Checking In with Rosanna Caira

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier, speaks with Tony Elenis, president and CEO of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association, about some of the most important issues his association is dealing with. including labour challenges, wholesale liquor changes in the province, and the uncertainty surrounding the potential impact of tariffs.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Andrew Weir, president and CEO of Destination Toronto about the growing importance of tourism, the impact of special concert and sporting events on the visitor economy and the challenges and opportunities that Toronto faces as we head into a new year.

This special episode of Checking In, is based on an excerpt between an interview with Madone Pelan, GM of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, and Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine. In the interview, the award-winning Victoria, B.C.- based hotelier, looks back at her trajectory in the hotel industry, outlines the various successes her hotel has achieved over the past year and talks about the various changes implemented at The Oak Bay Beach Hotel since the pandemic.

In this special episode of Checking In, produced in partnership with Marriott International, Rosanna Caira, editor/publisher of Hotelier magazine and Amy Bostock, managing editor, speak to a Roundtable of industry leaders to better understand what kind of year 2024 has been for Canada's hotel industry and what's projected ahead for 2025.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Dr. Altaf Sovani, an award-winning author, educator, entrepreneur and founder of Alzen Consulting. The two discuss the impact of the labour crisis on Canada's hospitality industry and they dissect innovative solutions for the recruitment and retention of Millennials, who are poised to become 75 per cent of the global workforce by 2025.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier speaks with Adrienne Foster, VP, Policy and Public Affairs of the Hotel Association of Canada; David McMillan, president of AXIS International, and Steve Renard, president of Renard International Search Consultants about the ongoing labour challenges being faced by hoteliers in Canada's dynamic hotel industry. The trio of experts assess the current shortages, look at the main factors contributing to the shortages and discuss how hoteliers can remain competitive in this ever-evolving marketplace.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Ingrid Jarrett, president and CEO of the B.C. Hotel Association about her group's advocacy work, its collaboration with other industry stakeholders and the changing and evolving landscape of the hotel industry in British Columbia.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Andy Loges, Area General Manager, Canada East & Ohio, Hilton, about the Hilton Toronto's recent renovation, the opening of its new restaurant called Frenchy, as well as challenges and opportunities of operating a hotel in the post-pandemic world.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Frank Menezes, Professor & Program Coordinator, Hotel Operations Management, School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, at George Brown College. The two speak about the myriad changes in the education field, the importance of collaboration between colleges and the industry and the challenges of dealing with chronic labour shortages.

In this special episode celebrating International Women's Day, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Liz Hovey-Smith, GM of the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Alberta and Kara Edwards, GM of the Alyeska Resort in Alaska. The two hoteliers speak about the challenges and opportunities of being a female hotelier, the importance of building each other up, and the importance of advocating for change.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Marie Pier Germain, vice-president of Sales, and Hugo Germain, vice-president, Operations, at Germain Hotels. The two leaders speak of the company's expansion and development plans, its focus on sustainability as one of its core tenets and the benefits and opportunities of working in a family owned and run hotel business.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor/publisher of Hotelier magazines speaks with Sara Anghel, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. The two discuss how the association continues to advocate for the city's hotels by collaborating with industry stakeholders; and how it works to raise the profile of the tourism sector while helping to promote the professional development and training of staff.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Carlos Ng and Jeremiah Tomas, two of this year's KML Top 30-under-30 winners. The duo discuss their career trajectories, why they chose to work in the hospitality industry, and their views on how the industry can be improved to make it more appealing for today and tomorrow's employees.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Tim Reardon, general manager of the Sheraton Centre Hotel Toronto. The award-winning hotelier speaks about the Sheraton's recent re-positioning, his advocacy work as Chair of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, and his guiding and passionate belief in putting people first.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Mark Willis, the new CEO of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts worldwide and Yigit Sezgin, Fairmont's Chief Brand & Commercial Officer. The two leaders speak about their parent company's [ACCOR] recent structural changes, what those changes mean to how the company operates and runs its 40+ brands, and more specifically, the company's plans to grow the Fairmont brand globally.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Geoff Allan, president of Montreal-based Project Capital Management about his company's various property development mandates, the impact of the pandemic on the hotel industry and on real-estate projects and his entrepreneurial zeal to deliver excellence on all operational and development fronts.

In this special episode of Checking In, marking International Women's Day, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with three women leaders from the hotel investment/brokerage /consulting fields (Robin McCluskie from Colliers International; Carrie Russell from HVS, and Rebecca Godfrey from CBRE). The trio of women discuss their unique trajectories, how they managed to achieve success working in a male-dominated industry and how they managed to break barriers along the way.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Rocco Bova, former hotelier, and international consultant specializing in boutique hotel operations. Bova speaks about the state of the hotel industry post-COVID, the pervasive labour shortages impacting hotels everywhere, as well as a new revolutionary hospitality concept he's launched called “My Humble House,” that promises to change the hotel business model.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Kristy Adams, professor and Program Coordinator, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Humber College, about the various changes and innovations made at the college since the pandemic, the school's efforts to work with the industry to solve current challenges such as the labour shortage and future plans to ensure the continued delivery of quality education.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Anne Marie Johns, GM of the Fairmont Tremblant and Andre Pereira, director of Marketing and Communications at Giant Steps Montreal, a specialized school for autistic students and an Inclusion advocacy group about the recent autism-inclusive hiring initiative launched at the Fairmont Tremblant and Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth that will see more people on the spectrum hired for hotel jobs.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Trina Notman, vice-president of Marketing/Communications for Accent Inns. Notman speaks about the importance of supporting and standing up for women and for all marginalized individuals as well as the need to create safe havens for all employees.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier speaks with Simon Cooper, renowned hotelier and now president of Simon Cooper and Associates about his long tenure in the hospitality industry both in Canada as former president of Marriott Hotels of Canada, and internationally as COO of Ritz Carlton. Cooper discusses the state of the industry in the COVID era, the growth of the luxury segment and the importance of hospitality as a career choice.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with a trio of female leaders (Roz Winegrad, Laura Pallotta and Brenda Rodricks) at Marriott Hotels Canada about their career trajectories, how they broke barriers to achieve success and the opportunities and possibilities for women in the hospitality industry.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with David Goldstein, president and CEO of Travel Alberta about the continuing efforts of his company to promote the western province as a place that features more than moose, mountains and Mounties, but rather as a place where nature comes together with the urban and urbane experience.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier, speaks with Jonathan Lund, regional vice-president, Operations, of IHG Hotels and Resorts about the lingering effects of the pandemic and how it's shaped the hotel industry as well as the hope, optimism and excitement for the future as consumers start to once again travel.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Christopher Bloore, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, (TIAO) about the various initiatives and work his association has undertaken to help Ontario's tourism industry get moving again after two years of dealing with COVID-19.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Keith Henry, president and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, about his efforts to help promote Indigenous owned and operated tourism businesses while helping to educate and advance greater awareness of Indigenous culture.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Phillip Haller, vice-president Brand Marketing of Rocco Forte Hotels in London, England, about the company's continued growth and expansion amid a lingering pandemic.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with James Hague, general manager of Baker Creek Mountain Resort in Banff National Park, and a member of the Charming Inns & Hotels of Alberta collective, about how the past 19 months have impacted his resort and what he and his team are doing to build back better as we move into recovery mode.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Bonnie Strome, GM of the Park Hyatt Toronto about the recent re-opening of the iconic Toronto landmark and the challenges and opportunities of overseeing a luxury property in this new COVID-19 era.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with James Lockhart, president of Group Lockhart, about the growing importance of providing professional solutions to meet the HR goals of hospitality clients who want to attract, reward and retain quality employees.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Dorothy Dowling, vice-president and Chief Marketing Officer of Best Western Hotels, about the importance of marketing, branding and strategic partnerships, as well as evolving guests' needs, while also dealing with the changes fuelled across the hotel industry around the world by the COVID pandemic.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with the trio of designers (Boris Mathias, Tatiana Sheveleva and Loris Ognibene) at Chapi Chapo to find out how their love of design and travel brought them together to create an award-winning multi-disciplinary design company that works with local and global artisans to develop distinctive expressions for some of the hotel industry's elite brands.

In this episode of the Checking In podcast, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Edwin Frizzell, GM of the Fairmont Royal York and regional vice-president, Central Canada, AccorHotels, and chair of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. Find out how this successful and award-winning hotelier has dealt with the varied challenges of operating one of Canada’s largest iconic hotel properties through the lingering pandemic.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with a trio of Toronto hoteliers (Konrad Gstrein, Four Seasons; Nancy Munzar Kelly of the Shangri La Toronto and Tim Terceira of the St. Regis) to discuss how their luxury properties have been forced to re-invent themselves in light of the ongoing pandemic.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Ryan Killen, GM of the Annex Hotel in Toronto about how his micro hotel has adapted to the challenges of COVID-19 and how the pandemic continues to fuel changes in all aspects of the hotel operation.

In this edition of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, Editor & Publisher of Kostuch Media Ltd. and Bruce McAdams, Associate Professor, of Hospitality, Food & Tourism Management at the University of Guelph, moderate a panel of this year's Top-30-under-30 winners as Kostuch Media celebrates achievement and excellence in the industry's young professionals. The Top 30 recognition program was established in 2006 by the Ontario Hostelry Institute, under the guidance of J. Charles Grieco, to recognize young professionals in Canada who have made an outstanding contribution early in their professional careers.

In this episode of the Checking In podcast, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Eve Pare, president and CEO of the Montreal Hotel Association to discuss how the province’s hotel industry has been impacted by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, what the association is doing to help its members through the crisis, and what the next three months might look like as we deal with a second wave of COVID-19.

While the foodservice and hospitality industry is home to a diverse workforce, barriers to equality continue to exist in restaurants and hotels alike. On August 11, 2020 KML in partnership with Easton’s Group of Hotels, assembled a group of industry leaders to discuss what the industry needs to do in order to dismantle those barriers to ensure discrimination is eradicated, true equality is achieved and that everyone is treated with the respect they deserve. Last week, five months after that webinar, we once again assembled a panel of leaders culled from that first roundtable to determine what kind of progress has been made on this front, to examine the initiatives being introduced by various leading hospitality companies to ensure a discrimination-free environment and to introduce goals and directives for the industry so that it can become home to a diverse and inclusive workforce that is welcoming and hospitable to all.

In this Hotelier webcast, a panel of hotel leaders discusses what hotels are doing (new safety measures, protocols and procedures) to ensure they can continue to operate safely during the pandemic. Find out how safety protocols are impacting all aspects of Operations – from the check-in process to the cleanliness and hygiene of rooms as well as heightened safety measures in the housekeeping department, restaurants and other areas.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine and Amy Bostock, managing editor, speak with this year’s Hospitality Heroes as part of a webcast Roundtable, highlighting the community initiatives introduced by 11 hospitality leaders during this year’s COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Zita Cobb, innkeeper at the Fogo Island in Newfoundland, about how she built a successful inn based on social entrepreneurship and how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the business.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with David McMillan, president of Axis Hospitality International and a veteran of the hotel industry, to find out his perspective on how COVID-19 will impact the future of hotels and resorts and how the industry will be forced to change.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine speaks with Terry Mundell, president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association about the lingering effects of COVID-19 on his members and the association's lobbying efforts to support hoteliers during this turbulent period.

Over the past several months, as COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, the hotel industry has struggled to deal with a litany of challenges fuelled by a global lock-down and travel restrictions. Now, as hotels start to slowly re-open around the world, there is a better understanding of what guests can expect from the hotel experience. In this episode of the Checking In podcast, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with Gary Collinge, GM of Vancouver's Pan Pacific hotel; Franck Arnold, GM of Toronto's Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Hani Roustom, managing director of the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto's tony Yorkville neighbourhood to find out how luxury properties are being forced to change and what the future may look like as we move into the next phase of recovery.

As the hotel industry across Canada starts to re-open, how are hotel companies across different segments preparing to welcome guests and what will the new normal look like? Hotelier magazine brings together seven top leaders to discuss what the next stage will look like and what we can expect as we move into the summer season.

In this episode of Checking In, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine, speaks with company executives from Avendra, one of Canada’s leading procurement chains that supplies Canada’s hotel industry with food, equipment and services to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the supply chain dynamic and how the supply chain might look post the pandemic.

In this edition of Hotelier’s Checking In podcast, Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Hotelier magazine interviews Don Cleary, president of Marriott Hotels Canada; Heather McCrory, president and CEO of Accor North/Central America and Christiane Germain, co-president of Group Germain to find out how Canada’s hotel industry will change as a result of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. What will hotels need to do differently amidst growing concern about health and safety and how will businesses be impacted moving forward.

In this special instalment of the Checking In podcast focused on COVID-19 and its impact on the hospitality industry, editor and publisher Rosanna Caira speaks with four leading tourism industry experts to understand how the pandemic has impacted Canada's tourism industry and how it promises to change the landscape.

In this episode of Checking In, editor/publisher Rosanna Caira speaks with several leading experts in the foodservice and hospitality industry to assess how COVID-19 is impacting restaurants and hotels across Canada, while examining the efforts being taken to help the industry survive during this unprecedented time.

In this episode, Susie Grynol, president of the Hotel Association of Canada, examines a few of the strategies the association has developed to deal with some of the key challenges of the day. From topics such as short-term rentals, to labour shortages and OTAs, the association has worked diligently to advocate and launch initiatives that help the hotel industry regain its competitive edge.