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Bed bugs are tiny pests, their average size being 3/16 inches (4-5 mm) long and their appearance being oval shaped, flat, and red to dark brown. Despite their size, they are still identifiable. These insects are classified as hematophagous, meaning that blood is their source of nutrition. Therefore, they are primarily nocturnal bugs, hiding in the daytime and coming out to feed at nighttime when humans and pets are asleep while remaining unnoticed. However, on rare occasions they will come out during the daytime to feed when a host is present. This occurs when bed bugs are hungry, have gone without feeding for a while, or are in public venues such as libraries or cinemas where humans do not spend nights. Physical signs of bed bugs include bite marks on legs, arms, neck, or face that are swollen or itchy. 

“Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, but are excellent at hiding. Involving a trained professional to identify bed bugs that have been introduced or are in the early stages of an infestation is recommended,” Dr. Alice Sinia, a Ph.D. Entomologist at Orkin Canada, explains. “Bed bugs are extremely resilient, making them difficult to control. As people begin to ramp up their travel plans this year, it’s important they know how to protect themselves through pest identification and proper control.” 

Bed bugs are known for their rapid reproduction and long-term survival capabilities. These insects can produce one to five eggs a day, females laying from 200-500 eggs throughout their life, which can be from 4 months to almost a year. Bed bugs can survive for months at a time without a meal. It is crucial to take care of a bed bug problem as soon as it is spotted before an infestation occurs and it becomes a severe issue. 

“While it’s important to be aware of bed bug infestations within hotels, practicing precautions in other aspects of travel are also important,” explains Sinia. “Taxis, buses, trains, and airplanes are also common bed bug hiding places, allowing these pests an opportunity to hitch a ride with unsuspecting travelers. Examining clothing and luggage regularly while traveling can help prevent introducing bed bugs into your home or business, helping you stop a future infestation from occurring.” 

A case of bed bugs can occur when you least expect it, but they can be difficult to spot and get rid of. We have compiled a list of tips from the Orkin Pro on how to identify and prevent these pests: 

For Homeowners:

Be sure to check your home for signs of bed bugs frequently. In bedrooms or sleeping areas, bed bug hot zones such as mattresses, behind baseboards, nightstands and accessories, underneath picture frames, and on soft furniture, should be examined. In living rooms, the couches or sitting areas must be the focus. It is a good idea to do an inspection after having guests in your home or visiting elsewhere. This can include service workers, friends spending the night, or after a vacation. You can also add an extra layer of monitoring by installing bed bug monitors; these are available from professional pest control companies or over the counter in stores. 

Declutter your space. The less cluttered your home is, the easier it will be to search for bed bugs, whether on your own or for a K9 bed bug inspector. 

When bringing secondhand furniture into your home, thoroughly inspect it for any dark ink-like blot marks, whitish eggs clusters which are visible, bed bug cast skins, or bed bugs to ensure a pest introduction does not occur. 

For Travellers:

Bed bugs are extremely efficient hitchhikers. They can move easily across a room and climb onto baggage, or anything left on a bed in just one night. Below are some tips you may consider while travelling.  

Some things you can do to reduce the risk of picking up bed bugs as you travel include: 

Do not put your clothing or luggage directly on the bed. If bed bugs are present within the bed, they can climb into bags, suitcases or any laundry left on top. 

Always use metal luggage racks. Bed bugs cannot easily climb metal surfaces, so they make an ideal overnight spot for your suitcase. Keep the rack away from the walls and any wooden furniture. 

Use suitcase/bag protector plastic bags. These bags are specially designed to encase a suitcase, luggage, or carry on, hence protecting them from hitchhiking bed bugs. The protector can be inserted prior to travelling or upon reaching the hotel. Once in the hotel room, insert the suitcase in the protector bag, making sure the suitcase is tightly zipped. This should keep your personal items safe from any bed bug invasion. 

Use small, untorn plastic bags to pack clothing, shoes and other personal items. This will help prevent any bed bugs that climb into your suitcase from getting into your home via your clothing. Bed bugs can also hide or hitchhike inside books, cloth toiletry kits and other non-metal personal items including electronics, such as cellphones, laptops and even headphones. 

Hotels aren’t the only bed bug travel threats. Bed bugs thrive in dark, cool places with long-term access to humans. Therefore, they can be found on airplane and train seats, buses, or in rental cars. It’s rare but it is possible to pick up bed bugs in places like these. 

When you get home, vacuum your travel suitcase or bags promptly, using the crack and crevice tip of your home vacuum. Clean both the inside and outside of your suitcases thoroughly. Dispose of the vacuum bag or empty the canister in an outside garbage receptacle. 

To ensure your next trip stays bed bug free, here are a few quick and easy ways to check for bed bugs: 

Survey your hotel room, searching for any symptoms of bed bug presence. You should keep an eye out for small red stains on the bed sheets. All courtesy bedding, including the mattress, pillowcases, and soft furniture should be examined for extra precaution. 

Lift and search underneath typical bed bug hiding zones. This includes: the mattress and box spring on the beds, furniture such as couches and soft chairs, and behind wall coverings including baseboards, hanging photographs, and tears in the wallpaper. 

Elevate your baggage to a safe zone. Placing your luggage and carry-on bags away from the bed or wall will help prevent any potential insects from entering your personal items. Placing them on counters or in the bathroom tub is the best thing to do. 

Examine your personal items. Your luggage should be examined before you leave and once you re-enter your home after a vacation. 

Place your clothing in the dryer. For the most effective precaution, run the drier for 20-45 minutes at its highest setting to get rid of any potential pests you may have carried into your home. 

Remembering the acronym S.L.E.E.P will help you refresh your memory when it comes to following through with a bed bug inspection! 

For more information about bedbug prevention and bedbug control, visit the Orkin Canada website.

 
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HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—Canada’s hotel performance increased from the previous month, with February revenue per available room (RevPAR) exceeding CAD100 for the first time on record, according to STR’s February 2023 data.

February 2023 (percentage change from 2019)

Occupancy: 59.2% (+0.7%)

Average daily rate (ADR): CAD174.62 (+16.5%)

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): CAD103.33 (+17.3%)

“Canada’s hotel performance trends that emerged halfway through 2022 have remained incredibly consistent, and February was no exception,” said Laura Baxter, CoStar Group’s director of hospitality analytics for Canada. CoStar Group is the parent company of STR.

“Strong room rate growth across all segments and elevated transient demand, particularly on weekends, remain the main drivers of performance recovery,” Baxter said. “Group and weekday demand remained below pre-pandemic levels, with group occupancy down 12% from 2019. January and February typically tend to be slow months for the segment, so we can expect the index to improve as we move into high season for groups (April through November). We can also expect to see an improvement as international group travel reemerges throughout the year. Weekday occupancy, which can be used as a proxy for corporate travel demand, was down just 3% in February, signaling relative strength in the segment. The increased number of workers returning to office may prompt even more improvement for corporate demand.”

Among the provinces and territories, Manitoba recorded the highest January occupancy level (70.4%), which surpassed the pre-pandemic comparable by 7.5%.

Among the major markets, Vancouver reported the highest occupancy level (74.4%), which was 2.0% above 2019.

 

New Brunswick (48.1%) saw the lowest occupancy among provinces, up 2.3% against 2019. At the market-level, the lowest occupancy was reported in Edmonton (51.3%) which was 4.9% below the 2019 comparable.

 
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VANCOUVER, BC (March 20, 2023): Fairmont Vancouver Airport has been named the #1 Airport Hotel in North America for the ninth consecutive year and has climbed to #3 in the world at the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards.

The World Airport Awards are the most prestigious accolades for the airport industry, voted by customers in the largest, annual global airport customer satisfaction survey completed across 100 nationalities of airline passengers at 550 airports from August 2022 until February 2023. The Best Airport Hotel Awards rate overall hotel experience, access from the airport to the hotel, friendliness of hotel staff, cleanliness, in-room amenities, fitness and spa facilities, quality of food and restaurant service, and value for money.

“It is an honour to be once again recognized as North America’s Best Airport Hotel and we are thrilled to be included in the top three airport hotels worldwide,” says Randall Williams, General Manager of Fairmont Vancouver Airport. “This award truly showcases the hard work of our entire team and their dedication to delivering new and extraordinary experiences every day.”

The luxury hotel, located directly in Vancouver International Airport, has re-defined airport accommodation. The hotel's newest innovations include a selection of wellness experiences ranging from complimentary in-room wellness rituals guided by Three Sages to its Fit on the Fly Suite, complete with a Peloton Bike, FITBENCH ONE, yoga mat, and self-guided Nordic hydrotherapy experience. Recently welcoming Harris Sakalis as executive chef, the hotel’s culinary offering is set to take on an exciting new direction while continuing to highlight locally and sustainably sourced ingredients from farmers and fishers across the Pacific Northwest.

Located just 90 steps from the US Departures Level, guestrooms and suites are fully soundproof with floor-to-ceiling views of the airport runways, Pacific Ocean, and North Shore Mountains. Layover meets luxury with Day Use rooms and health club passes available for travelers, while guests can check in and print boarding passes in the hotel lobby. Runway vistas and award-winning Pacific Northwest cuisine are featured in Globe@YVR restaurant, Jetside Lounge, and through its 24-hour In-Room Dining. The hotel also boasts a full-service day spa, a health club with an indoor mechanized resistance pool; and state-of-the-art meeting facilities with over 8,800 square feet of space.

 
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The global travel and tourism industry, which has been struggling to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic induced slowdown, is facing another setback with a significant drop in deal activity. The industry, which relies heavily on investment and strategic partnerships, saw a steep year-on-year (YoY) 60.4% decline in deal activity in February 2023, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

An analysis of GlobalData’s Financial Deals Database reveals deal volume in the industry more than halved from 111 deals* announced during February 2022 to 44 deals announced during February 2023.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments:“The decline underscores the ongoing uncertainty and challenges, including changing consumer behavior, and economic volatility, faced by the travel and tourism industry. As market scenario is rapidly changing, with fears of recession investors seem to have become cautious.”

Deal activity fell significantly in most of the countries in February with several of them reporting double-digit declines. Meanwhile, some of the key markets did not see the announcement of even a single deal during the month.

For instance, the US, which happens to be top market in terms of deal volume, witnessed 71.9% decline in deal volume in February 2023. Similarly, the UK witnessed considerable year-on-year decline in deal volume by 46.2%. Meanwhile, Japan, Germany and Spain did not see the announcement of even a single deal during the month.

All deal types under the coverage (merger and acquisition, venture financing and private equity deals) also registered decline in deal volume in February 2023. The number of venture financing and private equity deals declined by 59.4% and 60%, respectively, while merger and acquisition deal volume declined by 60.9% in February 2023.

Bose concludes: “The decline in deal activity in the travel and tourism industry is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges and uncertainties as it seeks to recover from the pandemic. However, it also presents an opportunity to explore new models and partnerships that can drive innovation and growth in the post-pandemic era. As the industry continues to navigate these obstacles, investors should remain vigilant and adaptive to the emerging trends and opportunities.”

*Comprising mergers & acquisitions, private equity and venture financing deals

Note: Historic data may change in case some deals get added to previous months because of a delay in disclosure of information in the public domain.

 
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EDMONTON, AB, CANADA – March 16, 2023 – Today, Hotel Equities (“HE”) announced the grand opening of the Courtyard by Marriott Nanaimo, a 172-room hotel in downtown Nanaimo, British Columbia. Hotel Equities partnered with Utah-based commercial real estate leader PEG Companies (“PEG”) and Petroglyph Development Group to manage the new hotel. 

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our presence in the Canadian market,” said Ryan McRae, VP of Business Development for Hotel Equities. “The Vancouver Island market has been a focus of ours for quite some time and we look forward to having representation in this highly desirable destination. We expect to continue our growth here and look forward to serving the community and the many visitors who travel here.”

The new Marriott hotel offers industry-leading amenities including a charming street-level café, large pool, and all-inclusive fitness center. Design features include angular windows with street-side views, stone panels, and a façade of exterior colors allowing it to blend well within the environment and existing buildings in the area. Vancouver-based sustainable construction firm, Nexii, has generated efficiencies in the buildout by utilizing its innovative construction methodology, saving both money and time. As part of PEG’s design plan, the new Courtyard pays homage to Nanaimo’s cultural heritage through Snuneymuxw-inspired décor and serves as a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of the Snuneymuxw people.  

The nine-story hotel is conveniently situated adjacent the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, and between Casino Nanaimoand the Nanaimo Museum. Nanaimo is well-positioned for further growth with its easy access to Vancouver and growing tourism industry.

City officials have maintained that the hotel is crucial for the downtown revitalization and success of the neighboring conference center. The Marriott is expected to spur economic growth as the first major hotel brand in the area.

“Hotel Equities has a strong footprint in Canada that benefits from HE’s strategic approach to talent and technology platforms which provide operational efficiencies across all of our properties, “said Martin Stitt, SVP of Operations for Hotel Equities. “We look forward to utilizing these systems to provide sound support for property operations benefiting our Associates, Guests, and Ownership.”

 

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