THE WINNERS CIRCLE UPDATE, Nov. 26, 2019

World Ski Awards
honour Canada

KITZBÜHEL, Austria – Western Canada took top honours for Canada at the
World Ski Awards, presented November 23 in Kitzbühel, Austria to winners
selected from the world’s top 25 ski tourism nations.

Alberta’s Lake Louise Ski Resort was honoured as Canada’s top ski resort
in this year’s competition, with owner Charlie Locke on hand to receive the
award.

The Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside in Whistler, British Columbia, was
named Canada’s Best Ski Hotel from among seven finalists.

The Josie, which opened at Red Mountain Resort in Rossland, B.C. in
2018, was named Canada’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel. It was one of nine hotels in the running for
the award.

Canada’s Best Ski Chalet, offering four-season accommodation, was
Crescendo at Big White near Kelowna. The fully automated and geothermally heated chalet is
described as “a testament to modern architectural genius.”

The World Ski Awards were created to elevate standards within the ski
industry, recognizing, rewarding, and celebrating excellence in ski tourism
across the globe. The awards program is a sister event to the long-running
World Travel Awards. Winners are selected by ski industry professionals, who
cast votes via the program’s website.

Microtel Val-d’Or caps successful
first year

VAL D’OR, Que. – The Microtel Inn & Suites Val-d’Or won honours as the world’s best
new Microtel by Wyndham hotel at the Wyndham Global Conference in Las Vegas at the end of October.

Opened in spring 2018, the 84-room Microtel Val d’Or won the “Best New
Construction Hotel Award” from Wyndham. The award recognizes the Microtel by
Wyndham that achieves the highest-performance in its first year. The
Wyndham Global Conference takes place once every 18 months; the October event
was the first to be held since the Microtel Val d’Or completed its first year
of business.

The Microtel Val d’Or is managed by MasterBUILT Hotels of Calgary and owned
by Tawich Development Corp. of Wemindji,
Quebec. The general manager is Karine Roy. Guest satisfaction scores
have placed the hotel consistently in the top two in the market on Trip
Advisor.

“Being recognized as the Best New Construction Microtel has really
proven that the Microtel brand is a perfect fit for Val-d’Or,” says Aodhan
Sheahan, senior vice-president of operations with MasterBUILT Hotels. “Guests
visiting this market want an efficient stay with lots of amenities at a good
price, all of which Microtel Val-d’Or offers.”

Hotelier ranks among Canada's most powerful
women

MARKHAM, Ont. – Hotelier Reetu Gupta has been named by the Women's Executive Network
(WXN) as one of Canada’s Most
Powerful Women, an annual award that recognizes 100 women leaders from across
Canada. Gupta is
president and CEO of the Gupta Group and the Easton’s Group of Hotels, which
operates 22 hotels in Ontario and Quebec.

WXN's Diversity
Council selects initial candidates for the award, and the final vetting process
for this year’s winners was completed by WXN's 2018-2019 Diversity Champions.
WXN partners with KPMG to present the awards.

To mark this year's awards, WXN is hosting a gala event November 21 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.