TORONTO—While 2009 will be difficult, the Canadian hotel industry is in much better shape than it was for either the 1991-92 recession or 9/11 and SARS in the early ‘00s. That’s the message David Larone of PKF gave delegates at the Hotel Association of Canada conference held in Toronto Feb. 10-11. “Today, supply and demand are relatively in balance, better than ’02 and much better than ’92. ADR is also in much better shape. Better systems are available through the brands. Yield management is something we’ve been working at for 20 years.  The capability and assistance are there for the brand side.
“In short, we are better equipped to manage through a recession than we have been at any time in our history.”