The Winner's Circle ~ May 2010

Ben and Hank launch Delta’s Good Neighbours Challenge

TORONTO, ON – Ben Mulroney, host of etalk and Hank Stackhouse, president and CEO of Delta Hotels and Resorts, were on hand to serve breakfast to residents of Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood on April 20, at a celebration to launch Delta’s Good Neighbours Challenge 2010.

Delta is seeking to raise $1 million and to donate 10,000 volunteer hours to neighbourhood charities across Canada.

This campaign was launched with a food drive in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank, which recently announced that it was struggling to meet the donation targets it requires in order to support Torontonians in need.

Mulroney and Stackhouse served breakfast to residents who donated non-perishable food items as part of the drive. Ben and Hank also took a few dogs out for a morning walk in the neighbourhood. The outdoor breakfast provided an opportunity for neighbours to socialize and work together for an important cause.

The Good Neighbours Challenge 2010 will see Delta employees conduct a series of local charitable fundraising and volunteering events from coast to coast as they work towards this ambitious goal. The Challenge will focus on four main areas: improving access to affordable housing, protecting the environment, supporting neighbourhood causes and volunteering.

Ben Mulroney (left), host of etalk and Hank Stackhouse (right), president and CEO of Delta Hotels and Resorts

Harlem Globetrotters/Howard Johnson Give Happy Challenge

OAKVILLE, ON—Full House Franchise Systems, franchisors of Howard Johnson’s and Knights Inns in Canada, have teamed up with the Harlem Globetrotters and the Children’s Wish Foundation to bring children and their families to each Globetrotters game this spring.

They have also launched The Give Happy Challenge, a multi-national contest promoting the spreading of happiness by offering participants the chance to win $15,000 and a personal visit from the Harlem Globetrotters.

To enter the challenge, contestants had to visit thegivehappychallenge.com and submit their entry via a video clip or an essay that illustrates how they were able to spread happiness by March 15, 2010.

Eight finalists will then be featured on thegivehappychallenge.com website starting this month. Voters throughout North America will elect the winner.

The winner will be announced on or about June 21, 2010—the first day of summer and traditionally the happiest day of the year.  

The Give Happy Challenge brings together two iconic and philanthropic brands to encourage and reward those who spread happiness in their communities.

The Original Harlem Globetrotters are embarking on their record 84th consecutive season of touring the world. The Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining more than 130 million fans and crossing barriers between cultures, societies and people from all walks of life.  The Globetrotters are one of only six teams to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Front: Scooter Christensen (of the Harlem Globetrotters). Middle row, second from the left: Emily Kinread, director of marketing – Full House Franchise Systems Limited.Rear row: Cobra Coley (of the Harlem Globetrotters) and Turbo Pearson (of the Harlem Globetrotters)

Best Western ranked No. 1 midscale for customer loyalty

PHOENIX, AZ – Best Western International was recently ranked the number one midscale hotel brand in Brand Keys’ 2010 annual Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, a predictive indicator of consumer behavior toward brands.

Best Western was awarded first place in this year’s index as the brand best able to engage consumers and create loyal customers. Best Western beat out four other midscale hotel brands – Comfort Inn, Ramada, Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn.

Other winners in the 2010 index include Apple in the Smartphone category, Grey Goose in the vodka category, and Nike and New Balance (tie) in the athletic footwear category.

Each year, Brand Keys surveys more than 33,500 adult Americans to determine how brands rank in customer loyalty.  The 2010 Index examined customers’ relationships with 518 brands in 71 categories.

Waterpark at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls

Great Wolf Lodge beats sliding record

NIAGARA FALLS, ON—On March 26, Ripley's Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Canada played a role in beating the world waterslide record in a contest that raised funds for charity as well.  All 11 Great Wolf Lodge locations participated in an attempt to break a Guinness World's Record, and they did it.

"Wolfwide, we had 47,660 sliders travelling an estimated distance of 3,651 miles.  That means that we we beat the old record by 2,808 miles," said a spokesperson for the Niagara Falls resort.  "In Niagara Falls alone, we had 5,041 slides, setting a distance of 458.27 miles."

The Great Wolf Lodge "World's Largest Waterslide-athon" took place over 24 consecutive hours with one designated slide per resort. Each slider counted toward breaking the record.  The current Guinness World Record for this attempt was set in Germany in 2007 with a total distance of 1357 km.