A new report, released by The Staffing Agency titled Beyond the Boom: Canada’s Hospitality Labor Market in 2025 and the Road to 2030, shows spending in Canada hit $104 billion in 2025, with employment higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Dining rooms are full again and travel has returned, yet the industry is still struggling to hold on to workers.

The Canada-focused report shows that hospitality operators are hiring, but not securing long-term staff. Termed as ‘labor paradox’, the report states that margins are getting strained by part-time roles where students, newcomers and temporary workers fill critical shifts. That keeps operations running, but drives turnover and weakens reliability.

Costs are compounding the issue. Labor is no longer just hourly pay. It now includes higher wage floors, added premiums in expensive cities, benefits and the ongoing cost of turnover and training. Margins are tightening even as demand holds. “In Canada, the wage increase isn’t a threshold; it’s the new baseline,” said Steven Kamali, CEO of The Staffing Agency. “The question now isn’t if we can pay more, but if we can make the model work.”

Another trend revealed in the report is that housing has emerged as the defining fault line. In major cities such as Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, workers can’t afford to live near their jobs. So, commute becomes longer and shits go unfilled. Union activity is also rising in urban centers, reshaping scheduling, pay structures, and operations.

Kamali adds, “The pressure is not limited to Canada. In the United States also, wage growth is outpacing productivity in many markets, while housing constraints continue to shape labor availability. Canada’s reliance on international talent adds another layer of sensitivity to policy changes.”

The path forward should be to build a more reliable talent pipeline, address housing near job centers, and tailor workforce strategies by region. Without this, growth will remain uneven. You can view the full report here.

SAN FRANCISCO — May 6, 2026 — Duetto, a leading provider of revenue and profit software for the hospitality industry, today announced the appointment of Michael Schäffner as Chief Sales Officer (CSO). Previously Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Schäffner will now lead Duetto’s global commercial organization as the company accelerates adoption of its Revenue & Profit Operating System (RP-OS) across leading hotel brands, groups, and casino resorts worldwide.

In his new role, Schäffner will drive global go-to-market strategy, expand enterprise and brand relationships, and continue building a high-performance sales engine to support Duetto’s category-defining RP-OS vision.

“We’re not just scaling a sales organization, we’re building the commercial engine behind a new category,” said Michael Schäffner, CSO of Duetto. “The industry has optimized for revenue for decades. The next chapter is about profit, and that requires a fundamentally different approach. Revenue without profit is only half the picture. The winners in the next decade will be the ones who connect every commercial decision directly to profit outcomes. That’s exactly the shift we’re driving with the RP-OS.”

“I’ve had the privilege to grow with Duetto through every phase, from startup to scale, through new ownership and the HotStats acquisition,” Schäffner added. “Having grown up in this industry and worked across both hospitality and technology, I’ve seen firsthand where the gaps are. What excites me most now is the opportunity ahead, partnering with the world’s leading brands to rethink how commercial performance is managed. We’re just getting started.”

The right leader for the next stage of growth.

Schäffner brings a unique blend of hospitality and technology experience, having worked across leading industry organizations including The Leading Hotels of the World, Relais & Châteaux, and Design Hotels, as well as high-growth technology companies such as Nor1. This combination of operational understanding and commercial leadership enables him to bridge strategy and execution across complex enterprise environments.

His appointment comes as Duetto sharpens its focus on enterprise and brand partnerships, where long-term value creation, consistency, and trust are critical success factors.

A pivotal moment for Duetto and the industry.

The hospitality industry is entering a new phase of commercial complexity. Rising distribution costs, margin pressure, and increasing investor scrutiny are shifting the focus from revenue optimization to total profitability.

Duetto’s RP-OS is built for this shift, connecting revenue strategy with profit outcomes in a single platform and enabling operators to make faster, smarter, and more holistic commercial decisions.

“Michael has been instrumental in building Duetto’s commercial foundation and consistently delivering results at scale,” said Alex Zoghlin, CEO of Duetto. “As we expand our global footprint and deepen our relationships with enterprise customers, his leadership will be critical in establishing Duetto as the performance platform the industry relies on.”

Schäffner’s appointment marks another key step in Duetto’s continued investment in leadership and growth as the company advances its RP-OS vision.

ARLINGTON, Va. – 1 May 2026 – At the end of the first quarter, the Americas was the only world region to show a decrease in hotel pipeline activity, according to CoStar’s March 2026 data. CoStar is a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the property markets.

Europe

• In construction: 185,419 rooms (+6.6%)
• Final Planning: 77,253 rooms (0.0%)
• Planning: 193,351 rooms (+9.7%)
• Total Under Contract: 456,023 (+6.7%)

The United Kingdom led Europe in total rooms in construction (26,458), closely followed by Germany (23,748).

Asia Pacific

• In construction: 492,970 rooms (-7.7%)
• Final Planning: 74,487 rooms (+70.2%)
• Planning: 415,172 rooms (+6.5%)
• Total Under Contract: 982,629 (+1.6%)

Among countries in the region, China (278,283) led in construction activity, followed by Vietnam (43,858) and India (43,290).

Middle East & Africa

• In construction: 107,653 rooms (+4.5%)
• Final Planning: 29,290 rooms (+3.8%)
• Planning: 94,998 rooms (-2.9%)
• Total Under Contract: 231,941 (+1.3%)

Most of the region’s pipeline activity is focused in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia (51,513) and the United Arab Emirates (16,072) have the most rooms in construction.

Americas

• In construction: 193,145 rooms (-2.1%)
• Final Planning: 282,246 rooms (-7.9%)
• Planning: 402,723 rooms (-5.0%)
• Total Under Contract: 878,114 (-5.3%)

The U.S. (333,467) holds the majority of rooms in construction in the region. After the U.S., Mexico (15,267), Canada (9,589) and the Dominican Republic (6,190) show the highest number of rooms in construction.

For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit www.costargroup.com.

Toronto, ON (April 27, 2026) – Choice Hotels Canada is proud to recognize the outstanding properties receiving its 2026 Guest Satisfaction Awards, celebrating hotels that consistently deliver the high-quality experiences that build guest confidence, inspire loyalty, and strengthen trust in Choice Hotels’ brand.

Presented annually, the Guest Satisfaction Awards* recognize top-performing hotels in the Choice Hotels Canada system based on verified guest feedback, likelihood-to-recommend scores, quality assurance results and overall good standing in the system.

This year’s recipients include 11 Platinum Award winners and 24 Gold Award winners, representing communities across the country. Platinum winners rank among the top 3% of hotels in the Canadian system, while Gold winners place among the top 4 to 10%. These properties reflect the best-of-the-best when it comes to the high standards of service, care, and operational excellence found across Choice Hotels Canada’s portfolio of more than 350 hotels.

“These awards recognize hotels that understand what it takes to earn guest loyalty and confidence over time,” said Brian Leon, CEO of Choice Hotels Canada. “It’s more than a single great stay — it requires operational consistency, a strong commitment to quality, and teams that deliver exceptional service day after day. From long-time recipients to first-time honourees, each of these properties demonstrate phenomenal dedication to hospitality excellence and represent their respective brands at the highest level.”

Below is the full list of the 2026 Platinum and Gold Guest Satisfaction Award recipients.

Platinum Recipients:

Upscale Brands
Halifax Tower Hotel & Conference Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Midscale Brands
Quality Suites, Drummondville, Québec
Comfort Inn, Sturgeon Falls, Ontario
Quality Inn & Suites, Lévis, Québec
Quality Inn & Suites, Petawawa, Ontario
Comfort Hotel Bayer’s Lake, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Quality Inn & Suites, Val-d’Or, Québec
Quality Inn & Suites, Victoriaville, Québec
Comfort Inn & Suites, Terrace, British Columbia

Value Brands
Rodeway Inn, Pikogan, Québec
Econo Lodge, Taber, Alberta

Gold Recipients:

Upscale Brands
Les Suites de Laviolette, Ascend Hotel Collection, Trois-Rivières, Québec
Le Noranda Hotel & Spa, Ascend Hotel Collection, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec
The Parlour Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection, Stratford, Ontario
Radisson Blu Downtown Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

Midscale Brands
Comfort Inn, St. Thomas, Ontario
Comfort Inn Magnetic Hill, Moncton, New Brunswick
Comfort Inn East, Sudbury, Ontario
Quality Inn Waddling Dog, Saanichton, British Columbia
Quality Inn & Suites Downtown, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Comfort Inn & Suites, Edson, Alberta
Quality Inn & Suites, Lethbridge, Alberta
Quality Inn & Suites, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Comfort Inn & Suites Edmonton International Airport, Nisku, Alberta
Quality Inn, Sept-Îles, Québec
Quality Inn & Suites, Kingston, Ontario
Quality Inn & Suites Amsterdam, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Comfort Inn & Suites, North Battleford, Saskatchewan
Quality Inn & Suites, Bathurst, New Brunswick
Comfort Inn & Suites, Valemount, British Columbia
Quality Inn & Suites, Mont-Joli, Québec
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Belleville, Ontario

Value Brands
Econo Lodge, Brossard, Québec
Park Inn by Radisson, Calgary Airport North, Calgary, Alberta
Park Inn by Radisson Osoyoos, British Columbia

For more information or to make a reservation at any of these award-winning hotels, visit www.choicehotels.com.