BC Hotel Association is offering crisis communications training for hotels to ensure teams are prepared to face the unforeseen with resilience and professionalism. This online training is held over 3 sessions in June.
Read More
Following a consultation request from government on a Canadian Tourism Growth Strategy, industry advocates across Canada have submitted their recommendations.
Read More
BCHA has partnered with the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS) and Western Community College to offer a 23 week online “Hotel Operations Services Skills Training Program”. This program is designed to train 30 candidates who are currently unemployed or under employed in the Okanagan area and deliver them to industry trained and ready to work. The training is fully funded and will focus on readying the candidate for meaningful work in the hotel industry.
Read More
During the BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards Gala, BC Hotel Association and the Tourism Industry Association of BC shared a tribute to those in the BC tourism industry industry lost in recent years, in honour of their contribution and memory.
Read More
The BC Hotel Association released the first issue of Innfocus Magazine of 2022. Among the wealth of information and content featured in the Spring issue, are articles that include:
Attracting US Visitors
The Pandemic's Legacy
New Practices in Food & Beverage
Recruiting Programs
Region Feature: Kootenay Cool
Leader of the Future: Cat Mackintosh
Hotelier Feature: Debie Hemich
GoGreen: GreenStep EcoFund
Wellbeing and Travel
Grappling with Ghost Hotels
How do we Get BC on Bucket Lists of World Travellers?
What's New?
... and much, MUCH more!
Read More
The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) and the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) announced the finalists of the 2022 BC Tourism and Hospitality Awards! The awards recognize and celebrate excellence, leadership, and innovation within British Columbia’s tourism & hospitality industry, showcasing the province’s most exceptional leaders and positive change-makers.
Read More
In a letter to Labour Minister Harry Bains, the coalition noted that the sick pay program comes at a difficult time for businesses during the height of the new Omicron wave. It's particularly challenging for businesses such as pubs and restaurants which were not closed (and thus many were ineligible for government assistance) and whose business dropped precipitously.
There are many examples of businesses experiencing functional closures and seeing a significant portion of their employees at home sick. Consequently, operationally and administratively it has been a very challenging start to the year.
One of the primary concerns relates to the fact that businesses and employees rely on payroll and human resources information systems to track, store, and provide accurate information on use of paid sick days and payment. Nearly all of these systems are based on a workplace having a common ‘employment year’ which is most often the calendar year or a business’s fiscal year.
However, the current wording of the ‘employment year’ definition on the Employment Standards website from the policy interpretation of Illness or Injury Leave - Act Part 6, Section 49.1 is causing confusion for employers and workers alike: “Employment year” refers to the specific employee’s employment year, based on their start date.
Most businesses remain unaware of this interpretation of the policy. In addition, there are problems faced by businesses struggling to understand how to implement paid sick leave for part-time and short-term employees.
In its letter, the coalition offered a number of recommendations for the province to consider including amending the definition of 'employment year', as well as reimbursing businesses for the additional sick days paid over the annual intended five days paid sick leave businesses understood they were required to pay.
Organizations that signed a letter include TIABC, BC Chamber of Commerce, Greater Vancouver BC Restaurant & Food Services Association, Restaurants Canada, go2HR, ABLE BC, BCHA, and others.
Read More
B.C.’s tourism associations have developed a toolkit to guide operators in advising the public to plan travel in British Columbia this winter, with the unique challenges caused by the 2021 floods and road closures. Operators can share this document, include the information in their communications, and provide links on their website.
Read More
Tourism stakeholders are invited to submit a proposal for a presentation at the 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference taking place in Richmond, B.C. from March 9 – 11, 2022. The theme of the 2022 conference is Kickstarting the Comeback. The conference is seeking presentations on success stories, resiliency, new research and best practices, creative projects and initiatives, and bold ideas that will help kickstart the comeback of B.C.’s tourism industry. A limited number of submissions will be chosen to present during the conference.
The deadline to submit a proposal for presentation is December 17, 2021.
Attendee registration will open in early 2022.
Read More
The BC Meetings & Events Industry Working Group has successfully received a distinction for business events in the latest provincial health order. This is relevant because now business events are allowed as standing events. Networking, receptions, and mingling are all acceptable. Holiday parties associated with businesses are considered “business events.”
This distinction in the health orders is a big step in the right direction.
Read More
The 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards are presented by BCHA and TIABC to recognize and celebrate excellence, leadership, and innovation within British Columbia’s tourism & hospitality industry. These Awards recognize the province’s most exceptional products, services, experiences, and people who exhibit the utmost standard of excellence.
If you know a business, organization, or individual deserving of a nomination, submit your nomination before January 14, 2022.
Read More
The community of Merritt is currently under evacuation due to extreme weather conditions which is impacting the region and other parts of our province. BC Hotel Association (BCHA), TIABC, Tourism Kamloops, and the Kamloops Hotel Association are currently working alongside Emergency Management BC to secure accommodation for those evacuating and unable to stay with friends and family.
In an effort to ensure that maximum accommodation is made available to those in need, a decision has been made to no longer move forward with the in-person TIABC & BCHA Annual General Meeting/s. Instead, the event will take place online only - Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Read More
For the 2021-2023 term, TIABC was seeking a total of five candidates. These Nominations closed on Friday, October 1. The Election will be held in Kamloops at the AGM on November 17.
Read More
The Tourism Industry Association of BC, BC Hotel Association, Destination BC, BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (including Tourism Vancouver Island) and Indigenous Tourism BC are pleased to share an updated version of the Step 3 Tourism Industry Toolkit reflecting Proof of Vaccination.
Read More
Integral Hospitality, a BCHA premier partner, have assisted a number of hotels throughout B.C. with outsourced housekeeping services. For example, Integral was able to help a BCHA member by supplying two housekeepers to an Okanagan property within 24 hours.
Outsourced housekeeping means employing a third party to look after your housekeeping needs, from delivering trained staff to providing the equipment and cleaning products. A true test of a good outsourced staffing supplier is one that is proficient at moving their model around based on your needs. This means only providing equipment if you need it. It means tailoring staffing based on your needs so whether you are looking for a full suite of housekeeping staff or just temp staff during busier periods, the right third party can help.
Read More
The following excerpt was originally published by the BC Hotel Association in the response to the B.C. Proof of Vaccination Requirement announcement, including steps to help prepare accommodators for how to address new proof of vaccination measures.
Read More
As we move toward recovery, it’s important to strategize around pricing of rates. Accommodation operators have a unique opportunity to learn more about the performance of B.C.'s hotel, lodge, and B&B performance, with no cost to participate. STR’s weekly reporting tool enables accommodation providers to see how their own property is performing against those within the local market by geographic area and class of accommodation.
Read More
The Tourism industry Association of BC (TIABC) and BC Hotel Association (BCHA) co-hosted an industry update webinar to discuss the state of the hospitality and tourism industry and an outlook on the future.
Read More
Provincial industry associations are collecting data to use in our conversations with various levels of government about the types of relief and assistance packages required for the industry and for large operators. Please complete the survey by May 7.
Read More
The not-for-profit organizations will utilize vital industry insights and tools from STR to advance BC accommodation sector in response to COVID-19.
Read More