Delta’s Hank Stackhouse retires

TORONTO—Just over 30 years ago, Hank Stackhouse was working as assistant manager at a high-end restaurant in Saint John, NB. But what he really wanted was to work for Delta Hotels.

One day, Warren Markwart, then GM of the Delta Brunswick and now president of MK2 Hospitality, was coming in for lunch. Stackhouse gave all his tables to other staff, so that he could serve only Markwart and his guest.

Markwart was impressed, and so was his guest, whom Stackhouse later learned was vice-president of food and beverage for Delta.

“I don’t know why you say you’re having a hard time finding good food and beverage staff,” the VP told Markwart. “This guy is fantastic.”

After that, Stackhouse applied for a job at the Delta Airport Inn in Richmond, BC.

“I went out thinking I was applying for a maitre d’ position,” Stackhouse says with a laugh. “But the person interviewing me said, ‘that’s my job.’ I ended up working as a switchboard operator, with the old plugs.”

After that, Stackhouse worked his way through almost every department in the hotel—maintenance, housekeeping, accounting and sales and marketing, being trained as a bellman, doorman, front desk person and in the restaurant and bar.

“All of the brands had that [kind of training]. Mine was condensed, but it was a great eye opener.”

Stackhouse went to the Delta in Penticton, BC to work in maintenance and left as room division manager. He enjoyed his time in the Okanagan for two reasons, first it was a brand new hotel, and second, he met his wife there.

Next was a stop at Delta Whistler as executive assistant manager. His first general manager experience was at Tantalus Lodge in Whistler. Around 1989, he became GM at the Delta Whistler.

By 1995, Stackhouse was regional vice-president for Atlantic Canada. “I oversaw the Eastern Seaboard, including two hotels in Florida, six hotels in Cuba and one in the Dominican Republic.”

But Delta’s foray into the Caribbean was short-lived. “Then Fairmont started to go into the U.S., and Cuba became a problem,” Stackhouse explains. Fairmont owned Delta at the time.

In 2000, he came to Toronto as senior vice-president, operations, in 2006 he became president, and in 2008 he added the title of CEO.

“When I became president, the first thing I did was call Delta founder Bill Palliser, to talk about the baton being passed along to me.”

What has and hasn’t changed at Delta

Delta has grown since Stackhouse joined in 1981. “We’re truly a national hotel brand now, with more locations, more upmarket hotels, and a more clearly defined brand.” The number of Delta Hotels was in the teens 30 years ago, compared to 46 today.

But Stackhouse prefers to talk about what hasn’t changed.

“I’m proud most of all of the culture of the company. As a company grows in size, one of the most difficult things is to carry forward the culture—to grow but still be seen as having a young, entrepreneurial and caring culture.

Culture is still the most valuable part of the brand.

Stackhouse credits Delta’s success as a larger company to its clear and concise vision and values. “You can’t do it just by having effort and passion—it has to be more defined. That’s what’s allowed us to grow.

Just last month, Delta was named one of the Top 50 Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt. “At No. 9, we were the only hotel in the top 10, rising from No. 14 last year. This survey is weighted toward employees,” he notes.

“We’re a 100 per cent Canadian owned company, and that bodes well. Our ownership [bcIMC] is a long-term, patient investor with a vested interest in the health and growth of the company.

“Our locations are second to none across the country, with more four-star locations across the country. Our product is in all key city centres, many secondary locations and some tertiary.

“We also received the Order of Excellence from the National Quality Institute [in 2007], the only Canadian hotel to do so.

“Those are some of the milestones—the journey never stops!”

Stackhouse’s passions and pet peeves...

Stackhouse’s passions are easy to define. “What I’ve enjoyed most is getting my batteries charges by interacting with people. I thoroughly enjoy sitting down with a customer, and in some cases turning those relationships into friendships.

“That’s what I like best, all the people you meet as you walk around the office floor or into a lobby.”

His pet peeve? “When people are not present at a meeting. I love technology, but I dislike it in meeting rooms. When I first took over as senior vice-president, operations, I made a rule—Blackberries had to be turned off and no more laptops in meetings.” Stackhouse developed a high school pennant made of soft fabric that can be pushed down a boardroom table to let everyone know the rules.

“But at our last annual general meeting, we had a live wall, and we encouraged everybody to use their smart phone to fire comments up and share what they are thinking. You could feel the energy in the room by the comments. You can capture real concerns, and address them. Not everybody feels comfortable putting their hand up.”

Straight from the heart

Asked what is his most important legacy, Stackhouse says it is the creation of the company’s vision, mission and values. “These equate to four words, ‘Straight from the Heart.’

“This refers to a selfless act, where you have to think of someone else other than yourself. It has helped us make decisions.”

When Stackhouse retires from Delta at the end of the year, he and his wife will divide their time between Playa del Carmen, Mexico and a summer cottage near Pictou, Nova Scotia.

“We’ll still have a Toronto address to use as our launching pad between the warm weather.”

But Stackhouse will still be available as an advisor to train his as-yet-unnamed successor for the first six months. And he looks forward to his term as chair of the Hotel Association of Canada, which takes effect in March 2012.