The Winner's Circle for February 2009

Calgary Skål honours Bob Lees for 28 years of service

Left to right; Jona Way, Bob Lees, Terry Wallis

CALGARY—Skål International Calgary honoured out-going executive secretary treasurer, Bob Lees at their November meeting.

Lees joined Skål 28 years ago, served as president in 1988 and took on the role of executive secretary over 15 years ago. Over the years Lees has been involved in every major event that Skål hosted, from annual Christmas parties and Charter Night to the NAASC congresses in 1991 and 2005.

“Bob has been an integral part of our organization and his knowledge has helped each and every president over the years,” says past president, Catherine Heeg.

Julien DeShutter will step into the role of executive secretary in the new year.

Skål is a professional organization of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship.  With over 25,000 members worldwide and active in over 90 countries, Skål embraces all sectors of the tourism industry including hoteliers, travel agents, airlines, attractions and tourism media.

Perfect score for the Best Western in Orangeville

At right, Stacey Coupland

ORANGEVILLE, ON—The Best Western Orangeville Inn and Suites in Orangeville has received the Best Western Chairman’s Award, the hotel chain’s highest honor for outstanding quality standards. The Chairman’s Award recognizes Best Western International hotels with a cleanliness and maintenance inspection score of 1,000 points out of a possible 1,000.  Hotels must also meet Best Western’s requirements for design and high customer service scores to qualify for the award.

“Receiving the Chairman’s Award from Best Western is a tremendous honour,” explains general manger Stacey Coupland. “Our housekeeping and maintenance departments have worked hard to achieve this level of excellence.”

This is not the first award for the two-year old property—the hotel was also recognized for Best of the Best in Quality at Best Western International’s annual North American Convention. The award recognized properties who receive two consecutive top quality assurance assessment scores within a 12-month period.

Located at 7 Buena Vista Drive, the hotel has 84 rooms and offers a variety of amenities including a free continental breakfast and deluxe, heated indoor saltwater pool. The Best Western Orangeville Inn and Suites is 30 minutes north of Toronto and is situated in the heart of the Hills of Headwater region.

Comfort Brandon one of 22 Choice Hotels to win gold

BRANDON, MB—A previous story about the Comfort Inn Brandon noted that the property had “gone pink” to raise money for breast cancer research.  This time, the 91-room property has gone gold.  The hotel recently received a 2008 Gold Hospitality Award, Choice Hotels Canada’s highest level of recognition.

A Gold Hospitality Award is a clear demonstration of a hotel’s operational strength and commitment to hospitality excellence. Canadian recipients scored high-marks for cleanliness, property maintenance, brand standard compliance and a strong desire to meet guest needs. The Comfort Inn was one of just 22 hotels that achieved this distinction out of more than 280 Choice Hotels across Canada.

“I am extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of my staff. Without them, achieving this award for the eighth time would not have been possible,” says Darlene Janssen. “To be recognized by Choice for meeting key thresholds is a great honour. The combination of the commitment of my team and Choice’s sales, operations and marketing support creates a win-win situation for our guests.”

Days Inns raise $42,000 for Childhood Cancer Foundation

Laurie Bezzubetz, guest services representative, Days Inn & Conference Centre - Timmins poses with Days Inn Gold Ribbons.

TORONTO—Days Inns - Canada’s 2008 fundraising campaign raised $42,000 for the Childhood Cancer Foundation - Candlelighters Canada (CCFCC). Hotel owners donated a portion of their revenue for one week in September and collected donations from staff and guests to help the 10,000 children in Canada currently living with cancer.

In September, Days Inns across Canada participated in national fundraising campaign. During the week of September 15 to 21, 70 locations donated $1 from every guest room sold to the CCFCC. Guests who stayed during this period were encouraged to match the $1 donation by purchasing a gold paper ribbon. To help raise additional funds, guest donations were also accepted all month long for the annual ‘Days Inn Gold Ribbon’ campaign.