InnFocus Summer 2021

Understanding Traveller 

BEHAVIOUR 

Financial 

LEADERSHIP 

The Potential of 

PRODUCTIVITY 

The LGBT+ 

Community 

PM40026059 

Summer 2021

contents 

200-948 Howe Street, 

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1N9 

T 604-681-7164 1-800-663-3153 

www.bcha.com 

How the LGBT+ Community Will Lead the Recovery 

And what you should do to welcome them at your property 

Cover Photo Courtesy of Brentwood Bay Resort 

@BCHotelAssociation 

@bchotelassoc 

@BCHotelAssociation 

bchotelassociation 

BCHA Team 

Ingrid Jarrett 

President & CEO 

Mike Macleod 

Director Member 

and Business Development 

Karissa Bourgeault 

Project Manager & Board Liaison 

Kelsey Millman 

Communications Manager 

Dylan Tomlin 

Energy Analyst 

Samantha Glennie 

Member Services Coordinator 

2020/2021 Board of Directors 

Executive Committee 

Bryan Pilbeam – Chair, Delta Kamloops 

Jonas Melin – Vice Chair, 

Harbourfront Pinnacle Hotel, Vancouver 

John Kearns – Past Chair, 

Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel 

David McQuinn – Treasurer, Coast Bastion, Namaimo 

David MacKenzie – Director, 

Pemberton Valley Lodge 

Stephen Roughley – Director, 

Marriott Victoria Inner Harbour 

Vivek Sharma – Director, Fairmont Hot Springs 

Directors 

Doug Andrews, The Listel Hotel, Whistler 

Brady Berushi, Best Western Plus, Revelstoke 

Ravinder Dhaliwal, Mundi Hotels 

Angie Eccleston, Prestige Hudson Bay Lodge 

Stewart Instance, Best Western Tin Wis Resort 

Scott Johnson, Holiday Inn Express Metrotown 

Brian Rohl, Coast Coal Harbour by APA 

Eleanor Ryan, Pomeroy Inn & Suites & Stonebridge 

Chris Watson, Best Western Plus Carlton Plaza 

Barry Zwueste, St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino 

5 

8 

20 

24 

Regulars 

Understanding Traveller Behaviour 

And creating a strategy for summer business and beyond 

Hospitality Financial Leadership in a Time of Crisis 

Reviewing the three pillars our business is built on 

The Potential of Productivity 

How cross-training can help boost productivity 

4 BC Hotel Association Report 

12 Trends & Insights – Top 21 Trends for 2021 

14 Go Green: A Journey Towards Sustainability 

19 What’s New? 

23 Leader of the Future: Heather Riddick 

28 Names in the News 

28 BC Hospitality Foundation 

29 Hotelier Feature: Sandra Gregory 

30 BCHA Member Engagement 

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT 

NO. 40026059 

RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN 

ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT 

EMC PUBLICATIONS 

19073 63 AVENUE 

SURREY BC V3S 8G7 

email: info@emcmarketing.com 

Regional 

Feature 

16 Comfort in the Wild: 

Three BC Wilderness 

Resorts that Offer 

Luxurious Getaways 

InnFocus is published quarterly 

by EMC Publications - a division 

of EMC Executive Marketing Consultants Inc. 

19073 63 Avenue, Surrey, BC, V3S 8G7 

t 604-574-4577 1-800-667-0955 

info@emcmarketing.com 

www.emcmarketing.com 

Publisher & Editor: Joyce Hayne 

Design & Layout: Kyla Getty 

Sales: Marina Lecian 

Beatriz Friz 

InnFocus 3

y Ingrid Jarrett, President & CEO 

We’re nearly halfway through 2021 and the effects of the pandemic 

continue to wear on us all. We miss visiting friends, hugging our family 

members, dining in restaurants, and freely engaging with others at 

events and gatherings so desperately. And for our industry in particular, 

we miss travel. 

While the tourism and hospitality industry has suffered greatly this 

past year, recent months have truly tested the strength of our sector 

more than ever with the introduction of tightened restrictions on travel. 

Despite knowing that it is ‘social behaviour’ and not ‘travel’ itself that 

causes transmission of the virus, one thing became clear with the arrival 

of the third wave: our industry’s role in the fight against COVID-19 was 

nowhere near finished. 

The BC hotel industry was once again called upon. This time, to 

discourage BC residents from taking part in the activity that lays the 

foundation for our sector and connects us all as tourism operators— 

travel. 

Prior to the restrictions being announced, I, along with industry 

representatives at our partner organizations, met with the provincial 

government to better understand the data that supported the need 

to significantly reduce all non-essential travel. It became clear that we 

needed to take action to not only protect our communities, but to curb 

the spread of COVID-19 in order for us to see travel return in time for 

our critical summer season. 

We developed a plan that would support our industry and staff, while 

continuing to advocate for critical financial aid and a reopening plan that 

our sector so desperately needs. And yet again, we witnessed our hotel 

community prove its strength and embrace the Emergency Programs 

Act (EPA) order. 

While we celebrate our community for undertaking this overwhelmingly 

challenging role, we recognize the heavy toll that revenue loss has 

extolled. Our once vibrant $3.2 billion hotel industry has been ravaged, 

with many hotels on the brink of insolvency. Forecasted overall provincial 

occupancy between January to September 2021, is currently sitting at 

38%—a sobering statistic that none of us could have imagined in 2019. 

As a result of advocacy efforts, restrictions were thankfully met with 

increased funding for our sector; and while we are grateful for this 

support, it continues to scratch the surface of what is needed in order for 

our industry to survive. Our hotel community was included in the circuit 

breaker expansion, which allocated $25 million for accommodators 

alone, upping the total amount available to $125 million. 

In the April budget announcement, we saw significant investments 

made to tourism that included $100 million to support tourism recovery 

including help for major anchor attractions; $20 million for community 

destination development grants to help with new tourism infrastructure 

like trails and airport improvements; $83 million (over 3 years) in operating 

and capital funding for BC Parks to expand and improve services; and $6 

million in capital improvement grants for the Arts Infrastructure Program. 

We continue our resolve to make the programs and financial support 

more accessible to our members. Currently, 47% of our industry is 

ineligible for the small and medium-sized business grant, and we have 

heard loud and clear that this—along with the long lead time to gain 

access to the support—is completely unreasonable given the dire straits 

of the industry. 

Federally, there have been some significant wins, including the 

extension of the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) until 

September. We recognize how essential this program is and continue 

our work to extend this to the end of December, at least, and to ensure 

revenue is compared to 2019. As part of the Federal Budget rollout, our 

tourism industry also received $1.5 billion in support. A new digital tax 

on short-term rentals was also introduced which was a significant victory 

in our aim to ensure all types of accommodators are following the same 

rules and regulations. 

In partnership with the Hotel Association of Canada, we continue to 

push for federal advocacy priorities, which include expanding eligibility 

of the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP) to 

also include businesses with foreign ownership and/or multiple property 

ownership. Further to this, we continue to keep key priorities surrounding 

the labour market, fixed cost air travel, and rehiring top of mind, while 

also addressing the issue of insurance in order to mitigate the sky-high 

rates that we saw last year. 

Finally, due to ongoing restrictions on travel and ‘travel-shaming’ there 

is considerable work that will need to be done to rebuild consumer 

confidence and repair sentiment surrounding travel. Our partners 

at go2HR have created the BSafe program to support consumer 

confidence, train our teams, look to recovery, and rebuild resiliency. I 

encourage each of you to explore this program to ensure you have the 

tools needed to have the successful and prosperous summer season 

that you each deserve. 

4 InnFocus

How 

the LGBT+ 

Community 

Will Lead the 

Recovery 

And What You Should Be Doing to 

Welcome Them at Your Property 

by Joanne Sasvari 


Courtesy of The Cove Lakeside Resort 

We’ve been here before, after 9/11, after 

SARS, after the 2008 financial crash. Each 

time a crisis devastates the travel industry, 

one specific sector of the market has led 

the recovery, and studies suggest the same 

people will be the first to hit the road this 

time, too. 

We’re talking, of course, about the wellheeled, 

well-travelled LGBT+ 

community. But is your property 

really ready to welcome them? 

“We all like to think we are inclusive, 

and we all have the best intentions, 

but are we actually delivering that? 

There’s always opportunity to 

improve and make sure front-line 

staff are up to speed,” says Darrell 

Schuurman, CEO of Canada’s 

LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC), a 

national not-for-profit organization that seeks 

to create a more inclusive economy. “How do 

we actually make them feel welcome?” 

As Gordon Sombrowski, executive director 

of Park Place Lodge in Fernie, points out: 

“LBGT travellers are really quick to recognize 

6 InnFocus 

when they are not welcome. It’s not just being 

tolerated, but being celebrated.” 

Bigger Spenders, More Frequent 

Travellers 

After a long, brutal pandemic year, the hotel 

industry can finally see a glimmer of hope 

on the horizon, though it will likely be a 

The LGBT+ market 

generally has a higher 

disposable income. 

while before international travellers return en 

masse. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the 

CGLCC last year showed that some 90% of 

LGTB+ people were keen to explore Canadian 

destinations. 

“They are anxious to travel again and they 

have the ability to travel again,” Schuurman 

says. “When you start to look at discretionary 

income, this is a market that spends on travel. 

This market can help with that recovery that 

everyone is looking for.” 

Studies have shown that the LGBT+ market 

generally has a higher disposable income, 

is nearly four times more likely to travel for 

vacations than other demographics and 

will, on average, spend seven times as 

much money on a trip. Pre-COVID, they 

spent more than US $218 billion a year 

globally on travel, US $7.1 billion of that 

in Canada, according to the consulting 

group Out Now. 

And the benefits go beyond the purely 

financial. “We benefit because we have a 

higher occupancy and we have a more 

diverse clientele. The more inclusive 

our community becomes, the more tolerant 

we become,” says Natasha Richardson, 

general manager of Brentwood Bay Resort 

on Vancouver Island. 

She adds: “What’s the purpose of hotels? 

I think it’s important to support inclusion and 

diversity and break down those barriers.”

Diversity vs. Inclusion 

Businesses can embrace diversity all they like, but that doesn’t mean 

they’re actually being inclusive. As Bobby Bissessar, director of sales and 

marketing at The Cove Lakeside Resort in West Kelowna, says, “We can 

put pictures on the website showcasing diversity, but if guests come in 

and it’s unfriendly . . . that’s where inclusion comes in. Inclusion means 

those behaviours that make people feel heard.” 

Schuurman’s research has found that the number one factor that LGBT+ 

travellers look for is a sense of safety—not just physical safety, but a sense 

of being welcomed and accepted for who they are. This should be easy. 

After all, he notes, “The hospitality industry is one where that is the goal 

of what they do.” 

Yet, awkward situations still arise. “Pronouns are a big thing. The risk of 

mis-gendering people is a big consideration,” Schuurman explains. “That 

makes a big impact on the experience right away.” 

The solution starts with the kind of training the CGLCC offers (see 

sidebar). That means not just learning to use the right pronouns and treating 

LGBT+ people with the same courtesy as other guests, but knowing how 

to step in if there is a problem, for instance, if another guest complains 

about a gay couple kissing by the pool. 

“They want to feel that they are completely the same, and completely 

protected,” says Richardson, who has trained her staff to deal with just 

these sort of issues. It helps that the resort is adult-oriented and has a 

diverse staff. “We don’t deliberately seek out that diversity, we just naturally 

attract it. Our guests feel included when they come here because we allow 

our staff to represent themselves how they like.” 

Above all, that inclusivity has to be authentic. As Sombrowski says. “If 

you don’t have that authenticity, it’s not something you can fake.” 

Beyond Four Walls 

Of course, the hotel is only part of the travel experience. 

“It’s a conversation that really needs to happen at the local and regional 

level,” Schuurman says. “We know that guests don’t just stay in the four 

walls of the property. So it’s important to have the conversations in the 

community.” 

That’s especially true as LGBT+ travellers venture outside large urban 

centres to small communities and remote wilderness resorts. “There has 

been a growing interest among LGBT+ travellers to go to places that are 

not necessarily the kinds of places people expect them to go,” Sombrowski 

says and echoes what Schuurman has reported: “They are looking for 

places that reflect who they are. People who are LGBT+ have always 

looked for places where they feel safe. Safety is the number one criterion.” 

Fernie, for instance, has long welcomed LGBT+ mountain bikers and 

skiers from Calgary. “I think there has been an evolution generally in 

society. But I think Fernie is a bit on the leading edge of that curve,” says 

Sombrowski noting the creation of Pride Fernie has been a big part of that 

evolution. “It’s been not just accepted, but celebrated in the community.” 

Pride has also been a huge factor in Kelowna, whose strategic tourism 

plan emphasizes the LGBT+ market. “Pride is already the biggest tourism 

draw for the city,” says Bissessar, who is also the festival’s communications 

director. In fact, the city just won the bid to host the 2022 conference for 

Fierté Canada Pride, the national association of Pride organizations. 

But being welcoming goes beyond one festival. It’s a year-round effort 

that speaks to the authentic hospitality that hoteliers naturally want to 

offer their guests, no matter who those guests are. “We want everything 

to be approachable and we don’t want anyone to worry about offending 

anybody,” Richardson explains. “It’s not just about the LGBT+ community. 

It’s just that kind of culture we want to support.” 

Or as Bissessar says, simply, “It’s not them and us. It’s us.” 

Courtesy of Brentwood Bay Resort 

Create a Welcoming Space 

Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce offers 

workshops and other tools for people in the tourism 

industry. Among them is a certification program that 

includes an online course that addresses language, the 

creation of safe spaces, and other issues. “It’s certainly 

really valuable for operators in the hospitality sector,” 

says CEO Darrell Schuurman. “There’s a lot of really 

good information.” For info, visit cglcc.ca. 


Understanding 

Traveller 

Behaviour 

and Creating a Strategy for Summer 

Business and Beyond 

by Nancy Flello and Kristen Learned 

on behalf of Destination BC 

8 InnFocus Courtesy of Destination BC Photo credit Tanya Goehring 

*Disclaimer: this article was written in April 2021 based on available 

data, forecasting, and predictions for travel resumption at that time. 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Destination BC has continued 

to work in lock-step with Provincial Health Orders and recommendations, 

and encourages the tourism industry to do the same.

Courtesy of Destination BC Photo credit Hubert Kang 

After what has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging years to 

date for the tourism industry, we are beginning to see a light at the end 

of the tunnel. The weather is getting warmer, residents are signalling 

that they’ll be ready to travel in the months and year ahead, and it is 

anticipated that by the end of June, a majority of British Columbian 

adults will have received at least one dose of the vaccine, allowing 

us greater herd immunity and more opportunities to resume activities 

around the province. 

As we look ahead to what we hope will be the beginning of recovery 

for tourism in BC this summer, 

we need to ensure that we are 

Our three key domestic markets 

of BC, Alberta, and Ontario 

will be a primary focus. 

prioritizing the right people, 

at the right time, with all of 

our marketing and business 

activities. We recognize that 

timing can change, and we 

encourage you to see updates 

on our website at www. 

destinationbc.ca/. When creating your strategy for the summer and 

beyond, there are five main areas that should be considered: 

1. Key markets 

2. Market performance 

3. Resident sentiment & traveller behaviours 

4. Local tourism performance within your community 

5. Your own audience 

Key Markets for BC 

To understand and assess BC’s key markets, Destination BC 

produces Market Profiles that are updated annually, and provide 

a quick summary of details for each market including volume, 

expenditure, traveller and trip characteristics as well as insights 

and trends. The profiles are a valuable resource that our tourism 

businesses can leverage to more effectively and efficiently reach 

visitors to BC. 

For this summer and beyond, once restrictions are lifted and 

leisure travel can once again be 

encouraged, we know that our three 

key domestic markets of BC, Alberta, 

and Ontario will be a primary focus, 

provided that health circumstances 

in each area allow travel. Of those 

markets, BC—in particular families, as 

well as couples without kids—provides 

the most immediate opportunity to 

re-ignite travel around the province. As we move past the summer 

looking into fall and winter, we hope to be able to expand our 

marketing programs to Alberta and Ontario, if and when appropriate. 

We expect international visitors to resume travel to BC once borders 

open and quarantine measures are removed. We do not expect this 

to occur until fall 2021 and expect that overseas travel will primarily 

resume in spring and summer 2022, whereas the US may travel to 

BC earlier given their proximity. 


Courtesy of Kootenay Rockies Tourism Photo credit Mitch Winton featuring Hume Hotel, Touchstones Museum 

Market Performance 

Beyond identifying what those markets are, it’s also crucial to understand 

what the opportunity is with these markets. Destination BC provides a 

number of tools to source the latest information and ensure marketing 

programs and funds are being directed to the right places, thereby 

helping us drive more business to 

To be successful it’s essential 

that we have the support and 

buy-in of BC residents. 

you. 

Environics Analytics’ mobility data, 

VisitorView, tracks domestic visits, 

trips and total nights to BC and its 

tourism regions monthly, and is soon 

expected to distill that information 

even further at the regional district 

level. This data is published in a weekly Research Round-up, allowing 

tourism businesses to use this information to assess the latest travel 

patterns of key markets and determine whether a shift in how they 

market, including how they position themselves within a destination 

experience, is needed. 

While we know that international travel is not likely for a little while 

longer, it is important to note that once borders do open and we’re 

able to welcome back our international visitors, there are a number of 

data sources we can continue to leverage to compete on the global 

stage. In addition to standard tourism performance indicators such 

as international visitor arrivals, Destination 

BC has also launched a Signals and 

Sentiments Dashboard: an easy-to-access 

dashboard to monitor what is happening in 

each of our core geographic markets. The 

dashboard data helps us, and BC’s tourism 

industry, quickly understand which markets 

and audiences can start travelling again, 

and when—helping us make informed decisions about when to restart 

marketing activities and in which geographic markets. 

We encourage all businesses to leverage these resources when 

creating their strategies as we move forward toward recovery. 


Resident Sentiment & Traveller Behaviours 

While the go-ahead for travel from our Provincial Health Officer— 

as well as health authorities throughout our key markets—is the 

primary driver toward recovery, in order to be successful it’s 

essential that we have the support and buy-in of BC residents. We 

know that BC resident views on travel are likely to change regularly 

with the dynamic health situation and as vaccination increases. 

We also recognize that as part of this shift and resumption of 

activities, when and how people intend to travel may also look 

vastly different than what we’ve seen before. For example, many 

travellers are now looking increasingly to outdoor experiences, 

such as patio dining, adventure activities, or outdoor wine tastings. 

To understand both willingness to travel and travel intentions— 

signals that will be key to reaching residents and visitors as 

we navigate our new post-pandemic world—Destination BC is 

conducting a BC Residents’ Public Perception study every two 

weeks to monitor resident sentiment on these topics. This data 

is crucial to informing our industry, and your businesses, on the 

best ways and times to reach our residents. These reports can 

be found at www.destinationbc.ca/covid-19/destination-bcresponse/research-insights/. 

Local Tourism Performance 

In addition to understanding market performance, it is also helpful 

to understand the performance of our local and surrounding 

areas, many of which are available in Destination BC’s recently 

launched Tourism Industry Dashboard. The dashboard includes 

a range of tourism statistics such as provincial and community 

room revenue, commercial restaurant receipts, provincial and 

regional occupancy rates, and average daily room rates. For 

accommodation providers, the community occupancy rates 

provide a good indication of how local accommodations are 

performing over time and over different seasons, and identifies 

strong areas of opportunity based on capacity—whether there 

is an opportunity to grow visitation in a certain season, or where 

marketing funds could be re-directed as capacity remains 

consistently strong with existing visitation. The dashboard can be 

found on our website at www.destinationbc.ca/tourism-industrydashboard/. 

Leveraging Resources for Collective Success 

Tourism in BC is an industry whose success to date has been driven 

by collaboration, an approach that has also continued to guide us 

through the challenges of the past year. As we navigate the road 

ahead together, we encourage you to stay connected with us, to 

leverage the resources we have available, and to find opportunities 

for alignment in our collective work to once again see BC tourism 

flourish. Here are some things you can do right now to help create 

your strategy for summer: 

• Visit DestinationBC.ca for the latest research and analytics, 

including tools and publications mentioned in this article. 

• Request a copy of Destination BC’s marketing strategy for further 

details by emailing Marketing.Plan@destinationbc.ca. 

• Email TourismResearch@DestinationBC.ca to discuss how you 

can sub-license PRIZM or commission a custom PRIZM analysis. 

• Register for our regular tourism industry calls, where we 

share updates on government programs, Destination BC 

initiatives and marketing plans, and new tools for industry, 

by emailing covid19response@destinationbc.ca. Recordings of 

past calls are also available through our website. 

• Connect with your local CDMO to determine how your business 

or product fits into their summer marketing plans. 

Destination BC looks forward to continuing to work together toward 

eventual, collective recovery. 

Knowing your own Audience 

Understanding your own niche mix of the provincial and community 

visitation is critical to standing out and resonating with potential 

visitors. To help identify and understand your travellers, a helpful 

tool for tourism businesses to access is PRIZM by Environics 

Analytics: a segmentation system that categorizes households 

into one of 67 segments for Canada, and 68 for US PRIZM 

segments. The segments identify consumer behaviours that are 

mapped down to the postal and zip codes, and provides insights 

on how to best appeal to and reach them. Tourism organizations 

can email TourismResearch@DestinationBC.ca to express interest 

in becoming a sub-licensee and/or commissioning a PRIZM 

analysis, and Destination BC’s research team will follow up to 

understand the business objectives and recommend the most 

appropriate approach for you. 


TRENDS & INSIGHTS 

by Greg Klaasen 

Top Trends for 2021 

Twenty31 Consulting, working on behalf of the Tourism Industry 

Association of Canada (TIAC), compiled the following top 21 trends, 

insights, and predictions from leading travel and tourism sources 

to support industry stakeholders frame the future of travel and 

tourism in 2021. 

2021 will be a year of slow transition. Barring any unexpected 

catastrophes and a continuation of vaccinations, individuals, the 

travel and tourism industry, and society can slowly begin looking 

forward to shaping futures through a lens of innovation and 

opportunity. 

1. Embracing Work from Anywhere 

With a wholesale shift to remote working and keeping in touch 

with the office via digital technologies, the world is now everyone’s 

office; 2021 will see an entirely new movement of “untethered” 

professionals—free from the constraints of offices, commutes and 

homes in the city—with the opportunity to temporarily relocate to 

places more beautiful, inspiring and for longer periods of time. 

2. Travel with Intention and Impact 

Sustainability will be more than a buzzword as people across the 

globe consider how to travel with a holistically green conscience; 

‘Regenerative Travel’ continues to gain pre-COVID momentum with 

both companies and travellers seeking to minimize the negative 

effects of tourism on the planet while simultaneously making a 

positive impact on their host destinations. 

3. The Return of Consumer Confidence 

Although travel restrictions forced 53% of surveyed US travellers 

to cancel or rebook travel plans this past year, many added 

international destinations to their future travel wish lists; 43% of 

travellers have winter trips planned for early 21—with nearly half 

(44%) travelling to beach destinations and 24% to more remote 

ski spots. 

4. Hygiene over Fees 

Travel decisions will be dramatically influenced by cleanliness 

standards; with increased scrutiny on hygiene due to COVID-19. 

Search data cites that 45% of travellers included enhanced cleaning 

within their top three decision-making factors. 

5. The Rise of Rural 

Search data is already showing that nearly 90% of overall searches 

are for trips to rural areas; cabin rentals are expected to be 

especially popular, accounting for 33% of total accommodation 

searches in 2020, a drastic +143% increase from 2019. 

6. The Slow Travel Movement 

After a year of international lockdown, travel agents predict that, 

overall, travellers have acquired a taste for a slower pace; slow travel 

aims to give travellers a rich understanding of life in their destination 

through interactions with local people and opportunities to experience 

a community on a deeper level. This is especially important if multiple 

COVID-19 negative tests are required and long quarantine periods are 

needed, as this would make the quick trip far less likely. 

7. Wellness Tourism 

It’s time to embrace the future of wellness travel; the habits of travellers 

have changed, and more people are favouring a wellness staycation 

with demands for immunity boosting retreats, socially distanced trips, 

private jet journeys, and personal health and fitness holidays. 

8. Travel is a Luxury 

As travel bans lift and borders open, travel will become one of the 

most valuable investments of time and money as people now see the 

ability to fly and explore our planet as a privilege; travel at any level 

will become more precious, more exotic, and more adventurous. 

9. Last Minute Bookings 

When it comes to flexibility, more travellers are booking spontaneous 

last-minute trips; the average number of days between booking to 

check-in is now 50 days, down -37.5% from the average pre-pandemic 

lead time. 

10. Travel Agent Value Surge 

The mass chaos and confusion caused by COVID-19 has strengthened 

the travel manager’s resolve to significantly reduce, if not prohibit, 

unmanaged travel; with travellers less likely to leave home without 

one, travel professionals will grow their influence exponentially. 

11. Younger Travellers 

On the heels of a pandemic that posed the greatest threat to 

seniors and baby boomers, the average age of travellers has 

dropped precipitously across all categories; as age and generational 

demographics of travellers shift to Gen X and those younger travellers 

that follow, it’s likely that other consumer travel trends—such as 

experiences on offer, popular destinations, preferred accommodations 

and amenities—will follow suit. 

12. Business Travel Will Resume, Responsibly 

2021 will usher in the era of responsible travel, with a particular focus 

on business travel; those who must travel—members of the C-suite, 

salespeople and essential workers—will remain as early adopters 

with the expectation that travel providers may require disclosure of 

COVID-19 health status until a vaccine is widely adopted. 


TRENDS & INSIGHTS 

13. No Fee Trip Changes 

With rules and regulations for travel changing on a daily basis, travellers 

will require the flexibility to change their hotel or flight booking at no 

extra cost to book with confidence; for some businesses, this will 

reinforce the other 2021 trend, which is doing more with less. 

14. Supporting Local 

With many borders still closed, and the potential of provincial 

quarantines looming, domestic locations in national parks, winter 

ski and beach towns will gain even more traction as preferred tourist 

choices; the focus on domestic tourism will continue to signal a 

massive departure from international and regular seasonal travel 

over the year to come. 

15. Values-Driven Brand Authenticity 

The intensity of the pandemic and the whole of 2020 have shed 

more light on the global issues faced by the collective; as we move 

into 2021 consumers will re-examine their values and seek the “new 

luxury”—brands with a conscious. The travel industry is no exception. 

16. Digital Transformation 

COVID-19 accelerated the digitization of every industry, including 

tourism; the capacity for tourism businesses of all sizes to evolve their 

business models, adopt digital technologies to effectively participate 

in global value ecosystems, and take up new ways of data-driven 

working will shape productivity, social and economic wellbeing in 

the future. 

17. Cruise Control 

The cruise industry has suffered losses in the billions from a 

catastrophic year; although the companies have developed stringent 

hygiene concepts. Whether the cruise industry can truly recover in 

2021 will depend, above all, on the effectiveness of vaccination. 

18. “Vaxications” 

Pent-up demand for travel, the promise of vaccines for the general 

public by summer, and border/quarantine restrictions potentially 

being lifted by internationally coordinated digital health passports 

will result in a rush of vaccine-enabled vacations. 

19. Travel Testing, Proof of Vaccinations and Quarantines? 

Many countries around the world will require proof of a negative 

coronavirus test for all arriving international travellers, and they may 

impose additional tests upon arrival or a few days later. Airports and 

hotels will add testing facilities, and airlines will enhance mobile apps 

with health features to prove negative tests. Testing may continue 

in spite of proof of vaccinations. And destinations may still require 

quarantine periods of up to 14 days in spite of proof of vaccinations 

and multiple negative tests. 

20. Solo Travel Takes a Pause 

Solo travel is taking a downturn in the year ahead; in 2020, the share 

of bookings for single accommodations on HomeToGo dropped 

by 44% compared to 2019, with most looking to travel with an 

average of six companions. That said, solo women travellers are 

predicted to be on the rise. 

21. Destination Asia 

As borders gradually open and more people are planning to 

travel in 2021, destinations within Asia are the most searched for 

international travel, as revealed by the 2021 Expedia Travel Trends 

Report. With all the positive global media coverage around Asia’s 

early handling of the pandemic, it’s no surprise that many are 

looking east for a glimpse of recovery. 

This article in its entirety can be seen on TIAC’s site at 

https://tiac-aitc.ca/_Library/Coronavirus_2020/T31_TIAC_ 

Dashboard_FEB_EN.pdf 


GO 

Green 

A Journey Towards 

Sustainability – Watermark 

Beach Resort Case Study 

by Dylan Tomlin 

Courtesy of Watermark Beach Resort 

Located just steps from the beach, marina, and a wide variety of dining 

and shopping options, Watermark Beach Resort, in Osoyoos, is the ideal 

location for those wanting to discover the South Okanagan ‘Good Life’. 

With effortless access to a myriad of exciting activities and entertainment, 

the lakeside resort is highly regarded for delivering a seamless guest 

experience that distinguishes it as a must-visit destination within the 

world-renowned Okanagan wine 

country. 

While Watermark’s overwhelming 

commitment to hospitality is at 

the forefront of its operations, the 

beach resort’s dedication to guests 

extends further than its amenities. The 

Watermark team remain acutely aware 

of the property’s responsibility to the 

land it occupies and the need to protect it, taking significant strides to 

reduce its environmental impact and proudly communicate this green 

policy to guests and stakeholders. 

Among the many sustainable solutions the operations team has 

implemented are a recycling program, an eco-conscious food and 

beverage program, and electric vehicle charging stations throughout the 


The Watermark team was 

able to reduce their annual 

operating costs by $27,500. 

resort, which aim to promote green transportation throughout the Okanagan 

and beyond. Similarly, the property is dedicated to becoming carbon and 

waste neutral, consistently auditing and measuring their progress, while 

administering solutions that will help reduce the resort’s footprint. 

As an important step in this process, the Watermark team employed 

GreenStep Solutions’ EcoFund Program, in February of 2018, to identify 

green solutions that would not only support 

their sustainability mandate but aid in 

reducing operating costs. 

Project: Identifying Opportunity 

Inefficient lighting significantly drives up 

wasteful energy consumption and electricity 

bills in hotels, so upgrading this is an 

intelligent investment for an efficient future. 

Following an in-depth sustainability consultation with Watermark, GreenStep 

Solutions was able to identify a Lighting Retrofit as an opportunity for positive 

change, advising that the resort opt for LED lights over their incandescent 

counterparts. LEDs—short for light-emitting diodes—are a proven solution 

for operators seeking sustainable tools, offering an exceptional blend of 

opportunity and efficiency along various colour options and controllability.

Solution: Lighting Retrofit 

Following the advice of GreenStep Solutions, Watermark conducted 

an extensive LED Retrofit across the entire property. Remarkably, by 

replacing 1,825 LED lights, the Watermark team was able to reduce 

their annual operating costs by $27,500 and their annual energy 

consumption by over 200,000 kwh—this has provided them with a 

return on investment of over 300%. 

Furthermore, through the GreenStep EcoFund program, Watermark 

raised well over $100,000 and a portion of the EcoFund was used to 

wholly finance the LED Retrofit. They now have a sizable EcoFund left 

to employ towards future projects that will help them move forward in 

their commitment to greener operations. 

While the team at Watermark has already taken significant strides 

towards sustainability, they continue to look to the future. This resort 

is an exceptional example of how we can all work together to improve 

our planet. 

The property is currently in the process of undertaking an Energy 

Assessment through the BC Hotel Association’s (BCHA’s) GoGreen 

Programme. As the BCHA Energy Analyst, I am working alongside 

the Watermark team to help them identify the next phase in their 

commitment to green operations. Through this work, I will also 

determine what rebates and incentives exist from FortisBC to help 

lower the overall cost of the project. 

No matter where you are in your own journey towards sustainability, I 

encourage you to follow the lead of resorts like Watermark Beach Resort 

and routinely look for opportunities to become more eco-friendly. Reach 

your sustainability and efficiency targets faster by utilizing benefits 

offered through your membership with the BCHA. I commend the 

Watermark team for the substantial work they have done to meet their 

sustainability goals and I look forward to helping you reach yours. 


Comfort 

in the 

Wild 

Three BC Wilderness 

Resorts that Offer 

Luxurious Getaways 

by Joanne Sasvari 

After a year of being cooped up at home, who 

doesn’t want to head for the hills? Especially 

when you can stay in a luxurious resort that 

serves gourmet meals amid spectacular 

scenery? Most years, British Columbia’s 

wilderness resorts attract an international clientele. 

This year, these beautiful destinations are all ours. 

Here are three to visit—when we can. 

West Coast Wilderness Lodge 

wcwl.com 

Twice a day, as the tides change, 200 billion gallons 

of water rush through the Skookumchuck Narrows 

that connect Sechelt and Jervis Inlets. Its spectacular 

whirlpools comprise one of the great whitewater wonders 

of the world—and a largely local secret. “We don’t brag 

about the Skookumchuck like we should,” says Paul Hansen. 

He should know. In 1997, he and his wife Patti bought a 

piece of land in the nearby community of Egmont and turned 

it into a wilderness retreat, mainly for schoolchildren. “In the 

1990s, nobody went to the Sunshine Coast,” he says. “Even 

now it’s like going back to the ’70s. There’s hardly any traffic.” 

By 2003, they’d rebranded the West Coast Wilderness Lodge 

as a luxury ecotourism resort, and international visitors soon 

followed. “When you’re managing kids in the outdoors, timing and 

food are everything, and it’s the same thing with tourists,” Hansen 

says with a laugh. 

Today the resort features a 7,000-square-foot main lodge and 26 

guest rooms throughout five mini-lodges, all with spectacular views. 

The main lodge houses the Inlets Restaurant, which offers a popular 

Fly N’ Dine experience where guests can swing by for dinner via floatplane 

from Sechelt or Vancouver. Pacific Yachting Magazine called Inlets “the 

best waterfront restaurant dining room in this part of the world.” 

Courtesy of West Coast Wilderness Lodge 


The resort offers hiking, kayaking, boating, spa services, and 

all the outdoor experiences a visitor could crave. Plus, compared 

to some resorts, WCWL is both accessible and affordable. “Our 

philosophy has always been accessible outdoors,” Hansen says. 

“Get out there and get a taste of the world around us.” 

Nimmo Bay Resort 

nimmobay.com 

At the end of a remote inlet in the Great Bear Rainforest, Nimmo 

Bay Resort is far away from just about anywhere. Or maybe it just 

feels that way. “It’s an incredible area for wild biodiversity,” says 

Briana Sloan, the resort’s manager of marketing and reservations. 

“It’s the Canadian safari.” 

The resort was created by Craig and Deborah Murray, who 

towed the original 1930s floating fishing lodge to the inlet in 1980 

and started welcoming guests soon after. The family still owns 

the resort, though the next generation is running it these days. 

In 2020, they replaced the old main lodge with a brand-new one that 

houses a bakery and a sumptuous fly-in fine-dining restaurant called 

Little River. “It’s totally custom-built for the purpose,” Sloan says. 

Guest accommodation is in the nine rustic-elegant two-bedroom 

cabins. “Our occupancy rate is 18 to 20 people at any time, and we 

have up to 35 staff on site at any time,” Sloan says. “We do really 

curated, customized personal experiences.” 

Guests fly in—there is no road access—for a high-end, all-inclusive 

experience that covers food, drink, accommodation, hiking, kayaking, 

paddle-boarding, and wildlife viewing. Helicopter tours, wilderness 

safaris, and wellness experiences are optional add-ons. This is a 

seriously luxurious getaway amid some of the most pristine wilderness 

on the planet. And most years, it’s one that’s unavailable to locals. 

“We used to get a lot of inquiries from Canadians, but we’d be fully 

booked,” Sloan says. “I hope Canadians realize there’s going to be a 

huge, pent-up demand from the international market. The message 

is, travel now.” 

Courtesy of Nimmo Bay Resort, Photo credit Jeremy Koreski 


Emerald Lake Lodge 

crmr.com 

Located in Yoho National Park, not far from the Alberta border, 

Emerald Lake Lodge is designed for those who want to unplug and 

get close to nature. But that doesn’t exactly mean roughing it. The 

lodge’s parent company, Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, is 

known for offering exceptional cuisine and luxuriously comfortable 

accommodation, and this resort is no exception to that rule. 

“The lodge has been around for ages,” says Caitlyn Murphy, CRMR’s 

marketing manager. “The O’Connor family, the owners of Canadian 

Rocky Mountain Resorts, bought it in 1979 and before that it was a 

campground. A lot has changed since then.” 

The lodge perches on a 13-acre car-free peninsula in the middle of 

glacier-fed Emerald Lake (visitors take a shuttle across a bridge to reach 

the resort), and features a main building that houses the restaurant and 

lobby, as well as 85 guest rooms divided among 24 cabins. “They 

are scattered all around the property,” Murphy says. “Some are in 

the forest, some are by the lake itself.” 

Cozy mountain tradition is the ambience here, from the centuryold 

fireplaces and an oak bar salvaged from an 1890s Yukon saloon 

to the hand-hewn timbers, quiet reading rooms, and “epic hot tub” 

with surrounding mountain vistas. Guests can hike and paddle in 

summer, and ski and snowshoe in winter. 

“It’s a place you can go any season,” Murphy says. “There’s a loop 

that goes around the lake—it’s about an hour walk, and in winter that 

turns into a cross-country ski trail. I like to do a nice loop around the 

lake and then have a glass of wine on the patio.” 

She adds: “It’s a great, relaxing destination. It’s just the perfect 

place to detach from your phone.” 

Comfort 

in the 

Wild 


Courtesy of Emerald Lake Lodge

y Deb Froehlick 

Courtesy of Destination BC 

Integral Services Group’s MediDefense mPulse Hand Sanitizer is a 

revolutionary new formula that provides eight hours of protection against 

harmful microbes. Using advanced antimicrobial technology approved 

by Health Canada, it is odourless, free of VOCs, and moisturizes skin. 

www.integralservicesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ 

ISG_Medi_Defense.pdf 

VI Banking’s 2021 ATMs provide large screens, fast transactions 

with Internet connection, and processing for all international cards 

globally. www.vibanking.ca 

Inntegrated Hospitality Management Ltd. has a new human 

resource administration service tailored for owner/operators that 

reduces administrative workload and fully administers the human 

resource function. www.inntegratedhospitality.com 

MTech Locks’ STAYmyway System includes a mobile key delivered 

to guests’ smartphones, which enables digital access to guestrooms 

and other hotel areas. It reduces touchpoints, saves time and costs, 

and streamlines check in. The system is compatible with MTech Locks 

and leading industry lock brands. www.mtechlocks.com 

LOC International Inc.’s new Nonstop product line, exclusively 

for Canada, features modern alarm clocks, wireless chargers, Bluetooth 

speakers, and UV sanitizers. They are approved by Marriott, Hyatt, and 

Hilton and can be custom branded to include your hotel’s logo and more. 

www.locinternational.com/technology-based-alarm-clock-chargingstations/ 

Sunco’s new SIP for Business is reliable, cost-effective SIP trunking 

for business communication systems. This system enables consolidation 

of phone numbers from multiple locations, maintaining existing phone 

numbers, fast activation of new phone numbers, unlimited long distance 

across most of North America, comprehensive failover options, and the 

potential to use existing telephone systems without requiring upgrades. 

www.sunco.ca/products/sunco-sip-business/ 

Royal Roads University is introducing three new specialization 

streams for their Master of Arts in Tourism Management: Social 

Entrepreneurship, Disaster and Emergency Management, and 

Sustainability. www.royalroads.ca/tourism-management-leaders 

Nespresso Professional is proud to introduce the Momento 

100. Awarded the iF Design Award, it is aesthetically pleasing and 

easy to use. A touchscreen display with touch-free capabilities 

makes it perfect for self-serve or high-volume coffee environments. 

www.nespresso.com/pro/ca/en/order/machines/pro/momento-100- 

commercial-coffee-machines 

GreenStep Solutions Inc.’s Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is a 

new initiative that provides an opportunity to tourism businesses and 

accommodations across Canada, the United States, and beyond, to 

commit to measuring and improving their sustainability performance 

between now and 2030. It’s free to sign up – the only investment is your 

time. www.sustainabletourism2030.com 


Hospitality 

Financial 

Leadership in 

a Time of 

Crisis 

by David Lund 


We have just completed a year that has been 

unprecedented. It has re-written the goalposts 

for so many things, especially for the hotel and 

other service industries where people are the 

main ingredient in what we offer. This article 

is about the lessons we should take from the 

past 12 months and how we can go forward 

with better tools and insight. 

Our business is built on three pillars. They are 

the guests, the colleagues, and the money, or 

as some would call the third pillar the financials, 

or even the owner. When we think about pillars, 

we naturally incorporate the idea that they are 

even and capable of holding their own share of 

the burden and the success of our hospitality 

enterprise. I am going to explore how the three 

pillars fared in the last year, how 

they may recover, and how they 

can be stronger in the future. 

Pillar 1 – The Guests 

First and foremost, let us start 

with the guests. Without guests, 

our business is a non-starter, and 

it goes without saying that we are 

ready to welcome them back so long as we can 

all do it safely. How we welcome them back is 

the question and at what price? Average rates 

have fallen by 30% on average and occupancy 

by over 50% compared to the pre-COVID 

norms in Canada. That is a whopping 70% 

when expressed as RevPAR. When guests 

start to return in significant numbers, what will 

they pay? 

Some forecasts put occupancy at above 

50% for the full year of 2021 and average rates 

off by 15-20% from 2019’s stabilized range. In 

BC in 2019, we had a record year with an ADR 

of just under $200 and occupancy of 70%, 

equaling a RevPAR of $139. If we use this as a 

base and apply the forecasted occupancy and 

rate reduction, we’re looking at 2021 RevPAR 

in the $80 - $90 range. This is obviously an 

average and many will fare better mainly 

because of location and business mix. None 

the less that means our collective measure of 

what guests pay us will take a 40% haircut 

from 2019 levels. 

We all know that getting a strong room rate 

and occupancy takes time, momentum, and 

a healthy market. Losing it happens literally 

overnight. Now more than ever it’s critical to 

have solid revenue management intelligence 

Investing in and developing 

our people is what hospitality 

is all about. 

and practices in place. Relying on experience 

and market knowledge is a serious gamble with 

very unattractive odds this time around. If you 

don’t have a credible revenue management 

strategy in play with the proper tools, you’re 

going to come up short-changed. Penny-wise 

perhaps, but definitely pound-foolish. 

Pillar 2 – The Colleagues 

The second pillar is the colleagues. I think we 

have really shot ourselves in the foot with this 

one. Investing in and developing our people is 

what hospitality is all about. Our industry trades 

long days and hard work for recognition and 

advancement. How many people reading this 

article can say they came to the hotel business 

because they wanted and planned to. If you 

are like me and most, you came for a summer 

and stayed a lifetime—managers, leaders, and 

colleagues alike. 

What we have done this time around is really 

going to cost us dearly in the long run. Letting 

go, furloughing, and laying off our employees 

at every level for more than a year means they 

are gone. They have left the stage, and who can 

blame them? If we did not do all we could to 

keep them and help them during the last year, 

then shame on us. 

I know for many of you, this stings 

and that would have been a luxury, 

but I think it all comes down to choice 

and priorities. Mortgages and debts 

can be renegotiated. I have been 

working with an independent hotel 

in Western Canada for the past three 

years. During the initial part of the 

pandemic, revenues fell by 75% and 

that meant negative profits for many months. 

But their commitment to their staff was the 

number 1 priority. Why? Because the business 

will come back. We can rebuild our markets 

and some think relatively quickly because of 

demand (it’s still there). We cannot do the same 

with people because the supply available to 

hospitality is extremely limited. 

The labour supply was already on empty 

in many markets because of legislation and 

demographics. Now with COVID, we will have 

even fewer candidates to choose from. But 


you know what? My client still has all his staff because he saw that as 

the most important aspect of his business. The lesson here is we need 

people to make our business work for the long run. Let us not make the 

same mistake next time. Use every means and every program and every 

cent to keep our people whole and intact, even if that means dipping into 

our own pocket. 

Pillar 3 – The Numbers 

Pillar three is the numbers, the 

financials or the owner, they are 

all the same. When you look 

through the 3rd pillar, it’s really a 

result of the first two, the guests 

and the colleagues, but hold 

on because we now have an 

opportunity to re-create how we manage our business. 

A hotel is simply the sum of its parts. In practical terms, this means it 

is the equivalent of all of its departments. Each one plays a vital role in 

the execution of the business strategy and each department needs a 

well-oiled financial plan to function effectively. Without these plans, we 

are akin to a drifting ship. 

Each department needs 

a well-oiled financial plan 

to function effectively. 

Someone once shared that he had a recent discussion with a 

government official and the comment made to him was, “our industry 

is not very professional.” That can mean a lot of things, but let’s not 

get all emotional. What that means to me is our business needs to up 

its game when it comes to how we manage the financials. That means 

monthly financial statements using 

the accrual accounting process, not 

an annual statement based on the 

cash method. That means annual 

budgets and rolling 30-, 60- and 

90-day forecasts that are prepared 

by department managers. That 

also means the same managers 

have staffing guides and formulas 

alongside a zero-based system for 

expenses and a balanced checkbook. The numbers will never be perfect, 

and they are not going away, so let’s get our act together. 

We can do better, but only if we look at what we do with the correct 

lens. We do have the ability to manage better going forward, but that 

means we invest in our business for the long term. A quote from JFK 

sums things up: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” We know the tide will return, 

but the height to which we rise depends on us. 


Leader of the Future: 

Heather Riddick, 

Black Rock Oceanfront Resort 

by Jacquie Maynard 

Now, in her role at Black Rock Oceanfront 

Resort, she gets to do what she loves in a 

place that she loves. 

“I’m very social,” she laughs. “Hospitality 

is where my heart feels right. Plus, I get to 

live somewhere that’s on someone’s travel 

bucket list.” 

Over the years, Riddick transitioned from 

banquet and event planning into more guest 

service-oriented roles, giving her the big 

picture of what guests are looking for. 

“Guest service is guest service; it doesn’t 

matter which department you’re in,” she says. 

“What’s important is the ability to learn from 

guests and listen to what they have to say so 

that you can give them a great experience.” 

Heather Riddick, Director of Sales and 

Marketing at Black Rock Oceanfront 

Resort in Ucluelet, never expected to 

land in a sales and marketing position, 

but now that she has, she’s found that it’s 

the perfect fit. After more than 25 years in 

the hospitality industry, working in nearly 

every department, her experiences have 

culminated to bring her to where she is 

now: one-third of a powerhouse team of 

women hoping to make their community 

better and maybe change the status quo 

of the industry while they’re at it. 

Finding Home in Ucluelet 

With a father in the Air Force, Riddick had 

the opportunity to see all that our country 

has to offer, but she says that Vancouver 

Island is where she and her husband, a 

Red Seal Chef, have always wanted to 

settle down. 

Luckily, after opportunities that took 

them to places like Vancouver, Whistler, 

Sun Peaks, and Kananaskis, the couple 

were offered jobs in the Ucluelet area and 

Riddick got her wish. 

We scrutinize every decision we make to 

determine how it impacts our community, 

business, and the environment. 

Data Geek 

Although, according to Riddick, guests aren’t 

the only beneficial source of information. “I’ve 

become a bit of a data geek,” she says with 

a laugh. 

In one of her previous positions, Riddick 

says she discovered all of the data available 

to her about the business and how she could 

use it to optimize operations. “I got to learn 

about revenue management and discovered 

all this data we have and how subtle shifts in 

things like pricing and packaging can shift 

the bottom line really quickly by just pivoting 

a little bit,” she continues. “That’s the part that 

I get excited about—when I see something 

that isn’t working to just adjust it slightly and 

see the results.” 

Black Rock’s Green Journey 

This excitement for improvement is 

something that she puts to good use at 

Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, which is 

working towards becoming a zero-waste 

model hotel. 

The resort, with a whole new leadership 

team including Riddick, has just achieved 

green certification with the Vancouver 

Island Green Business Collective for its 

spa and restaurant, and that’s just the 

beginning. The new team has also gotten 

rid of single-use plastics and the miniature 

bottles in suites in favour of refillable bottles 

that are topped up by The Den, the local 

refillery, and has swapped out all cleaning 

products with a line of all-natural, essentialoil-based 

products developed by local 

business Mint Cleaning. 

The resort even rebranded its gift shop, 

which sells the same signature-scented 

body products offered in the suites, as well 

as other locally made and sourced goods 

and works of art. “It’s about creating that 

circular economy,” she says. “We scrutinize 

every decision we make to determine how 

it impacts our community, business, and 

the environment. We’ve been seeing that 

visitors are looking for more than just a 

stay. They want to stay and come to a 

community that embodies their values, 

and it gives us pride to know that we are 

doing such great things and impacting the 

community in a positive way.” 


The Potential of 

Productivity! 

How Cross-Training Can Help Boost 

Productivity in a Post-Pandemic World 

by Chantel Wellman 


“Productivity is doing things you were never able to do before.” 

Franz Kaftka 

Almost overnight the world changed in March 2020 and now, as we 

slowly emerge and discover the “new normal”, it allows businesses a 

chance to reimagine their work processes and offers an opportunity to 

improve productivity. 

In addition to the new acronyms 

we’ve learned over this past year, like 

PPE and mRNA, words like “adapt” and 

“pivot” are now a part of our everyday 

vocabulary, and rightfully so—they have 

been the cornerstone to success for 

many during the pandemic. 

COVID-19 has had an extraordinary 

impact on working arrangements. Many of us have had to adapt to 

online technologies, pivot to working remotely, and develop new work 

processes that allowed the business to remain operational. 

As we prepare to welcome travellers back this summer, now is the 

time to reimagine our work processes. We should ask ourselves how we 

can re-engage with our staff while optimizing labour productivity. One of 

Consider utilizing 

cross-training to harness the 

power of existing employees. 

the takeaways from the pandemic is that our workforce is flexible and 

capable of many things, and cross-training and upskilling are a prime 

example of how we can optimize the workforce we have. 

Consider utilizing cross-training to harness the power of existing 

employees and not restrict someone to a narrow view of their job. 

As managers and leaders, we need to challenge our assumption of 

what one person can accomplish and 

contribute to the workforce. Setting our 

sights on increasing productivity while 

increasing employee engagement and 

satisfaction will be paramount to any 

business’ success. 

The need for cross-training and 

upskilling is not unique to the pandemic 

(or hospitality), the World Economic Forum’s The Future of Jobs Report 

2018 cites that by 2022 “54% of all employees will require significant 

re- and upskilling” and that two-thirds of employers expect workers 

to adapt and pick up skills in the course of their changing jobs. As we 

move towards increased automation in the hospitality industry around 

the world, from app-based check-in or text-based communication with 


guests, it is important that we concentrate on improving workflow 

processes. 

The goal of cross-training is to help employees expand and 

develop new skills to allow them to perform multiple functions 

throughout the operation, with a focus on eliminating or reducing 

both duplication of tasks between departments and classifications 

or inefficiencies found in certain positions. Think about these 

practical examples: 

• Night audit learning laundry functions (even just folding towels) 

for those quiet periods throughout the night hours 

• Front desk learning the function of a lobby coffee bar to assist 

during rush periods in the morning 

• An accounts payable employee learning how to do payroll to 

cover a leave of absence or vacation 

• Using an additional server rather than adding a host 

• Extending the hours of a breakfast cook so he has time to do 

dishes and eliminate the dishwasher hours 

The examples above increase efficiencies allowing your business 

to reduce hiring needs while maximizing the current workforce. 

Cross-training can also pay dividends by making employees more 

effective, and is commonly used to alleviate pressures of unexpected 

illness resulting in absences, vacation coverage, and employee 

departures. Some practical examples of that include: 

• Having two people trained on payroll to cover a leave of absence 

or vacation 

• Training dishwashers on food preparation and some menu items 

• Having housepersons, laundry, and room attendants all crosstrained 

An added bonus to cross-training is that it should improve 

customer satisfaction as well. Cross-training and upskilling your team 

will enable them to engage fully with your guests and answer the 

customer’s questions about many different areas of the hotel. Guests 

appreciate and value having their questions answered in one place 

quickly and effectively, which in turn improves the overall experience 

of the guest. An additional significant benefit is the empowerment 

and confidence your team member has developed. The staff begin 

to build ownership and confidence over not just their role, but the 

entire guest experience. 

As we think about jobs and tasks in terms of cross-training or 

upskilling, look for opportunities to engage with staff as well. Start 


To test both efficiency and 

effectiveness of the work 

done at your property, ask 

yourself two questions: 

1. What more is each 

individual employee capable 

of doing? 

2. What can be done to 

encourage more sharing of 

work across different job 

classifications. 

with asking them where they see opportunities. It is important 

to communicate to staff throughout the cross-training process. 

By getting them on board with cross-training opportunities, their 

confidence in their positions will grow, which in turn will improve 

their morale and productivity. Communicate the message to your 

employees that cross-training is 

designed to enhance their work 

experience (including providing 

more steady hours), not overwork 

them. We want to amplify their 

abilities, not burden them. 

In advance of establishing 

a cross-training program, it 

is important to engage with 

employees to understand their personal interests and areas 

where they would like to expand their knowledge base. Getting 

employee buy-in will go a long way to boost their motivation and 

productivity. Engaging with staff about cross-training and upskilling 

will help to grow their sense of loyalty to the business as well as 

enhance their morale—this will likely improve employee retention 

as well. As with any changes made in the workplace, make sure 

We want to amplify 

their abilities, 

not burden them. 

that when implementing cross-training initiatives you do so in a 

fair and inclusive manner. Communicate that the goal of crosstraining 

is to expose them to a wider range of work in the amazingly 

interesting and diverse hospitality industry and open up future 

opportunities for them. 

COVID-19 has kept all businesses 

on their feet and if we have learned 

anything over the course of this 

pandemic it is that adapting and 

pivoting are the only ways to survive. 

Thinking outside the box and using 

your existing team of employees to 

help usher you into the “new normal” 

through cross-training and upskilling 

will help your operation be more resilient and adaptable as we 

navigate a time when increasing labour productivity is paramount 

to your success. 

Chantel Wellman is an LR/HR Consultant with HR West. HR West 

provides human resource and labour relations consulting support to 

organizations in various sectors across BC. 


NAMES IN THE NEWS 

by Deb Froehlick 

The BCHF is fortunate to continue receiving 

support from a variety of businesses in the 

local tourism and hospitality industry, and 

we hope you’ll help support our supporters 

(and the BC economy) by choosing products 

that will result in a donation to our charity. 

From June 6 to July 3, 2021, for example, 

Univins and Spirits import agency will 

donate $1 per 4-pack of Lulu Spritz sold to 

the BCHF. The blend of Italian Pinot Grigio 

Frizzante, tonic water, and natural flavours 

from Sicilian orange bitters is a patio and 

camping favourite, particularly because it 

comes in convenient Apero cans. Lulu Spritz 

will be $1.50 off for the period mentioned, so 

a 4-pack will be only $9.49 plus taxes. Please 

check the BCHF’s “Shop Our Supporters” 

page for information about additional 

initiatives. 

We’re grateful for these and other 

initiatives, but we’d also appreciate it if your 

business would consider making the BCHF 

your Charity of Choice. Our organization was 

founded on the idea that we in the hospitality 

industry work together to help our own, 

and this is just as true during tough times 

as it is when things are going well. Please 

contact our Executive Director, Dana Harris, 

at Dana@danalee.biz, if you would like more 

information about this option. 

We are pleased to announce that we have 

awarded more than 45 scholarships in 2021. 

These include: 

• Culinary, Sommelier, and Hospitality 

scholarships 


• BC WISE scholarships for individuals 

working to become winemakers, viticulturalists, 

and wine business executives 

• Legacy scholarships in the names of Chef 

Nik Lim, Valerie Soon, Greg King, and Emily 

Sheane 

• The Food, Beverage, and Hospitality 

Scholarship presented by Lulu Spritz 

• Industry scholarships to children with 

parents working in hospitality 

We hope you will help spread the word about 

the BCHF’s medical beneficiary program. We 

provide financial support to hospitality and 

tourism workers facing financial crisis due 

to a serious health condition experienced by 

themselves or a family member. The funds 

we provide help our beneficiaries cover 

such things as basic living expenses, pay for 

essential medication, and travel to medical 

appointments in other cities. We want to 

know about people who need our help, so 

please keep us in mind when talking with your 

coworkers and colleagues. 

We wish everyone a safe and happy 

summer. Thank you for your support! 

New Members 

The BC Hotel Association welcomes these 

new associate members: 

Deluxe 

Talent Employment Inc. 

Appointments 

The BC Chamber of Commerce is pleased to 

announce the appointment of Fiona Famulak 

as President and Chief Executive Officer. 

Famulak brings to the role more than three 

decades of international experience working 

in both private and not-for-profit sectors. 

Fiona Famulak 

Jean-François Vary 

Jean-François Vary was appointed as 

General Manager of Fairmont Waterfront in 

Vancouver. His most recent role was General 

Manager of Fairmont Winnipeg. 

OPUS Vancouver is excited to announce 

the appointment of Sarah Vallely as General 

Manager. With plans in place to re-open 

this summer, Sarah is well underway to a 

splashy and successful opening. At 35 years 

of age, she is the youngest female leading 

a boutique hotel as GM in the country.

HOTELIER FEATURE: 

Sandra Gregory 

by Becky Dumais 

Sandra Gregory’s 

list of both life and work 

experience— the two so closely 

intertwined because it fed her 

wanderlust—traverses across 

more than 30 countries and carries 

countless stories and connections. 

“I’ve learned there’s some very intriguing people in the world. No surprise,” 

she states. 

While her LinkedIn profile illustrates her as a successful, experienced 

hospitality manager with experience across operations, F&B, outlet 

management, leadership, training, and customer service management, 

there’s more to her than that (including a few harrowing experiences 

involving cobras, sharks, and sheep). 

Gregory is General Manager at the dreamy, remote Halcyon Hot 

Springs Resort and she’s “eternally grateful to the ownership for the 

opportunity.” She values their unwavering dedication to a high quality level 

of service and their continued investment to help innovate – even during 

a pandemic. “That’s incredible. They’re very focused on progressing and 

providing innovation and opportunity for others, and building a reputation 

as a top employer,” she says. They also provided the opportunity for 

her to take ownership to make extensive changes to the operation and 

brand. The team here is driven and dedicated to elevating our operation. 

There’s more than a touch of entrepreneurial spirit within her, although 

she might not quite see it that way. “I know that I was, and have continued 

to be, extremely fortunate in my life—a lot of my success was because 

someone created a platform of opportunity for me,” she reasons. “Even 

if it’s telling me I’m not right for a position or turning me down for a 

promotion. People had patience with me to share skills that I couldn’t 

have possibly learned without utilizing their experience. If I can create 

platforms of opportunity for others to reach their potential, then I’ve had 

a good life.” 

That’s part of what landed her there. “That’s kind of what I live 

by across the board and why I’m doing what I’m doing now. If you 

surround yourself with people that can do something better than you, 

all you’re going to do is learn.” 

Gregory loves connecting with fellow entrepreneurs and volunteers 

as a business advisor in third world countries with women and youth. 

She loves the creation of ideas. “Halcyon is that on every level for me. I 

work with such amazing people, but I wouldn’t be where I am without 

those who helped.” Sure, job titles look good on paper or for legal 

purposes, but she says it’s never been important to her. “If anything 

it’s been a detriment. I’m used to being the younger person in the 

room, especially one with so much responsibility (especially in maledominated 

environments, from the Australian Outback to West Africa).” 

Remote work, Gregory says, is a shift in culture. She landed her first 

remote role at 18 at a backcountry lodge in the Rockies. It’s not for 

everyone, especially if frolicking grizzlies blocking your commute to the 

lodge gives you anxiety about being late. “Remote work and being a 

manager is a very niche thing. You constantly have to be aware. You’re 

the landlord, the caretaker, the business developer, you’re whatever 

you need to be at the time,” she laughs, which on the day we spoke, 

was housekeeper. 

She admits jokingly that her dream job would be Santa Claus, 

flying around the world doling out excitement and joy. “If you’re in the 

industry, you’re planning someone’s vacation. That’s the excitement 

for me: when you get to be able to say, ‘I’m going to give you the best 

experience possible and create a memory.’” 


y Mike Macleod 

I recently came across an online article that poked fun at COVID-19 

business buzzwords and phrases that we all have come to know and 

loathe these last many months—phrases like ‘unprecedented’, ‘fluid 

situation’, and ‘the new normal’. Along with the restrictions that have 

plagued our lives, we would all like to ‘pivot’ and put these terms, and 

times, behind us. 

All repetitive jargon aside, the article had me thinking about other 

words and expressions I see and hear regularly like ‘partnership’ and 

‘collaboration’. I think it is safe to assume that our sector has never been 

more open to working together for a common goal and to share in the 

benefit that those relationships bring. 

Partnership, by literal definition, means a business partnership 

that consists of two or more legal entities pooling their resources to 

operate a shared business. In the figurative sense, it possesses a 

more intangible quality, relating to the spirit of business relationships. 

Despite these definitions, one thing is certain: partnership most often 

means opportunity. It is incumbent on all of us now to sow the seeds 

of partnership, to seek new opportunities, to focus on development, 

and above all else, encourage each other to reimagine what can be 

accomplished in the recovery. 

Foundational to this relationship is collaboration, which goes far beyond 

mere contribution to a project. True collaboration is distinct. It is unified, 

interdependent, and cooperative. Ultimately, it is an ongoing process of 

working towards a common goal. It requires the willingness and drive of 

all involved parties to pursue and meet this shared objective. 

Though devastating, the pandemic has delivered its silver linings. Our 

industry is inherently social, but beyond this, we are resilient. For many, 

the pandemic offered an opportunity for us all to reassess circumstances, 

short- and long-term objectives, and discover opportunities for 

reinvention and growth through partnership and collaboration. 

Since March of 2020, we have been amazed at how attitudes towards 

partnership and collaboration within our membership have completely 

transformed and expanded. We have heard countless stories of regions, 

suppliers, and operators of all sizes coming together to achieve a common 

goal, and in turn, sharing the rewards. 

We recognize that these are extremely challenging times for the hospitality 

industry and survival is on the minds of hoteliers; similarly, it is also on the 

minds of our supplier community. The BCHA presents an opportunity to be 

a catalyst to start conversations surrounding partnership and collaboration. 

The ability to bring our industry together to exchange ideas, provide 

networking opportunities, make introductions, and incubate projects is a 

position that we value greatly. We want you to know that we are tireless 

in our pursuit of uncovering new ideas and we invite you to bring those 

forward to us. 

In support of greater communication, collaboration, and creating 

opportunities, please be on the lookout for new programs coming soon 

from BCHA. Firstly, we are in the discovery stage of creating an online 

community platform, which will be an innovative way for all members to 

connect, peer to peer, and access resources. This platform will also allow 

the association to deepen its relationship with member hotels while ensuring 

that hotels maximize their participation. Secondly, we are looking at new 

ways to ensure hotel members have the latest information from our key 

suppliers. As the anticipated restart gets under way, there is an expectation 

that availability of products will be impacted as demand starts to gain steam 

across North America. 

Our commitment, as always, is to advocate, communicate, and educate— 

that commitment has never been more important. 

For more information, please feel free to contact the Membership team 

at membership@bcha.com or 604-443-4753. 

Advertisers 

BCHA 

IBC 

BC Hospitality Foundation 30 

Cloverdale Paint 4 

ColdstreamIFC 

FortisBCBC 

Integral Hospitality 11 

TELUS Business 

IBC 

Tex-Pro Western Ltd 13 

Western Financial Group 15

InnFocus Summer 2021

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?