THE WINNERS' CIRCLE update March 26, 2019

Days Inns by Wyndham Chairman's Awards

TORONTO — Earlier this month,Realstar Hospitality announced the winners of its prestigious Days Inn by Wyndham Chairman’s Award. Presented annually, the award recognizes a select group of Days Inns and Hotels that meet the highest level of quality and guest service. Criteria is based on an algorithm that combines metrics of brand standards, operational requirements and guest feedback.

“It is a pleasure to recognize those who represent excellence in hotel lodging,” said Irwin Prince, president & COO, Realstar Hospitality “All 2018 winners continue to set the standard in our industry by providing a quality product combined with a top-notch guest experience that exceeds expectations.”

Chairman’s Award Recipients for 2018:

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Langley, BC

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Airdrie, AB

— Days Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Lloydminster, Alta.

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Sherwood Park, Alta.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Regina Airport West, Sask.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Saskatoon, Sask.

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Warman Legends Centre, Sask.

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Yorkton, Sask.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Steinbach, Man.

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Collingwood, Ont.

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Lindsay, Ont.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Orillia, Ont.

— Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Thunder Bay, Ont.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Thunder Bay North, Ont.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Berthierville, Que.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Rivière-du-Loup, Que.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Edmundston, N.B.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Miramichi, N.B.

— Days Inn & Conference Centre by Wyndham Oromocto, N.B.

— Days Inn by Wyndham Stephenville, N.L.

OHI Top 30 Under 30

The Ontario Hostelry Institute's Top 30 Under 30, listed alphabetically, are as follows:

1. Daniela Alhanova, Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, Sheraton Executive Club Lounge, Marriott Canada, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

2. Wesley Bernard, Executive Sous Chef, The Drake Commissary

3. Alex Bruce, Owner / Director of Operations, The Lark

4. Richell Castillo, Executive Sous Chef, FABBRICA Restaurant, The McEwan Group

5. Brandon Cebulak, General Manager, George Brown College, Compass Group Canada, Chartwells

6. Andrew Craig, Outlet Manager, Fairmont Royal York Hotel

7. Marty Demesa, Food and Beverage Manager, Drake Commissary

8. Tania Ferlin, Sales Manager, Hyatt Regency Toronto

9. Spencer Gibbons, Executive Chef, LaSalle Park Luxury Retirement Community

10. Brooke Grégoire, Catering Manager, University of Toronto

11. Rahil Hoque, Director of Operations, Ascari Hospitality Group

12. Shauna Jaskot, Business Travel Sales Manager, Hilton Toronto

13. Matt Johnny, Operations Manager, The Other Bird Restaurant Group

14. Sahad Kassam, President, Hospitality, Food & Tourism Management Student Association, University of Guelph

15. Joshua Kelly, Bar Manager and Sommelier, Biff’s Bistro, Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality

16. Alla Kim-Shamashkin, Senior Sales Manager, Novotel Toronto North York

17. Alicia Kumagai, Sales Manager, 100KM Foods Inc.

18. Zac Kvas, Estate Mixologist, Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery

19. Emily Lim, Food Scientist, Food Innovation and Research Studio, George Brown College

20. Jonathan Mann, General Manager, Parcheggio, Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality

21. Haley Mumby, Wedding & Special Events Sales Manager, Deerhurst Resort

22. Sztella Muzslai, Special Event Sales Manager, Chase Hospitality Group

23. Danielle Nyholt, Human Resources Manager, Granite Club

24. Laurie Oakes, Pastry Chef, 270 and 193 Bench Kitchen

25. Chris Palivan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Cider Festival Inc.

26. Andrea Peters, PR and Marketing Project Manager, Wine Marketing Association of Ontario

27. Arashasp Shroff, Restaurant Manager and Sommelier, CN Tower

28. Emily Snider, Marketing Manager, Imago Restaurants Inc.

29. Travis Traini, Consultant, fsSTRATEGY Inc.

30. Kylie Walters, Assistant Director of Catering Sales, Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Lifetime achievement award for Arlene Keis

VANCOUVER – BC’s tourism industry has presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Arlene Keis, CEO of go2HR, at the BC Tourism Industry Conference, hosted by Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) earlier this month.

“This is an extraordinary award that we don’t normally give out,” said Walt Judas, CEO of TIABC. This special Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual for their long-serving tenure in BC’s tourism industry and their remarkable contributions to the industry’s success.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Arlene and seeing her in action. She is about as passionate and dedicated about our industry as they come,” Judas continued. “When I first met Arlene, I was struck by her enthusiasm, her knowledge, and her commitment to making a difference. Each one of us in the industry relies on go2HR, almost on a daily basis. Her list of accomplishments is lengthy.”

Under Keis’s 17 years of leadership, go2HR has tripled in size, expanded programs to include contracts with the Industry Training Authority, WorkSafeBC and government, and established strategic partnerships with other tourism organizations. Key accomplishments include:

— establishing the first provincial tourism industry-led and -financed organization to promote tourism workforce development;

— creating an industry-specific portal website and niche job board to assist tourism businesses in recruiting, retaining and training its workforce;

— reinforcing and championing a healthy and safe culture for tourism businesses; and

— acquiring SuperHost customer service training from Destination British Columbia and refreshing the program to meet the current market needs.

An HR professional by trade, Keis has over 30 years of experience at the operational, corporate, and industry levels in both public and private sectors. Arlene has a M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology from UBC and is designated as a Chartered Professional in Human Resources.

“I am honoured to be presented with such prestigious award in front of hundreds of industry colleagues at the Tourism Industry Conference,” said Keis. “Our industry’s success is built on collaborations and partnerships. I am grateful for the opportunities to meet and work with so many organizations and individuals over the years, and I’m proud to be a part of the industry.”

Pacific Gateway wins Preferred Hotels Award

NEWPORT BEACH, Cal. — Pacific Gateway Hotel at Vancouver Airport has won a Preferred Hotels & Resorts 2019 Preferred Award of Excellence that recognizes the property’s success with the brand’s I Prefer rewards program.

The awards were presented at the closing ceremony of the 2019 Preferred Global Conference, which took place at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort in Monaco from Feb. 25 to March 1.

Richmond, B.C.-based Pacific Gateway won in the I Prefer Hotel of the Year category.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Preferred Hotels & Resorts at the Awards of Excellence this year,” said Pam Gill, sales manager at Pacific Gateway. “This milestone has been achieved in the fifth year of our partnership and I can’t think of a more rewarding award than one that celebrates guest loyalty. This is a testament to the dedication and genuine caring of our entire team at Pacific Gateway.”

Villa Eyrie joins Small Luxury Hotels

MALAHAT, VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. — Villa Eyrie Resort recently announced their acceptance into the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World group, after passing a rigorous acceptance program.

The resort will now be part of an international network of 520 international properties. Members are independently operated hotels that must meet the highest possible quality standards; only five per cent of the thousands of hotels that apply every year are accepted. SLH has been providing travellers with the best luxury boutique hotel recommendations since 1990.

Villa Eyrie Resort is kicking off the spring of 2019 with an exciting new, alpine inspired food and wine menu too! Small Luxury Hotels place a great deal of emphasis on their culinary offerings, and Villa Eyrie is no exception.

This year, the villa will introduce an entirely refreshed food and beverage product, reimagined by our Michelin star trained executive chef Mario Gross, talented German pastry chef Matthias Conradi and director of food and beverage chef Ryan Bissell. Guests can look forward to dishes inspired by local ingredients of the Pacific West Coast paired with B.C.’s finest wines and local limited batch spirits.

General manager, Alexander Fisher-Jean, said Villa Eyrie Resort will fit in well with other properties in the collection. “Our guests appreciate staying in a breathtaking setting in the hear of beautiful Vancouver Island. However, what sets us apart is the experiences only available to our guests. Here, they can drive on a members-only motorsports track, fish at our private lodge on a pristine river, hike miles of mountain trails, or enjoy a private tour of a pre- and post-war luxury car restoration facility unavailable to the general public. Like many of the other hotels in the collection, the fact that we are unique is part of our appeal.”

Small Luxury Hotels Canadian ambassador Larry Mogelonsky said, “Villa Eyrie Resort is the first hotel in British Columbia and Canada's second, next to Trout Point Lodge, to be accepted. We chose it not only because of its location and scenery, but because of the commitment to service that we found across all departments.”

Atlific wins HAC Awards of Excellence

TORONTO — Atlific Hotels is thrilled to announce that two of its managed properties received distinguished industry awards in 2018. The awards of excellence, granted by The Hotel Association of Canada, recognized the highly-acclaimed TownePlace Suites by Marriott Red Deer and Cambridge Suites Hotel Sydney for their outstanding hospitality performance.

With 60 years of reputable hotel management experience, Atlific consistently trains and develops its staff by adhering to extraordinary industry standards. The honours, which include outstanding revenue achievement and corporate social responsibility, demonstrate the range of Atlific’s skillful expertise.

“Our hotels’ impressive accomplishments make us tremendously proud, as they showcase our unwavering commitment to hotel management strategically and compassionately,” says Robert Chartrand, Chief Executive Officer, Atlific Hotels. “We are always thrilled when our hotels are recognized for such achievements and look forward to more success in 2019.”

The awards are as follows:

TownePlace Suites by Marriott Red Deer

2018 Revenue Performance Team of the Year Award of Excellence

This award goes to a property for flawlessly implementing a strategy that generated exceptional occupancy and simultaneously maximized guest satisfaction, loyalty and revenue.

Cambridge Suites Hotel Sydney

2018 Humanitarian Award of Excellence

This award recognizes a hotel that demonstrates dedication and responsiveness to the needs of the community through volunteerism, inspiration, donations and ethical business practices.

Kruger Products L.P. wins three awards

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Kruger Products L.P. earned a prized place on the 2019 Best Managed Company list for the second consecutive year. The company was recognized because of its overall performance. This distinction is a testament that Kruger Products, a leader in the consumer and away-from-home tissue categories, is making everyday life more comfortable.

“We’re approaching our business with new thinking,” says Dino Bianco, CEO, Kruger Products. “We are evaluating all aspects of our value chain and looking for inspired ways to evolve our business, and that takes great people with exceptional ideas.” The company credits its strong performance to its people, who are the visionaries creating innovation.

In addition to a place on the Best Managed Companies ranking, Kruger Products has recently been named a GTA Top Employer, which recognizes companies that lead the way with the most progressive human-resources policies and initiatives. Kruger Products has been part of this list for seven consecutive years.

It was also recognized on the Forbes Canada’s Best Employers list, which identifies companies doing the most for their employees to support employee retention and attraction. Kruger Products has been included in this ranking for three consecutive years.