The Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association and OHI - We Are Hospitality invite you to join us in recognizing and celebrating the pioneers of our industry, whose continued dedication and achievements have significantly contributed to Ontario’s hospitality sector.

Nominations are now open for the OHI 2026 Hall of Fame Awards. We encourage members of the industry to put forward distinguished leaders who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing hospitality.

This is an opportunity to honour a visionary individual whose lasting impact has helped shape the evolution of our industry, and who is deserving of induction into the OHI Hall of Fame.

Applications close Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

SUBMIT A NOMINATION TODAY!

Calgary, AB – March 17, 2026 – WebRezPro cloud property management system for independent lodging operators now integrates with Inntopia Marketing Cloud, a leading CRM and customer data platform (CDP) built for hotels and resorts. The combined solution empowers operators to unify guest data and trigger tailored communications that enhance the guest experience and maximize lifetime value.

By aggregating guest data from every system and touchpoint, Inntopia Marketing Cloud creates rich 360-degree profiles to power highly targeted marketing campaigns and provide front-line teams with real-time insights as they engage with guests. Together, Inntopia and WebRezPro enable operators to deliver effortless, personalized experiences throughout the guest journey, driving higher conversion rates and long-term loyalty.

"WebRezPro has built a strong reputation for delivering a modern, flexible PMS that hotels and resorts rely on every day," said Trevor Crist, Chief Business Officer, Travel & Event Services at Outside Inc., the company behind Inntopia. "By connecting their PMS data with Inntopia Marketing Cloud, we’re giving resorts the ability to unify their guest data across systems and put it to work through more personalized marketing and guest service. It’s a natural fit between two platforms that are committed to helping resorts grow."

The integration strengthens revenue strategies by feeding reservation data from WebRezPro into Inntopia’s marketing automation tools to trigger hyper-relevant communications via email, SMS, social media, and more—including AI-driven upsells that enhance the guest experience while growing ancillary profit. By automating these touchpoints, hotels can achieve a high level of engagement without increasing the administrative burden on their staff.

"Inntopia Marketing Cloud is a proven, best-in-class solution that transforms raw data into actionable revenue opportunities and elevated service," said Jon Sanford, President of WebRezPro. "With Inntopia, we are thrilled to offer our clients a seamless integration that makes it easy for hotels and resorts to unlock sophisticated segmentation and marketing automation that boosts engagement and profitability."

WebRezPro clients interested in the Inntopia Marketing Cloud integration can contact their account executive for more information.

It is the utmost pleasure of Mercury publications to support the efforts put forward by Jason Cheskes and Above the Line Solutions, to host tremendous Canadian Hotel Leadership Dinners for well over the last decade. These dinners have become a unique Canadian hotel industry tradition of hosting varied hotel professionals in a casual social environment where building and strengthening relationships across the industry is facilitated. We are thrilled be part of these initiatives and providing support with a photographer at each to capture the events. Our great thanks on behalf of the hotel industry, to Jason for his tireless efforts and creating these fantastic events tied to the timing of key industry conferences.- Frank Yeo, Publisher, Mercury Publications.

In March, 60 hotel leaders gathered for the Hotel Association of Canada’s “Welcome Back” Canadian Hotel Leadership dinner held following the HAC conference’s opening reception at the newly reopened Keg Toronto Airport, and recognizing the conference’s return to the Toronto area.

This year’s attendees included representatives from the HAC, Wyndham, Coast, Marriott, Travelodge, Realstar, Bayview Hospitality, Silver Hotels, IHG, Diamond Hotels, Aimmbridge, Synvest, Crown, Superior Lodging, Choice, Best Western, ZS Holdings, ORHMA, Vrancor, Holloway, Accor, Pomeroy, the Gupta Group, SilverBirch, Sandman, MasterBuilt, LHM, Oxford, and Listel Hotels.

Sponsors for the event included Foodbuy, Ecolab, Imperial Dade, RHB, LOC International, Moby TV, Eden Textiles, and Nerval.

Upcoming 2026 Canadian VIP Hotel Leadership Dinners are being held April 28th following the CHIC conference, and October 29th following WCLC.

Photos from the HAC Conference Opening Reception, March 4, 2026. Photography by Phillip Chin, Photographer at Large.

OTTAWA, ON - March 10, 2026 — The Government of Canada announcement of new investments through the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP) confirms that Tourism HR Canada is one of 14 organizations awarded funding to support workforce development and labour market intelligence across key sectors of the Canadian economy.

The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, announced up to $94.5 million over five years split among select workforce development councils. The investment in Tourism HR Canada secures the extension and enhancement of its trusted labour market intelligence (LMI) and innovative resources designed to help tourism operators, workers, job seekers, and educators better understand and respond to workforce challenges and workplace changes.

Tourism has re-emerged as one of Canada’s fastest-growing sectors, generating nearly $130 billion in economic activity while supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses and one in ten jobs nationwide. As an industry rooted in human interaction, it is particularly reliant on strong workforce planning and data-driven labour market insights for long-term resilience and success. 

One of Canada’s largest employers—and a vital first job for many young people—tourism supports a workforce of more than 2.2 million people across communities in every region of the country. As the sector continues to adapt to global challenges and emerging technology, access to timely, reliable labour market intelligence and practical workforce development resources is essential to ensure businesses have the talent needed to thrive.

Through this federal investment, Tourism HR Canada will conduct new research, share insights, enhance career awareness, and develop practical tools to help tourism stakeholders navigate rapidly evolving labour market, environmental, and geopolitical conditions. 

“Canada’s tourism sector is a powerful driver of jobs and local prosperity, employing more than 2.2 million people in communities from coast to coast to coast,” states Philip Mondor, Tourism HR Canada President and CEO. “Investing in strong labour market information and workforce initiatives helps ensure tourism businesses have the insights and tools they need to attract, train, and retain the skilled workers who create world-class visitor experiences. By strengthening the tourism workforce, we are supporting local economies, opening pathways to good jobs, and helping communities across Canada continue to benefit from a vibrant visitor economy.”

Tourism HR Canada’s findings and tools will help guide shifting workforce strategies, support skills development, and improve job readiness across the tourism sector. Ultimately, the initiative will contribute to building a stronger tourism workforce and a more competitive Canadian economy.