BETHESDA, MD – (December 15, 2023) – Marriott International announced today that Paul Cahill has been named Senior Vice President, Canada Operations, effective February 2024. Mr. Cahill will succeed Don Cleary, who will be retiring after more than 34 years with Marriott, as announced in October 2023.

Paul currently serves as Area Vice President, Canada, Marriott International, where he is responsible for driving both topline and bottom-line results for all Managed by Marriott hotels and all brands in Canada. In his new role, Paul will serve as a member of the U.S. and Canada executive leadership team and will function as the senior business leader for all brands across Canada. He will be responsible for ensuring that the region achieves all topline revenue and profit goals, while maintaining positive and productive relationships with Canadian owners and franchise management companies.

“Paul’s extensive experience and deep knowledge of Canada makes him ideally suited to take on leadership of our Canadian operations,” said Liam Brown, Group President, U.S. and Canada, Marriott International. “Canada is a critically important region for Marriott as we continue to invest in our hotels and brands, leveraging our strong growth momentum there. I am confident that Paul is well-positioned to drive our future success in the region and build on the valuable relationships Marriott has developed over the years with Canadian owners, management companies, and industry leaders.”

Paul began his Marriott career in 1987 and joined the Canada team in 2015. After Marriott’s acquisition of Delta Hotels in April of 2015, he led the development and execution of a global multi-year brand strategy that would double the number of Delta hotels open and operating in the country by 2018. Prior to his current position, Paul served as the Senior Vice President of Global Brand Management for Marriott, where he was responsible for developing and leading multi-year global brand strategies for both the Marriott Hotels and JW Marriott brands.

“Leading Marriott’s Canada Operations is an incredible opportunity to continue to drive forward the growth we have experienced here over the last several years,” said Mr. Cahill. “I look forward to working with the strong operating team we have built in Canada to advance our business strategy, attract and retain top talent, and drive financial returns for the more than 270 hotels in Canada that fly our brand flags.”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sandman Hotel Group today announced the next chapter of its commitment to sustainability with its participation in the GreenStep EcoFund Verified Program. The latest agreement will accelerate the group's work in actively reducing consumption and lowering its overall carbon footprint by investing in more efficient technologies, based on international best practices standards.

100% Canadian family-owned and operated, the Sandman Hotel Group has been operating for more than 50 years having opened its first property in Smithers, British Columbia in 1967. Now with over 60 destinations across Canada, the US, the UK, and Ireland, the group is dedicated to incorporating conservation and resource management into the execution of the daily operations of its properties.

“In considering the accelerated environmental impact effects of late, we are expanding, along with increasing, our steps to reduce our carbon footprint and energy usage. This partnership will assist & guide us in making the most effective improvements to equipment upgrades and operational processes,” shares Kelly Watt, Director of Special Projects, Sandman Hotel Group.

“I’m very pleased to witness the expansion of our partnership with GreenStep Solutions,” advises Sean Braid, Vice-President of the Sandman Hotel Group. “We’re confident that our focus on becoming a greener company will benefit our communities, and team members, and also strengthen our business relationships. I am very excited to see us achieve our green goals as we work together on these initiatives.”

GreenStep is a social enterprise, founded in 2008 to help businesses and organizations measure and improve their sustainability performance and take meaningful climate action. To date, they have worked with thousands of businesses and organizations in Canada and globally, within several sectors, including private, public, non-profit, and academic institutions; in a variety of industries such as tourism and hospitality, retail, professional services, and manufacturing; and with organizations of all sizes, from owner-operated businesses to publicly traded companies.

"We are so excited to be working alongside the Sandman Hotel Group on their sustainability journey," says Angela Nagy, CEO of GreenStep. "By joining GreenStep's EcoFund Verified program, Sandman Hotels will be accelerating the adoption of energy, water, and waste-conserving projects at each property, helping to measurably reduce its carbon footprint and improve overall sustainability performance."

Beginning November 7, 2023, an EcoFee will be included in each customer transaction at participating hotels as part of the initial commencement phase. The EcoFund will then be managed by GreenStep and applied to measurable environmental sustainability projects at Sandman Hotel Group properties. For full information on the Sandman Hotel Group's sustainability measures and initiatives, please visit https://www.sandmanhotels.com/about-us/sustainability.

Dallas, TX – December 5, 2023 – Omni Hotels & Resorts and Groups360 today announced the expansion of GroupSync Instant Booking, the ability to book hotels for small group blocks, at all Omni properties in the United States and Canada. Through GroupSync, event organizers can now secure group guest rooms directly online, further streamlining an often complex RFP-based group booking process.

For Omni Hotels & Resorts, Instant Booking provides group travel organizers and planners a faster, more convenient method to book 10-25 guest rooms in a single online transaction without contacting a property directly. These simpler group transactions will help both planners and Omni’s sales teams become more efficient through automation and direct data integration needed to provide real-time group rates and room availability.

“We take great pride in being leaders and innovators in the meetings and events industry, so we are excited to now offer GroupSync technology across all of our properties,” said Dan Surette, chief sales officer at Omni Hotels & Resorts. “Our goal is to always provide a seamless experience for group business, and the ability to self-serve for smaller room blocks is an important option to offer planners. Our partnership with Groups360 allows us to continue to focus on what matters most to our guests, as we further elevate our brand’s offerings.”

GroupSync, Groups360’s flagship solution for booking group room blocks and meeting space at over 200,000 properties worldwide, is radically improving the way hotels are booked online. Its total number of guest rooms available for instant booking exceeds 1.7 million worldwide, with more inventory planned for the upcoming year. By providing greater transparency for group rates and availability, a faster booking process and intuitive technology, GroupSync is quickly becoming the preferred hotel booking solution for groups, meetings, and events.

“Omni is a leader among the meetings-focused hotel brands and they truly understand the value that GroupSync’s Instant Booking and Smart RFP can bring to their customers. This expansion is concrete evidence of our shared philosophy of making group travel simpler,” said Kemp Gallineau, CEO, Groups360. “We’re excited to see how this partnership will impact meeting and event planners by making hotel sourcing faster and easier, as well as the efficiencies this will bring to Omni’s sales organization.”

Group travel organizers and planners can visit groupsync.com to log in or sign up for a free account. For more information about GroupSync, please visit groups360.com.

To learn more about Omni Hotels & Resorts meeIng and event offerings, please visit omnihotels.com/meetings.

October 25, 2023 – CALGARY – The Travelodge Canada team recently traveled to Alma, Quebec for a very special presentation alongside members of the team from the Travelodge by Wyndham Alma. The Williams Ensemble (WE) Foundation, an association for Williams-Beuren syndrome, which has directly impacted the Alma property, received a donation of $5,000 to assist in supporting families affected by the syndrome, and to raise awareness of this rare disease.

The foundation aims to offer support for families with a child affected by the syndrome and to raise awareness of this rare disease in Quebec. Williams-Beuren syndrome is a rare genetic disease linked to the loss of a piece of chromosome. The syndrome is manifested by cardiac malformations, infantile hypercalcemia, mild to moderate intellectual delay, physical and behavioral characteristics, and hypersensitivity to noise. “We recently launched the Williams Ensemble Foundation as a project which involves several members of our family.” Said Amelie Gauthier, Williams Ensemble. “It is an honor that Travelodge Canada has traveled to Alma to meet us, and we are touched by their gesture and happy to be able to count on their contribution.”

The foundation can be followed on Facebook and Instagram, and is currently working to launch a website. In the meantime, any contributions can be made via the donation links (FR / EN) and are greatly appreciated by the Foundation.

“It is an honor to be able to make this contribution on behalf of the entire Travelodge Canada team and we sincerely hope this is of great assistance to anyone affected by this disease” said Trevor Hagel, Executive Vice President, Operations, Travelodge Canada. “We are all incredibly moved by this story, and the fact that it has directly impacted the team at our Alma property makes it all the more touching to all of us.”