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WASHINGTON, DC (November 6, 2023) – AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), has received a $605,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support its Empowering Youth Program (EYP) over two years. 

The primary goal of EYP is to address the critical workforce shortage in the U.S. hotel and lodging industry by promoting equitable hiring practices and training untapped talent, including Opportunity Youth (age 16-24 and currently not in school or employed) and other priority populations. This year’s grant expands on the work of previous funding focused on hospitality training, work readiness skills, and industry exposure for Opportunity Youth in key markets.

“We’re glad to support AHLA’s Empowering Youth Program,” said Elizabeth Cheung, Senior Program Officer, Opportunity Youth at Hilton Foundation. “AHLA Foundation is a trusted industry intermediary, poised to lead this work and improve future hiring outcomes.”

 

With this grant, the AHLA Foundation will focus its programming on strengthening relationships and systems between community-based organizations (CBO) and Opportunity Youth, during and after training, and the industry employers who seek to hire and retain them. Through listening sessions – convening stakeholders, identifying disconnects and barriers, sharing best practices, and equipping hotel leaders with DE&I-specific training to address biases – AHLA Foundation ultimately strives to improve the hiring outcomes of the EYP and facilitate stronger feedback loops in the ecosystem of CBOs, employers, and youth. The project will start in Los Angeles, with hopes of broader application across the hotel and lodging industry.

“We're deeply committed to elevating untapped talent and grateful to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for its support of our Empowering Youth Program,” said Anna Blue, President of AHLA Foundation. “We're eager to evolve this work and keep the momentum going to help young people find and build careers in the hotel industry.”

Parallel to its work funded by the Hilton Foundation grant, AHLA Foundation will continue to invest in the ongoing delivery of training – working alongside employers, community-based organizations, and industry partners to help ensure the essential skills and competencies required for in-demand entry-level positions are taught in the curriculum and that the program aligns with current industry employment needs.

 
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Hyatt Hotels Corporation (“Hyatt”) (NYSE: H) is positioned to double Hyatt’s brand footprint in Canada by the end of 2026, with more than 20 executed managed and franchised agreements across its distinct brands. As Hyatt continues to build industry-leading net rooms growth globally, this strategic and intentional growth in Canada reflects Hyatt’s focus on listening and developing in destinations that matter most to guests, World of Hyatt members and owners.  

With nearly 20 hotels currently open in Canada, Hyatt expects to have an additional 23 hotels open and operating by the end of 2026, doubling Hyatt’s Canadian brand footprint, and further expanding compelling guest and member experiences for World of Hyatt, one of the industry’s fastest growing loyalty programs. This significant expansion includes newly announced deals for luxury and lifestyle hotels including the second hotel in Canada within The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand. The hotel will be located in Ontario wine country and will join Spirit Ridge located in the beautiful Okanagan Valley wine country. Other upcoming properties include:

Hyatt Centric Winnipeg Downtown (2025) is expected to be the second Hyatt Centric hotel in Canada and will be in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, home to a vibrant arts and music scene, world-class museums, and stunning outdoor attractions. The lifestyle hotel will offer 140 modern guestrooms and suites, approximately 1,200 square feet of meeting space, a signature restaurant and bar and an open concept lobby that will capture the local spirit and inspire guests to get out and explore. The property is owned and will be operated by The Kothari Group.

Hyatt Centric Victoria – Old Town (2026), will be the first Hyatt branded hotel in Victoria, British Columbia and will join Hyatt’s growing Boundless Collection portfolio in Canada. Centrally located in Old Town Victoria, home to Canada’s oldest Chinatown and known for its historic brick buildings and walkable streets, the hotel will offer 135 rooms and suites, and dynamic food and beverage options including a restaurant, bar, lounge, and coffee shop. The property is owned by Chard Development Ltd.

“Hyatt is focused on accelerating brand growth and momentum in meaningful ways with several planned openings to meet every stay occasion in sought-after destinations coast-to-coast across Canada,” said Scott Richer, vice president of development and owner relations for Canada, Hyatt. “In 2022, Hyatt established a cross-functional corporate team dedicated to Canada, which enables us to continue growing Hyatt's brand presence across the country with new and existing owners, to bring these  and more  exciting projects to life." 

Portfolio Growth Includes Several New Leisure & Tertiary Markets for Hyatt

Hyatt’s commitment to growing its brands in Canada will offer guests a portfolio of hotels designed to provide memorable and engaging guest experiences. By the end of 2026, Hyatt expects to have an established brand presence in several sought-after leisure markets that currently do not have a Hyatt hotel including:

Hyatt House Port Elgin (2026) will be located in close proximity to some of the most idyllic sandy beaches on Lake Huron.

Hyatt Place Whitehorse (2025) will provide the ideal home base for adventurers looking to explore the vast and breathtaking Yukon wilderness.

New Airport Locations Planned Coast-to-Coast

Hyatt is expanding its brand footprint at some of Canada’s busiest airports with elevated experiences including free breakfast for guests and 24/7 conveniences that are attractive to both leisure and business travelers:

Hyatt Place Montreal - Trudeau International Airport (2025)

Hyatt Place Toronto International Airport (2025)

Hyatt House Toronto International Airport (2026)

Hyatt Place Mississauga – Airport Corporate Centre (2024)

Hyatt House Mississauga – Airport Corporate Centre (2024)

Hyatt Place Vancouver International Airport (2026)

Hyatt House Vancouver International Airport (2026)

Recently Opened Hyatt Hotels in Canada

Hyatt's impressive Canadian pipeline will join several hotels that opened in Canada over the past years, across Hyatt’s diverse brand portfolio including:

Hyatt Centric Montreal opened in March 2023

Hyatt Place Toronto/Brampton opened in August 2022

Hyatt Place Montreal Downtown opened in June 2022

The Walper Hotel, part of the JdV by Hyatt brand, located in Kitchener, Ontario, opened in May 2022

The Anndore House, part of the JdV by Hyatt brand, located in Toronto, opened in April 2021

 
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The second annual SPARK: BC Hotel and Liquor Conference was held on October 16-17th at Anvil Centre in New Westminster, British Columbia.

Organized by BC’s Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC) and the BC Hotel Association (BCHA), the two-day event featured over 16 sessions that offered valuable insights, networking opportunities and the highly anticipated IVSA tasting salon, featuring over 40 products from international and local liquor producers. The conference aimed to inspire innovation and drive growth in operations with a focus on food and beverage.

"It was a joy to welcome delegates from across BC’s hospitality sector to the Anvil Centre in New Westminster for the second SPARK BC Hotel and Liquor Conference. We had the privilege of hearing from expert speakers on a wide array of critical topics, exploring the future of our industry, advocacy priorities to ensure a thriving hospitality sector, to the crucial steps needed to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment that can support recruitment and workplace success. We also delved into the exciting ways to integrate new trends and technology, best practices in communications, case studies in community safety, and discovered effective strategies to prepare for crisis scenarios. We're immensely grateful to our partners at ABLE BC and take great pride in celebrating the resounding success of this year's conference”, says Ingrid Jarrett

Presentations included “Creating a Culture of Service Excellence” with Theresa Ito, “I Laugh at Them Because They’re the Same” with Andre Hueston Mack and “Harnessing the Power of Automation: Chat GPT and the Hospitality Industry” with Jay Ashton.

Creating a Culture of Service Excellence:

Ito stressed the significance of a positive service experience, highlighting that it starts with the team's attitude and approach towards guests. Ito emphasized the role of personalization in hospitality and encouraged creating memorable moments that make guests feel special and valued. She suggested fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among team members.

I laugh at them because they’re the same with Andre Hueston Mack:

In the conference session titled "I Laugh at Them Because They're the Same," celebrity Sommelier Andre Hueston Mack delivered a lively and engaging keynote. During his presentation, he shared the fascinating story of his journey to becoming a wine owner. The session served as an inspiring reminder that authenticity can be a potent force in achieving cess, even in fields with established norms and expectations.

Harnessing the Power of Automation: Chat GPT and the Hospitality Industry with Jay Ashton:

Ashton introduced the audience to the concept of Chat GPT and emphasized that we are just scratching the surface of its capabilities in the hospitality sector. He conducted live demonstrations to illustrate the power of Chat GPT in practical applications. Chat GPT can analyze a picture of a food cooler and create a menu based on the items it contains. This feature simplifies the menu creation process for restaurants and other food establishments. It can translate menus and then engineer them based on demographic information and the interests of people in a specific area. This enables businesses to tailor their offerings to the preferences of their target audience.

Boxed Section:

Some Key Takeaways from delegates:

The No.1 issue restaurants face is PROFITABILITY (From 2022-2023 there was a 116 per cent increase in restaurant bankruptcies.) The No.2 issue is property crime and vandalism - since the decriminalization of drugs there has been a SIGNIFICANT increase, and it is costing thousands of dollars to fix.

Short Term Rentals: The data is in. It has been PROVEN that STR have negatively affected the hospitality industry.

There is a serious PR problem. People look at hospitality as low skill and low pay. Providing more resources, education, and awareness to the career pathways that exist are important steps in rectifying this.

Resources and tools are available from partners from WORTH Association, go2HR, and Indigenous Tourism BC to support with our industry’s equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation efforts.

 
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SOLON, OH, OCTOBER 18, 2023 — Tarkett, a global leader in innovative and sustainable flooring solutions, is refreshing its high-performing, premium Contour LVT offerings with two new design collections: Collaborative and Mindful Maker. Like most Contour abstract designs, the collections are manufactured with the company’s high-definition digital printing capabilities, affording crisper visual details, longer pattern repeats and ample opportunities to tailor designs with a customer’s own signature touches.

"Our latest Contour collections include never-before-seen colors and designs that add artistic warmth to commercial interiors,” said Paul Young, senior vice president of product innovation and design for Tarkett North America.

Introduced at Design Days in June, Collaborative emerged from a collective mark-making process led by Tarkett’s vice president of design for its commercial business, Omoleye Simmons.

"In creating this collection, our goal was to celebrate hyper collaboration through cooperative artwork," Simmons said. "We embarked on a hands-on exploration that included mark-making, spraying and brushing watercolor paint, and layering paper. We experimented across design studios, sharing steps in the design process—selecting each others' creations to merge with our own and offering feedback along the way."

The collection's mix of patterns provides spaces with agility to meet changing demands and embrace neurodiverse work styles, offering solutions for busy, collaborative areas as well as quiet, heads-down zones. In addition to LVT, the collection features corresponding soft-surface options that will be available to the market late October.

Inspired by humans’ fundamental need to create, the Mindful Maker collection consists of three textural patterns that blend traditional crafting with our modern, digital world.

“Artistic expression is a vital piece of the human experience. Creating art nourishes the spirit and enhances our well-being in incomparable ways,” Simmons said. “Through creating, we convey ideas and share perspectives, forging meaningful connections with others.”

Within Mindful Maker, the Aquarelle pattern is inspired by watercolor washes and brushstrokes; Demure pulls from etchings and impressions in metal, glass or clay; and Needle & Thread, playing off the resurgence of classic crafts like crocheting and cross-stitching, showcases a variety of stitching techniques.

“The latest Contour offerings continue to elevate this exceptional LVT line with versatile options that allow designers to test the limits of their creativity,” said Sonia Serrao, senior director of brand marketing for Tarkett North America. “Our new Contour campaign invites customers to ‘design outside the lines’ and we’re excited to see all the imaginative ways designers shatter creative boundaries, either with the standard line or by putting their own signature touches on these designs.”

Both new collections are available exclusively on Tarkett’s premium Contour LVT, featuring top-of-the-line durability and protection. Every layer in Contour’s construction is designed with performance in mind: its 32-mil wear layer resists indentations in high-traffic areas, fiberglass provides enhanced dimensional stability, and the balancing layer prevents curling and doming. Topping it all off is Tarkett Techtonic®, a proprietary polyurethane coating that offers best-in-class protection against scratches, scuffs, stains and abrasions.

Key attributes of Contour include:

Durability: Techtonic® and 32-mil wear layer deliver superior resistance with no scratch whitening.

Ease of Installation: RollSmart™ roll-on adhesive dries in as little as 15 minutes and allows immediate occupancy.

Healthy Materials: Free of ortho-phthalates and all Six Classes of harmful chemicals as defined by the Green Science Policy Institute. Part of the ReStart® take back and recycling program.

Made in USA: Designed and manufactured in Florence, Alabama; Buy American Act Compliant.

In addition to offering Tarkett’s broadest portfolio of exclusive wood, stone and abstract visuals, Contour LVT also delivers numerous opportunities for customization. The Tailored by Tarkett program includes a full suite of design services, including the Carpet & LVT Studio online visualizer and  Designer on Demand rendering service. Through IMAGINATIONS, Tarkett provides intricate custom insets—including company logos, school mascots, playful shapes or helpful wayfinding. To recolor any digitally printed pattern, customers can contact their local Tarkett sales representative.

To learn more about the new collections and Tarkett’s Contour LVT, visit commercial.tarkett.com/contour.

 
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[Ripon, Wisconsin, November 1, 2023] Alliance Laundry Systems, the global leader in commercial laundry equipment, announces the introduction of a revolutionary dryer feature that eliminates the problems caused by lint.

ProCapture uses patent-pending cyclone technology to capture 98 percent* of dryer lint – a significant increase over the lint screens used in most commercial tumble dryers. The technology brings a variety of advantages to laundromats and on-premises laundries, including reduced service and maintenance costs on everything from HVAC systems to water heaters, and other electronics/components.

“ProCapture is more than just a tumble dryer feature. As anyone in the laundry industry knows, lint causes a number of issues for operations,” said Craig Dakauskas, Senior Vice President, Americas Commercial, Alliance Laundry Systems. “Through this technology, we are virtually eliminating these problems.”

With this industry-first feature, Alliance will drive improved tumbler performance, reduce staff time spent cleaning lint compartments, and reduce maintenance costs – all benefits that deliver real dollars in savings. ProCapture succeeds where lint screens and even expensive stand-alone systems, which can be costly to maintain, fail.

“Ask any laundromat owner, who services their rooftop HVAC unit every few years, about the costly impact of lint in the environment,” Dakauskas said. “With ProCapture, Alliance Laundry Systems has effectively eliminated this cost for owners and, in the process, reaffirmed its industry leader and innovator status.”

The ProCapture feature is available for order now on Alliance Laundry Systems-produced 75-pound capacity tumblers. It will be available on 30-pound stacks in March of 2024, and rolled out for additional capacities in the future.

To learn more about all things ProCapture and watch a video about the new technology, click here.

 

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