THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE Mar. 10, 2020

Days Inns announces Awards of Recognition 2019

TORONTO, ON (March 5, 2020) – Realstar Hospitality announced the winners of its prestigious Awards of Recognition for 2019. Presented annually, the awards formally recognize the outstanding achievements of the top performing Days Inn hotels and hotel teams from across Canada.

“Leading a business to success can be a challenge which is why it’s a pleasure to celebrate our owners, general managers and their dedicated staff who demonstrate remarkable commitment to hospitality excellence,” said Irwin Prince, president and COO, Realstar Hospitality. “This year’s recipients collectively have shown exceptional attention to guest satisfaction providing a benchmark for all of our franchises.”

2019 Awards of Recognition Recipients:

“Throughout 2019, these properties worked extremely hard to represent the very best that Days Inn has to offer by providing the market with a top quality product and service,” added Prince.

Recognizing Excellence in Alberta’s Hotel & Lodging Industry

Edmonton – The Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has announced the recipients of its annual Housekeeping Awards and Employer of Choice (EoC) designation.

The AHLA has delivered Alberta’s Housekeeping Awards in conjunction with Travel Alberta and the Government of Alberta since 1983. This year’s 100 Housekeeping Award recipients have achieved the highest standards of excellence in cleanliness, maintenance, and state of repair for hotels and motels in Alberta.

The Housekeeping Award is unique to Alberta’s lodging industry and is the only award of its kind in Canada. Coveted by hotels and heart-of-house staff, it continues to raise the standard of housekeeping in properties of all sizes throughout the province. Since 1983, more than 3,000 Housekeeping Awards have been presented.

See the complete list of 2019 Housekeeping Award recipients.

The Employer of Choice designation was created in 2008 to showcase exceptional human resources practices in the accommodation sector. This year’s 102 Employer of Choice recipients have demonstrated a commitment to creating safe and healthy workplaces. Hotels wishing to be considered for the designation complete an extensive audit of their HR practices, and have their employees complete an employee opinion survey.

Those who submitted applications but did not achieve the designation have taken the first step toward ensuring their property is a great place to work, since every property that applies receives a comprehensive report that identifies what they are doing well and areas for improvement.

See the complete list of 2019 EoC recipients.

The recipients of the Housekeeping Award and the Employer of Choice designation will be recognized at the AHLA’s Aspire hospitality awards celebration on April 20, 2020 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel West Edmonton. “The Housekeeping Awards and the Employer of Choice designation both recognize a strong commitment to excellence in the hospitality industry,” said Dave Kaiser, AHLA President & CEO. “Congratulations to every hotel that achieved one or both of these outstanding achievements.”

Ross Wise Canada’s newest Master of Wine

OLIVER, B.C. — Black Hills Estate Winery winemaker Ross Wise is Canada’s newest Master of Wine. Only the seventh to be awarded the honour in Canada, and the fourth in British Columbia.

After four years of intense study and arduous sampling of thousands of wines, Wise has now earned the title of Master of Wine. The MW is a very prestigious title, only 396 people worldwide have achieved the status since the first exams began in 1953. MWs now exist in 30 different countries with only seven in Canada and 60 in total across North America.

“Working towards achieving the Master of Wine qualification has been an incredible experience. It has allowed me to greatly expand my horizons in the wine industry and connect with so many passionate wine people across the globe,” says Wise. “It is an intense program and requires a lot of hard work and commitment. I have been very lucky to have so many people supporting me throughout the journey, and I am absolutely thrilled to join the Institute of Masters of Wine!”

KML names Top 30 under 30

TORONTO — KML has unveiled the winners of its Top-30-Under-30 program, which celebrates and recognizes future generations of hospitality leaders who are and will continue to make a difference. This year’s recipients, presenting both restaurants and hotels from across Canada, were chosen based not only on job performance, but also their leadership or leadership potential and their professional and/or industry-related volunteer work.

In April 2019, KML announced it would take over production of the annual program from the Ontario Hostelry Institute (OHI), following the passing of Charles Grieco, former president of the OHI. It also announced it would take the program national for the first time in its 14-year history.

The Top 30 Under 30 Awards will be presented on April 21, 2020 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel as part of KML’s inaugural VISION 20/20 conference. Tickets are available here.

This year’s Top-30-Under-30 winners are:

HNL announces its award winners

CORNER BROOK, N.L. — Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador hosted the annual Tourism Excellence Awards Gala as the grand finale to the 37th Annual Conference and Trade Show, held in the City of Corner Brook from February 25-27. The gala featured the presentation of the Tourism Excellence Awards, recognizing the outstanding tourism leaders and businesses that make great contributions to the provincial tourism industry.

“I would like to congratulate all the nominees and recipients of this year’s awards and commend each and every one of them for their contribution to Newfoundland and Labrador’s tourism industry,” says incoming Hospitality NL chair, Steve Denty. “It’s our caring, dedicated tourism community that truly drives the success of our industry and that’s what makes Newfoundland and Labrador the destination it is today, one that inspires visitors to come back over and over again”.

The following is a list of awards and award recipients. Detailed information about each award and recipient is available below. Photos are available by contacting Shanelle Clowe at sclowe@hnl.ca

— H. Clayton Sparkes Accommodator Award of Excellence – Bonne Bay Inn and Seaside Suites, Gross Morne, N.L.

— CBDC Tourism Business Award of Excellence – Rafting Newfoundland

— BDC Tourism Innovator Award – Tour Gros Morne

— Tourism Champion Award – David Hayashida and Linda Yates, Kings Point Pottery

— Tourism Corporate Partner Award – Tourisme Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

— Cultural Tourism Award – Bell Island Community Museum & No. 2 Mine Tour

— Bed & Breakfast Award of Excellence – Inn at Happy Adventure

— Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award – Two Whales Coffee Shop

— Cruise Vision Award – Adventure Canada

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial tourism industry association, is dedicated to advancing growth in tourism through advocacy efforts, skills and knowledge development and membership and networking opportunities. Hospitality NL’s Conference and Trade Show is the largest annual gathering of tourism operators within the province.