GTHA in the News

Toronto, ON, November 16, 2022- the Greater Toronto Hotel Association is proud to announce the appointment of Sara Anghel as the new President & CEO.

“After a thorough search process Mrs. Anghel was a natural choice for the position” said Chairman of the Board Mr. Tim Reardon. “In addition to her prior experience with associations and government, the search committee appreciated her collaborative management style and drive to bring the association to the next level.”

In her most recent position Sara Anghel served as president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Canada since 2008.

Mrs. Anghel has served on a number of national and international industry boards including as Chair of the Ontario Region Recreational Boating Advisory Council (RBAC), Co-Chair of Transport Canada’s National Recreational Boating Advisory Council (NRBAC) and President of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) {First Woman in its 55 year history}.

Mrs. Anghel has over 25 years of experience in the realm of government relations. She has served in a number of political positions with the Ontario government including communications, policy and chief of staff to the Minister of Northern Development & Mines and Environment, Energy, Natural Resources and Health.

In 2019, Sara was recognized as Woman of the Year by the Marine Retailers of America and in 2015 received the Boating Ontario President’s Award for outstanding contribution to the boating industry.

In her spare time, Sara enjoys boating with her family and gardening.

Mrs. Angel will commence the position of President & CEO at the GTHA on November 28th.

 

About the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA)

Founded in 1925, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association has been serving the hotel industry of the Greater Toronto Area for over ninety years. A major stakeholder in the tourism industry, the GTHA is the voice of the Greater Toronto Area's hotel industry, representing 170 hotels, with approximately 36,000 guest rooms and 32,000 employees. The GTHA is dedicated to serving the interests of its members on issues of public policy and advocates to raise the profile and prosperity of our members as a vital component of the hospitality industry.

 

For more information contact:

Emily Dickson

edickson@gtha.com

(519) 319-1352

TORONTO – (November 18, 2022): Today the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) welcomed 585 members and guests to honour exceptional ambassadors in the region’s hotel industry. The ninth annual Spirit Awards presented by the GTHA recognized 253 nominees and 18 award winners for their outstanding contributions to the hotel community of the Greater Toronto Area.  

“It is with great pride that today we celebrate the service, professionalism and innovation of these outstanding ambassadors” said Emily Dickson, Vice President of Operations. “All those nominated are exceptional in their field of service and we thank you for your commitment and dedication to this industry. Our congratulations go out to each nominee and award winner for their exceptional service.”

The winners of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association’s 9th Annual Spirit Awards are: 

Accounting Ambassador of the Year: Elaine Thompson, Chelsea Hotel Toronto

Administration Ambassador of the Year: Anna Criselda Aquino, The Westin Harbour Castle

Banquet Ambassador of the Year: Wickham Lee, Intercontinental Toronto Centre

Bell Person Ambassador of the Year: Barry Howell, The Westin Harbour Castle

Concierge of the Year: Anna Godzina, Marriott Downtown at Toronto Eaton Centre

Culinary Ambassador of the Year: Peggy Tyrrell, Hilton Mississauga Meadowvale

Engineering Ambassador of the Year: Joseph Anandappa, Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Mississauga

Food and Beverage Outlets Ambassador of the Year: Jana Gallart Ferrari, 1 Hotel Toronto

Guest Services Ambassador of the Year: Indrani Roy, The Ritz-Carlton Toronto

Housekeeping Room Attendant Ambassador of the Year: Gail Dupuis, Strathcona Hotel

Housekeeping Support Service Ambassador of the Year: Aproniano Corrales, DoubleTree by Hilton Toronto Downtown

Laundry Ambassador of the Year: Audrey Heron, Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre

Lifetime Achievement Award: Virgilio Ferreira, Fairmont Royal York

Reservations Ambassador of the Year: Kevin Roberts, One King West Hotel & Residence

Security Ambassador of the Year: Alin Diaconescu, Chelsea Hotel Toronto

Steward of the Year: Eden Kilroy, Park Hyatt Toronto

Switchboard Operator of the Year: Liliane Theodore, Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport

Valet/Door Person/Shuttle Driver Ambassador of the Year: Jalany Adem, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

Click here for a full list of nominees

About the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA)

Founded in 1925, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association has been serving the hotel industry of the Greater Toronto Area for over ninety years. A major stakeholder in the tourism industry, the GTHA is the voice of the Greater Toronto Area's hotel industry, representing 160 hotels, with approximately 36,000 guest rooms and 32,000 employees. The GTHA is dedicated to serving the interests of its members on issues of public policy and advocates to raise the profile and prosperity of our members as a vital component of the hospitality industry. 

For more information contact: 

Emily Dickson

edickson@gtha.com

(416) 351-1276 

      

                

                

The Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) is the voice of the Greater Toronto Area's hotel industry, representing 170 hotels, with approximately 36,000 guest rooms and 32,000 employees. Founded in 1925, the GTHA has been serving the hotel industry of the GTA for over ninety years. The GTHA enables competing hotels to work together on issues of public policy and charitable ventures, provides information and service to its members, and raises the profile of the hotel sector as a vital component of the GTA's tourism industry.

Reporting to a Board of Directors, the President & CEO will lead senior staff, ensure that all programs and events are delivered efficiently, and ensure that the organization and the industry are strategically positioned in the face of future challenges, providing the leadership, advocacy, education, and information necessary to continue successful collaborations between the association and an ecosystem of key stakeholders.

As the chief staff officer, the President & CEO fosters a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture that is committed to equity, inclusion, and diversity. The President & CEO leads GTHA’s government relations efforts and, as a trusted and engaged partner, nurtures strong relationships with external stakeholders and partners across Canada. With a focus on sound business practices and fundamentals, the CEO has experience in a comparable association setting, champions good governance and sound financial stewardship, ensures GTHA’s various programs and events continue to innovate and evolve, and delivers high value services to its members.

As the ideal candidate, you have an aptitude for relationship building, a talent for fostering consensus, and demonstrated experience building lasting and meaningful partnerships. You are politically astute, a skilled negotiator, and you have experience reporting to, and supporting, a volunteer Board of Directors. You thrive in an environment with multiple priorities and lead by example in professionalism and ethics. A skilled executive and an outstanding communicator with an exceptional work ethic, you have highly developed people skills, are an excellent manager and mentor, and have a track record of working with senior staff to achieve ambitious results.

To apply for this position, please submit your application and related materials to Alain Pescador apescador@boyden.com. Please include “GTHA President & CEO” in the subject line of your e-mail.

https://boyden.thriveapp.ly/job/1533 

 

TORONTO – (June 23, 2021) Today, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) hosted their virtual Annual General Meeting.

Chair Edwin Frizzell, Vice-President of Accor Hotels Central Canada & General Manager of the Fairmont Royal York began the meeting by thanking the membership for staying strong, remaining connected and for keeping the heart of hospitality alive through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chair Frizzell’s remarks highlighted the importance of the hotel community with regard to the recovery of the travel and tourism economy. Mr. Frizzell noted the positive impact hotel front line workers have on hotel guests as exemplified through the association’s Spirit Awards events, as well as the passion and support demonstrated through the recent #HospitalityStrong purple lights initiative in which numerous hotel members participated across the GTA.  While the association continues its efforts to advocate on behalf of its members at all levels of government, Mr. Frizzell urged members and owners in a call to action to also reach out to those in government and push to fully open up hotels as well as provide clarity on the reopening plan for meeting and event spaces.

Chair of the Nominating Committee Bonnie Strome, General Manager of the Park Hyatt Toronto thanked the 2020/21 Board of Directors for their dedication and commitment to the hotel industry across the Greater Toronto Area. Mrs. Strome presented the slate of candidates for the 2021/22 GTHA Board of Directors. For a full list of Board members click here.  

President & CEO Terry Mundell recognized the contributions of the association’s members in his remarks.  Acknowledgements included hotel members who provided accommodations to front line health care professionals and others serving their community, organizations who took all steps possible to keep people employed and to bring back furloughed employees as soon as practical, business leaders’ ability to adapt under extraordinary pressures and members’ demonstration as persuasive government relations advocates speaking with a united voice.  Mr. Mundell echoed Chair Frizzell’s call to action and encouraged all members to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible so that hotels may reopen their doors and welcome guests once again in a safe way.

A special thank you to GTHA event partner Smart Serve Ontario for their ongoing support and to GTHA sponsors Insuranceland and Veliche Gourmet Belgian Chocolate.

About the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA)

Founded in 1925, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association has been serving the hotel industry of the Greater Toronto Area for over ninety years. A major stakeholder in the tourism industry, the GTHA is the voice of the Greater Toronto Area's hotel industry, representing 170 hotels, with approximately 36,000 guest rooms and 32,000 employees. The GTHA is dedicated to serving the interests of its members on issues of public policy and advocates to raise the profile and prosperity of our members as a vital component of the hospitality industry. 

For more information please contact:

Emily Dickson
edickson@gtha.com 
416-351-1276

The Ontario government is engaging partners in the heritage, sport, tourism and culture sectors in order to gather critical feedback on how best to reopen the economy. This input will inform decisions as the government implements its Framework for Reopening our Province document which was released in April 2020.

The Greater Toronto Hotel Association’s President & CEO, Mr. Terry Mundell, Co-Chairs the Hoteliers & Hospitality Council and is actively involved in providing the Province with considerations to take as it relates to challenges the hotel and hospitality industry is facing due to COVID-19 and what barriers the industry may be presented with as we move forward to the reopening the Province.

Read the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries News Release here which includes all COVID-19 Advisory Councils from each sector.

For immediate release

TORONTO – (June 5, 2019) The 2018 Greater Toronto Hotel Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) highlighted last year’s operations with a focus on what’s ahead for the association in 2019/2020. 

Chair Bonnie Strome, General Manager of the Park Hyatt Toronto having just completed her 2-year term thanked the membership and board of directors for their support over the past year.  Chair Strome’s remarks highlighted the association’s government relations activities in 2018, specifically around the Workplace Safety and Insurance Bureau premium rates reduction, the Municipal Accommodation Tax and short-term rentals in the Greater Toronto Area.

Incoming- Chair Edwin Frizzell, Regional Vice-President of Accor Hotels Central Canada &

General Manager of the Fairmont Royal York provided remarks highlighting what’s ahead for the industry and association. Mr. Frizzell noted that he looks forward to working with members of the board and GTHA membership to represent a unified voice on behalf of the hotel community. Mr. Frizzell also noted how important it is for our industry to continue to give back to the community and cities that we serve.

Chair of the Nominating Committee David Kelley, General Manager of the Soho Hotel & Residences thanked the 2018/19 Board of Directors for their dedication and commitment to the hotel industry across the Greater Toronto Area.  Mr. Kelley recognized Bonnie Strome who concluded her role as Chair of the Board after a 2-year term.  Mrs. Strome remains on the GTHA Executive Committee and Board as Past Chair. On behalf of the membership and staff Mr. Kelley and President & CEO Terry Mundell thanked Mrs. Strome for her support and guidance over the past 2 years during a recognition presentation.

Mr. Kelley also presented the slate of candidates for the 2019/20 GTHA Board of Directors. For a full list of Board members click here.

President & CEO Terry Mundell emphasized the association’s continued efforts around labour challenges and how important it is that the industry continue to focus on innovative ways to address this challenge.  

A special thank you to our event partner Smart Serve Ontario and our sponsors the Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto Airport & Conference Centre and Freeman Audio Visual.

About the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA)

Founded in 1925, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association has been serving the hotel industry of the Greater Toronto Area for over ninety years. A major stakeholder in the tourism industry, the GTHA is the voice of the Greater Toronto Area's hotel industry, representing 170 hotels, with approximately 36,000 guest rooms and 32,000 employees. The GTHA is dedicated to serving the interests of its members on issues of public policy and advocates to raise the profile and prosperity of our members as a vital component of the hospitality industry.

 

For more information please contact:

Emily Dickson

edickson@gtha.com

416-351-1276

 

 

 

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TORONTO – (May 13, 2019) Over six hundred and fifty members of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) gathered on Friday, May 10, 2019 to honour colleagues in the region’s hotel industry. The eighth annual Spirit Awards Luncheon presented by the GTHA recognized 279 nominees and 18 award winners for their contributions in the hotel industry.  

“It is with great pride that the GTHA celebrates the service, professionalism and innovation of these Ambassadors in the hotel community” said GTHA President & CEO Terry Mundell. “Our congratulations go out to each nominee and award winner for their outstanding service to guests visiting GTHA member hotels”.

The winners of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association’s 8^th Annual Spirit Awards can be found here.

For more information contact:

Emily Dickson

edickson@ gtha.com

(416) 351-1276

The GTHA is proud to announce the 2019 Spirit Award event  for May 10, 2019. Nominations close on March 1@ 12 PM. This is a member only event. We look forward to seeing you there!

October 2, 2017: The Greater Toronto Hotel Association in partnership with Humber College is pleased to announce the completion of the second Greater Toronto Hotel Association/Humber Hotel Management Leadership Program.The purpose of this program is to prepare exceptional middle management employees to become career-ready candidates for senior leadership positions in the hotel industry. Congratulations to all the graduates of this years program. See the full list of graduates here.