VANCOUVER, BC – October 29, 2026 – The hotel industry’s top leaders sat down at Five Sails, atop Canada Place, to connect at the 2026 Western Canda VIP Hotel Leadership Dinner.
Now in its 14th year, these gatherings are organized by Jason Cheskes of Above the Line Solutions and take place annually in Vancouver and Toronto. The premise is simple: bring senior hotel leaders together in a purely social setting, with no agenda, to strengthen the relationships that hold the industry together.
Emad Yacoub, CEO of Glowbal Restaurant Group, joined the group during cocktails to personally welcome Jason and this prestigious group back to Five Sails. He, and host Jason Cheskes, did this year have a message to deliver; they spoke about a concern that many in the room share: the industry is experiencing a decline in hospitality culture and depth of leadership skills that sets great hotels and restaurants apart. They noted that the warmth, personal connection, instinct and service that guests remember, can’t be produced by spreadsheets or in classrooms or calculated through P&Ls. Such must be taught, modelled and supported as a priority, as many in the room had benefitted from in their own careers.
Over 65 hotel professionals from across the country joined to celebrate the industry, share laughs, enjoy a fantastic meal, strengthen connections with past colleagues and develop new friendships, including leaders from:
Accor, AHLA, Atlific, Best Western, Choice Hotels, Coast, Days Hospitality, Destination BC, Evergreen, Executive, Globex, Hotel Equities, Hotels Canada, Innvest, Listel, Mairet, Marriott, MasterBUILT, Metropolitan Hotels, Northland, Oxford Properties, Pacific Reach, Pemberton Valley Lodge, Pinnacle, Realstar, Silverbirch, Superior Lodging, Synvest Capital and Wyndham.
The evening was made possible by key suppliers to the hotel industry who sponsored the event: Foodbuy, Imperial Brady, Ecolab, RHB, Eden Textile, Serta Simmons, MTech Locks, Rogers and Nerval.
Jason also acknowledged Frank Yeo of Mercury publications (Western/Eastern Hotelier Magazine) for his ongoing support and arranging for fantastic photographer, Phillip Chin, to capture the evening as well as the Ontario Hospitality Conference the week prior.
Photos can be viewed at https://phillipchin2018.pixieset.com/20261029westerncanadaviphotelleadershipdinner/