Schmidt new HAC chair

OTTAWA - William (Will) Schmidt is the new chair of the HAC Board of Directors. He brings to his new role more than 30 years of experience in hotel management and many years of handson experience in a variety of industry-related organizations.

He began his hospitality career on the staff of the Winnipeg Inn (now the Fairmont Hotel Winnipeg) in 1970, followed by positions with Delta Hotels in Winnipeg, Delta Airport Inn - Vancouver, and the Convention Inn - Edmonton.

After leaving the Convention Inn, Schmidt became involved in the formation and development of an Edmonton-based hotel management company which owned and operated hotels throughout the three western provinces. Nineteen years later, when the company dissolved in 1997, he accepted a position as general manager of the Carriage House Inn in Calgary, which he still holds to this day.

Schmidt has served on the board of the HAC since February 2004.

His dedication to the success of the industry is evident in past roles including: president, Calgary Hotel Association; board member of Tourism Calgary; chairman of the Calgary White Hat Awards Committee; chairman of the Alberta Hotel & Lodging  Association; and chairman of the 2007 Travel Alberta Industry Conference.

Current positions of note include: executive committee member, Hotel Association of Canada; past chair, Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association; chairman, Alberta Hotel Safety Association Board; and member of the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council (Travel Alberta Advisory Committee).

Schmidt takes over from Irwin Prince, president and COO of Realstar Hospitality who has by all accounts made his mark on the association. Some of the achievements on his watch include appointment of Walter Willett to handle the Green Key and Access Canada programs, work on the association’s three websites, outsourcing of the conference and trade show to Big Picture Productions and an increased advocacy
role for the HAC.