opportunity that gives more of everything it takes to 

help you succeed — open the door to the hotel business. No hotel experience is required. 

Choice helps you every step of the way, from reservations, property support, marketing, 

technology — we’re with you as you get ready to open for business and every day after. 

With more than 25 years of dedicated Canadian expertise, and over 80 years of experience 

internationally, we provide every franchisee with the resources it takes to succeed. 

Open the door to more, today. 

ChoiceHotelsDevelopment.ca 

©2021 Choice Hotels Canada Inc. All Rights Reserved.

THE 2021 

FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

AC HOTELS 

Marriott International, Inc. 

2425 Matheson Blvd. E., Ste. 100 

Mississauga, ON L4W 5K4 

905-366-5208 

marriottdevelopment.com 

Regional VP, Lodging 

Development, Canada: Paul Loehr 

VP, Lodging Development, Canada: 

Aaron Laurie 

Director, Lodging Development, 

Canada: Duncan Chiu 

History, Plans 

- first AC Hotel opened in 2011 

- one property in Canada; 173 

outside of Canada 

- one property in the pipeline 

for Canada 

Franchise Costs 

- initial franchise 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$10,000/year; plus US$220/ 

room/year 

Services 

- advertising/marketing 

- design 

- management 

- purchasing 

- staff training 

- supplies 

ALOFT HOTELS 




905-366-5208 





Aaron Laurie 




- first Aloft Hotel opened in 2008 

- three properties in Canada; 186 



for Canada 






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 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 

- site location 

- site review and analysis 


- supplies 

ASCEND HOTEL COLLECTION 

Choice Hotels Canada Inc. 

5015 Spectrum Way, Ste. 400 

Mississauga, ON L4W 0E4 

905-206-7316 

choicehotelsdevelopment.ca 

President: Brian Leon 


- established in Canada in 2009 

- 23 properties in Canada; 300 

outside of Canada (all franchised) 


- initial franchise fee $300/room; 

minimum $45,000 

- advertising fee 1.25% 

- royalty fee 4% 

- reservation fee 1.25% 

Services 


- design 


- supplies 

AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION 




905-366-5208 





Aaron Laurie 




- first Autograph property opened 

in 2010 

- five properties in Canada; 197 


- four properties in the pipeline 

for Canada 

Franchise costs 

- initial application fee US$100,000 


- royalty fee 5% of GRS 



to the marketing fund of 

1.5% of GRS); plus US$40,000/year; 

plus US$450/room/year 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

AVID HOTELS 

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 

2 Robert Speck Pkwy., Ste. 600 

Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8 

416-675-6644 

avidhotels.com 

Regional Director, Upscale and 

Mainstream Development, Canada: 

Stuart Laurie 


- established in 2017 

- 14 properties outside of Canada 

- plans to add six properties in 

Canada 


- total investment $7,686,735 

to $11,210,260 

- royalty fee 5% GRR 

- marketing fee 3% GRR 

- application fee $500/room; 

$50,000 minimum 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- site selection 


- supplies 

BAYMONT BY WYNDHAM 

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 

22 Sylvan Way 

Parsippany, NJ 07054 

800-889-9710 

wyndhamdevelopment.com 

EVP and Chief Development 

Officer: Chip Ohlsson 



- three properties in Canada (all 

franchised); 522 outside of Canada 


- initial franchise fee: the greater of 

$30,500 or $260 per/room for 

conversion; $29,000 or $260 per/ 

room for new construction 

- total investment $86,371 to 

$7,026,711 

- marketing fee 3.5% of GRR 

(marketing contribution of 2% 

and basic reservation fee of 1.5%) 

- royalty fee 5% of GRR 

Services 


- development/design 

- financial assistance 

- lease negotiation 

- purchasing 

- quality control 

- reservation systems 

- sales 


- supplies 

- technical services 

hoteliermagazine.com 

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 | 11


FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

BEST WESTERN HOTELS 

& RESORTS 

6557 Mississauga Rd., Unit D 

Meadowvale Ct. 1 

Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6 

905-816-4787 

bestwestern.com 

President: David Kong 


- established in 1946 in Long 

Beach, Calif. 

- 197 properties in Canada; 3,456 



- initial franchise fee $49,000 

minimum, plus $200/room 

for properties with more than 

50 rooms 

- marketing fee 0.9% of GRR 

- royalty fee $1.57/room/day based 

on 100 room hotel 

Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 

- revenue management 



- supplies 

CAMBRIA SUITES 

Choice Hotels International 

1 Choice Hotels Cir., Ste. 400 

Rockville, MD 20850 

800-547-0007 

choicehotelsdevelopment.com 

President & CEO: Pat Pacious 

SVP, Franchise Development, 

Upscale Brands: Mark Shalala 


- founded in 2007 

- no properties in Canada; 53 



- application fee $5,000 

- initial fee $500/room; minimum 

of $60,000 


- system fee 3% GRR 

CANADAS BEST VALUE INN 

Red Lion Hotels Franchising, Inc. 

1550 Market St., Ste. 425 

Denver, CO 80202 

866-437-4878 

franchise.rlhco.com 

EVP, Lodging Development & 

Franchise Operations: 

Harry Sladich 

VP, New Development: 

Christopher Slattery 



- 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 

562 properties 


- 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 


- CRS and CRO 

- guest-recognition program 

- revenue-management assistance 

- sales 

CANDLEWOOD SUITES 




416-675-6644 

candlewoodsuites.com 

Regional Director, Midscale 

Franchise Sales & Development, 

Canada: Stuart Laurie 


- established 1995 

- two franchised properties in 

Canada; 405 outside of Canada 

- plans to add five properties 

in Canada 



to $12,373,515 

- royalty fee 5% GSR 

- marketing fee 2.5 % GSR 

- application fee: 500/guest suite; 


Services 


- design 

- management 



- supplies 

CLARION 




905-206-7316 




- established in 1994 in Canada 

- nine properties in Canada; 275 






- royalty fee 2.5% 


Services 


- design 


- supplies 

CLARION POINTE 




905-206-7316 













Services 


- design 


- supplies 

COAST HOTELS 

APA Hotel International Limited 

700 - 535 Thurlow St. 

Vancouver, B.C., V6E 3L2 

604-642-4104 

coasthotels.com/managementfranchise/ 

Vice-President, Development: 

Mark Hope 


- established in 1972 in Gold River/ 

Tahsis, B.C. 


outside of Canada (28 franchised) 

- continued expansion planned in 

Western Canada 



minimum or $150 per/room, 

whichever is greater 

- advertising fee 2% 

- distribution fee 1.5% 

(reservations fee) 


- revenue management fee 1% 

- other fees 

Services 

- accounting 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 

- revenue management 

- reservations and distribution 



- supplies 

12 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 hoteliermagazine.com


FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

COMFORT 




905-206-7316 








- initial franchise fee $300/ 

room; minimum $40,000 




Services 


- design 


- supplies 

COUNTRY INN & SUITES 

BY RADISSON 

Radisson Hotel Group 

701 Carlson Pkwy., Ste. 300, 

MS 4001 

Minnetonka, MN 55305 

800-336-3301 

countryinn.com 

CEO: Jim Alderman 

COO, Franchise Operations: 

Aly El-Bassuni 

Chief Development Officer: 

Phil Hugh 


- established in 1986 in 

Minneapolis, Minn. 

- eight properties in Canada; 

476 outside of Canada 

(465 franchised) 

- plans to open a new property 

in Ajax, Ont. and elsewhere 

throughout Canada 



- total cost US$1,927,024 

to $9,625,369 




Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT 




905-366-5208 




VP, Lodging Development, 

Canada: Aaron Laurie 







- 13 properties in the pipeline 

for Canada 


- initial franchise fee US$90,000; 




3.35% of GRS (includes market 

ing-fund contribution of 2% 

GRS); plus US$10,000/year; 

plus US$220/room/year. 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

CROWNE PLAZA HOTELS 

AND RESORTS 




416-675-6644 

crowneplaza.com 

SVP, Upscale Development: 

Julienne Smith 

Vice-President, Upscale 

Development: Jim Erlacher 

Vice-President, Upscale 

Development (Western Canada): 

Jeff Summers 

development.ihg.com 



- seven properties in Canada 

(all franchised); 418 outside 

of Canada 


- total investment $29,831,350 - 

$64,324,700 



- application fee $500/guest room; 


Services 


- design 

- management 



- supplies 

DAYS INNS. HOTELS. SUITES 

Days Inns - Canada 

Master Franchisor in Canada 

Realstar Hotel Services Corp., 

Division of Realstar Hospitality 

77 Bloor St. W., Ste. 2000 

Toronto, ON M5S 1M2 

416-966-8387 

daysinn.ca 

President and COO: Irwin Prince 


- franchising in Canada since 1992 

- 115 franchised properties in 

Canada; 1,600-plus 


- plans to add five (+/-) properties 

in Canada 


- initial franchise fee minimum 

$45,000 


- marketing fee 1.5% 

- reservations fee 2.3% 

Services 


- design 

- global reservations 

- national sales network 

- operational support 

- purchasing 



- tradeshow representation 

DELTA HOTELS BY MARRIOTT 




905-366-5208 









- acquired Delta Hotels and 

Resorts in 2015 



- three properties in the pipeline 

for Canada 


- initial application fee US$100,000; 

plus US$400/room in excess 

of 250 



2.16% of GRS (includes marketing-fund 

contribution of 1.5% 



Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 




FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

DOUBLETREE BY HILTON 

Hilton 

7930 Jones Branch Dr. 

McLean, VA 22102 

703-883-1000 

hilton.com/en/corporate/ 

development/ 

President & CEO: 

Christopher Nassetta 

Senior Director, Development, 

Canada: Jeff Cury 



- 18 properties in Canada (all 

franchised); 592 outside of 

Canada 



for the first 250 rooms; plus 

US$400 per additional room 

- royalty fee: 5% of GRR 

Services 


- design 

- loyalty program 

- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

ECONO LODGE 




905-206-7316 






outside of Canada (all 

franchised) 







Services 


- design 


- supplies 

ELEMENT HOTELS 




905-366-5208 









- first Element Hotel opened 

in 2008 

- five properties in Canada, 57 


- no properties in the pipeline 

for Canada 




of 150 




contribution of 1% 



Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 

President & CEO: Christopher 

Nassetta 





- four properties in Canada 

(all franchised); 254 outside 

of Canada 



for the first 250 rooms, plus 


- royalty Fee 3.5% of GRR year one; 

4.5% year two; 5.5% year three 

and thereafter 

Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

EXECUTIVE HOTELS 

AND RESORTS 

1080 Howe St., 8th Fl. 

Vancouver, BC V6Z 2T1 

604-642-5250 

executivehotels.net 

President: Salim Sayani 


- established in 1986 in Vancouver 

- 11 properties in Canada, three 



- fees available upon request 

Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES 




905-366-5208 













for Canada 



plus US$400/room in excess of 

125 







Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON 




905-366-5208 












- seven properties in the pipeline 

for Canada 



FRANCHISE 

REPORT 







to the marketing fund of 

1% of GRS); plus US$10,000/year; 


Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

GUESTHOUSE EXTENDED STAY 




866-437-4878 




Harry Sladich 




- franchising, Inc. since 2015 

- re-launched as extended-stay 

brand in late 2020 


- expansion planned for Canada 


- application fee $20,000 for first 

60 rooms; plus $150/room over 70 

- flat membership fee $60/room/ 

month (includes royalty and 

marketing) 

- no loyalty Fees 

Services 


- CRM 

- CRS and CRO 

- design 

- guest recognition program 

procurement 

- revenue-management 

assistance 


- supplies 

- sales and support 

HAMPTON BY HILTON 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 


Nassetta 

Senior director, Development, 




- 62 properties in Canada (57 

franchised); 2,583 outside 

of Canada 






Services 


- design 

- Hilton HHonors guest-reward 

program 

- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

HAWTHORN SUITES 

BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvian Way 


800-889-9710 







- initial fee for construction equal 

to the greater of $44,500 or 

$400/room; for conversion of 

$40,000 or $400/room 

- royalty fee 5.5% GRR 

- marketing/reservation 

contribution 2.5% GRR 

Services 

- architectural services 


- design 

- development 

- field support 



- management 

- purchasing 




- supplies 

HILTON GARDEN INN 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 









Canada 





- royalty fee 5.5% of GRR 

Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

HILTON HOTELS & RESORTS 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 


Nassetta 

Senior director, Development, 



- established in 1925 in Texas 

- 13 properties in Canada (nine 


Canada 


- Initial franchise fee: US$75,000 



- Royalty Fee: 5% of Gross 

Rooms Revenue 

Services 


- design 

- Hilton HHonors guest-reward 

program 

- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS 




416-675-6644 

holidayinnexpress.com 






- 106 Franchised Properties in 

Canada; 2,720 outside of Canada 

- Plans to add 30 units in Canada 




FRANCHISE 

REPORT 


- total investment $7,881,597 to 

$11,081,667 

- royalty fee 6%GRR 




Services: 


- design 

- management 



- supplies 

HOLIDAY INN HOTELS 

AND RESORTS 




416-675-6644 

holidayinn.com 







Canada; 1,192 outside of Canada 

- plans to add four properties in 

Canada 



to $24,969,320 




$50,000 Minimum 

Services: 


- design 

- management 



- supplies 

HOME2 SUITES BY HILTON 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 







- seven franchised properties in 

Canada (all franchised); 441 



- US$75,000 flat franchise fee 


Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

HOMEWOOD SUITES 

BY HILTON 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 


Nassetta 







Canada 





- royalty fee 3.5% of GRR year one; 

4.5% year two; 5.5% year three 

and thereafter 

Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

HOTEL RL 




866-437-4878 




Harry Sladich 




- franchised in the U.S. since 2014 

- eight properties outside of 

Canada 

- expansion underway in Canada 



- royalty flat fee $83.33/room/ 

month; marketing program flat 

fee $8,333.33/month for one to 

150 rooms and $12,500/month 

for 151+ rooms 


Services 


- CRM 

- CRS and CRO 

- design 


procurement 


assistance 


- supplies 


HOWARD JOHNSON 

BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 









- initial franchise fee the greater 

of $35,000 or $350 per room for 

conversion; $38,000 or $350/ 



$9,733,080 



Services 





- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 


HYATT HOUSE 

Hyatt Hotels Corporation 

150 N. Riverside Plaza 

Chicago, IL 60606 

416-300-8215 

hyattplace.com 

Vice-President, Real Estate and 

Development (Canada): 

Scott Richer 



FRANCHISE 

REPORT 


- one franchised property in 


franchised and managed) 

- five in the pipeline for Canada 


- application fee US$75,000; plus 

US$500/room (over 150 rooms) 


- marketing fee 3.5% GRR 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

HYATT PLACE 




416-300-8215 




Scott Richer 


- established in/franchising 

since 2005 

- six franchised property in 


16 in the pipeline for Canada 


- application fee US$75,000; plus 

US$500/room (over 150 rooms) 



Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

HYATT REGENCY 




416-300-8215 




Scott Richer 


- established in 1967; franchising 

since 2006 

- three managed properties in 



for Canada 


- application fee US$100,000 or 

US$400/room (whichever is 

greater) 

- royalty fee 6% GRR; plus 3% F&B 

- program fee availble to current 

FDD 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

INTERCONTINENTAL 

HOTELS & RESORTS 




416-675-6644 

intercontinental.com 

SVP, Development Upscale & 

Luxury and Transactions & Asset 

Management: Julienne Smith 




- three properties in Canada 

(all managed); 207 outside 

of Canada 



to $111,703,605 





Services 


- design 

- management 



- supplies 

KIMPTON HOTELS 

& RESTAURANTS 




416-675-6644 

kimptonhotels.com 

Vice-President, Development: 

Dan Thorman 








to $70,127,050 

- royalty fee 6% GRR; plus 2% of 

gross food-and-beverage sales 




Services 


- design 

- management 



- supplies 

KNIGHTS INN 




866-437-4878 




Harry Sladich 




- franchised by Red Lion Hotels 

Franchising, Inc., since 2018 





- initial/application fee $16,500 for 

first 50 rooms; $150/room over 50 

- royalty for 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 


Services 


- CRM 

- CRS and CRO 

- design 


- procurement 

- revenue-management assistance 


- supplies 


LA QUINTA BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 





- established in 1968 in San 

Antonio, Texas 

- two franchised properties in 





FRANCHISE 

REPORT 



or $550/room 


to $12,590,023 



Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 


LE MERIDIEN HOTELS 




905-366-5208 



Development, Canada: 

Paul Loehr 










- initial application fee 

US$100,000; plus US$400/room 

in excess of 250 

- royalty fee 5% of GRS, plus 2% of 



2.42% of GRS (includes marketingfund 




Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

(THE) LUXURY COLLECTION 




905-366-5208 




Paul Loehr 








for Canada 






- program service contribution 



GRS); plus US$40,000/year; plus 

US$450/room/year 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

MAINSTAY SUITES 




800-547-0007 




Extended Stay: Ron Burgett 







- initial fee $300/room; 

minimum of $50,000 


- system fee 2.5% GRR 

MARRIOTT HOTELS & RESORTS 

(INCLUDING JW MARRIOTT) 




905-366-5208 




Paul Loehr 







- 20 properties in Canada (3 

JW and 17 MH); 638 outside of 

Canada (87 JW and 570 MH) 

- 661 properties outside of 

Canada (97 JW and 564 MH) 


for Canada 





- royalty fee 6% of GRS; plus 3% of 







Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

MICROTEL BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 







franchised); 327 outside 

of Canada 


- initial franchise fee is the 

greater of $43,000 or 

$400/room 


to $6,654,769 

- advertising fee 2% GRR 


Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 




TM 

TM 


FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

MICROTEL INN & SUITES 

BY WYNDHAM 

Master Territorial Developer in 

Canada: MasterBuilt Hotels Ltd. 

(Wyndham Hotels & Resorts) 

1060 7th St. S.W., Ste. 200 

Calgary, AB T2R 0C4 

403-698-8528 

masterbuilthotels.com 

Executive Chairman: Marc Staniloff 

Interim President: Marc Staniloff 



(seven franchised) 

- properties under construction 

in Kelowna, B.C. and Aurora, 

Ont.; more than 15 in 

development/planning stages 





- loyalty/rewards program fee 5% 

Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

Monte Carlo Inns 

Your home away from home 

MONTE CARLO INNS 

Monte Carlo Hotel 

Motel Innternational 

218 Export Blvd., Ste. 601 

Mississauga, ON L5S 0A7 

888-564-6194 

montecarloinns.com 

VP of Operations: Justin Meffe 

VP, Franchise Development: 

Danny Pedone 



- eight properties in Canada 

(all franchised) 

- looking to expand in southern 

Ontario 

Franchise Report 


or $400/room 



Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

MOTEL 6 


Realstar Hospitality Corp., Division 

of Realstar Hospitality 

(G6 Hospitality LLC) 



416-923-8387 

motel6.com 



- franchising in Canada began 

in 2003 

- 30-plus franchised properties 

in Canada; 1,400-plus outside 

of Canada 

- plans to add five (+/-) properties 

in Canada 




- program fees 3.5% 

Services 


- design 



- purchasing 



MOXY HOTELS 




905-366-5208 











- two properties in the pipeline 

for Canada 










Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

NOVOTEL CANADA 

Accor North & Central America 

155 Wellington St. W., Ste. 3300 

Toronto, ON M5V 0C3 

416-874-2600 

group.accor.com 

SVP Development, North & 

Central America: Greg Doman 


- first Novotel in Canada established 

in 1985 in Mississauga, Ont. 

- six properties in Canada; 506 

worldwide 


- initial franchise fee $300/room, 

$50,000 min. 


- distribution fee 2% 


PARK INN BY RADISSON 


701 Carlson Parkway, Ste 300, 

MS 4001 


1-800-336-3301 

parkinn.com 


COO: Aly El-Bassuni 


Phil Hugh 





outside of Canada (70 franchised) 

- plans to open new properties 




- total cost US$3,697,674 to 

$20,956,027 




Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

QUALITY 




905-206-7316 







franchised) 


- initial franchise fee $300/ 

room; minimum $35,000 







FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

Services 


- design 


- supplies 

RADISSON 


701 Carlson Pkwy., Ste. 300, 

MS 4001 


800-336-3301 

radisson.com 


COO: Aly El-Bassuni 


Phil Hugh 





outside of Canada (146 

franchised) 






$52,337,635 




Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

RADISSON BLU 


701 Carlson Parkway, Ste 300, 

MS 4001 


1-800-336-3301 

radissonblu.com 

Chief Executive Officer: 

Jim Alderman 

Chief Operating Officer: 

Aly El-Bassuni 


Phil Hugh 





outside of Canada (126 

franchised) 






$121,764,855 




Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

RAMADA BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 








Canada 


- initial franchise fee $35,000 or 

$350 per room for conversion, 

$39,500 or $350/room for new 

construction 

- total investment $87,101 

to $9,026,525 


(includes marketing 

contribution of 2% GRR 

and basic reservation fee of 

2% GRR) 


Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 


RED LION HOTEL 




866-437-4878 




Harry Sladich 






- expansion in Canada planned 





- marketing fee 3% of GRR 


Services 


- CRM 

- CRS and CRO 

- design 


procurement 


assistance 


- supplies 


RED LION INN & SUITES 




866-437-4878 




Harry Sladich 






properties outside of Canada 

- expansion under way in Canada 


- application fee $300; minimum 

of $40,000 


- marketing (program) fee 3% 

of GRR 


Services 


- CRM 

- CRS and CRO 

- design 


procurement 


assistance 


- supplies 


RENAISSANCE HOTELS 




905-366-5208 









- acquired Renaissance Hotels 

in 1997 

- three properties in Canada; 173 




FRANCHISE 

REPORT 





- royalty fee 5% GRS 

- program contribution services 

2.12% of GRS and ClubSport 

revenues (includes marketingfund 


GRS); plus US$50,000/ 

year; plus US$510/room/year 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

RESIDENCE INN BY MARRIOTT 




905-366-5208 









- acquired Residence Inn in 1987 



- four properties in the pipeline 

for Canada 



plus US$500/suite in excess 

of 150 



2.56% of GRS (includes mar 

keting-fund contribution of 2.5% 


US$65/suite/year 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

RODEWAY INN 




905-206-7316 


President, Brian Leon 











Services 


- design 


- supplies 

SHERATON HOTELS 

& RESORTS 




905-366-5208 












for Canada 





- royalty fee 6% of GRS, plus 2% of 



2.42% of GRS includes marketing-fund 




Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

SIGNATURE INN 




866-437-4878 



Franchise Operations: Harry 

Sladich 




- relaunched 2018 

- nine properties in the U.S., 

including Signature (midscale) 

properties 



- 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) 


Services 


- CRM 

- CRS and CRO 

- design 


procurement 


assistance 


- supplies 


SLEEP INN 




905-206-7316 


President, Brian Leon 



- four properties in Canada; 

423 outside of Canada (all 

franchised) 


- initial franchise fee: $300/room; 





Services 


- design 


- supplies 

SPRINGHILL SUITES 

BY MARRIOTT 




905-366-5208 




Paul Loehr 







- two properties in Canada; 477 


- three properties in pipeline 

in Canada 



plus US$400/suite in excess of 150 






US$220/suite/year 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 




FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

STAYBRIDGE SUITES 




416-675-6644 

staybridgesuites.com 

Regional Director, Upscale and 

Mainstream Development, 






- plans to add six more properties 

in Canada 



to $22,436,565 


- marketing fee 2.5% GRS 

(combined reservation and 

training fee) 

- application fee $500/suite; 


Services 


- design 

- management 



- supplies 

STUDIO 6 


Realstar Hospitality Corp., Division 

of Realstar Hospitality 

(G6 Hospitality LLC) 



416-923-8387 

staystudio6.com 





Canada; 100-plus outside of 

Canada 

- plans to add two (+/-) properties 

in Canada 




- program fees 3.5% 

Services 


- design 



- purchasing 



SUBURBAN EXTENDED 

STAY HOTEL 




800-547-0007 









franchised) 



- initial fee $225/room; 




SUPER 8 BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 







(all franchised); 2,800 outside 

of Canada 



of $25,000 or $250/room for 

conversion; $28,000 or $250/ 



$4,715,442 



Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 



SUPER 8 BY WYNDHAM 

Master Territorial Developer 

in Canada: Superior Lodging 

Development S8 Corp. 


#410, 211 – 11th Ave SW 


403-543-8800 

super8.ca 

EVP, Operations: Trevor Hagel 

EVP, Franchising & Development: 

Nigel Lucas 




- plans to add four locations 

in 2021 





Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

THRIFTLODGE 

Master Franchisor in Canada: 

Superior Lodging Development 

TL Corporation 


#410, 211 – 11th Ave SW 


800-646-2435 

travelodge.ca 



Nigel Lucas 


- Canadian operations established 

in 1992 in Alberta 

- 10 franchised properties 

in Canada 

- plans to increase brand port 

folio by 10% net growth, 

concentrating on secondary 

and tertiary markets 



FRANCHISE 

REPORT 




Services 


- annual conference 


- opening and training support 

- partnership synergies 

- purchasing 

- quality assurance 


TAPESTRY COLLECTION 

BY HILTON 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 


Nassetta 





- one property in Canada (all 


Canada 



for the first 250 rooms; plus 

US$400 per/additional room 


Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

TOWNEPLACE SUITES 

BY MARRIOTT 




905-366-5208 













in Canada 



plus US$400/suite in excess of 125 







Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

TRADEMARK COLLECTION 

BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 






- 10 hotels in Canada, 91 outside 

of Canada 


- initial fee $350/room (minimum 

$39,500) for new construction; 

$350/room (minimum $35,000) 

for conversion 

- total investment: $89,024 

to $12,599,280 

- membership fee 4% GRR 


Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 


- other 

TRAVELODGE 

Master Franchisor in Canada: 

Superior Lodging Development 

TL Corporation 


#410, 211 – 11th Ave SW 


800-646-2435 

travelodge.ca 



Nigel Lucas 


- established in 1945 in the U.S.; 

Canadian operations established 

in 1992 in Alberta 


Canada 

- plans to increase brand portfolio 

by 10% net growth, 

concentrating on secondary 

and tertiary markets 



to $35,000 



Services 


- annual conference 


- opening and training support 

- partnership synergies 

- purchasing 

- quality assurance 


TRIBUTE HOTELS 




905-366-5208 












for Canada 




of 250 



2.42% of GRS (includes 

marketing-fund contribution 

of 1.5% GRS); plus US$40,000/ 

year; plus US$450/room/year. 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 




FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

TRU BY HILTON 

Hilton 



703-883-1000 


development/ 







- one property in Canada 

(franchised); 170 outside 

of Canada 


- US$75,000 flat franchise fee 


Services 


- design 


- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

TRYP BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 




Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 


THE UNBOUND COLLECTION 

BY HYATT 




416-300-8215 


Vice-President, Real Estate 

and Development (Canada): 

Scott Richer 


- established in/franchising 

since 2016 




- application fee US$100,000 

or US$300/room (whichever is 

greater) 


- program fee: 3.5%GRR 

Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 



- supplies 

WESTIN HOTELS & RESORTS 




905-366-5208 













in Canada 





- royalty fee 7% GRS, plus 3% of 



3.02% of GRS includes marketing-fund 




Services 


- design 

- management 

- purchasing 


- supplies 

WINGATE BY WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 






- nine properties in Canada (all 




of $40,500 or $360/room 


$10,979,071 

- advertising fee 2.5% GRR 


Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 



- initial fee $39,500 or 

$350/room 


- marketing and reservation fee 

4% GRR 



FRANCHISE 

REPORT 

WOODSPRING SUITES 




800-547-0007 










- no application fee 

- initial fee $50,000 (if more than 

122 rooms, additional $300/room) 



WYNDHAM 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 






of $54,500 or $500/room 


$66,790,765 



Services 

- architectural services/design 


- conventions and area meetings 

- development & design 

- field support 


- group tour material 

- group savings 


- purchasing 

- quality assurance audits 




- supplies 


- worldwide sales 

WYNDHAM GARDEN 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 





- first Wyndham Garden 

opened in 2012 

- three properties in Canada; 

124 outside of Canada 



of $39,500 or $350/room 


$13,900,097 



Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 


WYNDHAM GRAND 


22 Sylvan Way 


800-889-9710 






of $54,500 or $500/room 


$67,283,170 



Services 





- management 

- purchasing 



- sales 


- supplies 


DON'T 

SEE YOUR 

COMPANY 

LISTED? 

CONTACT US TO BE 

INCLUDED IN NEXT YEAR'S 

FRANCHISE REPORT 

abostock@kostuchmedia.com 



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TRENDS 

AN 

Canadians are ready and willing to travel 

AFTER an alarming and 

unwelcome stretch of stillness, the 

winds are blowing across the tarmac at 

last and a post-pandemic travel scene 

is taking shape in the clearing. We will 

travel again, say the experts, and likely 

with the same enthusiasm as before. 

The differences to the experience will 

be both vast and subtle. 

“People love to travel, explore the 

world and create lifelong memories,” 

says Craig Reaume, general manager of 

W Toronto, set to open this Spring. “I 

believe, when the time comes, travellers 

will be more than ready.” 

Broadly speaking, says Jonathan 

Newbury, executive vice-president of 

Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the first 

wave is going to be about “revenge 

travel,” a phenomenon in which people, 

sick to death with cancelling plans, will 

fill the planes and hotel rooms with 

their exuberance for being anywhere 

but within their own four walls. 

Leisure travel, everyone concurs, will 

be the first to bounce back. Pent-up 

travellers, liberated by a vaccine, will 

take to the skies in big numbers, “I 

see hotels through the eyes of friends 

and family,” says Newbury. “They get 

to a hotel, it’s an escape, they can be 

something different, they can change 

for a while and be someone [else], an 


idealized version of themselves. And, 

we, as an industry cater to that — and 

that’s not going to change. That’s what 

people want and that’s what we deliver 

in a hotel.” 

Slower to rebound will be corporate 

and group travel, as companies and 

organizations grapple with liability issues 

around sanctioning trips to places where 

danger has so recently lurked. “Business 

travel is down enormously,” says Peter 

Gaudet, vice-president of Horwath 

HTL, a global leader in hotel, tourism 

and leisure consulting, articulating what 

legions of hoteliers know too well, though 

no one has precise numbers to account for 

it. “It’s very tough to think of [sending] 

massive amounts of employees out on the 

road when, if they get sick because they’re 

travelling for your company, you may end 

up responsible for their health.” 

Meetings, conventions, events, sporting 

groups and association meetups have 

been severely hit by the pandemic, the 

victims of governmental restrictions 

limiting the number of people allowed 

in gatherings, to say nothing of the 

buffets and sit-down meals of which 

they’ve been deprived in convention 

centres, event venues and hotels since 

mid-March. But short-term corporate 

travel restrictions haven’t precluded 

innovation in that market. W recently 

launched WxW Meetings, a program 

that gives companies in 

Toronto the 

opportunity to 

“meet” with 

their 

counterparts 

in Montreal. 

Here, small teams can 

meet (and stay) at W Toronto 

and connect to their teammates 

at W Montreal. One point of contact 

handles everything — from the technology 

and catering to a single bill, along 

with all the special touches that go into 

holding a meeting at W. 

And, hotels have turned their 

corporate business on its head, promoting 

the idea of guests staying in hotel rooms 

during the day to work and going home 

at night to sleep — the opposite 

of convention. 

But, the business-travel norm will 

return, Danny Hughes, EVP & president 

of the Americas for Hilton, asserts — 

even if it does so slowly. “There’s only 

so much business you can get done in 

a two-dimensional world. People need 

to see clients, to connect, to drum up 

business, to recruit people.” 

From the current vantage point, 

following almost a year of volatile 

occupancy levels and Average Daily Rates 

(ADR), this all sounds a bit fantastic. 

But those with their eye on the suffering 

industry insist that not only will travel 

resume, but the alterations to the experience 

will be negligible once it does. 

Post-pandemic hotels will be clean — but 

that’s not new. “That level of cleanliness 

has always been an issue in hotels,” says 

Gaudet. “They’ve just kicked it up a notch 

in 2020. I don’t think they ever thought 

they’d be steaming shower curtains. Some 

of that may stay. Clients may get into 

that. But if you look at how we are in our 

homes, we [were] washing our groceries at 

the beginning, but in time fell back into 

what we knew. I think it’ll be the same 

with travel.” 

“We’ll see a lot of the [introduced] 

standards remain, because there’s a 

psychological barrier for people, 

they’ve become a lot more 

conscious of hygiene,” says 

Newbury. Specifically, he 

foresees the endurance of the 

sanitization station, but also 

the return of buffets. The 

plexiglass separating guest 

and staffer will hang in for a bit, 

he predicts, but fall away as the virus 

subsides and vaccinations surge. 

Hughes believes the global pandemic 

simply accelerated existing trends, 

including one toward increased personalization 

of hotel stays, whether that be in 

guests choosing rooms, customizing what 

they want in them or checking in and 

opening doors with their mobile devices. 

SAFE 

Travels 

BY NICHOLAS RAHMON 

According to Airports Council International, 

passenger traffi c volume 

at Canadian commercial airports 

decreased by approximately 78 per 

cent in the fi rst half of 2020 as a 

result of pandemic restrictions. But, 

as people continue to travel, airlines 

and airports admitting domestic and 

international travellers are working 

in tandem to introduce new safety 

measures in an effort to curb the 

spread of COVID-19, resulting in 

increased operating costs. 

As of Sept. 23, temperature 

screening came into effect at 

Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and 

Montreal airports, along with 11 

additional Canadian airports. 

On Jan. 6, 2021, Toronto Pearson 

International Airport rolled out the 

Ontario government’s COVID-19 testing 

program, offering international passengers 

landing in Canada free COVID-19 

testing. Those eligible for the program 

include returning Canadian citizens or 

permanent residents and international 

travellers, such as immediate and 

extended family members. 

Airports across the country also established 

safety measures for both travellers 

and employees, from baggage 

check-in through the boarding process, 

including the mandatory use of face 

coverings within the airport, keeping 

a distance of two metres from others 

and cleaning at two-hour intervals 

for high-touch-point areas such as 

escalators and bathrooms. 



ISTOCK.COM 

The big, leather menu binders at 

restaurants have been replaced by 

elegant QR codes, part of the digital 

movement overseeing the merging of 

physical and digital experiences. “These 

were trends that were very much part of 

travel and, now, in a world where we’re 

all trying to get used to contactless 

experiences, digitalization is going to be 

rapidly accelerated.” 

In truth, the industry had a taste 

of the return in summer 2020, when 

infection counts flattened a bit and 

official constraints slackened. Indeed, 

says Horwath, some hotels were busier 

than usual last summer, accommodating 

a rush of giddy travellers, loosed at 

last from their lockdowns and keen to 

re-visit life when they could roam freely 

and in comfort. 

“Here in the U.S., some of our 

hotels had the best summer season 

ever because people couldn’t get to the 

Caribbean, so they ended up going to 

New England or down to Florida,” says 

Newbury. Resorts, where guests arrived 

in their own cars and had plenty of 

space and fresh air when they did, were 

the obvious beneficiaries of this impulse. 

“We’ve actually been doing quite well 

in this pandemic, compared to the city 

hotels, which you would normally see 

very busy, but are still struggling and 

will continue to struggle until the fear 

of the virus goes away.” 

Along with reliable statistics tracking 

pandemic-plummeting occupancy 

and ADR rates, measures of how hotel 

valuation has weathered the virus are 

in short supply. “It’s a tough subject 

for everybody right now,” says Gaudet, 

“with Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver 

running at occupancies we’ve never seen 

and would never have guessed we’d see 

in our lifetime. Everyone’s very hesitant 

to valuate hotels because, when we open 

that Pandora’s box, pretty much every 

hotel in Canada will see some loss in 

2020. Let’s go as long as we can without 

having to do a valuation.” 

Bankers financing hotels at 60 per 

cent, with owners kicking in 40 per cent 

are now looking at properties worth 

between 70 and 80 per cent of their 

starting values, which could knock their 

60-per-cent stake up to 75 per cent or 

higher. “Bankers have all these rules and 

regulations and magic numbers they 

have to meet and none of the ratios 

are working right now — not on the 

financing side, not on the owners’ side. 

The definition of a market value is you 

put your hotel up for sale in a free and 

open market, but there’s nobody buying, 

because there’s no free and open market. 

Right now, the buyer has all the leverage, 

the owner has no leverage. It’s a very 

interesting time in the hotel industry.” 

Hoteliers, meanwhile, are 

looking to make it less interesting with 

loud efforts to convince people their 

hotels are safe. Hilton has partnered 

with Lysol in a campaign highlighting 

cleanliness at every turn, from disinfected 

remote controls to steamed bed linen 

and door stickers that certify a pristine 

environment behind the seal. Where 

hotel operators used to tuck their 

cleaning efforts into the back of the 

house, largely undertaken when 

people weren’t awake, now they do the 

opposite, showily cleaning during the 

day so the consumer might witness the 

unabashed level of their handiwork. 

“This is all pre-planning,” says Gaudet. 

“The consumer can’t travel right now 

because of all the restrictions, but when 

we come out of this, they want people 

feeling re-assured about brands’ certain 

levels of cleanliness. Pop-ups on almost 

every independent hotel’s website 

account for their COVID-19 efforts, a 

clear message to the consumer: we’re 

ready for you. So, it’s not the consumer 

that changed, but the industry reaction.” 

“I’m incredibly hopeful,” says Hughes, 

adding once a vaccine is rapidly deployed, 

“I’m positive business will bounce back. 

Every single one of us has cancelled 

something in the last nine months — a 

family reunion, a concert, a trip to 

Niagara Falls. We’re all burnt out with 

Zoom fatigue, and are desperate for the 

human reaction that only comes with 

seeing people together. We’re social 

animals and we want those interactions 

with humans. When we can, it’ll pick up 

quickly. People want to travel. And 

people have to travel. Travel is still an 

unstoppable force.” ◆ 


SF P 

EDITORIAL 

THE 

PANELISTS 

Hotel leaders dis 

are impacting all 

INTERVIEW BY: ROSANNA CAIR 

Wayne Carrington, 

director of Housekeeping, 

The Hazelton Hotel 

Ally Wesson, 

vice-president, Marketing, 

Realstar Hospitality 

Vito Curalli, 

executive director, 

International and 

Industry Relations, 

Sales, Hilton Worldwide 

Laura Pallotta, 

VP Sales and Distribution 

– Canada, Marriott 

International 

Brian Leon 

president, Choice Hotels 

Stephanie Snowball, 

director of Sales, IHG 

Canada 

Andrea Torrance, 

senior vice-president, 

Guest Experience, Accor, 

Rosanna Caira How has the pandemic changed the 

mindset of operators when it comes to health and 

well-being in hotels? 

Brian Leon: The health and the 

well-being of our guests has always 

been a top priority for us. But it’s 

clear the pandemic has elevated 

the concerns and the awareness 

around health and safety for our 

hotels and the concerns from guests. 

[We see this as] something that’s 

going to endure in the future, long 

after the pandemic is behind us. 

From a brand standpoint, and from 

our perspective as a franchisor, 

one of the most important things 

was a collaborative approach with 

our franchisees, so we worked 

really closely with our franchisees 

across the country to develop rate 

solutions and best practices. Early 

in the pandemic [we formed] a 

GM taskforce that was intended to 

build-out cleanliness best practices 

and ensure we rolled out processes 

that were going to be not only 

effective, but were going to work 

operationally for our hotels, so that 

adoption would be maximized. On 

a positive note, [COVID-19] has, 

in many ways, enhanced the view 

of our hotels collectively across the 

country. In the early stages, there 

was some question about whether 

hotels were going to be designated 



SAE 

cuss how safety protocols 

aspects of their operations 

A AND AMY BOSTOCK 

an essential service — and they weren’t 

in all parts of the world — but after 

seeing the role hotels have played, 

that’s never going to be questioned. 

It should never be questioned — our 

hotels have been so supportive of their 

communities across the country and 

that built a stronger relationship with 

those communities. That’s something 

that will serve us all well in the future. 

Laura Pallotta: Travel, for us, will 

always remain focused on the overall 

guest experience — a new city, great 

service, a comfortable bed, exciting 

food and beverage. But, right now, 

the focus is mainly on cleanliness and 

abiding by government regulations and 

mandates. Back in April, when all of 

this started, we created the Marriott 

Global Cleanliness Council, which 

benefi ts from the in-house knowledge 

we had, but also leaned on outside 

experts. From there we launched our 

Commitment-to-Clean program and 

that’s where the enhanced cleaning 

standards were put in place, [such as] 

higher frequency, disinfection protocols, 

special focus on high-touch areas. 

Cleanliness, and all of these standards, 

are the new amenities and will be here 

forever. And, that’s a very positive step 

because it creates confidence for our 

guests — that will be what brings our 

guests back to us in due time. 

Ally Wesson: As an industry and as 

a hotel, we’ve always been clean, but 

now cleanliness is next to safety and 

never have those two really been so 

linked together in the public eye. It’s 

top of mind for all of our operators, 

regardless of the brand — whether it’s 

them making sure they have proper 

PPE for all of their staff that need it 

or ensuring they’re following the local 

municipal, provincial and national 

health guidelines. Cleanliness and 

safety have never been more important 

than [they are] today. 

Andrea Torrance: We’ve always 

maintained high standards of hygiene 

and cleanliness, however, the pandemic 

demands we elevate these standards 

even further. We never pretended we 

were scientists or hygiene experts, so 

we partnered with a team of expert 

advisors to develop these new healthand-safety 

measures — not just in 

ISTOCK.COM/DARWEL 


TI HS CERY BE QIE A 

YA. I FE LK W’E AL BE 

I A WR TGTE 

this region, but also globally. 

Through this, we’ve 

maintained that if we say 

we’re going to do something, 

it has to be true — it can’t 

be smoke and mirrors. And, 

as an industry, we’ve never 

been under so much scrutiny. 

So, each hotel developed 

a business-continuity plan 

and we would validate that. 

It wasn’t as simple as just 

sending in a checklist, we 

wanted to see evidence, 

so we would look for job 

descriptions; we’d look for 

videos, we’d look for images 

of the employee arriving, 

what it looks like for the 

guests to arrive at the front 

desk and, from that, we do 

feel that we’ve got a lot 

of consistency and rigour 

around what we’re doing. 

Then, the hotels have to 

be audited by operational 

experts and third-party 

auditors. We’ve always had 

clean hotels, but we’re under 

tremendous scrutiny, so now 

we’ve had to elevate that 

to ensure what we say we’re 

doing is true. 

Vito Curalli: Operators of 

our hotels are experts in the 

business, but COVID-19 put 

all of the operators in a very 

diffi cult position. No different 

than the other brands, 

we launched our own version 

of a clean program called 

Clean Stay [in partnership 

with] Lysol. We also took the 

research and findings from 

BIN LO, COC HTL 

the Mayo Clinic to guide 

us through this process and 

give back to the operators 

in terms of the support that 

they needed to make sure the 

overall health and wellness 

of not only our customers, 

but our team members were 

taken care of. 

Stephanie Snowball: Our 

industry was significantly 

disrupted and we’ve all had 

to step up around all the new 

protocols and procedures 

that have been implemented 

from the different governments. 

We have had to 

establish our own cleanliness 

board, with external partners 

and new collaborators like 

the Cleveland Clinic to help 

our operators implement 

this. But, one of the most 

consistent things I hear 

across the board is that, as 

an industry, our customers 

are confi dent in what we’re 

doing. We’re advertising it, 

we’re talking about it, we’re 

very transparent about it, 

which is building trust. But, 

the critical thing is that 

we’re inspecting what we 

expect. Those inspections are 

so critical [for] holding our 

hotel operators accountable 

to what we’re asking them 

to do and giving them the 

right tools and resources and 

training. And, if they don’t 

follow suit, they’re given an 

opportunity to fi x it — and if 

they don’t, if they’re unable 

to, then they’re hit with 

fi nes. That helps build that 

trust with our guests and our 

consumers that what we’re 

doing is actually happening 

consistently on property. 

Wayne Carrington: 

Because we’re a smaller 

hotel, trust is significant. We 

need to understand that this 

situation is fluid, so whatever 

plans we have also have to 

be fl uid. We came up with an 

eight-point plan that focused 

on screening and physical 

distancing, as well as 

communication. But it took 

a lot to build that rapport 

with not only our guests, [as 

well as] our team, to figure 

out what their anxieties are 

and to get other perspectives 

of what they were looking 

for and how we can elevate 

our sanitization processes 

to make them feel more 

comfortable. 

Amy Bostock: What are 

you are doing, from both 

a guest and an employee 

perspective, when it 

comes to health and 

safety? 

WC: The fi rst thing 

that comes to mind is 

the screening processes — 

ensuring communication 

of the expectations of the 

guests coming in, as well as 

what you’re doing as a hotel 

from that point. There’s a 

waiver sent out that [outlines 

protocols], such as wearing 

masks, social distancing, 

what would be in the room. 

There are screening 

processes, temperature 

checks at every checkpoint 

(for both employees and 

guests) through the spa 

(which is now closed), 

the restaurants, the front 

desk. Then we ensure the 

guestrooms have been 

vacated prior to [housekeeping] 

service. Guests 

can’t be in the room when 

we’re servicing the room. 

There’s contactless service 

for guest deliveries and 

in-room dining, as well as 

increased and documented 

planning and sanitization 

rotations. [We’ve also 

removed] anything that can’t 

be sanitized and menus are 

digital. All these different 

processes have been altered 

in order to give our guests 

and staff some ease and 

ensure we’re following all of 

the protocols that are set by 

the government. 

BL: The focus of consumers 

used to be on clean and 

comfortable. Now it’s around 

clean and safe — it’s a shift 

in the way our guests are 

looking at their space. So, 

we introduced Commitment 

to Clean with all sorts of 

protocols and cleaning 

practices — specific to 

COVID-19, but that will 

carry on indefinitely — and 

focused on staff safety, as well 

as consumer safety and building 

confi dence in the brands. 

From a staff standpoint, we 

use a platform called Nudge 

to be able to communicate 

directly with our hotel-level 

staff. One of the things that’s 

always a challenge for us as 

franchisors, is that we can 

communicate to our hotels 

at the general-manager 

level and effectively at the 

franchisee level, but it’s not 

so easy for us to be able to 



communicate directly to staff 

at the hotel level. This app 

allows us to communicate 

to them about cleanliness 

protocols and make sure that 

they’re feeling comfortable 

with what we’re doing from 

a guest standpoint. We’ve 

also got onsite signage to 

let guests know what they 

can expect and what actions 

we’ve taken, as well as all 

sorts of information and 

alerts on our website. 

AW: We were fortunate 

in the early days of the 

pandemic to be part of the 

"Count on Us" program, 

which is a clean-commitment 

program. And then 

Motel 6 and Studio 6 have 

the "Clean @6" program. 

These all come with safety, 

security and cleanliness 

protocols we’ve been following. 

[Pre-COVID-19], operators 

would schedule lobby 

cleaning at a time when you 

weren’t going to be full of 

check-ins and check-outs, 

but now, you want to make 

sure that not only are your 

guests seeing you cleaning 

the lobby more frequently, 

but that your staff feel safe 

as well. 

SS: I don’t think there’s one 

step of the guest journey 

that hasn’t been impacted 

with the new processes and 

procedures. Across all of 

our hotel brands, we’ve had 

to help our guests feel like 

their environment is safe, 

but also within their control. 

[Ensuring] visibility is really 

critical, that they can see that 

it’s happening [and aren’t] just 

reading about it or expecting it. 

But, some of the more noticeable 

changes that many of 

our operations include are the 

sanitizer stations, socialdistancing 

markers on the 

fl oor, restrictions on elevator 

use and more grab-andgo 

food options than ever 

before. They’ve also removed 

extras in the guestrooms that 

are high touch. 

VC: For us, the big one 

actually happened a couple 

of years ago, when we started 

to shift more to contactless 

check-in and check-out 

through our Hilton Honors 

app, [which] allowed guests 

to choose their room 24 

hours ahead of their arrival 

and bypass the front desk. 

That helped us a great 

deal during the start of the 

pandemic. The other big 

change — one the operators 

were very supportive of and 

the guests really like — is 

the seal on the door. We 

now seal the door so every 

guest knows this room has 

been fully cleaned. The 

moment that you break that 

seal, you’re the first person 

in that room after it being 

cleaned. We’ve actually 

extended that program into 

our meeting space as well, 

just to let those people know, 

when they do meet, they’re 

the fi rst ones into the room 

after it’s cleaned. The other 

part of that was getting rid 

of all the clutter — all of the 

paperwork. Unfortunately, 

the rooms look a little bit 

barer than most guests are 

accustomed to. And then, 

of course, changes at the 

front desk — you’ll notice 

a lot more Plexiglas and a 

lot more distancing space. 

The last part is an increased 

focus on areas like the spa, 

the fi tness centres, the pools 

— they were clean, but we’re 

talking like super clean, deep 

cleaning now. 

AT: When we first started 

out doing this [last] year, we 

thought maybe by June it 

will be over. So, we wanted 

to look to the future, and 

not just the now, when we 

started going through this 

process and built out a more 

holistic and evolving view 

of how we care for our guests 

and how we think of our 

employees. The most critical 

thing we can do is to prevent 

the spread of COVID-19, so 

we launched ALLSAFE — 

an interactive platform that 

takes guests on a journey 

throughout the hotel. But, 

we also did that with our 

employees to really understand 

what they’re going 

through, how they’re feeling 

as they come to work, as they 

interact with their colleagues 

and how they do their work. 

And, at the end of the day, 

our care for our guests runs 

much deeper than chemicals 

and cleaning protocols. 

As a society, I think we’re 

more aware of the fragility 

and the importance of our 

health, more than ever 

before. It may be a little bit 

impossible to know exactly 

how this will manifest in a 

post-COVID-19 world, but 

we believe there’s a growing 

desire to live healthier and it 

will evolve with a powerful shift 

to a societal norm of how the 

travel industry adapts to this 

shift and how it will directly 

impact our ability to serve. 

LP: At Marriott, we’ve taken 

a total-hotel approach — 

enhanced cleaning, especially 

at these high-touch areas, 

public spaces, high-traffic 

spaces and the guestroom. 

[We’re also striving for] less 

contact, more connection 

[through] our movement into 

digital and increased usage 

of our Bonvoy app — so 

you can now check in and 

get your key through the 

app — as well as physical 

distancing and new equipment 

such as our electrostatic 

spraying. With respect to the 

associates, mandatory face 

coverings for both associates 

AUDIENCE 

QUESTION: 

With the everchanging 

government 

regulations, 

what sources are you 

trusting to ensure you 

have the most current 

guidelines to follow? 

ALLY WESSON: 

The Hotel Association 

of Canada (HAC) 

has been a great 

resource throughout 

this entire pandemic. 

It’s launched a great 

website that has so 

much information. 

Basically, anything 

that you would need 

to know is on that 

website. Obviously, 

check in with Health 

Canada and your local 

health resources, too. 

Health Canada and 

HAC are great 

resources for 

hoteliers out there. 

and guests has been in place 

since early in the summer. 

We’ve set up individualized 

hotel plans, where each 

hotel goes through how 

they’re cleaning, how they’re 

disinfecting, how they’re 

mitigating transmission. 

And, in fact, every hotel 

has a cleanliness champion 

[who] is 100-per-cent focused 

on ensuring all protocols 

are being followed. In the 

guestrooms, we’re using 


AUDIENCE 

QUESTION: 

Looking forward to 

face-to-face meetings, 

what are you doing to 

keep attendees safe? 

VITO CURALLI: 

We introduced a 

program called Event 

Ready and we’ve got a 

list of protocols around 

meetings, whether it’s 

new food-and-beverage 

requirements 

and how we handle 

the food-and-beverage 

delivery for 

the customer; social 

distancing in terms 

of how we set up the 

rooms; the actual 

meeting rooms 

themselves — we’ve 

actually re-configured 

all of our hotels’ 

meeting-space quantities 

to ensure they’ve 

changed to reflect 

social distancing in 

those rooms (sitting 

or standing); and then 

that sort of flows into 

AV equipment and 

how we’ve placed the 

AV equipment in the 

rooms. And, as the 

restrictions change in 

jurisdictions in terms of 

the number of people 

who can be in those 

rooms, we’ve got to 

adjust to that as well. 

There’s a lot of work 

going into that space 

right now. 

hospital-grade disinfectant 

on all surfaces, including 

door handles, tables, nightstands, 

furniture, telephone 

keypads, et cetera. 

AB: How has the check-in 

process changed in light 

of COVID-19 protocols? 

SS: It’s using technology 

we have today and evolving 

that technology to help us 

minimize physical interaction, 

as well as doing as 

much as we can through 

mobile check-in. Mobile 

check-in/check-out has 

actually become a brand 

standard for IHG in the 

Americas, so all hotels 

participate in that. And, 

we’re piloting all types 

of other mobile-enabled 

improvements, such as 

in-room dining ordering, 

real-time pay with points and 

how to interact with guests 

via mobile. 

LP: This desire for a more 

contactless experience at 

our hotels continues to be 

the theme and that will 

continue to grow over time 

for a variety of reasons. We 

launched mobile check-in 

through our app back in 

2013 at just 31 Marriott 

hotels around the world and, 

since then, we’ve had steady 

uptick from members in 

terms of participation. Right 

now, we’re at about 4,000 

hotels worldwide and, as of 

the end of October 2020, in 

Canada, 59 per cent of our 

hotels have mobile key available. 

Another thing that we 

recently rolled out to address 

the demand we’ve seen from 

leisure travellers staying at 

our hotels, many of whom are 

not yet Bonvoy members, is a 

new ‘check-in now’ [button] 

on the confirmation page of 

our desktop and our mobile 

experiences. It’s proven to be 

very popular with guests and 

we will have that functionality 

available at every single 

hotel by early 2021. 

RC: In this new world 

that we’re living in, the 

housekeeping department 

has become more 

important than ever. 

What does that mean, 

in terms of ensuring you 

can do the job you need 

to do? Will robotics play 

a role? 

BL: We haven’t done a 

lot on robotics, but it’s 

something the industry is 

going to see more of, from 

the standpoint of repetitive, 

predictable tasks. In our 

hotels, a lot of the tasks our 

teams have are not repetitive 

and predictable — they 

might be repetitive in some 

cases, but they’re not predictable. 

So, it’ll be interesting to 

see how robotics plays out in 

the broader term. 

AT: The housekeeping team 

is quite traditional, so I relish 

the notion of robotics and 

re-imagining how to clean 

guestrooms. When I think 

of our partnerships with the 

scientists and you think of 

how hospitals clean, I know 

that robotics are quite prevalent, 

on the hospital side, 

in operating theatres. Now, 

on our hotel side, we still 

have the sticky coffee-cup 

rings, dust and debris and 

we have to remember that 

somebody still has to do that 

mechanical work. I relish 

the notion of how we [could] 

re-invent some of this and 

the best people to help us do 

that, apart from scientists, 

is actually our housekeeping 

team themselves. 

WC: I can’t say that we 

dabbled a lot within the 

technology aspects of things, 

but with regard to enhancing 

our communication between 

the team and the housekeeping 

hub in the hotel, 

then yes, we’re coming up 

with apps to highlight issues, 

rooms that are completed, 

need to be done or pending 

issues. But, in terms of actual 

cleaning, no, we continue 

with the old-school methods. 

In terms of chemicals, everything 

is hospital grade. 

AW: For Days Inn, Motel 

6 and Studio 6, we’ve been 

using the Clean-Trace 

luminometer for years now to 

help us with our housekeeping 

efforts and really support 

our housekeeping teams. 

This year, in the height of 

the pandemic, we launched 

a franchise portal that had 

housekeeping checklists 

to help our housekeepers. 

I don’t think robotics or 

technology are something 

we’ve really dabbled a lot 

into right now, but there are 

certain things that we are 

doing to move us forward 

within housekeeping. 

AB: What challenges 

do you face as you try 

to implement these 

protocols across not 

only your Canadian 

properties, but internationally 

as well? 

VC: The biggest challenge 

I can tell you is that there 

are medical officers in every 

province, city, country and 

state jurisdiction and our 

hotels have had to keep up 

with all of the changing 

protocols that come with 

operating hotels in all of 

these jurisdictions. For an 

operator or a general manager, 

not only do they have to 

ensure the cleanliness and 

the health and safety of the 

guests and the team members 

in those hotels, they also 



have to adhere to what’s 

happening right outside of 

the hotel, in terms of the 

changes in those jurisdictions 

[and how they impact] how 

we operate the business, how 

we operate food and beverage 

and how we make sure that 

we are an ongoing business 

through this crisis. From our 

perspective, it’s just keeping 

up with all of those changes, 

which are literally happening 

on a day-to-day basis. 

AT: We have a global council 

and we meet on a weekly 

basis to make sure we’ve got 

some consistency across the 

board. One of the things that 

is challenging, and we’re 

seeing it more in the luxury 

hotels, is that the guest is 

actually wanting those touches 

— they’re coming to the 

luxury hotel, paying a lot of 

money and wanting rabbits 

out of hats. That really is a 

challenge for us, globally. 

SS: We have 5,900 hotels 

around the world and they’re 

all mainly represented by 

small, individually owned 

businesses, so there’s a really 

big challenge for these owners 

in light of the crisis. Revenue 

has dropped to historic lows 

and yet we have to invest all 

of this money and resources 

and training into making 

sure that they’re brought up 

to speed — it’s a lot to ask of 

them and we’ve really had 

to stand beside them. At the 

peak of it all, we had 1,000 

hotels closed during the crisis 

and, through a tremendous 

amount of support, we’re 

now down to just 200. We’ve 

really had to hold their hand 

through all of this re-training 

and education. One of the 

priorities, and I’ll speak to 

Canada specifically for a real 

example, is about keeping 

costs down while maintaining 

that consistency. 

RC: Since COVID-19 hit, 

hotels have had to spend 

a huge amount of money 

on additional protocols 

and measures to combat 

this pandemic. How 

sustainable is that for 

the long term? 

LP: Marriott’s point of view 

is everything we can do to 

instill confi dence so that 

people can travel again is 

imperative to our business. 

We’ve all learned a tremendous 

amount over the last 

several months and continue 

to evolve the protocols 

and do it better and align 

ourselves with experts and 

suppliers and partners that 

can help us do that. But, we 

believe it’s just an essential 

part of our service — the 

cleanliness, the safety 

precautions, everything that 

we’re doing — so we haven’t 

been charging an additional 

cost for that because it’s part 

of doing business. 

VC: We need to have this 

right now — you’ve got to be 

at the forefront of cleanliness 

and safety. Sure, there’s some 

additional costs, but we’re 

working with our operators 

to offset some of those costs 

right now. Do we think it’s 

around for the long haul? 

Absolutely. It’s going to be 

around for a while, certainly 

what we’re living through 

right now isn’t going to go 

away tomorrow, even with 

the vaccine. We’re going to 

support our franchisees from 

that perspective and the 

customer will continue to 

have that confidence longterm 

to continue to come 

back and stay. 

AB: Which segments 

do you feel are 

best equipped to 

handle operating in a 

post-COVID-19 world? 

BL: The majority of our 

hotels are limited service, so, 

by the nature of the assets, 

have fewer touch points and 

we think that’s what a lot of 

guests are looking for right 

now. These types of properties 

are also better equipped 

to be able to operate really 

efficiently at lower occupancies 

and that’s probably why 

the vast majority of our hotels 

have been able to stay open 

through the pandemic. Part of 

it is location related, because 

we know it’s a lot of a major 

urban markets that have been 

hit the worst. But, some of it 

is asset based as well; just look 

at how efficiently you can run 

a 70- or 80-room limited-service 

property as opposed to a 

full-service property that has 

a whole lot of amenities that 

need to be open irrespective 

of what occupancy you may 

have. Clearly, none of us are 

immune to the overall devastation 

that has hit our industry, 

but I think our hotels have 

absorbed the impact with a 

little bit more resilience. 

LP: Our select-service 

brands have been pivoting 

very quickly in order 

to meet the needs of our 

transiting customers. Our 

Residence Inn has done a 

marvelous job, just by virtue 

of that style of hotel, it’s 

able to step up. Our suite 

product is going to continue 

to be a really important 

amenity in order to manage 

all of the different safety 

requirements and the ability 

to social distance. When 

I talk about the meeting 

space, in our convention 

business, struggle isn’t the 

right word. I would say it’s a 

very comprehensive job that 

needs to be done to instill 

confi dence, to demonstrate 

the expertise we have to be 

able to manage large groups 

and make people understand 

our capabilities — how 

to handle that customer 

from the time they arrive 

through to their trade show 

or through food-and-beverage 

needs. But, candidly, we 

need to do the same thing 

with our government stakeholders 

so that they can see 

how comprehensive a job 

we’ve done, how thoughtful 

our work is. We’ve aligned 

ourselves with the best 

in the business and we’ve 

thought through fl oor plans 

and technology and the 

path of the customer and all 

of that. I would say there’s 

more work to be done in 

that regard. 

SS: Mainstream and extended-stay 

travel has fared better 

than some of our other 

segments. And, thankfully, 

70 per cent of our open hotels 

are in our mainstream brands, 

Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn 

Express. We’ve seen that those 

brands, as well as our extended-stay 

brands like Staybridge 

Suites and Candlewood, have 

been faring much better for 

longer length of stay, projectstyle 

and essential-work 

business. So, we’ve been well 

positioned there and I think 

that will continue throughout 

the first and maybe second 

quarter of 2021. But, what 

Laura was touching on is a 

really important point to 

make, which is advocating to 

our government bodies to help 

our hotels get through this on 

a bigger scale. ◆ 

You can watch the entire webinar, 

Hotel Safety Protocols in the 

COVID-19 Era, HERE. 


Fishing 

WHERE 

THE 

REVENUE MANAGEMENT 

EDITORIAL 

ARE 

Revenue teams should 

access non-traditional data 

sources when looking for 

demand clues 

BY BONNIE BUCKHIESTER 

Fish 

Over the past months, I’ve 

witnessed with almost 

incomprehension the 

changes the COVID-19 

pandemic has forced 

upon our industry. From operational 

standards to accounting practices, 

forecasting methodologies to budgeting 

scenarios, multiple segments to one 

dominating segment and remote sales 

efforts to heavy reliance on digital 

marketing — nothing is the same. 

And so, it’s no surprise that traditional 

revenue-management approaches are 

no longer sufficient. 

I continue to be impressed by so 

many organizations that have made 

it their mission to find ways to help 

us all better understand consumer 

sentiment and buying behaviour. The 

wealth of information available is 

staggering and kudos to the countless 

companies that have gone out of their 

way to provide stay-safe guidelines and 

planning-for-recovery roadmaps, not to 

mention the 24/7 statistical overviews 

that help us understand today’s reality 

and tomorrow’s challenges. 

But, in all of this is the reality of 

information overload — as if we 

didn’t already have a lot of data from 

which to make better decisions. So, 

as I continue to wade through what 

seems like an ocean of information, I’ve 

tried to isolate those pieces of market 

intelligence that will most effectively 

support decision making. Although 

this is different for every hotel, there’s a 

globally applicable approach to search 

out resources. I see these data sets in 

concentric circles, going from macro to 

micro; the outer-most ring representing 

macroeconomic trends and the inner- 

ISTOCK.COM/USENG 



I CONTINUE TO BE 

IMPRESSED BY SO MANY 

ORGANIZATIONS THAT 

HAVE MADE IT THEIR 

MISSION TO FIND WAYS 

TO HELP US ALL BETTER 

UNDERSTAND CONSUMER 

SENTIMENT AND BUYING 

BEHAVIOUR 

most ring what’s happening in your backyard. 

Let’s start with that outer-most ring. For example, at the 

recent virtual Hotel Data Conference, one presenter shared 

valuable insights on U.S. travel spending, GDP statistics, 

unemployment figures and recovery forecasts. Although no 

one has a crystal ball, the data presented will most certainly 

assist in the 2021 budgeting process. I’m not suggesting that, as 

revenue managers, we don’t pay attention to macroeconomic 

information, but we really have to be “glued to our screens” 

this year when it comes to understanding the bigger picture. 

For example, we keep reading about phases of how business 

will return — the initial phase being domestic-leisure drive 

and domestic-leisure fly, et cetera. As a lens on the broader 

picture, that makes sense. But I, for one, certainly didn’t 

know the details around the U.S. balance of travel; that 

there were some 97.5-million outbound departures in 2019 

and 78.9-million inbound arrivals. The presenter suggested, 

if Americans aren’t making international trips because of 

border closures and COVID-19 restrictions, then there are 

potentially about 19-million more U.S. travellers who may 

take a domestic trip. That figure certainly makes for interesting 

demand clues. 

Now, let’s take a step into the next concentric circle and 

ask what’s happening in my region? I recently attended a 

weekly revenue meeting during which the team examined 

feeder markets in detail. They asked and answered questions 

about COVID-19-related travel restrictions to/from those 

markets; shifts in school-break schedules; weather patterns; 

airlift; and TSA statistics. They accessed travel-pattern data 

from the U.S. Travel Association and traveller-sentiment 

survey data from South Carolina-based Fueltravel.com. 

They also took a look at Skift’s Recovery Index, which 

accesses and consolidates data from 10 different sources, six 

of which are not in wide use by revenue teams. For example, 

one data source is Arrivalist, which uses 

“mobile location datasets to provide 

actionable insights on consumer 

behaviour, competitive share, media 

effectiveness and market trends and has 

been tracking driving behaviour of U.S. 

residents.” There are lots of demand 

clues there, too. 

Finally, let’s examine that inner most 

concentric circle — the one that applies 

specifically to your own backyard. The 

traditional data sets certainly form 

part of the clues to demand trends. 

Reports such as room-night production 

by channel, market-segment trends, 

rate shops, STR market-share reports, 

lead-time statistics, length-of-stay 

patterns and regrets/denials. 

But now, in these COVID-19-induced 

times, this revenue team was 

also paying much more attention to 

search stats, for what dates, for what 

lengths of stay and with what level of 

conversion? They examined rate progression over time to 

determine if there was rate stabilization and paid particular 

attention to shifts in booking lead times, so as not to inadvertently 

make “knee-jerk” reactions to demand levels that had 

not yet fully materialized. They looked at average rate and 

average spend by zip code and, at one point, compared search 

statistics year over year to see just how different consumer 

research was being conducted pre-COVID-19 compared to 

post-COVID-19. 

The team determined that, for many arrival dates, conversion 

ratios remained strong, so they knew price was not the 

issue. They utilized a heat map in Power BI to further identify 

booking trends and accessed market intelligence from both 

Airdna and Transparent to enhance their understanding of 

the impact of alternative accommodation. Finally, with a 

recent subscription to ForwardKeys, they examined data that 

predicts travel patterns based on booking transactions, so 

that they might better monitor and anticipate shifts in traveller 

intent. 

I have to emphasize that by mentioning several vendors by 

name, I’m not inferring advocacy — I’m simply saying that 

during these unimaginable times, we have to broaden our 

scope when searching for demand clues. The bottom line is to 

research the available data sources and determine which ones 

make the most sense for your market and your hotel. Clearly, 

there are myriad resources choices; the ultimate objective is 

to fish where the fish are. And, finding the best fishing spots 

means searching comprehensively for demand clues. 

Bonnie Buckhiester is the principal of Buckhiester Management, 

a North American revenue-management consulting firm serving 

the hospitality industry.She was recently named one of the Top 25 

Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing & Revenue Optimization 

by HSMAI. She can be reached at buckhiester.com. 


EDITORIAL F&B 

HAS COVID-19 KILLED THE 

BREAKFAST 

BUFFET? 

Minimizing risk in the hotel sector has also 

meant suspending one of its most trusted lures 

BY JENNY FEBBRARO 

ISTOCK.COM/802290022 

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 

on the local and global hospitality 

industry has been undeniable. 

According to the Ottawa-based Hotel 

Association of Canada (HAC), not 

only have thousands of jobs been lost, 

but small hotels in particular have 

found themselves in dire straits. Yet, 

for those consumers who still frequent 

hotels under pandemic conditions, 

operators are struggling to replace a 

mainstay of the midscale property — 

the breakfast buffet. 

Brian Leon, president of Choice 

Hotels Canada, says there has been 

a huge impact on its complimentary 

breakfast offerings. “Balancing breakfast 

expectations of the midscale 

consumer with safety can really be 

a challenge,” he says. “Consumers 

have come to expect the plentiful 

buffet with options they can peruse 

and pick from. But, current safety 

measures need to take priority — 

though this can have a negative 

impact on the guest experience.” 

While Leon notes there really is 

no comparable replacement to the 

breakfast buffet, he says ‘grab-and-go’ 

options given out by front-desk staff 

have become the alternative. These 

options include beverages, fruit, 

a bakery item (such as a croissant 

or muffin) and a hot item — such 

as a breakfast burrito or breakfast 

sandwich. While the choice for 

consumers is still there, Leon says 

overall demand for grab-and-go 

remains relatively low. 

The other ubiquitous complimentary 

offering — coffee — still 

remains available with the breakfast 

options, though Choice Hotels has 

had to suspend the 24-hour coffee in 

the lobby. “This was simply to reduce 

the lobby touch point,” says Leon. 

“And, running a clean hotel is all 

about being extremely vigilant about 

what those touch points are.” 

“As business eventually picks 

up post-COVID-19, we do see the 

breakfast room returning, likely 

around 2022,” says Leon. “Generally, 

customers understand what is at stake 

— their own health and wellness.” 

Jessica Twine, co-ordinator of 

Corporate Communications for IHG 

Resorts and Hotels, says meeting guest 

expectations has been difficult. “We 

know how important it is to get breakfast 

right for guests. But, at the same 

time, it’s our responsibility to follow 

the various COVID-19 restrictions 

— which have a huge impact on our 

breakfast buffets,” says Twine. “But, 

despite the challenges, we’re working 

closely with owners to offer a number 

of safe, cost-effective and high-quality 

guest options as an alternative.” 

Twine says Holiday Inn and extended-stay 

limited-service brands offer 

three possible solutions to the removal 

of their breakfast buffets. The first is a 

grab-and-go continental breakfast that 

owners can choose from. “This might 

include a baked food, fruit, yogurt 

and beverage, plus an additional item 

that can be changed depending on 

what individual owners prefer and on 

what the occupancy levels are at any 

one particular time,” explains Twine. 

“The second option is a grab-and-go 

range of hot sandwiches alongside a 

selection of continental items and the 

third option is a hot breakfast served 

by a host.” 

In contrast, the full-service IHG 

brands provide a wider range of 

choice. Twine says working with 

owners helps to customize these 

options to meet customer needs. 

“There will be an expanded range of 

table service breakfast choices,” says 

Twine. “However, these enhanced 

options vary depending on brand and 



market. Some offer a ‘breakfast-in-bed’ 

option or ‘chef’s table in your room’ as a 

more upscale option. 

Both Leon and Twine attest to guests’ 

appreciation of operators’ adherence to 

safety procedures and the feedback has 

been positive. Choice has implemented 

a “Commitment-to-Clean” program 

where each property has a captain, 

a staff member who has engaged in 

additional training and is taking the 

lead on bringing elements of the 

program to life at the hotel level. 

“The captains also are part of administering 

a clean and safe breakfast experience,” 

says Leon. Analyzing touchpoints 

and ensuring a safe grab-and-go program 

are crucial to maintaining guests’ customer 

loyalty. “Overall, our hotels have been 

coping well and our guest- satisfaction 

scores are actually growing.” In part, this 

can be attributed to guests viewing the 

frequency of cleaning in public areas such 

as the lobby and around the front desk. 

When buffets do return however — 

likely within the next two years — Leon 

says they won’t necessarily return to 

‘normal’. “From this point on, there 

will always be that drive to reduce 

touchpoints, for example, there may 

be pre-portioned options to reduce the 

use of items such as spoons, tongs and 

ladles,” says Leon. “I can also see menus 

being adjusted to feature more grab-andgo 

items that reduce congestion at the 

buffet, as well as the implementation of 

sustainable, single-use items to reduce the 

repeated use of silverware and china.” 

He also notes that the buffet set-up 

might be designed differently too 

— with a side section with take-out 

containers for consumers who wish to 

easily transport food to consume in 

their rooms or even to take with them 

when they check out. “While reducing 

our touchpoints might be essential 

today — many of these practices will 

carried into the future,” says Leon. 

“But, the breakfast buffet is definitely 

set to return — we just don’t know 

when exactly.” ◆ 


TECHNOLOGY 

EDITORIAL 

STREAMLINED S 

HOTELS AND GUESTS ARE EMBRACING MOBILE CHECK-IN 

IN OUR REDUCED-CONTACT WORLD 

BY DANIELLE SCHALK 

ISTOCK.COM/LIGHTCOME 

The past year has shifted 

operators’ focus to providing 

streamlined, low-contact 

hotel experiences for guests 

in a big way. While the 

industry was already headed 

towards technology that achieves these 

goals, the pandemic and related safety 

concerns fast-tracked implementation 

and adoption of solutions such as 

mobile check-in. 

“Since the rise of COVID-19, we’ve 

seen a growing interest in a contactless 

experience at our hotels,” says Don 

Cleary, president at Marriott Hotels of 

Canada. “Guests want more control 

and functionality in the palm of their 

hands to personalize their stay and 

provide a seamless experience — 

especially with the global pandemic.” 

While Marriott has offered mobile 

check-in through its Marriott Bonvoy 

app since 2013, Cleary explains that 

the company has now expanded the 

offering beyond its loyalty program. “In 

October, to accommodate the demand 

of leisure travellers staying at our 

hotels — many of whom were not yet 

members — we launched a new ‘checkin-now’ 

button on the confirmation 

page of the desktop and mobile web 

experiences. It’s proven very popular, 

with tens of thousands of guests using 

this functionality every month, and 

we’ll have this available at all our 

hotels in Canada by early 2021.” 

Stuart Butler, Chief Operating 

Offi cer, at South Carolina- based Fuel, 

which provides software and marketing 

solutions to the hospitality industry, 

points out hotels catering largely to 

business travel had been seeing continuous 

increases in demand for mobile 

check-in prior to the pandemic. “But 

there was never really a major demand 

from leisure consumers,” he explains, 

adding recent health concerns have 

changed that. 

“Living through this pandemic, 

everyone has seen digital adoption 

accelerate,” says Jessica Davidson, SVP, 

Digital at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, 

which recently launched a re-designed 

mobile app. 

While the pandemic wasn’t in 

Wyndham’s sightline when it began 

developing the app, Davidson says 

its launch in September allowed the 

company to introduce new features when 

they were needed, including a rollout of 

mobile-check-in/out to approximately 

6,000 economy and midscale Wyndham 

properties in the U.S. 

“[This] took a lot of careful planning 



TAYS 

with our operations and technology 

teams,” adds Davidson, which included 

starting with a smaller property set in 

order to receive feedback and iron out 

the kinks, as well as providing training 

modules, prior to the large-scale rollout. 

“Hotels overwhelmingly want this type 

of technology during a pandemic,” shares 

Butler. “Our inquiries have increased 

more than 400 per cent on the product 

since the pandemic started.” 

However, guests’ comfort level with 

new technologies has been shaping 

adoption of contactless experiences. 

Fuel has introduced functionality to 

support completely contactless checkin, 

which allows ID verification to 

be completed through the app. But, 

Butler explains, “The vast majority of 

guests and properties still want guests 

to come to the front desk.” He notes 

a reduced-contact check-in, where- 

by guests can fill out 

forms digitally and 

complete the process 

by picking up their 

key at the front desk, 

is desirable for a large 

number of customers. 

“We’ve seen a lot 

of people, especially 

Wyndham Hotels 

& Resorts reported its 

new mobile app saw sizable growth in 

downloads and engagement between its 

launch in late September and the end of 

2020. Ratings also increased to 4.6 out 

of fi ve in the Apple App store and 4.7 

out of fi ve in the Google Play store. 

young people, who are willing to do a 

good amount of that process [digitally],” 

Butler adds. “The key is providing 

choice to the guests to do what they 

feel comfortable doing.” 

And, moving even a part of the 

process online can create more efficient 

operations. As Butler explains, “You 

can dramatically reduce the time it 

takes to check-in. Even if the guest still 

comes to the front desk, you’re taking a 

10-minute process and turning it into a 

30-second to one-minute process.” 

“Mobile and web check-in has 

enabled our front-desk associates to 

spend less time on routine tasks and 

more time providing an even higher 

level of personalized service,” agrees 

Cleary. “Historically, the mobile-app 

experience has even helped lift overall 

guest-satisfaction scores.” 

Butler also points to customer data 

as a key benefit to taking this process 

digital, explaining, when forms are 

completed digitally, the data is more 

readily available and easily leveraged, 

as it can be uploaded directly to a 

hotel’s CRM or PMS. “But, where the 

value proposition has always been with 

mobile technology, once a guest is 

checked-in on their mobile device, you 

now have a way to individually address 

them with communication on a one-toone 

level,” he adds, noting in-app 

messages are less intrusive than options 

such as SMS/text messaging. 

And, while apps are a key focus 

when looking at low-contact solutions, 

Butler reiterates the importance of 

giving guests choice. He explains that 

Fuel recommends its clients offer both 

an app and mobile-friendly website. 

“It should all tie together,” he says. 

“But, there’s an inherent advantage to 

encouraging people to download the 

app, because now you have them in 

your own walled garden.”◆ 

Fuel's solutions include 

options for completely 

contactless check-in 

Customer Adoption 

A U.S. customer survey conducted by Fuel in May app than at the front desk. However, when asked if they 

revealed travellers have mixed feelings about using were willing to check in using a mobile app, 81 per cent 

technology to bypass the front desk. While fear of close of respondents said yes. For millennials, that percentage 

interaction with other guests (50 per cent) and common increased to 89 per cent. But, it’s important to note that 

areas (42.5 per cent) ranked among the top reasons that a willingness to check-in via app does not translate to a 

would prevent a hotel stay, respondents rated checking willingness to use digital keys to access rooms — only 

in at the front desk as the most popular way to checkin 

59.9 per cent of respondents indicated a willingness to 

for their next vacation. This wasn’t the case for all use this technology. This stat jumps to 72 per cent when 

groups. Millennials were more inclined to check-in via an looking specifi cally at the millennial subset. 


HOTELIER 

AHEAD 

OF THE 

CURVE 

The Annex’s GM Ryan 

Killeen uses technology to 

keep guests and staff safe 

during the pandemic 

BY ROSANNA CAIRA 

Having a mother who worked in the hotel 

industry means Ryan Killeen’s been 

hooked on hospitality since he was 10 

years old. “I was intrigued by everything 

that went on behind the scenes,” says 

Killeen, who was born in Hong Kong four years before 

rule in the region was returned to China. 

After completing two years of a Hospitality 

Program at Vancouver Community College, Killeen 

landed his first job as a housekeeping attendant at the 

Fairmont Pacific Rim. And, after working in Dubai 

for a year, he returned to Canada to further hone his 

skills in a variety of integral roles. 

These days, while the COVID-19 pandemic has 

wreaked havoc on the hospitality industry, Killeen’s 

role as GM of The Annex in Toronto, a 24-room, 

micro-boutique hotel outside the city's downtown core — has taken on new dimensions. 

The pandemic may have accelerated many hoteliers’ use of technology, but at The Annex, 

tech has always been a part of its DNA. “We’ve eliminated task-oriented work via technology. 

We don’t have a front desk, rather guests complete their check-in process digitally. Upon arrival, 

they head straight to their room where they enter using a room code provided. iPads loaded 

with online streaming services replace TVs. Self-serve closets on each floor have eliminated 

30-minute waits for extra towels.” 

Killeen says “COVID-19 has been the ultimate test of high-tech, low-touch operations. We’ve 

been able to accommodate our guests and deliver the level of service they’ve become accustomed 

to from a safe distance. In fact, with the exception of the housekeeping team, the hotel 

is able to operate remotely and has been doing so since its opening in 2018. Our monitoring 

systems also play a large role in keeping our building safe and secure. The business has thrived 

somewhat in this environment.” 

From a protocol perspective, the hotel’s reduced team of eight (previously 25) has made 

safety its top priority. 

And, the hotel has been able to re-purpose rooms to serve as offices. While the world 

continues to battle the pandemic, Killeen says The Annex will continue to “double-down 

on the use of technology, fine-tune aspects of the guest experience and forge even tighter 

local relationships and partnerships that will benefit our neighbourhood, as well as provide an 

‘authentically local’ experience for guests.” ◆ 

QUICK 

QUIPS 

Hotel Philosophy 

“Creating a true local 

experience that doesn’t 

come with a hefty price 

tag.” 

Advice to Aspiring 

Hoteliers: 

"Take chances, make 

mistakes and get messy.” 

Management style: 

“Direct. Period. I hold my 

team to a high level of 

service. It’s crucial that I’m 

willing to jump in on the 

fly and demonstrate those 

expectations.” 

PHOTO BY ADAM DEYELL 



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Hospitality 

Headlines

January/February 2021

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