The Winner's Circle ~ January 2010

Pacrim, Tourism Toronto among TIAC ‘09 winners

SAINT JOHN, NB—The Tourism Industry Association of Canada announced the recipients of the 2009 National Awards for Tourism Excellence as part of a gala ceremony and dinner at the Delta Brunswick in Saint John, NB on Nov. 3.

Three finalists were named in each of the 14 award categories, and were judged by a panel of tourism industry leaders.  Among the finalists were individuals and organizations from all ten provinces, as well as Canada’s north.  The recipient of a 15th award, the Canadian Travel Press Lifetime Achievement Award, was selected by TIAC’s Board of Directors.

HALIFAX—Pacrim Hospitality Services Inc. (PHSI) was this year’s recipient of the 2009 National Award for Tourism Excellence, for multiple-unit businesses. Shown here, l to r, are: Réal Robichaud, executive director, Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick, Gerald Normandeau, regional vice president operations PHSI, Kris Crundwell, vice president, sales PHSI, and Joanne Bérubé-Gagné, president, Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick.

Some of the 2009 awards and recipients are:

• Air Canada Business of the Year-Single Unit: Wat’Chee Lodge (Churchill, Manitoba)

• Hilton Family of Hotels Canada Business of the Year Award-Multiple Unit: Pacrim Hospitality Services Inc.(Bedford, Nova Scotia)

• Westjet Online Marketing Campaign of the Year: 2008 Holiday Campaign - Tourism Toronto (Toronto, Ontario)

• CTHRC Award for Excellence in Human Resources Development: Great Wolf Lodge (Niagara Falls, Ontario)

• Intercontinental Hotels Group Employee of the Year: Karl Doetsch, Delta Fredericton (Fredericton, New Brunswick)

The National Awards for Tourism Excellence presented by The Globe and Mail were developed in 2003 by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada to recognize and foster Canadian tourism excellence.

Chemistry Consulting BC's fifth best workplace

VICTORIA—As part of its quest to find the top employee-ranked firms in the province, BC Business Magazine asked the employees of Chemistry Consulting: if your company were a celebrity, who would they be?

Their answer? “If my company were a celebrity, it would be: Michael Bublé…because he’s not a show off, just a down to earth good person who likes to help people.”

That answer helped place Chemistry on the list of the Top 10 Companies again this year—rating Chemistry Consulting/GT Hiring Solutions the province’s 5th Best Place to Work!

In the category of Professional and Technical Services, Chemistry placed first.

“As a company we are extremely proud of our staff and continue to strive to improve our work environments and always welcome any feedback for the best way to do that,” wrote president Frank Bourree in an e-mail. “We love our staff and love what we do!”

Chemistry Consulting Group now has 80 staff and 15 offices across BC.

Coast Hotels get Alberta housekeeping award

Housekeeper at a Coast Hotel

VANCOUVER­—Three Coast Hotels & Resorts’ properties have been named as recipients of the Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) 2010 Award for excellence in housekeeping. The awards will be handed out at the AHLA awards dinner in April 2010.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Coast Medicine Hat Hotel will receive the prestigious housekeeping award. Calgary’s Coast Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre will receive the award for the fourth year in a row and the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel will take home the housekeeping award for the fifth time in six years.

The AHLA Housekeeping Award, established in 1983, is presented annually by the Alberta tourism industry and Alberta Economic Development to hotels that achieve excellence in cleanliness, comfort and maintenance. Award winners belong to a select group of properties that participate in the Tourism Alberta Approved Accommodation Program.

Vintage Park is Executive Hotels' Brand Champion

VANCOUVER—Executive Hotel Vintage Park in downtown Vancouver was named Executive Hotels & Resorts’ Brand Champion at the company’s annual meeting held in Calgary in late November.  Pictured here are Vintage Park staff,  l to r, Damian Stanley, Sonia Dhillon, Suresh Bala, GM Jared Sissons, Roderick Begg, Luliet Hailegiorgis and Virgil Ocamoo.

Holiday Inn Harbourview's Chef of the Year

Luis Clavel

HALIFAX—Luis Clavel, chef at the Holiday Inn Harbourview Hotel in Halifax was named Chef of the Year on November 19, 2009 as the Nova Scotia Association of Chefs and Cooks celebrated their annual Gala Dinner at the Delta Halifax Hotel. The funds raised at the gala dinner are to facilitate the growth of both the senior and junior branch membership, the 2010 schedule of events and to celebrate the achievements of the association members in 2009.

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Novotel pairs food and wine in Ottawa

From left to right in back row: Jill Fredericks, Novotel Ottawa Jason Fitzpatrick, Novotel Montreal Airport Aymeric Mignot, Novotel Montreal Jane Mazurier, Novotel Montreal Airport Scott Lucas, Novotel Ottawa. Front Row: Rafael Ballester, Novotel Ottawa Cathy Oreal, Novotel North York Nikoleta Aleksanian, Novotel Montreal Airport Alex Nurse, Novotel North York Becky Knowlton, Novotel Montreal Airport.

OTTAWA—Novotel Hotels of Canada came together for the 24th Annual Ottawa Wine and Food Show, held November 6 – 8 in the Civic Center in Lansdowne Park.  Novotel Canada team members offered the culinary delights of Novotel Ottawa’s Trio restaurant to the 20,000 attending gastronomists at the event.  
 
The creations of Novotel Ottawa Chef, Scott Lucas, were paired with local wines from Huff Estates Winery.  Dishes such as Wild Mushroom Mornay, Duck Confit on Rosemary-Fig Bread Pudding and the Chocolate-Chorizo Goat Cheese Truffle represented the best of Trio’s fare.  The Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company provided a unique local perspective and was a key partner at the event.
 
“We were thrilled to have participated in this great show that highlights the best of Ottawa’s culinary world,” said Eric Buitenhuis, vice president of operations for Novotel Canada.  “Novotel has much to offer in this realm, and our team members really brought that to life during the show.” 
 
This was the second year that the entire Novotel Canada network joined to participate in the Ottawa Wine and Food Show, which brought colleagues together from the sister properties of Mississauga, Toronto Centre, North York, Montreal and Montreal Airport.