TORONTO, Jan. 19, 2024 /CNW/ - InnVest Hotels ("InnVest"), Canada's leading hospitality company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of 10 Ontario and Halifax Hotels effective January 18, 2024.  The high-quality portfolio includes a mix of focus service, extended-stay and full-service hotels with 1,737 guestrooms and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.  Acquired hotels include Marriott Toronto Airport, Courtyard Toronto Airport, Residence Inn Toronto Airport, Hotel Carlingview, Courtyard Vaughan, Courtyard Markham, Residence Inn Markham, Townplace Suites Sudbury, Cambridge Suites Halifax and The Prince George Halifax.   

This strategic acquisition adds to our existing Greater Toronto Area hotel portfolio and marks our return to the Halifax market.  Many of the hotels will undergo a multi-faceted renovation over the coming years to elevate the guest experience.  

"We are delighted to announce our largest acquisition since 2007 which demonstrates confidence in our vertically integrated hospitality organization and the Canadian hotel market.  We welcome the 766 new team members that have joined our organization." said Lydia Chen, President, and CEO of InnVest.    

Aside from the Marriott Toronto Airport, which will continue to be managed by Marriott Hotels, the hotel portfolio will be managed by iHotels.  The acquisition will grow InnVest's Marriott branded franchise and managed portfolio to 14 hotels making us one of the largest owners of the brand in Canada.

HALIFAX, NS – January 18, 2024 – Marriott and JONO Developments are thrilled to announce the opening of Moxy Halifax Downtown, the first location for the hotel brand in Canada. The hotel officially opens today, January 18^th, with a prime downtown address at 5417 Cogswell Street, at the corner of Brunswick Street.

The perfect combination of function and fun, the hotel features 160 smart and unique guestroom layouts, including 18 suites with an open kitchen. Other modern details range from plush platform beds to fun-size work surfaces, walk-in showers, select bath amenities, open wall closets and dog designated friendly spaces. Every check-in includes a drink at Bar Moxy.

Among the hotel’s notable details is a stately steel lion sculpture, a reference to the Nova Scotia flag, installed at the entrance created by Ballast Design Studios.

Design of the main lobby pays homage to industrial Halifax, with steel bridge columns flanking the bar area, exposed brick and an original cannon. It also features a custom-built DJ booth and an installation of vintage luggage as a nod to the city’s global influences. A hidden room, the ‘Lion’s Den’, is a modern dedication to the Trinty Anglican Church on the original site and features stained glass replicas and pipes from the original organ suspended from the ceiling.

For events and corporate, the hotel will offer 1,520 square feet of open, airy meeting space as well as stylish communal spaces where guests can relax and recharge. For fitness, guests can access a boxing bag, gym equipment and a full-circuit gym, available 24/7. Moxy’s target guests are defined as having a deep desire to play spontaneously and live life unscheduled, even while traveling.

Co-owner and developer Joe Metlege comments, “We live in an incredibly vibrant city that has a well-established reputation for being social, creative and connected. Moxy Halifax Downtown is the boutique hotel reimagined and fills an existing gap in the hospitality space – offering a modern and energizing vibe where people can gather for business meetings, spontaneously meet up with friends after work or create the ultimate staycation.”

Co-owner and developer Norman Nahas adds, “The Moxy brand is such a natural fit for Halifax, and we are thrilled to be the first to bring it to Canada. In collaboration with our partners at Marriott, we have been able to design and curate something that is more than just a hotel – it’s a place with energy, day or night.”

Moxy Halifax Downtown will be led by General Manager Kelvin Uy, a seasoned hospitality executive from the West Coast who has worked previously with other Marriott Bonvoy properties and leading global hotel brands. The hotel is managed by Hotel Equities.

With over 130 locations worldwide, each Moxy location is part of the fabric of its city and celebrates local art, culture and history. Moxy Halifax Downtown will be no different, with art installations and local design collaborations to be announced.

McLean, Va. – Hilton today debuted Hilton for Business, a new, digital-forward travel program that empowers professionals running small- and medium-sized businesses to simplify travel management while enhancing rewards and discounts for their loyalty.

The global program offers a comprehensive set of tools to enhance the business travel booking and management experience and provide Hilton Honors benefits to business customers and their employees around the world.

Hilton for Business answers a growing need: Hilton data uncovered 75 percent of small- and medium-sized business customers book their own business trips and manage their own travel in-house, without outsourcing. And Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report spotlighted that 80% of global travelers agree that it’s important to be able to book their entire trip online.

“At Hilton, we listen to the needs of our customers and then innovate to provide a superior hotel experience for every stay occasion. This includes our small- and medium-sized business customers who have been looking for a travel platform - and loyalty benefits - that meets their unique set of needs and reduces friction points, from booking to billing,” said Chris Silcock, president, Global Brands and Commercial Services, Hilton. “We’re thrilled to officially launch Hilton for Business today as our strategic solution to enrich the business travel experience for these customers and their employees.”

Small- and medium-sized businesses are now able to discover a more seamless and value-driven business travel experience by engaging with Hilton for Business in the following ways:

Portfolio-wide Discounts 

Small- and medium-sized businesses that join Hilton for Business gain access to discounted rates across Hilton’s global portfolio of nearly 7,400 properties both on the website and on the Hilton Honors app.

Travel Rewards for Small Businesses and Their Employees 

Through this program, companies will earn milestone bonuses through Hilton’s award-winning loyalty program, Hilton Honors. These include:

Companies that enroll in Hilton for Business will receive 7,500 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after any program member completes their first hotel stay.  

After every 10 nights stayed by a program member, the company receives 5,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points. Those Bonus Points are housed within the business’ company account and can be used to distribute to themselves and/or any member of their Hilton for Business program.  

Individual travelers, including both owners and employees, will continue to earn their personal Hilton Honors Points and benefits each time they stay.

Rapid Onboarding 

When visiting Hilton.com/HiltonforBusiness, small- and medium-sized business owners or travel administrators can register themselves and their companies, through their own Hilton Honors account, to gain access to a comprehensive, and easy-to-use, self-service travel booking and management system. Understanding the frustration many customers have around long and complicated enrollment processes, Hilton for Business registration was built to enable a quick enrollment and verification process. Once registered, the customer and their employees gain access to the booking website and other compelling benefits. At that stage, individual travelers will also be able to create separate personal and business travel profiles within their own Hilton Honors account, enabling seamless differentiation and management between the two profiles.

Seamless Program Management 

In addition to enabling any traveler at a company to easily book discounted rates, business owners have full control and can delegate program management to any number of administrators. And adding employees is straightforward – the more employees included in the program, the more benefits the company earns. Businesses can track their upcoming spending, review historical spend, and understand the benefits accumulating as they travel.

For more information or to register, visit Hilton.com/HiltonforBusiness.

Vancouver, B.C. – January 15^th, 2024 – Coast Hotels Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of APA Hotel Canada, Inc. and one of North America’s fastest-growing and one of Canada’s largest hotel brands, is launching new Coast Rewards Member Sweepstakes I, an exciting collaboration with APA Hotels & Resorts, Japan. This contest offers participants the chance to win an extraordinary grand prize - a trip for two to Tokyo – as well as a chance to win enough Coast Rewards Points for a complimentary 2-night stay or 1-night stay at any of the 41 Coast Hotels.

To enter the much-anticipated Taste of Japan Coast Rewards Sweepstakes, participants can easily enroll in the Coast Rewards Member program if they are not already members, and complete the entry form located on the dedicated landing page.

The Konnichiwa! Taste of Japan Coast Rewards Sweepstakes officially launch on Monday, January 15th, 2024, and will conclude on February 29th, 2024, with the grand prize winner, as well as the 2^nd and 3^rd place winners, being selected through a random drawing on March 01^st, 2024.

For detailed information, interested participants are encouraged to visit the official sweepstakes landing page.

Contest Period and Terms and Conditions

The Konnichiwa! Taste of Japan Coast Rewards Sweepstakes run from January 15th, 2024, to February 29th, 2024, and is open to all legal residents of Canada, excluding Quebec, who have reached the age of 19 years or older as of January 15th, 2024, and are Coast Rewards Members in good standing. One (1) entry per Coast Rewards Member. No purchase necessary. Contest Winners will be selected according through a random draw. Contest Winners must redeem the prize within twelve (12) months from the date of notification. Facebook®, Instagram®, and X® are not associated with this contest.

For a complete list of entry rules, visit the terms and conditions page.