Association News - Resorts of Ontario Strategy and more

Resorts of Ontario’s three-pronged strategy

ORILLIA, ON—Real time online booking, quality assurance ratings for all members, and an aggressive media campaign are all part of Resorts of Ontario’s three-pronged approach to tackle the challenges of 2009.

The online booking launched January 20th.  The www.resorts-ontario.com website is a powerful vehicle for the association. Unlike most websites, where search engines account for the lion’s share of traffic, the Resorts of Ontario site drives 50 per cent of member traffic, with search engines accounting for a small portion, says managing director Grace Sammut.  It already had features such as unrestricted keyword search and pull-up profiles of properties, but now browsers can book their reservations immediately online.  “We want to capture some of the business we think we are losing right now,” she adds.

“It’s safe, dependable and secure,” says Sammut.  “People can shop by experience, activity or region, or go directly into the booking area. We have been mostly a gateway or portal for the industry.  We’re still that—but more than that.”

The association has also hired a consultant to position the website in an organic way, and will use pay-for-click in concert with its marketing campaigns.

Quality assurance is the second major Resorts of Ontario initiative.  “Every member has been inspected by a third party, accredited organization,” explains Sammut. The properties meet either Canada Select or CAA/AAA standards.  Quality Assurance is emphasized in the 2009 Great Escapes Guide, and the quality seal used by the association is prominently displayed on page 3 of the guide.

The association has also hired Judy Hammond and Glenn Cameron of Toronto-based Clear Communications following a Request for Proposals process.
 
“Resorts of Ontario has worked diligently over the last four years, following an in-depth corporate review and a branding exercise which involved a great deal of consultation and research to get us to this point,” the association’s News from Our Place newsletter stated.
“Now we have the final piece in place to help us go forward.  The 2009 Great Escapes Guide will celebrate the fact that every member is quality assured.”

Also new this year will be a weekly blog.  “Clear Communications is very in tune with the tourism and hospitality industry. They dig deep to unearth the magic of what the industry is all about,” says Sammut.

“With all that has been happening economically, I feel we cannot sit still, but rather move forward with some gusto,” she adds.

The theme for the Resorts of Ontario Annual Convention to be held March 30 at Fern Resort in Orillia, ON, reflects this attitude.  The theme is “Carpe diem. The times are changing—are we?”

HOST Saskatchewan is three shows in one

REGINA—Peter Yesawich, CEO of YPartnership, a U.S.-based marketing and public relations firm, is keynote speaker at the 2009 Host Saskatchewan conference and trade show.
The three-day show, organized by Tourism Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Hotel and Hospitality Association and the Saskatchewan Outfitters Association, will be held March 22-24 at the Queensbury Convention Centre in Regina.

“If you are member of the hospitality industry, it’s the premier event for members of the three organizations,” said event organizer Nancy Hubenig of Tourism Saskatchewan.
She said overall, Saskatchewan’s economy is still going strong even with hints of a North American recession. “The economy is still doing really well here,” Hubenig said. “The problems in eastern Canada have not appeared here yet.”

Residents of Alberta and Manitoba, the key markets for Saskatchewan, are still interested in vacationing, Hubenig said.

Saskatchewan Hotel and Hospitality Board chairman Lance Grosco hosts his annual chairman’s dinner on March 23 at the Regina Inn Hotel and Conference Centre. Top  industry performers will pick up the hardware at the Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence.
 
The three partnering organization have their annual general meetings planned for the conference, which is in its second year. Previously, the three organizations each held their own separate events.

An estimated 500 delegates are expected to attend the event’s education sessions while another 125 exhibitors have signed on for the trade show. For full event schedules and updates, visit www.hostsask.com.

A thousand Green Keys

OTTAWA—The Hotel Association of Canada’s (HAC’s) Green Key Eco-Rating Program surpassed the 1,000 member mark just before Christmas, with the signing of Lakeview Hotels and Resorts.

Earlier in December, Lakeview, a hotel company based in Winnipeg, MB, began enrolling all their properties in the Green Key Eco-Rating Program.  Now that their final few hotels are in the system, program participation has officially tipped the scales over into the thousands.

The announcement comes on the heels of another milestone for the Green Key program. In November, HAC announced that Green Key rated hotels can now include their Key ratings in AAA/CAA travel guides.

AAA/CAA will now be supporting green certified hotels that are also Diamond-rated properties by encouraging promotion of their Key rating in TourBook advertising both in Canada and the United States.

CITQ to conduct Green Key audits in Quebec

LONGUEUIL, QC—In mid-January, the Hotel Association of Canada and the Corporation de l’industrie touristique du Québec (CITQ) announced that they have signed an agreement regarding the Green Key Eco-Rating Program, known as Clé Vert in Quebec. Under this agreement the HAC gives the CITQ the mandate to visit and certify all establishments in Quebec participating in the Green Key program.

“Our agreement with the CITQ gives the Green Key program, launched by our association in 1997, unprecedented credibility, since the rating will now be based on regular inspections of participating establishments by an organization with recognized skills in classification and certification,” said Tony Pollard, president of the HAC.

Clé Vert and RéserVert

OTTAWA, MONTREAL—Late last year, HAC and the Quebec Hotel Association/Association des hôteliers du Québec (QHA/AHQ) issued a joint press release encouraging hoteliers in the province to reduce their ecological footprint by using one of the two programs offered in Québec, Green Key (Clé Vert) or RéserVert.

Clé Vert is a self-directed assessment of a property’s current environmental efforts within their main areas of operation.
 
Launched by QHA/AHQ in November 2007, RéserVert is a sustainable development (society, economy and environment) recognition program based on continuous training and personalized support.

“It does require the active involvement of the entire team in order to maintain and increase the number of actions every year,” the joint release said.  “The RéserVert program helps to increase a hotel’s Clé Vert rating.”

When asked why QHA/AHQ created another program, CEO Danielle Chayer responded, “We wish to bring Québec hotels to the sustainability development in accordance with the Québec Tourism Policy. Considering sustainable development’s own stakes, the program needed to incorporate the laws and regulations in force.” Regulations are different for each province.

“Both the Canadian and Quebec program favour the improvement of management and allow hoteliers to save quite a lot of money,” HAC president Tony Pollard said.
SAXibition goes green

PETERBOROUGH AND ORILLIA, ON—On March 31, at the Casino Rama Entertainment Centre, near Orillia, the Ontario Accommodation Association and Resorts of Ontario will hold their 10th Anniversary SAXibition (Super Accommodation eXhibition). For the 10th year in a row, both associations have again collaborated to co-produce the one-day trade show, which is an important annual event for suppliers to Ontario’s accommodation operators.This year’s event will include more than 100 booths.

New this year, “The Green Aisle”is an entire aisle of suppliers featuring eco-friendly products to assist innkeepers in achieving greater environmental sustainability.
SAXibition 2009 will again feature the SAXibition Marketplace, a virtual reality website which debuted last year.  Launching several months before the show, the Marketplace allows visitors to preplan their SAXibition visit at www.saxibition.ca. As a bonus for exhibitors, their booth fee includes six months exposure on this online Marketplace after SAXibition ends.

Smart Serve training in new DVD format

By Chris McGregor
Contributing editor

TORONTO—Smart Serve has entered the digital era.

The Ontario-wide program teaching responsible alcohol beverage service has issued the updated training in DVD format.

Additions to the interactive program reflect changes to Ontario’s Liquor Licence Act regulations since Smart Serve was last updated in 1999.

“It wasn’t as current with the real world as it is now,” said Smart Serve executive director Diane Stefaniak.
 
“The examples are more relevant to today’s environment and reflective of today’s lifestyle.”

Changes include how to read the province’s graduated licenses for new drivers as well as pregnancy considerations. Interactive activities and scenarios and interviews with industry experts have been added to the DVD to illustrate the concepts.

It covers alcohol facts, how alcohol works in the body, signs of intoxication, prevention and intervention techniques and legal rights and responsibilities.

“While we still cover a server’s legal responsibilities, we have taken out the risk management material and are developing it into a separate module for owners and managers,” Stefaniak said.

The three-part training program became mandatory in Ontario on Jan. 1, 2008 for anyone who serves alcohol in a licensed bar or restaurant.

Until April 30, Smart Serve will exchange free of charge old VHS copies of the program and unused certification kits, workbooks and tests, for the updated DVD version.
The program is available in both English and French and is closed captioned for the hearing impaired.

Changes were made based on feedback from clients, through surveys, and suggestions from licensees and servers in the province.

This is only the second updating of Smart Serve since the program started in 1995. An estimated 55,000 people take the certification every year in Ontario.