Positive outlook for tourisn in Canada this year, but don't expect the moon

The Conference Board of Canada today released a new report on what Canadians can expect from the critical tourism industry in 2012. In a nutshell, modest growth and only marginal increases in the prices we pay to travel in Canada. Both of which are encouraging, but not quite "Woo hoo, let's have a party" forecasts.

"Growth in domestic tourism demand is projected to be modest in 2012, with overnight visits increasing by 1.9 per cent and associated travel spending increasing by 3.6 per cent," the board said. "While the outlook is positive, it is curtailed by many factors.

 

One of these factors is the short-term economic outlook for Canada, which remains cautious. Federal and provincial government austerity measures are expected to kick in this year, and are likely to exert a significant drag on economic growth over the next few years. Consumer confidence also remains weak and is not expected to recover to its historical average level until 2014.

 

 

In addition, prices for food and gas continue to rise. As a result, a greater share of household budgets is being spent on basic necessities, leaving less discretionary income for vacation spending."

 



 

 

The board says tourism from the U.S. - our largest share of customers by far - is expected to grow by just 0.5 per cent. But overseas visitors should jump a healthy 3.1 per cent, "led by robust demand from emerging markets" such as China and Brazil.

 

Looking ahead, the board said that "over the medium term, tourism spending is expected to pick up speed, growingby an average of 4.9 per cent per year between 2012 and 2016.

 Which is why governments need to pay more attention to tourism, in my opinion, and not put folks like former minister Bev Oda in charge of tourism for the country. No offence, but the interview I had with her a few years ago was perhaps the most useless conversation I've ever had with a politician, and I've been having them for 31 years at the Star. Completely pointless it was and incredibly disheartening to think someone like her was (in theory, anyway) in charge of tourism for Canada.

 

The Tourism Toronto folks and the Canadian Tourism Commission both have targetted Brazil and China in their marketing efforts, although they still continue to push the U.S. and with good reason.

It appears that things will remain somewhat tight in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Ontario will see growth in domestic airport capacity but will be hurt by government cuts. The prairie provinces will probably continue about the way they have been, but it sounds like B.C. and Alberta will get the most growth.

"While the total number of overseas visitors to Canada has remained relatively stable over the past 10 years, there have been dramatic shifts in the source of those tourists," the board said today."Trips from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany have dropped, while Canada has welcomed many more Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian tourists. This trend is expected to continue over the medium term. China’s share of overseas visits to Canada will rise from only 2 per cent in 2001 to 10 per cent by 2016, while Japan’s share is forecast to decline from 11 per cent in 2001 to 4 per cent by 2016."

 

The board said B.C. "can expect to see continued benefits from China’s granting of Approved Destination Status for Canada—already a popular destination among Chinese tourists."

The board's report didn't mention it, but I think Toronto will outshine the rest of the province. The new hotels alone have made a pretty good splash overseas, and we're still a month away from the opening (last I heard) of the new Shangri-la downtown (second week in August) and the new Four Seasons in Yorkville (mid-October).

So there you have it. Nothing crazy good. But nothing crazy bad, either. And these days, that's pretty good.

TALK ABOUT AIRLINE ADS

As most of us know, the airlines in Canada have already come around on "all-in pricing," moving to the concept a few months back and scrapping those horribly annoying ads that featured one-way prices and didn't include the bag fees and fuel surcharges (often in the hundreds of dollars) and other fees (let alone the sandwich fees and extra coffee for your creme fees and seat reclining surcharges).

Still, the Canadian Transportation Agency, to its credit, is still pushing ahead with rules to REQUIRE this sort of advertising. And they want Canadians to have their say.

The CTA has posted its proposal in the government's official newspaper, The Canada Gazette. Consumers have until Sept. 13 to comment.







 

 

Happy Canada Day: a look at my favourite places in this great country of ours

A golden sand desert that stretches up to the majestic mountains of The Yukon. The sound of small waves galumphing in and out of a lichen-covered rock on a morning canoe paddle in Ontario. The glorious pink cherry blossoms that blanket the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia in May.

I haven’t seen all of this country, not by a long shot. But I’ve seen enough of Canada’s endless coasts  and wondrous lakes and colourful cities to know we should be celebrating pretty hard when the clock strikes midnight on Sunday and the calendar jumps to Canada Day.

I’ve been hugely fortunate in this job, and in previous posts in my nearly 31 years at the Star, to have seen some magical things. In no particular order, and recognizing I haven’t yet made it to the far north or to Manitoba or Saskatchewan, here’s one very lucky man’s list of some great things to do in a very great country.

-         Sip away in the Okanagan Valley. I’ve been to vineyards all over the world, but none I’ve seen are more beautiful than here. Great wines, too.

-         Tour around in Twillingate, Newfoundland (see photo at right). Majestic icebergs, rocky coasts with romantic lighthouses and signs that say things like “Private Land – Foot Traffic Welcome.” The people here are as nice as advertised. And then some.

-         Drink in Muskoka. Too crowded, yes, but you can still find times when the loons are calling and a lonely canoe paddles past and the pines are lit by the pale morning light and all is right with the world. Hit the Kee to Bala when Blue Rodeo’s in town for the ultimate Canadian weekend. Don’t forget to stop at Weber’s on Highway 11 for a burger.

-         Take a trolley ride on the High Level streetcar in Edmonton. It’s a great old line with vintage cars and guys dressed up like old-time conductors, and you get great views as you cross the North Saskatchewan River.

-         Stroll Rue du Petit Champlain. I like the upper town just fine, but this street perhaps is the most fun in Quebec City. Have a drink at the top of the stairs on the north end and watch the tourists go by, then bed down around the corner at the luxurious Auberge Saint-Antoine or upstairs at the Chateau Frontenac, where they also have a great bar.

-         Ride the peak to peak gondola in Whistler. When you’re finished, tee it up at Big Sky in Pemberton (see photo) an underrated golf experience in Canada. Or rent a bike and check out the forests or ride helter-skelter down the ski hill.

-         Watch the fog roll in from the deep Atlantic on Signal Hill in St. John’s, then retire to a two-person Jacuzzi tub at the Murray Premises hotel. You can make up the rest.

-         Check out the sidewalk cafes of Mile End in Montreal and nosh on a St. Viateur bagel. Stop in for a bologna/salami sandwich with mustard at Wilensky. But don’t dare to ask for substititions. Or request it be cut in half.

-         Take a long walk on the beach in Tofino and watch the winter storms roll in. Splurge and spend a night at one of the country’s top hotels, the Wickaninnish Inn.

-         Drive the Niagara Parkway, preferably in a convertible or on a bike. A tad precious, but one of the prettiest drives in Ontario for sure.

-         Walk along Parliament Hill in the snow, like Pierre Trudeau. It’s a quintessential Canadian experience.

-         Take the gondola to the top of the hill in Banff and watch the sun rise over what feels like the roof of the world.

-         Check out the rhododendron garden in Stanley Park in spring. Then change things up at night with a mai tai in the wonderfully kitschy tiki bar at the Waldorf Hotel in East Vancouver.

-         Ride a bike in a Toronto river valley. We take these playgrounds for granted but our ravines — and the Toronto Islands — are superb spots to enjoy a different side of our city.

-         Take in a lobster supper in a PEI church basement. No pretense, just fabulous shellfish and great, down-home people.

-         Catch the sunsets along Ontario’s Lake Huron shore. There are a million beaches to choose from, but I like Southampton and Port Elgin a lot.

-         Drink in the views of the luscious Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. In spring, the valley floor is a carpet of deep green dotted with pink cherry and white apple blossoms, and tall, white church spires rise into the sky. Check out the cemetery in the town of Paradise. Then think about it.

-         Take a drive from Haines Junction and check out Kluane National Park in the Yukon. You might see 10 cars in an hour if it’s a busy day, and the mountains are just as majestic and craggy and moving as those of Banff or Jasper.

Next on my list: Saskatoon, Lake of the Woods, Northwest Territories

Got any suggestions? Drop me a line at jbyers@thestar.ca. You also can follow me on Twitter @jimbyerstravel

 

Greece on sale for the summer, new airport terminal in Las Vegas, U.S. hotels

Always dreamed of that holiday in Santorini or Mykonos? This looks like a good time to act.

Last week I read that tourism was down something like 15 per cent in Greece compared to last year, with German visits (no surprise) down as much as 50 per cent. Today, I see a report from travelmole.com that says at least one Greek tour operator is slashing prices, and not just for the shoulder seasons.

"One of the biggest tour operators to Greece has slashed 25% off package prices for the peak summer period," travelmole reported. "Olympic Holidays commercial director Photis Lambrianides admitted the decision to discount July and August holidays in early June was unusual, but he said the cuts had been prompted by a unique set of circumstances.

"Hoteliers and operators are working together to encourage the family market to commit to the Greek islands," he said.

As an example of the discounts available, Olympic has knocked almost $1,100 off a seven-night package to Rhodes for a family of four, which now costs $3,070. That's for a package out of England, so it might not apply to us. But it's still a sign of deals to come, I suspect.

NEW TERMINAL IN VEGAS

USA Today reports that on June 27, McCarran Interational Airport in Las Vegas will officially open its "gleaming new $2.4 billion Terminal 3."

The facility, dubbed T3, will replace the airport's dowdy Terminal 2, which is set to close on June 28.

It will house 14 gates, including new technology that, if an airline opts to use it, would allow self-boarding capabilities at the gates (I admit I don't quite know what that means) and self-tagging for baggage at check-in. Another feature are jet bridges that will allow front and rear-boarding of wide body jets at the same time; thus reducing the amount of time we have to wait for people who can't seem to make their way up the aisle of an airplane and put their bags away in less than 42 minutes and who thne find out that they misread their boarding pass and are sitting in the wrong seats.

USA Today said T3 "will feature seven new restaurants and retail outlets, including a duty-free shop and express spa. Fliers with gadgets will appreciate free Wi-Fi and an abundance of power outlets throughout the terminal. And, yes, it will have a classic Las Vegas standby: Nearly 300 slot machines will provide distractions for fliers throughout the 1.9-million-square-foot terminal."

NORTH AMERICAN HOTEL DEALS - MAYBE NOT THIS SUMMER

The L.A. Times report that most U.S. hotel operators were wringing their hands a few years ago, worried about "plummeting room demand in the face of the worst recession in a generation."

Now, the paper says, a study by Nashville hotel research firm STR says times have changed. A lot.

U.S. hotels sold more than 1 billion room nights in 2011, surpassing the previous record set in 2007 by nearly 20 million room nights, according to STR. The average hotel rate last year was $101.71, still below the pre-recession peak of $107.38 reached in 2008, according to the study.

But the revenue collected per available room jumped to $61 in 2011, up 8.2% compared with the previous year. It was the biggest increase since 2005, when revenue rose 8.6%.

I wouldn't expect any great deals for American hotels this summer based on that data. But you can still find some pretty good bargains. My son went on hotwire.com last week and registered for a 5-star hotel in downtown Vancouver for something like $130. He ended up with a room at the luxurious Sutton Place, so that's a good deal.

Hotwire often has rooms at central Toronto hotels, such as the Sheraton (see photo), for less than $100. This morning the site was showing a four-star hotel in Montreal for July 7-9 for $132. A four-star downtown Vancouver property was listed at $137, and there were hotels in the Richmond/Vancouver Airport area for $88.

 

Hotel deals for Canada this summer and Europe later in summer, says HotWire

It looks like a pretty decent time to book a hotel in Canada, even around Canada Day. But if you're thinking of Europe, you might want to aim for August or September.

I met yesterday with Pierre-Etienne Chartier, vice president of operations for HotWire.Com. Chartier is based in San Francisco but is from Montreal so he understands the Canadian market and HotWire is one of the better companies at keeping tabs on what's happening with travel trends north of the border.

Chartier told me average hotel prices around the world have gone up about 15 per cent in the last year, but he said he's finding some very good deals for Canada, partly because the strength of the Canadian dollar has a lot of folks from up our way taking trips to Boston, Chicago, New York and other American cities.

"There's a decreased demand for the Canadian market in Victoria and Banff and Niagara Falls," he said, "So prices are good. Even to mid-July there are good deals in Banff, but it gets busy after that."

Chartier said even Montreal and Toronto, although relatively expensive, have good deals, while Vancouver has some "fantastic" bargains.

"In the big cities, we've seen four-star hotels going for $85 and five-stars for as little as $135."

With HotWire, you don't see what hotel you're booking but you know the area and some details and the category (number of stars). Chartier, for example, was staying this week at the Sheraton in downtown Toronto for a measly $85.

With so much attention focussed on the London Olympics, starting in late July, Chartier said he expects good deals in Paris and other European cities after the Games.

"The demand for hotels is never what folks expect" around the Olympics, he said, adding that prices haven't necessarily dropped yet but that they might in July for travel in August or September.

Closer to home, he suggests looking at summer travel in cities that do a good deal of convention business and might not be so full in non-peak times. That list includes Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas and San Diego.

In Vegas, Chartier said you can find a four-star property for as little as $40 and a place on the strip for $70. A five-star hotel might cost you just $120 in Vegas this summer.

Car rentals don't get a lot of press in terms of pricing, but Chartier said rental firms are selling their used vehicles for a pretty good price these days, which translates into longer usage of cars and somewhat reduced rates. So you might find some good deals on your rental car.

I've found a wild swing in car prices over the years. I usually pay about $160 a week in Florida and maybe a little more than that in California. But it's often quite a lot more in some places, especially in Canada.

It's not all good news, of course. While hotels are reasonably priced in some locations, air fares right now are quite high.

"Travel has recovered very well, and airlines haven't added much capacity, so right now air fare are the highest we've seen in a while."

 Just for fun, I went on HotWire.com today and checked prices for a pretend trip to Vancouver June 8 to 11. I found a five-star property in downtown Vancouver for a ridiculously cheap $112, and one near the airport (close to public transit) for $79.

 

 

Canadians vote Pearson voted worst airport in country in FlightNetwork polling

I had intended to write about Chicago today, but bad weather at O'Hare yesterday meant another bad flight. This time I got delayed five hours and didn't get home until 1 a.m. Plus there's a fun item here on Pearson, so I'll save Chicago for tomorrow and later in the week....

A poll of Canadians by FlightNetwork.Com, released today, says Pearson is widely, and I mean WIDELY, regarded as the WORST airport in Canada.

The poll, taken online, found that Pearson was deemed worst by 36.6 per cent of respondents. That's up from 27.6 per cent in last year's poll, the first by the folks at Flight Network.

Second-worst in Canada, the poll found, is Montreal Trudeau (Dorval) at 17.7 per cent, followed by Edmonton in third at 9.9 per cent.

Poor Pearson. They've tried. They really have. They've added free wi-fi and lots of new food options and new terminals. But there's little they can do about security lineups and customs/immigration lineups, two of the biggest sources of pain for travelers.

Of those polled, 57.2 per cent cited slow security as the number one criteria for Pearson's ranking. Bad service was cited by 53.5 per cent and lack of dining spots by 49.8 per cent.

I suspect, personally, that Pearson isn't much worse than Dorval/Trudeau. It's just that not as many folks use Trudeau as Pearson. I could be wrong, but I suspect familiarity breeds some contempt in this case.

Not that I don't get pissed off by lineups or by being forced to pay $2 for a luggage cart or waiting endlessly for my bags to show up. They were pretty good yesterday, but then again I DID arrive at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night after yet another long delay at departure.

I was slated to fly out of Chicago O'Hare at 5:40 p.m. Chicago time on Sunday, but there were major storms and I didn't leave until 9:45 or so. I was lucky enough to be able to use the lounge at the United Club, spending a lot of time watching the Amazing Race.

But I have to say the United Club personnel were downright rude. I twice asked one woman at the desk about my Air Canada flight and all she would say was, "It's NOT our flight. Go ask Air Canada at the gate."

Geez, lady. How about "I'm sorry, but it's an Air Canada flight. It's got our number on it, too, but it's really their flight. I wish I could help but you'll have to go down to the gate to check. I"m sorry about that."

Is it really that hard, folks?

Anyway, I'm back home and that's what really matters. Still, five hours at Pearson and then a cancelled flight Thursday, followed by three hours sleep and an early Friday flight, followed by six hours at O'Hare on Sunday isn't my idea of the romance of travel....

Mind you, a flight attendant on my flight from Chicago said they had sat on the tarmac at Pearson for four hours prior to taking off. And she said she heard a flight from Montreal to Chicago had flown in on Sunday but was put in a holding pattern over O'Hare, only to be sent to Windsor. They apparently touched down in Windsor and sat for an hour or two or three, and then finally took off - for Montreal. She said the passengers and crew spent something like eight or nine hours on the plane and ended up right back where they started. Now THAT'S brutal.

Getting back to the Flight Network poll, one they found that Los Angeles International is rated by Canadians at the worst in the U.S. (25.9 per cent), followed by O'Hare (20) and JFK in New York 17.6). Again, those are probably three of the busiest airports Canadians use.

I don't mind O'Hare. It's busy, but it's a pretty good airport. I try not to fly in and out of Chicago in winter just to avoid weather issues, but that's another story. JFK I don't know much at all.

Los Angeles is not great but the folks at LAX are spending billions to give the place a major overhaul...

On the international front, Canadians in the Flight Network poll named London Heathrow worst (26 per cent), followed by Charles De Gaulle in Paris (13.6) and poor Pearson (13 per cent).

Vancouver was deemed best airport in Canada, which goes without saying. Great shopping, clean, good restaurant choices, free wi-fi; even a provincial liquor outlet and a huge aquarium!

In the U.S., folks liked McCarran International in Vegas the bestm while Hong Kong got support for best international airport. I don't remember much about McCarran except the one-armed bandits, but Hong Kong is a terrific airport for sure.

WestJet chooses Bombardier, AirCanada TO-Montreal sale & movie improvements

The Great Canadian Airline wars continue today, with breaking news all over the joint. My email and Twitter feeds went a little bonkers this morning, with headline after headline rolling in on all sorts of changes.

Possibly the biggest news for consumers here in Toronto is that Air Canada is celebrating its one-year anniversary of returning to the Toronto Island/Billy Bishop Airport by launching fares as low as $75 one-way from the island to Dorval in Montreal. That includes all taxes and fees, folks, so it's quite the steal. Heck, you could spend $75 just getting to Pearson from downtown Toronto by cab, as my recent expense form to the boss suggests.

The deal is on until May 6, and it covers travel from May 8 to Aug. 30, which means a solid summer of savings if you can snag the lowest rate. The ad in the Star lists the lowest fare as $21, plus $54 in taxes and fees for a combined $75. Even if you had to pay $100 or $125 each way, it's a bargain for a great city like Montreal. And that includes a full-service bar and snacks.

Porter, which still pretty much owns the Island Airport, is offering 50 per cent off base fares if you book by May 4, according to their latest ads. Montreal fares are listed at $124, all inclusive, while fares to Halifax are $198 and flights to Newark/New York are $180 each-way.

I haven't seen any big WestJet announcements on sales this morning, but they did make a big splash today by announcing that they've chosen Bombardier's Q400 as their new regional airplane, opting for the Montreal-based company over ATR out of Europe.

The new plane is part of WestJet's plan to challenge AirCanada and Porter with a regional airline, set to launch in the second half of 2013. Officials say the new plane will allow them to serve new cities, plus existing destinations not currently connected by WestJet, and will allow for schedule improvements on certain routes where a smaller aircraft can efficiently provide greater frequency.

"We are very impressed with the Q400," said Gregg Saretsky, WestJet President and CEO (see photo). "Both ATR and Bombardier put forward excellent proposals and ultimately we believe the Bombardier Q400's combination of range, speed and seat density is the best choice to meet the needs of the market and how we plan to operate the regional airline. We look forward to working with another great Canadian company."

Some experts had suggested the ATR was the better choice given fuel efficiency issues. But WestJet opted to buy Canadian, which is certainly a good political move and one that undoubtedly will bolster spirits in Montreal, as well as perhaps Bay Street.

Round about the same time all these announcements were being made, Air Canada sent out a missive saying they're bumping up the number of movies available on those terrific (mostly) seat-back TV's they offer on most of their planes. The airline said it's doubling the number of movies available and will now offer up to 150.

That's pretty outstanding, folks, especially when you consider some airlines still make you watch Adam Sandler pictures on a tiny overhead screen that's 30 feet away. If you're really lucky, it's 35 feet.

I like the movies for the most part. But I never quite get the "classic" movies Air Canada offers. It seems to me it's always a bunch of black and white films with Charlie Chaplin and never enough of "Gone With The Wind" or "Casablanca." Personally, I'd like a wider variety in that category. Not that anyone was asking...

OOPS - BAD TIMING FOR PARKS CANADA CUTS

This is awkward. On Monday, the Canadian Tourism Commission announced it was adding a slew of new "Signature Experiences" to its list of great things tourists can do when they visit Canada.

Among the new top-rated experiences listed is a tour of the Fortress of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. That release came around 9 a.m. Later in the day came news that federal budget cuts could mean reduced staffing at the Fortress; perhaps as many as 120 fewer jobs.

BIZ STUDY PUTS TORONTO ON THE MAP

A company called Concur recently published a study of business travel and entertainment spending. Based on overnight stays at hotels, the company said the most visited city for U.S. biz types were London, Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing and Toronto. Nice we're fifth, but it's interesting that Beijing and Shanghai were both ahead of us. A real testament to the Chinese economy, I suspect.

Anyway, Montreal was 9th on the list, Calgary 16th and Vancouver 19th.

The study also analyzed the cost of travel and entertainment to cities around the world. Topping the list (not a list you want to be on top of) was Tokyo, at an average daily cost of $528.43. Next was Copenhagen, then Perth Australia ($502.65), Sydney, Stockholm, London, Brisbane Australia, Zurich, Melbourne and Paris ($440.65). That's four Australian cities in the top 10, but you have to keep in mind that the cost of getting to the city was included.

I'm sure it's cheaper to stay in Perth (see photo at left) than it is in Paris, but for most Americans, and North Americans, it's a lot cheaper to fly to Europe than to Australia.

 

 

Vancouver rocks the Trip Advisor 2012 hotel awards ... World hotel prices rising

Either nobody who uses Trip Advisor comes to Toronto, or our hotels really suck in this town.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. And I know that we have some mighty fine hotels in the T-dot. But, hoo boy, does British Columbia ever take us to the woodshed on the new Trip Advisor Travelers' Choice hotel ratings for Canada. Ditto for Quebec.

The newest ratings, out a couple days ago with little fanfare, show the top-rated hotel in the true north, according to Trip Advisor site users, is L'Hermitage in Vancouver (see photo below right). "Sublime," wrote a woman, Laura C., from Calgary. "Everything seems to be on a more human scale. The rooms are excellent. The service is brilliant. Nothing is rushed.”

In second spot was Auberge Le Vincent in Quebec, followed by Echo Valley Ranch and Spa in B.C. and Sonora Resort on Sonora Island in B.C., which apparently you reach by helicopter (la and dee and dah). Gotta admit I'd never heard of it, but it looks impressive on paper/web.

B.C. took the 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 spots in the top 10. Quebec had #2 and #10. Ontario? Our first mention was way down at 16, the Harbour House in Niagara-on-the-Lake (which always seems to get top ratings for some reason). Next from Ontario was Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, a deserving number 18, followed by the Cambridge Suites in Toronto in the 21st spot. It's not fancy, but the rooms are big and it's RIGHT downtown; an ideal family spot. Next was the new Ritz Carlton on Wellington, perhaps the top hotel in Toronto but not affordable for many folks, at #22.

And that was it. No Hazelton. No Thompson. Nothing else for the Big Smoked. And, surprisingly, nothing else for Niagara, at least not in the overall hotel category.

Here's the full top 25 hotel for Canada in case you want to put it on your fridge - or maybe in your birdcage: 1. L'Hermitage, Vancouver, 2. Auberge Le Vincent, Quebec, 3. Echo Valley Ranch and Spa, B.C., 4. Sonora Resort, B.C., 5. Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver, 6. Opus Vancouver, 7. Wedgewood Hotel and Spa, Vancouver, 8. Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier, North Vancouver, 9. Abigail's Hotel, Victoria, 10. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City, 11. Hotel Le Clos St. Louis, Quebec City, 12. Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre, B.C., 13. Nita Lake Lodge, B.C., 14. Shangri-La, Vancouver, 15. Four Seasons Whistler, 16. Harbour House, Niagara-on-the-Lake, 17. Magnolia Hotel and Spa, Victoria, 18. Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, Toronto, 19. Brentwood Bay Resort and Spa, B.C., 20. Sundial Boutique Hotel, Whistler, 21. Cambridge Suites, Toronto, 22. Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, 23. Hotel Quintessence, Tremblant, Quebec, 24. Hotel Le Crystal, Montreal, 25. W Hotel, Montreal.

For those keeping score at home, that's 15 for B.C., six for Quebec and four for Ontario. Notice there's nothing for Banff or Jasper or Calgary/Edmonton and nothing for the prairies in general and nothing east of Quebec City.

I do wonder about these things. I understand the fancy spots such as the Ritz are going to suffer from a site such as Trip Advisor, which is built on mass appeal. And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's kinda refreshing that they also do budget hotels and other categories. It's just that it seems awfully skewed, in this category, to Vancouver and B.C. Great places but there's not a chance that they have 60 per cent of the top hotels in Canada. Fifty eight or fifty nine? Maybe. But not 60.

The Cairns Motel in Summerside PEI (we wrote about it in the Star last year) came in at number one for bargain hotels in Canada. But at least Ontario was number five (the High Falls Motel and Cabins in Wawa). And Ontario was tops in the relaxation and spa category, with top honours falling (deservedly) to Ste. Anne's Spa in Grafton (see photo at left).

Ontario also fared well in the B and B/Inns category, with the two through five spots all inside the province (Britaly Bed and Breakfast, Niagara-on-the-Lake; Greystone Manor, Niagara Falls, La Toscana di Carlotta Niagara-on-the-Lake and Accomodations Niagara Bed and Breakfast, Niagara Falls).

SPEAKING OF HOTELS, MAYBE YOU SHOULD BOOK NOW

An item I spotted on travelmole.com (the European/UK edition) says global hotel rates rose by an average of four per cent in 2011. Hotels.com gathered information from 142,000 properties in more than 85 countries for their study, which shows some pretty remarkable and wild swings.

Asia, which is quite affordable in most cases already, found a two per cent dip in prices. Tunisia was down nine per cent due to political problems, while rooms in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh were down a whopping 30 per cent. Amsterdam hotel rates jumped nine per cent, while rooms in Venice and Barcelona rooms went up an average of eight per cent. Prices skyrocketed by 40 per cent in Ibiza (I have no idea why), but they fell 10 per cent in Athens.

The study said US hotel rates went up by an average of three per cent  in 2011, but the rise was steeper in some American cities, with San Francisco up 14 per cent and Las Vegas rising 11 per cent. Average prices rose 13 per cent in Australia last year and there was a 12 per cent increase in New Zealand, fuelled by the Rugby World Cup.

GENE SIMMONS ROCK AND BREWS RESTAURANT - SOUNDS TRULY AWFUL

Gene Simmons of KISS fame (horrible band, I think) is partnering with some restaurant folks and a concert promoter to develop something truly horrible sounding: Rock & Brews. It's labelled as a backstage beer garden, and I haven't a clue what that means except there's talk of capturing the excitement of rock concerts, along with "The Great Wall of Rock" with posters and rock shows on flat screen TV's.

Okay, it might be halfway decent as long as they ABSOLUTELY FORBID showing anything by KISS, AC/DC or Rush.

The first one (OMG, they may have more???) will be in El Segundo, California - south of LAX. More are planned for Denver, Atlanta, Lahaina Maui (please, no), Tokyo and Los Cabos in Mexico.

Haven't we been through all this with Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood? And don't you wonder if a place with Simmons' name on it will have tongue on the menu?

 

 

 

Porter gets into package tour biz...2020 Olympic bids and trouble for TO 2024

We knew it was coming, but still a good item in today's Globe and Mail by reporter Brent Jang, outlining Porter Airlines' plans for a package tour biz.

It's been registered as Porter Escapes (good name for a company with a raccoon as its mascot, I think), and will offer all-inclusive holidays with flights, hotels, rental cars, insurance and other services. It's expected they'll focus on spots such as Myrtle Beach (golf), Vermont (skiing) and Tremblant (skiing), although Porter officials say they also will look at packages (probably theatre, maybe even TIFF, I guess) for folks coming to Toronto. Which is certainly good news for the local economy.

Of course, the packages also should help Porter boost its so-called load factor. Right now, Porter tends to fill roughly two-thirds of its seats or occasionally close to three-quarters, while folks like Air Canada and WestJet hover closer to 80 per cent. Porter CEO Robert Deluce says he doesn't need load factors that high as he has lower operating expenses with his fleet of smaller planes. Still, no business person in his right mind would settle for a score in the low 60's when he or she can bump it up to the mid-70's.

It'll be interesting to see how Porter markets the new business. It sounds like they'll be gearing things to shorter hauls, as most folks don't do Tremblant for one or two weeks the way they might do, say, Barbados. If I was a betting man I'd be looking for ski packages, theatre packages, golf and cultural packages versus sand-and-surf. I'm not expecting package tours for people flying from Toronto to Timmins (sorry, Timmins), but a weekend getaway package for Torontonians heading to Boston, Chicago or New York would be perfect, not to mention Quebec and Montreal. Those packages also would be a little different from the beach-sun packages offered by the likes of AirCanada Vacations, WestJet Vacations, Nolitours, etc...

2020 SUMMER OLYMPIC BIDS ARE IN, BUT I SEE TROUBLE FOR TORONTO 2024

And then there were five. The cities who are officially entered in the 2020 Summer Olympic sweepstakes are as follows: Madrid, Qatar, Tokyo, Istanbul and Bazu, Azerbaijan. Both Tokyo and Istanbul are multiple bridesmaids in the Olympic department. Istanbul has bid a few times for the Games, including a quest for the 1996 Summer Olympics in a fight with Toronto, Atlanta and other cities.

Qatar has made immense strides in international sports and will host the World Cup of Soccer in 2022. But I suspect the early sentimental favourite is Istanbul; as it's a perfect blend of east and west. Some events would probably be held on the European side of the city, and some in Asia. That's a nice symbol for the International Olympic Committee, which takes itself pretty seriously on these world-peace type issues, even if they are doing far too little to get Saudi Arabia to allow women athletes into the Olympics.

Rome was expected to do quite well in the race but, with Italy under such economic duress, pulled out a few days ago. Tokyo and Japan have been knocked around a bit, of course, so they'll certainly get some sympathy votes. And never underestimate the Euro-centricity of the IOC, which gives Madrid a solid shot. The city has fallen short of the podium a couple times lately, and the Spanish have some influence in the IOC, for sure. And, except for Istanbul, they have no Europe rival to deal with on the 2020 ballot. That's a big help.

The vote will take place in September, 2013.

Of course, there's something of an interest in this in Toronto, where some folks still are dreaming of a 2024 Summer Olympic bid. There's no North American city in the bidding for 2020 (as expected). Which means the door remains wide open for North America to get the Summer Games for the first time since 1996 in Atlanta, which seems like decades ago. (Wait a minute. It WAS decades ago).

The 2024 bids should be due in about four years. That gives a little time for the city of Toronto to prove itself with the 2015 Pan American Games.

Given the incredible costs of the Olympics, however, I can't see Ontario's finances - or those of the city - improving soon enough for a 2024 bid. I know Mayor Rob Ford likes these sort of things, and I see his point. The Olympics are great for city-building if done right and on budget. But a bid would have to start organizing in the next year or two to make it to the official 2024 bid stage, and the Ontario government almost certainly would have to backstop the thing. Given that massive warning shot fired across Queen's Park's bow yesterday about reduced growth and the need to slash spending, I don't think Ontario politicians are going to be too quick to embrace a Toronto Olympic bid. I could be wrong, but I think right now the optics would be just shy of terrible...

FRANKFURT AIRPORT CANCELLATION WOES

More than 1,000 flights could be disrupted today as workers strike at Frankfurt airport.

And trade union GdF is calling for another day of walkouts on Friday from the marshalling staff - airport workers who guide planes in and out, the website travelmole.com reported.

Quoting Reuters news reports, they said Lufthansa has cancelled nearly 100 flights including its London to Frankfurt service.

Its website said: "Lufthansa regrets any inconvenience to Lufthansa passengers caused by the threatened strike measures by the GdF union and will do its utmost to minimise impacts on passengers. Passenger support and service has paramount priority."

Let's hope this isn't a sign of things to come in Europe....

QANTAS MAKING OVERSEAS CUTS

Also from travelmole comes a report that Qantas is cutting 500 jobs, closing two international routes and reducing capacity on some domestic routes.

It follows the airline’s profits being hit by an industrial dispute and rising fuel costs. Qantas today reported an 83% fall in net profit to $42 million for the six months to the end of December, blaming a $194 million cost from industrial action and the grounding of its fleet, and a $444 million increase in fuel prices.

Qantas will withdraw from the loss-making Sydney-Mumbai and Auckland-Los Angeles routes, and reduce capacity on a range of routes including Sydney-Bangkok, Sydney-Perth and Melbourne-Perth by using smaller aircraft. The loss of the Qantas link from Los Angeles to Auckland is sure to be a blow to the tourism folks in New Zealand.....

Kudos to Air Canada for all-in prices - Porter changes, too/CAA hotel/food ratings

For years I've railed against airlines that bury their taxes and surcharges in fine print. The Canadian government, in a surprising move, recently said they would ban such ads, although it might take a year.

So, lo and behold, what do I see in today's A-section of the Toronto Star? An Air Canada 75th anniversary ad with sale prices that, be sure you're sitting down for this, INCLUDE TAXES AND FEES AND SURCHARGES.

The fares still are listed as one-way, but that's fine as some folks do only fly one-way and then stay or hop on another plane. So no real problem with that.

But how about the inclusion of taxes and fees? What a great public relations move, beating Ottawa to the punch and being the first Canadian airline, to my knowledge, to do this. Brilliant marketing move, I'd say.

Of course, with a potential pilot's job action waiting in the wings (see today's business section story by Vanessa Lu), maybe they figured it's a good time to build up some good karma. Either way, they didn't have to make the move but they just made travelling that much easier and simpler for average Canadians, not to mention folks who might want to visit our corner of the world (and 'Hello China,' says Prime Minister Stephen Harper).

Here's an example of today's Air Canada ad. They advertise a one-way ticket from Toronto to Halifax as being $129 plus $73 in extra charges, then put the total of $202 in LARGE PRINT so it's easy to see what you're getting. What a concept!!! Prices for London Heatherow are $244, plus a whopping $643 in extra charges, for $887 in total. That's only for flights from today to April 1, and then from Oct. 26 to Dec. 16. No discounts for folks heading to the Summer Olympics, I guess.

WestJet said it made similar changes in January and list the taxes/fees/surcharges along with base fares. Which sounds a lot like what Air Canada did, so congrats to WestJet for that.

Porter went perhaps one better. They sent out a press release today, Wednesday, to say they are "the first airline in Canada to advertise the total cost of a flight as a single simple number with all taxes, surcharges and mandatory fees included."

"No required cost will be added to prices displayed in advertising or on Porter's website," they said.

Porter said the change takes effect on Friday, Feb. 10.

“Unlike other carriers, Porter will show one price for the customer without highlighting fees and taxes separately,” said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. “We’ve been able to change what passengers expect from an airline by introducing standard premium amenities and affordable flights. Now, we’re extending this experience to the booking process, making it easy to immediately understand how much a flight costs by showing one number.”

WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer sent me a note to say his airline plans to "continue to display all elements of the price so people can see what the base fare actually is. Obviously, that's the only piece we can control."

Airlines often face government fees. They often levy fuel surcharges of their own, but those are supposed to be based on jet fuel prices.

Good stuff all around for consumers. And isn't it amazing how the threat of government action brought about these welcome changes? I guess I should send congrats to the Harper government for bringing down the threat of legislation, while I'm at it. I didn't think they'd ever do it, but they did. And they deserve credit for it.

 NEW CAA RATINGS FOR CANADIAN HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS OUT TODAY

The Canadian Automobile Association today released its list of five-diamond and four-diamond properties for the nation. As per usual, Ontario and Toronto cleaned up.

I've only had one cup of coffee, but the way I read the stats is that there still are only two five-diamond hotels in Canada - the Four Seasons Whistler and the new Ritz-Carlton in Toronto (see photo of lobby). Things were a touch looser in the five-diamond restaurant category, with five properties in Canada getting the nod. Those were Eden at the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Langdon Hall Dining Room and Terrace at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario, Le Baccara in Gatineau, QC, Restaurant Toque! in Montreal and Restaurant Initiale in Quebec City, which made its debut on the five-diamond list.

Pretty good haul for Quebec on that front, but that's no surprise to folks who've dined in the province. A tad embarrassing, perhaps, for Toronto to be shut out completely. But at least we got the five-diamond hotel award for the Ritz, which is a wonderful property.

Things were much brighter for the Big Smoke in terms of four-diamond restaurants. There are 110 such spots in all of Canada, the always-tough CAA inspectors said. Of those, a full 55 (one-half of all in the country if you're keeping score at home) are in Ontario. And a whopping 25 of those are in Toronto; meaning nearly one out of every five four-star dining spots in the true north can be found in Hogtown.

Quebec has 24 such places, but Montreal only got five of them. Shame, Montreal. Shame! Quebec City, on the other hand, had eight. There were 13 listed in British Columbia, nine of them in Vancouver.

The CAA is notoriousy tight on giving out top awards, as I found out when I accompanied one of their inspectors on a lunch date and checked out a couple hotels in Montreal last summer. It's quite something to see the lengths they go to. They told me there's nothing wrong, of course, with falling short of four-diamond status, as they really are quite tough on the restaurants and the hotels. It often comes down to service, they explained.

As for hotels, the quick tally I did this morning shows there are 138 such lodgings in Canada. Fifty six of those are in Ontario, and a full 23 in Toronto. Quebec had 37 such properties, 17 of those in Montreal. B.C. had 28, including 13 in Vancouver. Alberta had 12, six of them in Calgary.

There was only one four-diamond hotel listed in PEI, the Rodd Crowbush Golf and Beach Resort. And only four in Nova Scotia. Poor Newfoundland/Labrador got shut out of the four and five-diamond hotel category, as did New Brunswick, Manitoba (a surprise to me) and Saskatchewan.

The smaller provinces didn't do so well in the food department either. There were a scattering of places listed for Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and one in PEI. Also one in Manitoa (the Velvet Glove in Winnipeg). Poor Saskatchewan got shut out...

SHANGRI-LA TORONTO AND ROMANCE IN WINNIPEG AND KINGSTON

Yesterday marked the six-month date out for the Shangri-La Toronto. I'll write up more on the hotel in tomorrow's blog, but it sounds like they'll try to give Trump and the Ritz a serious run for their money...A study by Amazon.ca suggests Kingston (see photo at left) is the most romantic city in all of Canada. The survey took into account sales of romance novels, sex and relationship books and, get this, sales of Michael Buble CD's. Doncha love it? I think it's hilarious. Second place for Canada was Guelph, then Kelowna B.C., Oakville and Victoria ... On the other hand, TripAdvisor suggests a hotel in downtown Winnipeg (not a four-diamond one by CAA standards, but there you go) is one of the most romantic IN THE WORLD. Based on travellers' reviews, The Mariaggi's Theme Suites Hotel is right up there with posh hotels in the South Pacific, Hawaii, St. Lucia and Greece. Ranked number nine in the world, the hotel is known for exotic suites with themes such as "African jungle," with a grass-thatched hut over the bed and a hot tub, or the "sheik's tent" with Moroccan statues and burning incense. Sounds pretty goofy to me, but I know lots of folks who enjoy this sort of thing. There's a similar kind of spot in San Luis Obispo, California called the Madonna Inn that some people just rave about, with kitschy rooms decorated like a cave and all sorts of weirdness. Hey, to each his own!

 

 

 

 

Trip Advisor Canadian hotel rankings lean hard to B.C. - is something wrong?

I've always been leery of Trip Advisor ratings. Now I know why.

 

The Trip Advisor folks this week released a list of their top 25 hotels in Canada. No offence, but they're pretty wacky.

 

I'm not saying the properties they chose as the top three have anything wrong with them. Those, for the record, are L'Hermitage in Vancouver, Auberge Le Vincent in Quebec City and Echo Valley Ranch and Spa in Clifton, B.C..

 

No, nothing wrong with those as far as I know. It's just that, if you look down the list, it's incredibly skewed. Again, no offence, but eight of the top ten are in British Columbia; four of the top seven being in Vancouver. The only two in the top ten that aren't in B.C. are Quebec hotels. Number 11 is a Quebec hotel, then come two in Whistler, another in Vancouver and another in Whistler.

Not to be a homer, but it's not until you get to the 16th spot that you find the Harbour House Hotel in Niagara on the Lake - the first entry for the largest province in the country.

 

Toronto finally makes an appearance at #18, with Le Germain Maple Leaf Square. The other T.O. entries are the Cambridge Suites Hotel downtown at #21 and the new Ritz-Carlton on Wellington St. West at #22.

 

What's pretty obvious is that a lot of this is based either on folks from out west voting for their own, or folks from Ontario who tend not to stay in hotels in their own province and thus vote for properties out west.

 

It's also obvious that this is a popularity contest; much like the People's Choice awards. nothing wrong with that, I guess. But I'd rather hear from a panel of experts, personally.

 

If you ask the Canadian Automobile Association, which does a great job analyzing hotels across the country, there are only TWO five-diamond properties in Canada. One is the Ritz-Carlton, which came 22nd in the Trip Advisor list. The other is the Four Seasons in Whistler, which was #15 in Canada.

Another weird thing I noticed is the list of top 25 luxury hotels in the country. Shangri-La in Vancouver (a lovely spot) was first, followed a personal fave, Hotel Le St. James in Montreal (most attractive dining room in the country, hands down). The Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver was third, followed by The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto. The Four Seasons, long considered tops in Canada, was number six. The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto didn't even make the top 25, however. And that's nuts.

 

It's somewhat understandable. The Ritz is pretty new. And most folks in Canada - or the U.S. for that matter - probably can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars a night at a five-diamond property. therefore, they aren't exposed to those hotels and, therefore, those hotels don't get many votes.

 

That explains how something like Le Germain Maple Leaf Square (see photo at right), which is fun and undoubtedly popular with hockey and basketball or concert fans owing to its direct access to the Air Canada Centre, comes out tops in Toronto. It's a fine hotel, with lots of gizmos in the rooms and a great bar and a terrific ambience. But it's not as nice as the original Le Germain on Mercer Street. Nor is it in the class of the Ritz-Carlton, which has earned raves around the world.

 

An even stronger example is the Cambridge Suites down on Richmond St.. I've been in one of the rooms as my dad stayed there a couple years ago. It was a good-sized room with a sitting area and a small cafe on the main floor. Lots of space, which is important to me when I travel. I don't care that much about luxury if I'm in town on business; I'd rather have room. The Cambridge Suites provides that, and it's affordable, so it makes sense that it's on the list. (Incidentally, they were listing a room for next Friday night the 27th for $169; very nice for a king-bed and an added sofa bed in the extra room. And it includes free wi-fi).

 

I suppose the lesson is that this is a narrow group of voters and that they're probably talking about value as much as stand-alone greatness. Which is fair enough. It doesn't matter how great the steak is at a Daniel Boulud restaurant, I'm not paying that kind of money for something I can make pretty well at home myself. And I don't care how nice the spa might be at the Ritz if I'm a $50,000 wage earner from Walkerton, I guess.

 

Anyway, I'm sure the folks out in B.C. can use the boost of having 15 of the top 25 hotels in Canada.