Put Food First linked to tourism

GROS MORNE, NL—Did you know that only three per cent of the food consumed in Newfoundland is from the province?  That if the ferries and planes were shut down, the province would run out of food very quickly? That’s what Raymond Cusson, Glenburnie Birchy Head Shoal Brook (GBS) councillor, told me at the Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador conference in Corner Brook.  Cusson was the impetus behind a workshop called Put Food First! held in Gros Morne park Feb 18.

read more

Bathrooms more indulgent, extravagant and luxurious

By Marni Andrews

“Bathrooms are almost as important as bedrooms as a place for guests to escape and relax, and are therefore becoming more indulgent, extravagant and luxurious,” says British designer David Linley. Linley is so very right. The features that guests are looking for to help them escape and relax are bigger, oversized bathrooms; soaker tubs; clean-lined vanities with lots of open counter space; walk-in showers; granite and stone countertops; and large tiles. Furniture pieces in the bathroom, too, help create a leisure area for lounging that is a microcosm of what these trends are really about: the bathroom as spa.

read more

Diversify: The gay & lesbian opportunity

The hotel industry, and the tourism industry in general, has changed dramatically over the last several years.  The increasingly competitive nature of the hotel industry has made the fight for market share even tougher, and hotels have started to see the need to find new ways to grow that diminishing share by ensuring differentiation. The gay and lesbian travel market is one market that hotels and other tourism-based companies have, in general, overlooked, or simply chosen to ignore, for too long.

read more