alberta

alberta 

hospitality 

The Official Magazine of the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association 

Betting Big on 

BLEISURE 

p8 

How your hotel guests are 

mixing business with pleasure 

THE AIRBNB 

Migraine 

Rethinking 

ROOM SERVICE 

p12 

p26 

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THE TECHNOLOGY 

Tsunami 

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hospitality 

this issue 

8 

BETTING BIG ON BLEISURE 

In the past few years, hoteliers worldwide 

have seen an increase in a crossover 

between business and leisure stays, what’s 

become known as bleisure. 

in every issue 

4 Chairman’s Report 

6 President & CEO’s Message 

15 Alberta’s Treasures 

18 HR Matters 

25 Names in the News 

29 What’s New? 

30 AHLA’s Programs 

7 Building Strength in Edmonton’s Core 

12 The AirBNB Migraine - Short-Term 

Rentals Disrupt the Marketplace 

16 Profile: Campus Tower Suite Hotel 

19 Working Together to Improve Visitor 

Relationships 

20 The Technology Tsunami - Outfitting 

Your Hotel for Tomorrow 

26 Rethinking Room Service - Changing 

With the Times 

Cover photo courtesy of Travel Alberta


hospitality 

Official magazine of 

INSPIRING SERVICE, GROWING VALUE 

AHLA 

2707 Ellwood Drive, 

Edmonton AB, T6X 0P7 

Toll Free: 1.888.436.6112 

www.ahla.ca 

CHAIR OF THE BOARD 

Steven Watters 

FIRST VICE CHAIR 

Perry Batke 

VICE CHAIRS 

Robin Cumine 

Leanne Shaw-Brotherston 

PAST CHAIR 

Perry Wilford 

PRESIDENT & CEO 

Dave Kaiser 

DIRECTORS NORTH 

Amr Awad 

Shazma Charania 

George Marine 

Ken Mealey 

DIRECTORS CENTRAL 

Karen Naylor 

Tina Tobin 

DIRECTORS SOUTH 

Chris Barr 

Cory Haggar 

Dwayne Stratton 

Alberta Hospitality is published quarterly by: 

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info@emcmarketing.com 

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Publisher & Editor - Joyce Hayne 

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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 

Minimum Wage Increases 

In early June, the AHLA attended a minimum 

wage consultation with other employer 

groups. Other attendees included Restaurants 

Canada, the Retail Council of Canada, Canadian 

Federation of Independent Business, Alberta 

Chambers of Commerce, and a number of 

other economic development and industry 

stakeholders. All groups had similar concerns 

about the potential impact of a minimum 

wage increase. 

Premier Rachel Notley opened the 

session indicating that there will be other 

opportunities to consult and she supports 

a measured, balanced, and reasonable 

approach. She left immediately following her 

opening remarks. 

The Honourable Lori Sigurdson, Minister of 

Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, stated that 

the NDP government would follow through 

on their election campaign promise to 

increase Alberta’s minimum wage to $15 per 

hour by 2018. She said that if there are no 

employers, there are no jobs. As such, they 

want to hear from industry. 

The government provided three questions for 

the group to ponder: 

Topic 1: How do we best implement the 

increase to $15 per hour by 2018 in a phased, 

manageable way? What should the first 

increase be? 

Topic 2: What is the best approach to phasing 

out the liquor server rate? 

Topic 3: What economic and social indicators 

should we consider to determine the effects 

of increasing the minimum wage and to 

inform employers of future adjustments? 

Increasing the minimum wage and phasing 

out the liquor server differential seem nonnegotiable 

to the government. The discussion 

was focused mainly on implementation. To set 

the targets without considering the economic 

and social effects first seems counter-intuitive. 

By living up to the commitment they ran their 

campaign on, our newly elected government 

is not considering that the consequences may 

far outweigh their positive intentions. 

With the price of oil drastically falling, Alberta’s 

economy has taken a significant downturn 

and there is no sign of recovery in the short 

term. Our province could be heading into a 

recession. The 6% provincial unemployment 

by Steven Watters 

rate is the highest it has been since 2010. 

Youth unemployment has grown to 11.2%. 

The impact of increasing the minimum wage 

will trickle up to all operating positions. In 

other words, up to 100% of staff may receive 

some level of increase in wages to maintain 

relative value to the 10% of staff the change 

is intended to help. 

Not taken into account is that a vast number 

of minimum wage earners are food & 

beverage servers who already earn wages 

(with tips) well in excess of the proposed 

levels. Most liquor servers would not trade 

higher wages for reduced hours of work and 

less opportunity to earn gratuities. The reality 

is that workers will earn less as there may 

be no choice but to cut back hours. This will 

be a significant drop for positions that earn 

gratuities, where there could be 8-10 fewer 

hours worked each week, meaning that many 

hours lost in tips. 

Youth, young adults, people with disabilities, 

and individuals entering the workforce will 

also be impacted by the minimum wage 

increase. These job seekers will be challenged 

to demonstrate their worth at the elevated 

wages proposed. This will impose undue 

hardship on business owners who must 

re-engineer their businesses to avoid losses 

or bankruptcy. 

The struggle to remain profitable will result in 

cuts to other areas, including local charities, 

sport teams, training allowances, benefit 

programs, etc. The added costs cannot be 

passed on to the customers in a market that, 

in some regions, is already over-supplied with 

vendors from stronger economic times. Price 

cutting is already taking place in an attempt 

to secure volumes to maintain profitability. 

On behalf of our members, the AHLA has 

provided input to the Finance Minister for 

the 2015 and 2016 provincial budget. Our 

response includes a recommendation to 

moderate future wage increases. The AHLA 

will continue to press government on this 

issue. Talk to your MLA and ensure your voice 

is heard. We must work together in hopes of 

a more reasonable outcome for minimum 

wage increases.

alberta hospitality | 5

PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGE 

Check In Canada 

by Dave Kaiser 

“To connect every guest directly to the hotels 

and lodging that serve them.” 

This is the strategic vision for Check In 

Canada as we strive to help our industry 

lower its customer acquisition costs and 

own the relationship with their guests. Much 

progress has been made in recent months as 

we continue to build support with industry 

associations and destination marketing 

organizations across Canada. 

The national strategy for Check In Canada is 

built on four strategic objectives: 

1. To harness the marketing strength and 

collective power of Canada’s tourism industry 

2. To capture and share insight from consumer 

behaviour to drive marketing excellence 

3. To collect, aggregate and publish timely 

and relevant hotel and lodging information 

for consumers 

4. To provide a superior experience for 

travellers to select and book accommodation 

We are pleased that Travel Alberta and 

Destination BC will support Check In Canada 

as the accommodation “book direct” search 

engine on their digital platforms. Travel 

Alberta recently launched a new North 

American accommodation search page on 

www.travelalberta.com that pulls dynamic 

hotel content from our Check In Canada 

database. With support from the BC Hotel 

Association, Destination BC’s version of the 

Check In Canada solution is set to launch 

later in 2015. 

The ability to share consumer insights 

captured on the Check In Canada platform is 

an important value proposition for destination 

marketing organizations. Knowing the origin 

and demographics of consumers who respond 

to specific campaigns can dramatically 

improve the Return on Investment on their 

marketing investments. 

Building a comprehensive database of hotel 

and lodging property content is essential, 

so Check In Canada can become the official 

accommodation directory for a destination. 

With this in mind, we are implementing a new 

low cost annual fee to encourage participation 

and a performance charge based on actual 

book direct referrals. Our goal is to ensure the 

acquisition cost of a customer remains below 

the lowest OTA fees. 

Finally, we know consumers have lots 

of options when it comes to searching 

for accommodations online. We must 

offer dynamic hotel rate and availability 

information and rich content, including 

consumer reviews, if we want travellers to 

book through Check In Canada. We are excited 

about the enhancements planned for version 

2.0, which will be released in the near future. 

Importantly, version 2.0 will function as a 

white label solution on destination websites 

that implement it. This will allow destinations 

to customize the booking widget to match 

their own branding. 

Much work remains to build a national 

accommodation platform that can be utilized 

by destination marketing organizations across 

Canada. However, the potential to enhance 

the guest experience and drive economic 

prosperity for the tourism and hospitality 

industries in Canada is certainly worth the 

effort. 

We look forward to serving you! 

6 | alberta hospitality

Building Strength in Edmonton’s Core 

by Moly Milosovic 

One only has to look up and count the cranes dotting the sky in 

downtown Edmonton to get a clear picture of the scale of transformation 

taking place in the city’s core. Between now and 2020, Edmonton will see 

over $5.5 billion invested in the development of residential towers and 

retail spaces, office towers, new hotels, educational institutions, arts and 

culture facilities, and light rail transit. And many of those structures will cut 

their ribbons downtown. 

The Edmonton Galleria academic and performing arts centre, Rogers 

Place, the Winter Garden, the Royal Alberta Museum, the Grand Villa 

Edmonton Casino, a luxury hotel and condo tower, the Kelly Ramsey 

Building - these are just a few of the projects taking shape downtown. 

On paper, the variety of new businesses and buildings that will start 

to occupy downtown Edmonton within the next year is impressive. In 

person, it has the potential to be astounding, and there are many people 

working to make sure that is the case for visitors. 

“The key for us is to make sure downtown is walkable,” says JoAnn 

Kirkland, Executive Director of downtown development at Edmonton 

Economic Development. “Connecting Ice District to the Arts District, the 

Warehouse Innovation District and the Capital City District will allow 

visitors to experience the eclectic energy and vibrancy of downtown, and 

everything the core has to offer.” 

For Kirkland and her team, this means attracting a diversity of retail and 

hospitality businesses to the core, and rejuvenating downtown with a 

focus on art, great design, engaging wayfinding, surprising activities on 

the streets, and buildings with a strong focus on seasonal activities. 

“Edmonton’s Winter City Strategy is about getting people outdoors to 

wrap their arms around winter,” says Kirkland. “We have a long winter, 

and if we embrace that as a feature, what we’ll end up with is more and 

constant activity downtown. And more year-round festivals, conferences, 

and activities will draw people to the downtown core creating significant 

economic impact.” 

That means potential growth for Edmonton’s $1.3 billion per year tourism 

industry. “New venues and new hotels offer more capacity to attract 

major festivals, events, and conferences, and a bustling downtown means 

visitors - here for a conference or for pleasure - now have more to do in 

a centralized area, and all the more reason to extend their stay,” explains 

Maggie Davison, vice president of Edmonton Tourism. Although the 

opportunities for new downtown activation are year-round, Davison and 

her team are also looking forward to building out Edmonton’s winter 

festival calendar downtown. 

“Ice District in particular is another winter story for us to tell, with the 

venues to accommodate new events that will boost the business of 

tenants in the core,” Davison explains. “We’re working closely with the 

City of Edmonton and the economic development team on downtown 

revitalization, and we all understand how we can contribute to the 

success of this transformation. We’re all ready to go and it’s very exciting.” 

For now, models and renderings paint a picture of the downtown 

Edmonton of the future. Soon enough, visitors from across Canada and 

the world - with the largest number of international visitors currently 

hailing from the US, United Kingdom, Australia, and China - will experience 

Edmonton’s vibrant core in real time: taking in a variety of entertainment, 

shopping, popping into restaurants, and tucking in to a hotel bed - all 

within walking distance. 


COVER 

STORY 


How to Convince Guests to Mix Business and Pleasure 

by Joanne Sasvari 

“Are you travelling for business or pleasure?” 

These days, increasingly, the answer is “Both.” 

In the past few years, hoteliers worldwide 

have seen an increase in a crossover between 

business and leisure stays, what’s become 

known as bleisure or bizcation travel. This is no 

longer a market that can be ignored. So how 

can you convince your business travellers to 

stay on for a day or two of leisure activities? 

Photo courtesy of Tourism Calgary 



“We’re in the business of relationships,” says David Woodward, director of 

sales and marketing at Calgary’s The Fairmont Palliser. “We’re their home 

away from home and we want to be that place where they bring their 

family back on the weekend.” 

Here’s what you need to know about the bleisure traveller. 

Blurred Lines 

At the Delta Kananaskis, conventions are the majority of the property’s 

business, but many attendees extend their trips to take advantage of the 

area’s natural beauty. “And several will choose to come back with their 

family,” describes sales and marketing director Glenn Iles. “We’re working 

on and developing reasons for people to come out a little earlier or stay 

a little longer to enjoy this incredible environment they’re coming to.” 

In a world where we’re connected 24-7, the lines between work and 

leisure are ever more blurred. Increasingly, business travellers are using 

work trips as a way to explore the world and spend time with their loved 

ones. 

Several recent studies have documented the trend. Among them, the 

Bridgestreet Global Hospitality’s The Bleisure Report 2014 found that 60% 

of those surveyed had taken bleisure trips, nearly half added personal 

travel days to most trips, and 55% brought their family or significant 

other with them. Significantly, 60% said they were more likely to take a 

bleisure trip today than five years ago. 

By far the biggest share of bleisure travellers is the millennial cohort, 

those roughly between 18 and 35 years of age. Bridgestreet found that 

94% of younger travellers were likely to take a bleisure trip in the next 

five years. However, more and more older travellers are joining them. 

Photo courtesy of Travel Alberta/Sean Thonson 

94% of younger travellers were likely to take 

a bleisure trip in the next five years. 

{Benefits to All 

The benefits of bleisure travel go both ways. For properties, it keeps 

rooms full, but it also sees guests spending more on food, beverages, 

and other services as well as extending the financial benefits to local 

businesses as they explore the destination. 



For guests, the biggest benefit is saving money. Since their company has 

already paid for their airfare, it’s not much extra personal cost to pay for 

a couple nights’ accommodation and leisure activities. 

The other big benefit is the opportunity to explore the world. The 

Bridgestreet study found that 96% of respondents believe they gain 

cultural experiences through bleisure trips, which is why the most 

popular activities are sightseeing, dining, and cultural activities. 

The benefits even extend to the workplace. Most travellers feel that 

adding leisure days to business travel adds value to work assignments. 

Besides, as study after study has shown, a little quality downtime results 

in much greater productivity. As Iles says, “Our belief is that delegates at a 

conference, by being exposed to nature, will be more productive.” 

The most popular activities are sightseeing, 

{dining, and cultural activities. 

Chicago’s Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel also offers group rates for three days 

before and after a conference, and has seen an increase in travellers 

extending their stay. Here in Canada, Days Inn offers a bizcation package 

that allows guests to save up to 15% off the best available rate, and earn 

bonus Wyndham rewards points toward a leisure vacation. 

Special Rates 

At The Fairmont Palliser, leisure travel is only about 25% of the hotel’s 

business, and almost all of it takes place on weekends. The solution is 

obvious. “We typically see the bulk of our business visitors around midweek, 

and encourage leisure travel on weekends with discounted room 

rates,” Woodward explains. “What we can do is really offer good value on 

the weekends.” 

It’s not the only property to offer special rates for business traveller as a 

way of enticing them to extend their stay. Universal Orlando Resort in 

Florida, which includes four hotels operated by Loews Hotels & Resorts, 

offers its group room rate to meeting attendees for three days before and 

after an event. Because Orlando is rated the world’s top family vacation 

destination, that encourages business guests to bring their families 

down after the conference is over. They’ve seen some 20% of their guests 

do so - and 30% of their millennials. 

More Bang for the Buck 

It’s not just saving money that’s the attraction - it’s getting extra value. 

Accor’s Pullman Hotels and Resorts, which operates four- and five-star 

properties around the world, rebranded itself as a bleisure expert with 

a “Time for Pleasure by Pullman” promotion that includes unlimited 

Internet access, complimentary breakfast buffet, on-demand television 

and discounts in its bars and restaurants. 

Similarly, Westin Hotels & Resorts rolled out a weekend package for 

business travellers that includes late checkout, extended breakfast hours, 

and in-room information about local attractions and events. Another 

Starwood chain, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, launched a weekday winetasting 

social hour that’s now been extended through the weekend to 

cater to business guests staying on. 

Meanwhile, MGM Resorts International aligned its “M life” loyalty 

program with Hyatt’s Gold Passport program with the specific intention 

of converting Hyatt business travellers to MGM leisure guests. 



Bleisure Travellers by the Numbers 

60% 

The Fairmont Palliser works with attractions 

such as Heritage Park, the Calgary Zoo, and 

{Canada Olympic Park. 

46% 

add personal travel days 

to business travel 

have taken 

bleisure trips 

94% 

of millennial travellers are 

likely to take a bleisure trip 

in the next five years 

Local Partners 

Some of the most effective incentives combine the hotels’ attractions 

with those in the destination. And that means working with good local 

partners. 

The Fairmont Palliser, for instance, works with attractions such as Heritage 

Park, the Calgary Zoo, and Canada Olympic Park, and offers exclusive 

packages such as combining a special room rate with Calgary Flames 

tickets. 

The Delta Kananaskis works with local outfitters and tour operators to give 

their guests every opportunity to take advantage of all the wilderness the 

area has to offer. 

“There are so many outdoor adventure activities in the area,” describes 

Iles. He notes that guests use the lodge as a base for hiking, canoeing, 

rafting, biking, and horseback riding in summer, and snowshoeing and 

cross-country skiing in winter. “And of course Nakiska [Ski Resort] is 10 

minutes away. We will promote and sell packages that include lift tickets 

and we provide daily shuttles to Nakiska.” 

Iles adds, “My general advice would be developing good relationships 

with your partners. It benefits business on both sides.” 

What You Can Do 

Attracting bleisure travellers is all about making it convenient for them to 

stay at your property once they have completed a business trip. However, 

it’s more than just offering a special weekend rate for business travellers. 

As always, excellent service is key. 

“I think a lot of it comes down to the type of service you’re providing,” 

Woodward shares. He notes that the business traveller wants one type 

of experience - “fast in and out, no lineups, no delays. Then you flip the 

switch to the leisure traveller or someone on vacation. They want to get 

to know you, they want to talk to you. It’s important that we’re switching 

gears from a service level in the hotel.” 

After all, why not mix business with pleasure? It’s what everyone is doing 

these days. 

83% 

use time on business trips 

to explore the city they’re 

visiting 

60% 

are more likely to take 

bleisure trips today than they 

were five years ago 

54% 

of bleisure travellers bring 

family members or their 

significant other 

Sources: Orbitz Trend Report, The Bleisure Report 2014 


FEATURE 

THE AIRBNB MIGRAINE 

Short-Term Rentals Disrupt the Marketplace 

by Alex Van Tol 

Wouldn’t it be terrible to suddenly discover another company undercutting your 

business, snatching your clientele and making buckets of cash while evading the 

rules that you have to abide by? 



Airbnb revenue is expected to exceed 

{$900 million this year. 

Terrible, yes. And real. Because it’s actually happening: the short-term 

rental migraine. Whether it’s Airbnb, HomeAway or even Craigslist, cheap 

rentals are popping up in cities everywhere. 

Founded in 2008, and with over 1.5 million listings worldwide as of May 

2015 - more than double what it had just a year earlier - Airbnb has 

become the world’s largest accommodation provider - without owning 

a single piece of property. The San Francisco startup was valued at $25.5 

billion at the end of June – even more than Marriott’s $21 billion. And it 

has hoteliers shaking in their boots. 

Disruption with a Capital “D” 

It’s no secret there’s been an explosion in non-traditional accommodations 

in recent years. From a budget traveller’s perspective, this new kind of 

competition is a welcome addition to the marketplace. Public opinion is 

in favour of these types of accommodations, but hoteliers aren’t feeling 

the love. The hotel industry has been in turmoil since the slowdown 

of 2008, and recovery has been difficult because of the explosion in 

cheaper options for travellers. Home-sharing organizations like Airbnb 

and HomeAway aren’t required to pay hotel taxes, nor to operate within 

the same stringent health, safety and fire standards as traditional hotels. 

“They really are operating in the same business as us, but they’re not 

operating by the same rules,” says Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association 

President and CEO Dave Kaiser. 

The tourism levy and Travel Alberta are affected, too, because they’re 

not getting the much-needed hotel tax that then gets rolled back into 

promotion for tourism in the city and province. “The 4% tourism levy 

was brought in to help the tourism industry in Alberta,” says Kaiser. 

“[Illegal rentals] are taking advantage of that investment that the rest of 

the industry is helping to create and they’re benefitting from it, yet they 

aren’t participating.” 

Alarming figures are cropping up across North America: Sonoma County, 

for example, estimates it’s losing $500,000 - $1 million annually in tax 

revenues, and New York City estimates up to 72% of rental listings in 

the city are illegal. Calgary’s low vacancy rate makes it difficult to find 

affordable housing, yet hundreds of apartments sit vacant much of 

the month. At the neighbourhood level, short-term rentals generate 

complaints about noise, traffic, parking, garbage, and growing worries 

about strangers wandering the halls in your condo tower. 

To date, these kinds of accommodations have been difficult to track and 

regulate, and hotels have suffered as a result. “There are health and safety 

issues,” explains Kaiser. “These things are very challenging for regulators 

and legislators to enforce.” Laws can only be enforced if a property is 

being rented - and it’s difficult to monitor, because bylaw enforcement 

only knows there’s a problem if neighbours complain. 

While other municipalities in North America have taken measures to 

rectify the imbalance between illegal rentals and traditional hotels, 

Alberta cities have yet to take action. “We might be a little bit late to the 

party relative to the iconic destinations or to other big cities,” says Kaiser, 

“but they’re here and growing, and it is a concern for our industry.” 

Hoteliers, Raise Your Voices 

Airbnb is not going to go away. “This is an issue at the national level,” 

notes Kaiser. For its part, the Hotel Association of Canada is drawing 



How Cities are Dealing with 

Short-Term Rentals 

San Francisco 

• Short-term rental hosts must be permanent residents who register 

in person with the municipality. 

• There is a $50 registration fee (paid every two years). 

• Registrants must pay tax on their rentals (14%). 

• Entire-unit rentals are limited to 90 days per year. 

Vancouver 

• Hosts can’t rent out their property for less than a month unless 

they’re registered as a hotel or B&B. 

• The city is considering requiring hosts to pay a hotel tax. 

The Hotel Association of Canada is 

drawing municipalities’ attention to the 

fact that they are missing out on a muchneeded 

tax base. {municipalities’ attention to the fact that they are missing out on a 

much-needed tax base in allowing illegal rentals to persist. “The Hotel 

Association of Canada’s position is that the playing field needs to be 

levelled with regard to taxation, and meeting the same building codes 

and health and safety requirements that hotels have to meet,” explains 

Kaiser. 

For hoteliers, the best avenue forward is for owner/operators to approach 

their municipal governments and ask them to enforce the existing 

bylaws. This gets the issue on government’s agenda and will hopefully 

lead to increased enforcement or even new regulations to reflect the 

shifting reality of the hospitality industry. 

And while enforcement comes at a cost - Santa Monica recently set aside 

over $400,000 just to patrol short-term rentals alone - between tighter 

enforcement and fair taxation, the market can perhaps find that balance 

point where hotels can keep providing a full-service experience to those 

who actually value that style of travel. And everybody else can turn down 

their own bed at night. 

Quebec 

• Quebec’s provincial government wants hosts offering properties 

for rent through Airbnb and other online home-sharing services to 

pay taxes and be subject to the same regulations as hotels. 

• The province is also considering requiring users to pay a fee. 

New York 

• Current laws state it is illegal to rent out an apartment for fewer than 

30 days unless the resident is also there. 

• New York has boosted its investigation and enforcement budget 

and made it a priority, with stiff fines for those who break the law. 

Victoria 

• BC’s top travel destination is in talks with Airbnb to form an 

agreement for hosts to remit the standard 2% hotel tax. The thinking 

is that it’s more efficient to have Airbnb collect that tax than to add 

a whole layer of work by requiring hosts to file everything individually 

with the city. 

Whistler 

• The proliferation of illegal rentals strains an already tight rental 

market. 

• Zoning allows for nightly rentals only in Whistler Village proper. 

• The municipality is focused on regular enforcement of illegal rentals 

in outlying areas and has made resources available so people can 

ensure their property conforms to current zoning. 


ALBERTA`S TREASURES 

Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum - Journey from Paleo to Petroleum 

by Debbie Minke 

The town of Wembley, about 20 km west of Grande Prairie, has been 

included in The Globe & Mail’s list of Top 10 Destinations of 2015, along 

with Singapore, Tanzania, and Milan, Italy. What does this tiny hamlet of 

less than 2,000 residents, tucked away in the rolling hills of Peace Country, 

have to shout about? It’s the brand new Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, 

situated minutes away from one of the densest dinosaur bone beds in 

the world. 

Named after Canada’s most renowned paleontologist, doors officially 

opened to the public on September 3 with an open house, although 

summer programs and special tours began at the end of June. The official 

grand opening of the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum took place on 

September 26 with great fanfare. The inaugural Amber Ball happened that 

night, and it will be held annually as the main fundraising event for the 

facility. The celebration included fine food and featured entertainment by 

Colin James and the Jim Cuddy Band. 

Set in a 10-acre complex, the striking museum has an unusual geometric 

form, designed to efficiently withstand the extremes of temperature in 

the region. Architects chose an A-frame design, and used locally-sourced 

beetle-kill pine timber for the truss structure rather than steel. The triple 

glazed zinc roof creates an exceptionally energy-efficient and sustainable 

building, allowing it to be heated and cooled by a displacement ventilation 

system in the concrete floor. 

So much more than a simple building with a bone collection, the 

spacious facility includes a 70-seat theatre that plays National Geographic 

documentaries, adaptable classrooms, research and collection areas, a 

boardroom, gift shop, restaurant, gardens, an outdoor discovery fossil 

walk, and tourist services. Large and spacious, the galleries display their 

treasures with skeletons suspended from the ceilings. Permanent multimedia 

and augmented reality exhibits transport visitors to the Pipestone 

Creek Bone Bed, the devastation of the flood-plain, through to Cretaceous 

and Devonian periods on to today’s oil exploration in Alberta. Museum 

collections include marine fossils, specimens, casts, murals, articulated 

re-constructions, core samples and artifacts. These will be augmented 

by additional resources from the collections of the University of Alberta, 

Royal Tyrrell Museum, and the Royal Ontario Museum. 

The story begins in 1974 when a young school teacher, Al Lakusta, 

stumbled upon some interesting fossils during his nature walk at 

Pipestone Creek, not far from the museum. His findings that day were 

eventually identified as bones of a yet to be discovered species - 

Pachyrhinosaurus - a type of horned dinosaur, which subsequently was 

re-christened Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai in Lakusta’s honour. 

Palaeontologists from the Royal Tyrrell Museum, including Dr. Currie, 

started travelling to the area to excavate these intriguing fossils. They 

examined the area identified by Lakusta and soon realized that there were 

thousands of bones in an area as large as several football fields; in fact, the 

Pipestone Creek Bone Bed was a mass grave where hundreds of dinosaurs 

of all ages died, creating one of the densest sites in the world. Most bone 

beds average 10-50 fossils per square metre; and Pipestone averages 200 

fossils per square metre. It’s also the first bone bed where the co-occurrence 

of insects in amber with dinosaur fossils has been discovered. 

Following the initial discovery, other finds in the area include hadrosaurs 

(duck billed dinosaurs), tyrannosaurs (predatory dinosaurs), nodosaurs 

(armoured dinosaurs), plesiosaurs (marine reptiles) and pterosaurs (flying 

reptiles), amongst others. Most of the fossils found in the Grande Prairie 

region come from the Wapiti Formation, a unit of rocks that was deposited 

between 80 and 69 million years ago, near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. 

Budding “dinophiles” can explore the latest findings of research staff at 

the Philip J. Currie Museum, including head palaeontologist and Curator 

Dr. Matthew Vavrek, who recently discovered the fossils of several young 

plesiosaurs in Nunavut. Visitors can take walking or helicopter tours of the 

Pipestone Creek Bone Bed. 

School programs for students K-12 are offered with curriculum connections 

including palaeontology, geology, social studies, science and art. Public 

programs will engage the whole family, including a fossil lab program 

where participants learn to prepare dinosaur bones. 

In addition to attracting tourists and dinosaur enthusiasts, the Phillip J. 

Currie Museum is ready to host private events, from business meetings, 

art exhibitions or cocktail events to weddings, birthdays, reunions, and 

movie nights. www.dinomuseum.ca 


PROFILE 

CAMPUS TOWER 

SUITE HOTEL 

Simple Concepts Garner Awards 

by Kathy Eccles 

Campus Tower Suite Hotel offers 

guests a prime location adjacent 

to the University of Alberta 

campus, across from University 

of Alberta Hospital, and close 

to shopping and bistros in 

Edmonton’s popular Garneau 

District. However, location is only 

one of its stand-out attributes. 

The non-branded property 

- locally owned by Maclab 

Enterprises and managed by top 

brand, Coast Hotels - has racked 

up an impressive number of 

industry awards and accolades, 

recognizing it both as an excellent 

place to work and stay. 

General Manager Jeannie 

Langley joined the hotel in 2012, 

bringing with her a strong service 

background polished after nearly 

two decades with Fairmont 

Hotels & Resorts. She explains that the majority of guests at 

Campus Tower Suite Hotel are affiliates of the University of 

Alberta and Hospital, government, and those attending the 

University of Alberta Hospital for medical purposes, which 

necessitates a high level of caring and personalized service. The 

average stay is three nights, but many guests stay for months, 

taking advantage of the hotel’s kitchenettes, private bedrooms, 

and convenient daily cleaning services. “It can be stressful for 

our guests who are staying because someone is in the hospital. 

Staff goes above and beyond to provide extra service that 

makes them feel welcome.” She notes, “We go back to basics, 

show empathy, and put ourselves in their shoes.” That heartfelt 

philosophy has not gone unnoticed. 

In 2015 alone, the 90-room, all-suites hotel was recognized for 

the fifth year in a row as an Employer of Choice by the Alberta 

Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), was inducted into the 

Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) Human Resources Awards of 

Excellence Hall of Fame, received an AHLA Housekeeping Award, 

and was named a Certificate of Excellence 2015 Winner by guests 

on TripAdvisor. On top of that, the Campus Tower Suite Hotel 

continues to earn guest satisfaction scores of 93% or above. 

A number of Coast Hotels’ branded programs are in place to 

help achieve employee job satisfaction and effectiveness. Staff 

successes are celebrated with a “You’re a Valued Ambassador” 

program. Special milestones are marked with Ambassador 

Appreciation lunches and monthly birthday celebrations. Jeannie 


observes that employees appreciate “little things that 

make a difference,” including discounted bus passes and 

providing them with the sense of having an extended work 

family. Overall, there’s a nurturing philosophy at play here. 

As Jeannie puts it, “We take care of our ambassadors so that 

they can take care of our guests. This simple concept allows 

our hotel to be successful.” 

In keeping with that, two long-service employees among 

the hotel’s tight-knit staff of 30 were recognized this year 

with the AHLA’s Gold Key Awards - Housekeeping Manager 

Rukmani Narayan and Night Audit Ambassador Sin Nao. 

Jeannie praises them both for providing “phenomenal 

service” over long tenure. 

The hotel’s philosophy 

is that “Everyone has the 

opportunity to show 

leadership in their role 

and that leadership is 

vital to our success.” 

Jeannie explains, “To us, 

hiring top-notch people 

is just good business. And 

so is helping them grow 

Jeannie Langley, General Manager 

and thrive.” To that end, 

the hotel’s ambassadors 

receive position-specific training as well as education 

in emergency preparedness, and health and safety 

responsibilities. In addition, a Customer Service Excellence 

Program includes classroom sessions and on-the-job 

training focused on how to exceed guest expectations, 

enhance their experiences, and handle any complaints in a 

win-win style for both the guest and hotel. 

That training contributed to the hotel’s recent Hotel 

Association of Canada’s Hall of Fame Human Resources 

Award, which among its criteria includes the requirement 

to “effectively solve guest complaints.” Jeannie shares, “We 

get minimal complaints. The few that we do get, we have 

processes in place to make sure we solve it or provide an 

alternative.” She stresses that “There’s no cookie-cutter 

answer. Listen to and address the guest’s needs. Resolve 

each individual issue as it pertains to that guest. Show 

empathy and provide resolution or an alternative.” As 

the hotel’s Certificate of Excellence status on TripAdvisor 

attests, the hotel’s caring approach is a major plus, along 

with its location, convenience, and residential feel, nicely 

summed up by the tag line, “Live like home.” 

Overall, Jeannie credits the hotel’s abundance of awards 

to a few basic credos. “Hospitality is all about guest service 

and making them want to come back. Consistency is key to 

our success, providing phenomenal service and a superior 

product.” The awards provide tangible benefits. “For us, 

as people who work here, we’re proud that all our efforts 

are paying off. Being non-branded, these awards establish 

us in the marketplace, substantiating that we provide a 

consistent product. We work hard to ensure that stays true.” 



hospitality 

hospitality | 

17 

17

HR MATTERS 

Getting Out of the HR Funk 

by Celia Koehler 

12 Resources to Rev up 

Your Recruitment Strategy 

It’s easy to get in to a recruitment funk. Some 

days, it feels like a rotating door of employees 

coming in and out. To help revitalize your 

recruitment strategy, we are offering 12 

resources to keep a talented and diverse group 

at your property. 

1. TourismWorks.ca - TourismWorks.ca is a job 

search site that matches employers and job 

seekers based on their education, experience, 

legal status, accommodation requirements, 

and more. Best of all, these resources are costeffective! 

2. Prospect Human Services - Prospect 

Human Services (PHS) manages a variety of 

employment programs to help employers 

reach various subsets of groups that often go 

underemployed. Some of their many programs 

include BasetoBusiness, Forces@WORK, Empact, 

Prospect PDD Services, Viable, and The Worx. For 

more information, visit www.prospectnow.ca. 

3. Calgary Catholic Immigration Society - 

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) 

is a non-profit organization that provides 

immigration and settlement services to 

immigrants and refugees in Alberta. They work 

in six locations across Southern Alberta, have 

staff members that speak over 60 languages, 

and offer 70 different programs. 

4. Edmonton Mennonite Centre for 

Newcomers - The Edmonton Mennonite 

Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) helps new 

Edmontonians successfully settle. EMCN offers 

hands-on assistance to newcomers rather than 

the traditional passive offering of sending out 

job postings and allowing access to job seeker’s 

resumes. 

5. Chrysalis Society - The Chrysalis Society 

assists individuals with intellectual disabilities 

in Edmonton and Calgary. They provide job 

matching services, offer direct support, and 

inform your staff and managers about how to 

support a diverse workforce. 

6. High School Work Experience Placements - 

Take advantage of work experience placements, 

because it will help you find staff for either 

short- or long-term labour shortages. When 

you can help build a student’s first employment 

skills in one discipline, that person is more likely 

to stick with or return to that discipline later. 

Help make tourism and hospitality a student’s 

first job. 

7. Post-secondary Work Experience Placements 

- Partner with institutions offering tourism and 

hospitality programs to place their students in 

the work experience and internship placements 

that they need to graduate. Who knows? You 

may just find your next star employee! 

8. University Student Clubs - Students 

volunteering with university clubs are often 

willing to host information sessions about your 

property or working in the industry. These 

students are mainly in school to find a job, so be 

sure to sell yourself to them and you may just 

find that you have a lineup out the door. 

9. ThirdQuarter - ThirdQuarter is a non-profit 

organization that specializes in recruiting 

Canadians age 45+. When you are looking for 

skills, experience, and maturity, this is a great 

group to access. Visit www.thirdquarter.ca for 

more information. 

10. Pre-employment Programs and 

Organizations - Check out the pre-employment 

programs and organizations through Human 

Services. The offerings are endless and you may 

find that perfect fit you’re looking for. 

11. Working Abroad Organizations - SWAP.ca 

and Smaller Earth help you hire individuals from 

outside of Canada who do not require Labour 

Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs). They come 

to Canada with an open work visa and are able 

to work with you for various lengths of time in 

pretty much any position. 

12. Access Grants and Funding for Wage 

Subsidies - Here are just a few of the many 

grants and funding programs available to you as 

an employer. Take advantage of these programs 

now, as they may not always be available. 

• First Nations and Inuit Skills Link Program; 

• Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program; 

• Career Focus Wage Subsidy Program; 

• Young Canada Works (YCW); 

• Canada Business Network Wage Subsidies; 

• Canada-Alberta Job Grant; 

• Skills Link 

• Aboriginal Training to Employment Program 

We hope this list provides you with the boost 

in your recruitment pool that you are looking 

for. If you need more assistance and you are 

an AHLA member, please contact us to discuss 

your specific issue. We are always happy to help 

explore an individualized solution just for you! 


Working Together to Improve Visitor Relationships 

by Celia Koehler 

by Joanne Elves 

Do-it-yourself travel planning via the Internet can often be daunting and 

frustrating for both the traveller and the supplier. Travellers are looking for 

a one-stop shop for accommodations and attractions. Travel Alberta, the 

Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), and Check In Canada (CIC) 

are working together to ensure a comprehensive and meaningful online 

consumer experience as well as provide Alberta hoteliers a direct link back 

to their guests. 

Phil Klassen, Vice President, Global Consumer Marketing with Travel 

Alberta, and Dave Kaiser, President & CEO of the AHLA are working 

together to find new and innovative ways to better connect Alberta with 

potential travellers. 

What is a traveller looking for when booking a trip? 

PK: Travellers have turned from offline sources to the always on, realtime, 

everything-at-my-fingertips convenience of online travel resources. 

Travellers want to find their dream destination, hotels, and attractions easily. 

The new travelalberta.com site due to launch January 2016 will provide 

everything they need to plan their vacations with real-time information. 

How will the new version of travelalberta.com support Alberta’s 

tourism industry? 

PK: Over 4.5 million people visit travelalberta.com annually, with the 

accommodations section one of the more popular searches. On the new 

site, accommodations listings will be at travellers’ fingertips, including 

a page dedicated to each hotel and lodging in Alberta. Utilizing the 

Alberta Tourism Information Service (ATIS) 2.0 platform, each proprietor 

will populate their business listing with a description, information 

on amenities and activities, and photos. Through a partnership with 

TripAdvisor, the listings will be enhanced by traveller reviews. The system 

will also generate nearby attractions on the hotel’s dedicated page 

allowing travellers to plan their activities. And conversely, the attractions’ 

webpages will include nearby accommodations to increase destination 

awareness. 

Why is this partnership important to the customer experience? 

PK: The three-way partnership between Travel Alberta, CIC and the AHLA 

is a win-win-win situation for travellers, the tourism industry, and the 

600 hotels currently participating in Alberta. For the hotels, it creates a 

low-cost, industry-driven distribution channel that can greatly improve 

profitability by helping consumers book direct. And for travellers, the 

new travelalberta.com site will provide everything they need to plan their 

vacations with real-time information. 

Why is it important that Alberta’s tourism industry compete together? 

DK: For the AHLA, the long-term goal is to elevate the relationships 

between customers and the hotel. When a room is booked through an 

OTA, the hotel no longer has a connection to the customer. Using CIC on 

travelalberta.com, the hotelier can learn consumer preferences and work 

to nurture the relationship with the customer by offering loyalty perks 

and valuable services. Keeping that relationship is key. The added Tourism 

Levy dollars otherwise lost through the OTA booking process will also 

help contribute to Alberta’s visitor economy. 

PK: The OTAs provide a level of customer reach that destination marketers 

can’t replicate. And sometimes there is a hefty cost - at times 20% or more in 

commissions to the suppliers. If we can provide an option on our platforms 

that facilitates direct booking, commissions are reduced and dollars are 

put back in the hand of operators, ultimately improving their bottom lines. 

What are the benefits to hoteliers? 

PK: The new ATIS platform generates real-time reports that will provide 

industry with insights on how travellers are finding their business and 

interacting with their content. They will see how many visitors have 

clicked on offers, where the traveller is from and whether they are clicking 

through from a desktop, tablet, or mobile device. This will give operators 

and hoteliers the opportunity to adjust their webpage information 

to attract more guests. The Travel Alberta team has made the pages 

extremely user-friendly and is available to assist our partners with the 

new features. 

How is Check In Canada connected to travelalberta.com? 

DK: The AHLA launched CIC a few years ago to offer a new online option 

for hoteliers to reach consumers. By integrating CIC into the Travel 

Alberta website, it works behind the scenes to seamlessly populate the 

accommodations page with real-time availability and prices on hotels 

searched by the consumer. When a selection is made, one click takes a 

traveller straight to the hotel’s own reservation page, connecting the 

guest directly to the hotel. This gives the ownership of the reservation to 

the hotel for optimal customer service and reduces the commissions lost 

to third parties like Online Travel Agents (OTAs). 


FEATURE 

THE TECHNOLOGY TSUNAMI 

Outfitting Your Hotel for Tomorrow 

by Chris McBeath 

Whether it’s iris-scanning technology or in-room thermostats that adjust to a 

guest’s body temperature, the world’s hotels are teching up for the future. A study 

from Hospitality Technology magazine notes that hotel spending on technology 

in 2014 nearly doubled over the year before. And in 2015, it could well double 

again to nearly 10% of total revenues. Advanced technology has become critical 

in attracting guests. 



Advanced technology has become critical in attracting 

{guests. 

Get With the Cloud 

Just as small to mid-size hotels are 

discovering the speed and cost efficiencies 

of cloud computing, so brand chains are 

seeing how the cloud facilitates unified 

management, performance consistency, and 

24-7 availability across properties. 

Todd Davis, Chief Information Officer, Choice 

Hotels International explains: “We moved 

to a cloud-based SaaS solution for three 

reasons: the infrastructure and overhead 

cost savings to implement and manage a 

distributed, on-premise solution for 6,000 

hotels; the provision of a reduced scope of 

PCI at the hotel; and the need for an intuitive, 

Internet solution that can be accessed from 

anywhere. We have moved accounts payable 

and invoicing, human resource management, 

and time tracking to cloud-based services. 

Technology is really becoming core to what 

we do.” Choice Hotels manages several brands 

throughout Alberta including Quality, Econo 

Lodge, Clarion, and Comfort Inn & Suites. 

Check Out e-CHECK 

As the check-in/check-out process morphs 

into a self-service affair, it prompted a senior 

industry executive to call the front desk “a 

dead duck”. The comment may not be too farfetched. 

Already, many front desk personnel 

roam lobbies to check in guests in-situ using 

iPads, and chains like Hyatt and Starwood’s 

Sheraton hotels have started to install kiosks 

that allow guests to swipe their credit card 

and get a room key in minutes, bypassing the 

front desk altogether. Starwood also launched 

an Apple Watch app this year offering similar 

services. 

Taken one step further, the uber high-tech 

Blow Up Hall 50/50 in Poznan, Poland, has 

the guest become a part of an artsy video 

installation as soon as they enter the hotel. 

The hotel has no reception and the rooms 

have no numbers. Instead, every guest is 

given an iPhone which serves as their room 

key and a virtual concierge facility. 

Mobility Marketing 

According to comScore research, Canada has 

now over 20 million smartphone owners and 

close to 10 million tablet owners. “With a 

digital population of 30 million, these are 

big numbers,” says Steve Ringuet, CEO of 

a leading distributor of hotel industry IT 

solutions. “There are now more visits to online 

travel sites coming from mobile devices than 

from PCs.” Data revealed that visitors use a 

mobile device about 30% of the time during 

the travel research to completion cycle and it 

is growing exponentially. 

Keep abreast of booking engines as well. 

Google is currently beta testing a new feature 

that will allow users to instantly book a hotel 

room without leaving its search page. 

Mobility Management 

For staff-on-the go, mobile devices are 

proving to be a great asset. At the Pomeroy 

in Olds, investing in technology in its training 

programs and staff communication has 

been a high priority. As an early adoptee 

of O-NET, Canada’s first community-owned 

and operated fibre-to-the-premises network, 

the hotel became a forerunner in paperless 

practices. In providing staff with iPads linked 

to the hotel’s main PMS system, not only 

are inter-departmental issues shared and 

managed with exceptional efficiency, the 

program also extends to providing guest 

services. 

In terms of seamless, back-of-house 

communications and customer service, it 

doesn’t get much better than the technology 

employed at Trump Tower in Toronto. 

With shades of Star Trek not far from the 

imagination, hotel staff are equipped with a 

wearable, voice-controlled communications 

badge that enables instant hands-free, twoway 

or one-to-many conversations using 

intuitive and simple commands. 

Whether adopting cloud-based, ready-todeploy 

solutions or integrating on-the-go 

mobility using an existing infrastructure, 

catering to customer mobility is a 

technological imperative. 

App Happy 

Enhancing a guest’s stay with a customized 

app is a definite trend. Among the leaders 

is the new Four Seasons App, which enables 

guests to make and manage reservations (in 

multiple locations), facilitate express checkin 

and check-out, order room service, and 

make itinerary plans based on suggestions 

from built-in geo location technology. 

The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Vancouver 



Photo courtesy of The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Vancouver 

out nearby restaurants and attractions. 

Then there are off-the-shelf apps like LobbyFriend that create temporary 

social networks within a specific space and only for the duration of a 

guest’s stay. They provide hotels a way to communicate with onsite 

guests regarding special offers and upsells, and enable like-minded 

guests to connect with each other to have a drink, watch a game, or 

share a cab ride. Like a standard telephone system, once a guest checks 

out, their messaging footprint is erased. 

For high volume hotels, virtual queues like QLess are proving big hits. 

Guests receive a text once their room is ready, so they are free to enjoy 

their stay without the necessity of standing in line. Greeting customers 

with a room-ready-and-waiting creates a good first impression and is an 

indicator of the hotel’s service for the duration of the stay. 

Guests receive an array of digital content 

describing the view, its visible landmarks, 

and pointing out nearby restaurants and 

{attractions. 

is giving new dimension to print materials via mobile devices. By 

downloading Layar, a free, augmented reality application, and then 

scanning a specially printed window decal, guests receive an array of 

digital content describing the view, its visible landmarks, and pointing 

IT Drives Design 

Connection has become integral to room design, and was the impetus 

behind Delta Hotels & Resort’s (Marriott’s) three-year redesign 

(completing this year) of its guestrooms. ModeRooms are equipped 

with a signature SmartDesk featuring multiple electrical outlets as 

well as audio, video, and Internet connections, all mounted in a slanted 

console atop the desk. Because the dock comes with standard interfaces, 

guests don’t have to bring along any cables to link their laptop or mobile 

device to preview presentations or stream movies onto the flat-screen, 

high-definition TV. Although hoteliers might bark at losing pay-for-view 

revenues, the new reality is that people are no longer willing to pay for 

content they can access online. And since this includes Internet calling, 

in-room telephones are quietly becoming obsolete. 



Research tells us that a consumer will visit 

20 websites across nine different online 

sessions before booking a single hotel 

{room. 

If extreme-connectivity is a “now” trend, then technological wellness is 

a developing one. A number of hotels are now using the PURE Room 

concept: a seven-step cleaning process that includes an ozone shock 

treatment to make it odour-free and resistant to mold, dust mites, and 

other irritants. Then there are StayWell® rooms with amenities such as a 

vitamin C-infused shower, air and water purification, and long wave night 

lighting. And for aging baby boomers, health-monitoring rooms are on 

the drawing boards. Services here could include sensors in the toilet that 

measure blood sugar in your urine, and infrared cameras that track your 

body temperature and send a message to regulate the thermostat and 

humidity in your room to ensure a restful night’s sleep. 

e-Housekeeping 

Designed to integrate with property management systems such as 

Opera, Galaxy and OnQ, e-housekeeping works in conjunction with a 

special mobile app to streamline the cleaning and inspection process 

for guestroom and public areas. It provides automated assignments, 

job dispatch and comprehensive reporting, priority adjustment based 

on guest VIP-status, and built-in guidelines with photos to help clearly 

explain hotel standards for tasks like bed corners or amenities placement. 

From a management perspective, this becomes a practical training 

system, especially where language issues are concerned, and digitized 

data makes it easy to compile and pull reports in real time for overall 

operations status. 

The e-Housekeeping app has multiple features, including a QR code 

system that requires room attendants to scan a QR code placed on the 

back of the guestroom door prior to activating the countdown. Room 

status updates can incorporate jobs like carpet cleaning or springcleaning 

with credit and time calculations. In addition, safety features 

include a panic button as well as the ability to trigger alerts using SMS, 

ad-hoc messaging, direct call job dispatch, and alarm sounds. 



i-Security 

In the age of technology, and with an 

ever-increasing concern for security, paper 

cards, cellphones, fingerprints, and iris 

scanners are popping up as alternative 

unlocking devices. 

When several Aloft and element Starwood 

Hotels properties revamped their 

traditional key card systems a few years 

ago, they had the foresight to install 

systems that could be converted to read 

RFID (Radio frequency identification) when 

that technology became more mainstream. 

Expect to see these technologies when 

Element opens next year in Edmonton, and 

at Calgary Airport in 2017. We’re not just 

talking about guests scanning their right 

eye when they check-in or enter their room. 

Staff also use iris scans to unlock the staff 

entrance and log into the system at the 

beginning of each shift. 

For those who recall Club Med’s colourful 

bead bracelets, RFID wristbands are a high 

tech spin on a seasoned concept. Wearers 

use bands for multiple purposes from room 

entry to using them as an alternative way 

to pay for spa treatments, casino chips, 

and running a tab for cocktails. Fashion has 

never been so futuristic and functional! 

Prepare now to ride the technology wave 

into the future. 

Cutting Edge Technology 

• Eccleston Square Hotel, London uses a system that turns the washroom glass from crystal clear 

to frost at the touch of a button. Choose transparency for a spacious, light-filled suite or switch it off 

for privacy. 

• Yotel New York uses Yobot, a 20 ft tall robotic arm, to store luggage in lockers. Housed behind a 

secure glass enclosure, Yobot issues a receipt with bar code for guests to submit when they want 

to pick up their bag. 

• Eventi, New York, features a Business Bar that provides guests with a selection of Apple products 

from the latest Macbook to a reading tablet, and a smorgasbord of tech accessories, including a 

GoPro camera. 

• The Muse Hotel, New York, provides guests with Nook e-readers during their stays. The devices 

are preloaded with books and magazines and guests can request personalized uploads. 

• Scarp Ridge Lodge, Colorado has introduced a state-of-the-art oxygen system to help guests 

acclimatize to the 12,000 ft altitude. It delivers oxygen-rich air through in-room ports and individual 

headsets. 

• At St. Martin’s Lane Hotel in London, guestroom walls are white, so guests can dial a light display, 

altering the colour of their room anywhere from deep violet to a jungle green. 

• Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has rooms outfitted to remember preferences of regular visitors. 

When a regular walks into a room, the lights, room temperature and speed dial on the phone are 

set to their specifications. 

• At the Crowne Plaza Hotel Copenhagen Towers in Denmark, guests who use an exercise bike for 

15 minutes, thereby helping to generate electricity for the hotel’s own system, are given a voucher 

for the restaurant. 

• Four Seasons Silicon Valley has consigned door peepholes to history. Instead, LCD displays show 

the person on the other side of the door. 

• MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, encourages guests to tweet messages about the hotel 

or other topics; tweets are displayed behind the hotel’s front desk on a huge video wall. 


Property News 

Brunswick Motor Inn is now the Days Inn Vermilion. The Motel 6 Medicine 

Hat is now the Home Inn Express Medicine Hat. Banff Y Mountain Lodge is 

now the YMCA Banff Hotel. 

Best Western Plus Sawridge Suites has opened in Fort McMurray. The 

property offers 151 studio and one-bedroom suites with fully equipped 

kitchenettes/kitchens, walk-in showers, The Outpost 24/7 Grab & Go Market, 

private event and meeting space as well as surface and underground parking 

and other amenities. Paul Jones is the general manager. 

Choice Hotels Canada has opened three new properties in Alberta, including 

Comfort Inn and Suites, Calgary, Comfort Inn and Suites, Bonnyville and 

Comfort Inn and Suites Edmonton International Airport. 

Lighthouse Hospitality Management Inc. has announced the groundbreaking 

of the seven-floor, 161-room Hyatt Place Edmonton-West. This new hotel 

will offer spacious and contemporary guestrooms with a 42-inch HDTV, the 

plush Hyatt Grand Bed® and the Cozy corner - a sectional sofa sleeper, free 

Wi-Fi access throughout the hotel, complimentary a.m. Kitchen Skillet, and 

2,500 sq. ft. of flexible, high-tech meeting/function space. 

People 

Olga Ilich, former BC Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, has been 

appointed Chair of Destination Canada, formerly the Canadian Tourism 

Commission. 

Other News 

Hotel security innovator VingCard Elsafe has changed its name to ASSA 

ABLOY Hospitality. This new identity allows the company to draw upon the 

vast resources of ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in door opening solutions, and 

positions it to better meet the evolving needs of the hospitality industry. 

Awards 

NAMES IN THE NEWS 

Fall 2015 

Home2 Suites by Hilton® West Edmonton has been named an Expedia 

Insiders’ Select hotel for 2015. This annual list represents a ranking of the 


world’s best reviewed hotels as determined by direct customer feedback, on 

more than two million customer verified reviews. Home2 Suites by Hilton® 

West Edmonton is the brand’s first Canadian property. 

SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts is happy to announce that the DoubleTree 

by Hilton West Edmonton has won the Venue of the Year Award at this 

year’s Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Event Management Awards. 

The completely renovated property features a state-of-the-art SilverBirch 

Conference Centre® - a modern 35,000+ sq. ft. of flexible meeting and 

banquet space, which has been recognized by industry colleagues as the 

top venue in the Edmonton area. The hotel has also won a TripAdvisor® 

Certificate of Excellence. 

The Reputation Institute’s 2015 Country RepTrak® report has named Canada 

as having the world’s best reputation, ahead of Norway in second place, and 

Sweden in third spot. Canada came out as the No. 1 country to visit, live, 

study and work as well as placing second as a destination to invest in and 

attend or organize events. Key drivers in the rankings were Canada being a 

safe and beautiful country, with friendly and welcoming people as well as an 

appealing lifestyle. 

Acquisitions 

CBRE Group, Inc. has acquired PKF Consulting Inc. (PKF Canada), a leading 

advisory, consulting and research firm specializing in the Canadian hospitality 

and tourism industries. Founded in 1970, PKF Canada is led by David Larone 

and Brian Stanford, who will remain in leadership roles with CBRE. The 

firm has offices in Toronto and Vancouver. PKF Canada’s professionals will 

become part of CBRE’s Valuation & Advisory Services business line and 

will collaborate closely with CBRE Hotels’ professionals. The firm’s market 

research data and analysis will be integrated into the larger PKF research 

platform at CBRE, providing the most comprehensive source of hotel 

financial information in North America. 

Delta Hotels and Resorts has gone live on Marriott.com, enabling travellers 

to book online for 37 additional Canadian hotels online or on their mobile 

app. 

GMs on the Move 

David Ahn, New Western Athabasca Inn 

Daniel Bae, Side Trax Inn, Beaverlodge 

Wade Barkman, Holiday Inn Calgary MacLeod Trail South 

Twyla Bauman, Lakeview Inns & Suites Drayton Valley 

Roxanne Buchan, Super 8 Airdrie 

Blayke Busby, Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton, Airdrie 

Robin Cumine, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Whitecourt 

Parth Dholakia, Hilton Garden Inn Edmonton International Airport 

Lisha Elias, Holiday Inn Express Red Deer 

Robin Galloway, Sawridge Inn & Conference Centre Peace River 

Tyson Ghostkeeper, Best Western PLUS The Inn at St. Albert 

Ken Hall, The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge 

Brenda Hehr, Rock Lake Lodge, Edmonton 

Paul Jones, Best Western Plus Sawridge Suites, Fort McMurray 

Sanjo Joung, Lakeside Motor Inn, McLellan 

Mandeep Kaur, Super 8 Stettler 

Monica Layden, Clarion Hotel & Conference Centre 

Paul Lumsden, Quality Inn Airport, Nisku 

Cindy Madore, BCMInns Coleman 

John Mayne, Chateau Nova Yellowhead, Edmonton 

Heather McNamara, Chateau Nova Fort McMurray 

Denton Morrell, Commercial Hotel/Blues on Whyte, Edmonton 

Nathan Pearce, Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire 

Erin Richter, The Westin Calgary 

Jake Ritowato, Grand Union Motel, Coleman 

Martine Rousseau, EconoLodge Canmore Mountain Lodge 

Ryan Tracey, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Medicine Hat 

John Thomas, Holiday Inn Express Edmonton Downtown 

Anna Virlas, Miette Hot Springs Bungalows, Jasper 

Justin Woo, Sexsmith Hotel 

Maranda Wurz, BCMInns Lloydminster 


FEATURE 

RETHINKING 

ROOM SERVICE 

Changing With The Times 

by Chris McBeath 

Much is happening in room service these days. 

Where some hotels are choosing to eliminate it 

all together in favour of providing a grab-andgo 

service in the lobby, others are morphing it 

into a deluxe in-room dining experience. There 

are even properties that are starting to deploy 

robots to deliver guest requests, complete with 

coherent speech as well as R2-D2-like bleeps 

and whistles. 

Photo courtesy of Marriott Residence Inns 

Redefining Purpose 

With its dedicated staff, rolling tables, and meal delivery, traditional 

room service is hardly a money-maker. According to PKF Hospitality 

Research, it accounts for (on average) a little over 1% of overall hotel 

revenues, and although few guests actually take advantage of it, the 

service is still an expected feature, especially in upscale and luxury 

properties. 

“For some hotels, room service is not meant to make a profit. It is a 

brand standard and an important amenity that contributes to star 

status,” describes Darren Hicks, a hotel branding consultant. “It’s a 

very labour-intensive cost-centre but they would lose customers if 

they didn’t offer in-room dining. As a result, the trend is to deluxe 

up the menu, create in-room-only dining specialties, and use room 

service to differentiate between a hotel’s standard and superior 

rooms.” 

Joseph Smith, a senior hospitality industry executive, agrees. “Twenty 

years ago, you could order anything through room service that the 

hotel was serving in its full-service restaurant. Nowadays, the room 

service menu is truly its own design. It’s smaller plates, and items that 

are easier to prepare, transport, and serve.” 


RETHINKING ROOM SERVICE 

Splashy comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese with fresh lobster and 

Parmesan cheese paired with craft beer or signature wine and decadent 

desserts are proving popular. Over-the-top offerings like mixologistcustomized 

cocktails for an in-room meal are also available at some 

properties. In the case of Four Seasons, a 15-20 minute fast delivery 

program was initially focused on business travellers; however, the program 

has expanded to include transient guests and children, and now represents 

about 20% of the brand’s room service business. 

Transitioning Concepts 

Although room service continues to be among the first areas to scale back 

when budgets are under pressure, hotels are repackaging the concept to 

make it more economical. 

When Hilton Worldwide discontinued room service completely at one of its 

signature properties two years ago, guest reaction forced the company to 

a fallback position: offering to deliver items to guestrooms that they had 

purchased in the hotel’s new upscale grab-and-go market Herb N’ Kitchen. 

Since then other chains have followed suit, prompting analysts to note 

that the growth of in-house food markets appears to parallel the decline of 

traditional room service. After all, guests don’t have to endure 30-minute 

delivery times, the price point is lower than room service, they can see 

what they’re ordering, and they are instantly gratified. 

Geared to longer-term stays, complimentary grocery shopping service has 

long been a brand standard at Marriott Residence Inns, and is a popular 

feature in hotels like the Lakeview Signature Inn Calgary Airport, although 

the latter does charge a nominal service fee. Additional ideas include 

repurposing the mini-bar fridges with customized options that guests preorder 

and pay for when making their reservation. 

At the Courtyard Calgary Airport Hotel and the Residence Inn Calgary 

Airport, guests also have access to a take-away service out of the 

The trend is to deluxe up the menu, and 

{create in-room-only dining specialties. 

Courtyard Bistro. “The two properties are Select and Extended Stay brands 

respectively, so room service is not part of the amenity package,” explains 

Richard Main, General Manager. “However, in this age of convenience 

eating, guests really enjoy being able to order and take-out a meal from 

our bistro menu for in-room dining, so they can work uninterrupted, or eat 

in front of their favourite movie as they would at home.” 

The Millennial Influence 

The emerging millennial traveller is changing the way many hotels do 

business - in property design, use of technology, and a management 

philosophy that enables and encourages interaction. Today, new builds 

and renovated properties include multi-functional lobbies that promote 

people flow and engagement as never before. 

According to Robert Mandelbaum, PKF Hospitality Research, “The 

millennials are known to be social. They’d much rather hang out with their 

colleagues in the lobby, and if they can get a beer and a hamburger there, 

all the better. They generally prefer that than going back to their rooms, 

ordering room service, and eating by themselves.” 

Smith continues, “It’s about giving the guest options. When the grab-andgo 

concept started, it was primarily about providing guests with a quick, 

inexpensive option for breakfast. Now the markets are all-day enterprises, 

with the available items changing through the day. And where that’s not 


RETHINKING ROOM SERVICE 

Photo courtesy of Savioke 

possible, hotels are more open than ever to partner with outside vendors 

as an alternative to room service, making arrangements with nearby 

restaurants to act as surrogate kitchens and deliver food to their hotel 

rooms.” 

Located in the heart of Edmonton’s “foodie-ville”, Whyte Avenue, the 

Metterra and Varscona Hotels on Whyte offer two options for dinner by 

local restaurants - Chianti’s (Italian) and Origin India (Indian) - which the 

hotel plates and delivers to guests for in-room dining. 

“Being in a great foodie neighbourhood is part of the attraction of 

our hotels, so we opted for non-traditional room service,” describes 

Dawn Li, General Manager, whose focus is on the guest experience. “It’s 

about lifestyle interests and choices, so we do a complimentary wine 

tasting every night except Sunday with different wines, cheeses, and hot 

appetizers. On Thursdays, we feature chocolate and wine, and once a 

month we have a local beer tasting. By offering these added-value services, 

we’ve established a social and happening vibe, which really appeals to 

our guests who want to experience all that Old Strathcona has to offer. It 

negates the need for room service.” 

Indeed, as hoteliers start to rethink their room service offerings, data from 

GrubHub Inc., a leading online and mobile food ordering service, shows 

that takeout orders to hotels are increasingly popular. 

i-Order 

With technology starting to automate room service requests, the entire 

delivery process is fast becoming more cost effective. “Younger travellers 

especially won’t mind not having a live person take their order. Not only 

will they not have a problem with it, they’ll demand it,” Smith says. “In 

placing an order with an app on a smartphone, it goes directly to the 

cook station. The guest is sending it directly to the end production person 

who starts preparing it immediately. You’ve eliminated the order-taking 

position entirely. In some chain properties, on-line requests already 

constitute about 30% of the total orders and it’s growing exponentially.” 

i-Robot 

Operating rather like the Star Wars droid R2-D2 but with stylish finesse, 

Savioke’s robotic butler is as effective as it is novel. Equipped with an 

empty compartment to transport various small items, its built-in Wi-Fi and 

4G enables the unit to connect with the concierge, call an elevator, and 

navigate through lobbies, down hallways and around obstacles. With the 

6-month pilot program ending earlier this year, exclusively at Aloft, and 

with 1,000 deliveries to its credit, this 3-ft tall robot is getting ready for 

broader horizons and in greater numbers. Should the force be with you, 

room service could take on a whole new dimension. 


WHAT’S NEW? 


EcoStay and Emerald Brand have joined forces in hospitality 

environmental stewardship. Through the partnership, EcoStay will 

continue to provide hotels with a simple, no-cost, full-service ecoprogram 

that earns hoteliers funding for eco-improvements, plus 

Emerald’s cost-neutral eco-disposables (tree-free 100% USDA Certified 

Bio-based paper products) and environmentally-friendly cleaning 

products. www.ecostayprogram.com www.emeraldbrand.com 

Zaplox, mobile key app provider for the global hospitality industry, has 

integrated its solution with SALTO Systems, one of the world’s top five 

manufacturers of electronic access control systems. Through the new 

technology integration with Zaplox, guests of properties with SALTO 

access control systems will now be able to use their smartphones 

for guestroom access, while allowing hoteliers to offer and promote 

revenue-creating smart services with full customization and hotel 

branding on the app platform. This wide range of ancillary services 

includes mobile check-in and check-out, room upgrades, restaurant 

bookings, room service, special offers and more. The app is easily 

downloaded and available for all major smartphone platforms. DDL 

Group distributes SALTO Systems in Alberta. 780-469-8303 

Developed for the new Wyndham near the Calgary Airport, Birchwood 

Furniture’s 9933 Chaise adds big comfort in a small footprint. This 

versatile piece offers guests a great place to relax, and provides younger 

guests a place to catch a nap. Their 7842 Swivel Chair was designed in 

partnership with Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge to be a showpiece in 

their lounge, providing a comfortable place for guests to relax between 

flights. www.birchwood.com 

Green Key Global and Clean the World Canada, two leaders in 

corporate social responsibility (CSR), have finalized a partnership that will 

encourage Green Key Global members to collect and recycle hotel soap 

and bottled amenities and help fight the spread of preventable diseases. 

Green Key Global is a leading environmental certification body whose 

suite of industry standard programs and resources has been designed 

specifically for the lodging and meetings industries. Their affordable 

programs help members leverage organizational CSR activities to 

support sustainable initiatives, and improve overall fiscal performance 

and community relations. Clean the World is a social enterprise that 

collects and recycles discarded soap and bottled amenities (shampoo, 

conditioner, lotion, gels) from hotel partners in Canada, USA, Hong 

Kong, and Macau, China. The recycled soap is placed in hygiene kits, 

which are donated to homeless shelters, senior citizens, and struggling 

families in Canada and the US. Soap is also distributed around the world 

in areas where there is a high risk of hygiene-related illness. 

More than 3,800 tons of soap, shampoo and other amenities 

have been diverted from traditional disposal methods since 2009. 

www.greenkeyglobal.com https://cleantheworld.org/ 

Heartland is introducing an innovative, patent-pending process that 

bakes three self-serve Waffled Pancakes without a large, expensive 

pancake machine. You can serve Waffled Pancakes and Fresh-Baked 

Waffles together, side-by-side, at a fraction of the cost. A gluten-free 

waffle mix is also now available. www.heartlandwaffles.com 


AHLA’S PROGRAMS 

Employer of Choice: What’s In It For You? 

The Employer of Choice program is a tool that evaluates an organization’s 

best practices in Human Resources. Employers who participate submit 

information about their: 

• Organizational Effectiveness; 

• Training, Learning & Development; 

• Staffing; 

• Compensation; 

• Employee Relations; 

• Workplace Health & Safety; and 

• Human Resources Information Management 

Completing this process to submit an application can be time consuming. 

There are many benefits that employers, employees, and guests can enjoy. 

Stand Out 

The Employer of Choice designation is achieved when organizations meet 

employment standards, while also going over and above to strive for the 

best. This is reflected in an organization’s business processes as well as in 

each of the functional areas of human resources. Hotels and motels set 

themselves apart and stand out by going the extra mile. 

Retain & Recruit the Best 

Organizations that stand out receive more interest from job seekers. By being 

an Employer of Choice, it is easier to recruit top talent and retain employees. 

Prospective employees are more likely to apply to the organization. At the 

same time, those already working for the company are more willing to stay 

with an organization that is constantly trying to improve. 

Attract Customers & Generate More Business 

Just like recruiting and retaining top employees, the Employer of Choice 

designation also appeals to customers. They recognize the fact that the 

organization will provide a better level of service than competitors. The 

designation can also increase customer loyalty. If a customer has a great 

experience the first time, the customer will likely return to the property. 

Get Noticed 

The Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association advertises the properties 

that have achieved the Employer of Choice designation in a variety 

of publications, such as the Alberta Accommodation Guide as well as 

the AHLA website. This is an excellent way for an organization to be 

recognized and stand out as one of the places that exercise best practices 

in human resources. 

Show Off 

Organizations that have achieved the Employer of Choice designation are 

free to use the logo on all communications, whether internal or external. 

This not only looks nice on all of the communication pieces going out, it is 

a great reminder of the high standards that the AHLA Employer of Choice 

program operates on. 

So, what are you waiting for? Visit www.ahla.ca for more information on 

how you can become a 2016 Employer of Choice! Remember to mark your 

calendar - the application deadline is November 30, 2015. 

, 24 

ADVERTISERS 

AHLA29 

Alberta Blue Cross 5 

Alberta Hospitality Safety Assn 7 

Alberta Laundry Systems 

BC 

Buhler Hospitality 10 

Colliers International Realty 9 

Coronet Equipment 

IFC 

DDL Group 24 

DeFehr Furniture 27 

Eldreth Enterprises Inc. 23 

Fusion Woodworks 19 

Gordon Food Service - Calgary 27 

Image Distributors 22 

Intello Technologies 21 

Jani-King of Southern Alberta 10 

McCallum Printing Group 26 

Northern Feather 14 

Oaktree Carpets 18 

Patio Frontiers 15 

Restwell Sleep Products 30 

RONA Inc 13 

Sealy Canada 28 

Serta Mattress 9 

Superior Quilting 13, 26 

Western Financial Group 

Insurance Solutions 

IBC 

Westport Manufacturing 6 

Zep Sales & Service 15 


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