Leisure travel is booming. The loyalty program is going strong. And there are great properties for Canadian agents to book.
Open Jaw recently sat down with Paul Cahill, the Senior Vice-President for Canada Operations for Marriott International Inc., to talk about Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of hotels in Canada and general travel trends.
There are currently 275 Marriott properties in Canada, and 90 more are in the pipeline. Cahill said Marriott is especially focused on lifestyle, upper-midscale and extended stay brands.
Ninety new hotels is a lot, but Cahill noted that Marriott saw leisure revenue in Canada increase by a remarkable 36% in 2023, compared with the previous year.
One key area within the company is their so-called “soft brands,” such as Autograph Collection hotels and Tribute Portfolio properties.
One example is the HONEYROSE Hotel, Montreal, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, which has an art-deco-inspired design and a nice mix of vintage and modern amenities. Not far away is the Humaniti Hotel Montreal, Autograph Collection, which yours truly was at for an Air Canada event earlier this month. It’s a beautiful property with great, artsy décor and a fabulous rooftop patio.
Youthful Moxy hotels also are a big part of Marriott’s recent growth in Canada. They opened Moxy Halifax Downtown in January of this year and Moxy Banff in spring. Moxy Hotels are also planned for Montreal, Vancouver, and Ottawa over the next few years.
Extended Stay, upper midscale and midscale properties also are key. Two of the marquee brands in these segments, Fairfield by Marriott (31 hotels open in Canada) and TownePlace Suites by Marriott (21 hotels open in Canada), are amongst the fastest-growing brands in the country. There are 24 Fairfield and 25 TownePlace properties in Marriott’s pipeline.
Cahill said Marriott works closely with agents.
"Travel advisors continue to play a vital role for Marriott, especially in the luxury sector," he said. "Marriott has several resources and preferred programs for travel advisors, including a dedicated website which enables our trusted advisors to access online commission services and book exclusive fam rates at thousands of hotels worldwide."
More information can be found at www.travelagents.marriott.com, he said.
In addition to award-winning, high-end resorts that agents can book, Marriott also has Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy; a curated collection of fabulous properties around the world. Many are in areas that Canadian advisors often book, including Tuscany, Greece, Hawaii, Aspen, Whistler, Mexico, and dozens of Caribbean islands. Apartments also are available in such cities as Paris, Sydney, Scottsdale and Tokyo.
Canada has 21 of Marriott’s 30-plus worldwide hotel brands, but Cahill said there’s no reason that all of them couldn’t have homes in the country.
He also hinted that Marriott's Le Meridien brand could return to a couple Canadian cities soon.
Cahill said another area he’s paying close attention to is the company's loyalty program.
Marriott Bonvoy now has more than 200 million members around the world. The program offers guests access to more than 30 hotel brands in a whopping 10,000 destinations, with “an unparalleled array of experiences, and robust benefits.”
Members can boost their status with everyday credit card purchases, restaurant meals and more.
Marriott Bonvoy also offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the best in entertainment, sports, arts, culture, culinary and wellness from Marriott Bonvoy Moments. Members can redeem these experiences by using points accumulated from travel and other activities.
Another angle we touched in our chat was equality in the workplace. Cahill said more than 40% of the general managers in their managed portfolio class of hotels are women.
He also said Marriott has a flexible work plan that gives managers the ability to work four days a week instead of five; something that helped keep women in the workplace during the pandemic.
The program, Benefit of Balance – Your Work. Your Life, allows associates the opportunity to choose between flexibility of place or time, including flexible arrangements for both salaried and hourly staff.
Cahill also touched on how various regions of Canada are doing.
“Vancouver is probably better than ever,” he told me. “There are more cruise ships in town than ever before.”
“Alberta is a tale of two cities. There’s a lot of new construction in Calgary (I love The Dorian Hotel, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection) as the oil and tech business grows. Edmonton’s recovery is slower, although the Delta and the JW Marriott are doing well.”
In Ontario, Cahill said Thunder Bay is doing great and Ottawa is performing well as more group business returns.
Delta Hotels Winnipeg is one of Marriott’s best-performing properties in Canada, he added, and the Delta in Fredericton has been totally transformed.
“The GM at the Delta Hotels Fredericton, Sarah Holyoke, is just great.”
Another wonderful property to check out is the Muir, Autograph Collection property in Halifax that has been getting rave reviews for its art-forward design, nautical elements and fabulous food offerings.
Open Jaw chatted with Cahill in the Club Lounge at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. The lounge has been totally redone and offers a tremendous sanctuary in the heart of downtown. The food is exceptional, as well.
Cahill told me travel from China has been slow to recover in Canada, but that there’s lots of drive traffic from the U.S.
“Go to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia and you’ll see tons of U.S. license plates.”
Cahill grew up in northern Pennsylvania, a short distance from southern Ontario, so he’s very comfortable living in Toronto these days.
His mom worked in retail and his father owned funeral homes, so Cahill said hospitality comes naturally to him. He thought about becoming a doctor but instead went into finance. He had offers from several major hotels, but thought Marriott was the best fit.
He’s been with the company for 36 years and has worked all around the world. Sounds like Marriott was a good call.
