CHIC30 Program

Global travel patterns are reshaping demand across Canada, creating new opportunities—and pressures—for hotel owners and operators. This session delivers a clear snapshot of where international visitors are coming from, how fast key markets are recovering, and how outbound Canadian travel affects occupancy and rate performance at home.

We’ll highlight practical opportunities: where to focus sales efforts, how to adjust mix and pricing, which markets offer the strongest near-term upside, and how air capacity, currency shifts, and traveller behaviour are influencing performance.

Today’s hotel leaders are navigating a marketplace full of contradictions: record ADRs, rising costs, unpredictable demand patterns, evolving brand landscapes and escalating hotel values. Big city, small town or hidden resort, this session addresses the relationship individual and portfolio hotel performance has on investment strategies, overall values and the all-important, investor returns. Attendees will gain a holistic view of operational benchmarks, market pressures, financial outlooks and perspectives on sound portfolio management.

Upper-tier hotel brands continue to see strong demand in Canada’s major cities, yet developing in these markets comes with distinct challenges—from rising construction costs and zoning hurdles to intense competition for prime sites. This session explores the opportunities and realities of bringing upscale and upper-upscale brands to urban centres in our hockey markets, eh!

Industry experts will discuss market trends, feasibility considerations, and strategies for successful project execution. Attendees will leave with practical insights to navigate Canada’s most dynamic hotel development markets.

Canada remains one of the most dynamic and diverse hotel markets in the Americas. In this keynote, Jolyon Bulley, Chief Executive Officer, Americas, IHG Hotels and Resorts, provides a comprehensive outlook on the forces driving demand—from international travel recovery to domestic leisure segmentation, urban revitalization, and regional development patterns. He will share how IHG’s strategy in the Americas aligns with Canada’s unique development and acquisition opportunities and how owners can capitalize on emerging market shifts, brand momentum, and evolving guest expectations. All amid topsy/turvey capital markets.