Measured optimism for Western Hotel and Resort Market

Carrie Russell of HVS, shown here with Andrew Ramlo, provided introductory remarks at the conference. Photo by Jeremy Lim.

VANCOUVER—The Western Canadian Hotel and Resort Investment Conference, held in October in Vancouver, closed on a note of renewed enthusiasm.  The event, designed for hospitality executives and those involved in resort real estate, delivered solid information and outstanding value amidst an economic climate that can be described as turbulent, at best.

Top speakers from across the industry as well as financial analysts, and experts in demographics, social media and resort marketing came together to present opinions and fuel dialogues on a range of current issues - all aimed at delivering insight, fresh ideas and new strategies to deal with the uncertainty of the global stage and its effect on Western-based hospitality.

Initial reports from attendees indicate that the conference was successful in meeting its mandate. One participant remarked,  “It was reassuring to hear how Western Canada is doing compared to other parts of Canada as well as the world. It gives us clarity in our marketing directions for the future.” Another felt that the industry is beginning to accept the new reality of the post-credit crisis and remarked “ ... while prospects are not great, the industry is no longer in denial. This is a step in the right direction”.

“As conference hosts, we were focused on making sure this event brought together the right people and provided a forum to learn.  We’re thrilled with the turnout and all indications point to measured optimism for the hotel and recreational real estate industry in western Canada.  It’s the strongest economic region of Canada right now, so that’s not a surprise” said Lyle Hall, Managing Director of HLT Advisory who along with CBRE Hotels co-hosted this year’s event.

Andrew Ramlo, Director, Urban Futures Institute spoke about the trends, the preferences and the needs that govern buyer behaviour. Photo by Jeremy Lim.

That optimism is shared by those most active in western Canada.  “We see a host of development opportunities across the west, which is one of the reasons we decided to add an additional brand” remarked Marc Staniloff, CEO of Superior Lodging the Canadian master franchisors for Super 8 and newly added brand, Microtel.

Organizers of the event, Big Picture Conferences Inc. are currently assessing comments from attendees in order to tailor new content for next annual conference, scheduled for October 2012   in Vancouver. For more information, please visit www.bigpictureconferences.ca or contact Orie Berlasso 416.924.2002 ext 229.