HAC winners announced at AGM

Lucy de Andrade

OTTAWA—It’s fitting that Lucy de Andrade is GM at the Comfort Inn. in Ottawa  As this year’s recipient of the Hotel Association of Canada’s Humanitarian Award, comfort is what she and her hotel have provided to clients of the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre for the past four years.
 
“Lucy approached suppliers to donate shampoos and soaps for our clients,” wrote Gail Downing, volunteer coordinator for the centre in a letter nominating Lucy for the award.

“She has had businesses donate cases of facial tissues and toilet tissue. When you visit a food bank for food you do not get toiletry items and that is an additional expense for disadvantaged families. When the Comfort Inn replaced items in the hotel Lucy got permission to donate them to our centre. “We have received lamps, hair dryers, beds, linens - the list goes on. Many of our clients are new immigrants to this country, many coming from war tom countries. They arrive with very few processions.,” Downing said.

“Finding housing and setting up a home is a top priority and through items donated by Lucy and the Comfort Inn we have been able to assist them.”

A large urban hotel that sponsors green festivals, an Atlantic property which offers employees “wow” prizes for outstanding guest service, and a student who aspires to have a hands-on management approach and give back to her community, complete the roster of HAC Award winners this year. These awards will be presented at a gala dinner Feb. 11 at the Toronto Hilton, the grand finale of the association’s two-day annual general meeting.

The Delta Chelsea Green Team.

A large, green hotel

With over 1,590 rooms, Toronto’s Delta Chelsea is the largest hotel in Canada. But the hotel leads in more than just size. This year’s winner of the HAC Energy & Environment Award, the Delta Chelsea has partnered with Turtle Island Recycling to exceed both industry standards and municipal targets by diverting waste from landfill.  The hotel’s efforts have led to recognition from both the Hotel Association of Canada and the Recycling Council of Ontario.

While the City of Toronto set a target of 70 per cent diversion for 2010, the Delta Chelsea has actually diverted more than 75 per cent of the waste stream to recycling in 2008. Their goal is to reach 80 per cent by the end of 2009.

Environmental principles apply to all areas of the hotel. On a macro level, the hotel is considering reusable filters that will divert four tonnes of filter waste each year from landfill. And on a more personal level, employees are encouraged to bring their own coffee cups thus reducing the use of paper cups.

In spring 2008, the Delta Chelsea sponsored the first “Green Toronto Festival.” This two-day event held in downtown Toronto brought together close to 200 exhibitors of green products and services as well as local and organic foods.

Currently a four Green Key-rated hotel, the Delta Chelsea is working hard to get their fifth key!



Staff at the Cambridge Suites in Sydney, NS, winners of the HR Award

“Cambridge Cash”

Cambridge Suites in Sydney, Nova Scotia, is the winner of the HAC Human Resources Award. The hotel has developed an incentive program for all employees known as “Cambridge Cash,” where employees can earn Cambridge dollars for being recognized by the management team for raising their standards and going above and beyond guest expectations. Employees can also win “WOW prizes” when a guest recognizes the employee’s outstanding service during their stay.

And the results are both positive and measurable—guest comment cards have produced a 97 per cent guest satisfaction rate on a consistent basis, and lower employee turnover scores.

“Feedback from our employees concerning their development has been positive both personally and professionally,” general manager Michele Bianchini said in a letter nominating the hotel for the award. “Professionally, because it enables them to be focused and confident in their present position and personally if they choose to move on to another career as they can continue to utilize the tools they have learned.”

The final HAC winner is Sandra Chang of Toronto’s Centennial College who wins The Stephen Phillips Passion for Hospitality Bursary. She is an enthusiastic, hard working and motivated student, who aspires to a career in hotel sales and marketing. She has volunteered at special industry events, in a day care and at a large fundraising event for AIDS in Africa.

“[The bursary] is a great opportunity for students to feel acknowledged in their steps to aspire to be someone like Mr. Phillips, who was a leader in his “hands on” management approach while giving back to his community,” Chang said in her application letter.