We’re Springing Into Action!

VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 2

WELLNESS INITIATIVES 
RAIN OR SHINE, I’M IN! 
Sitting is the new smoking—this remark, overheard at a lunch, sparked a movement at the Alt Hotel Quebec. The team quickly launched a sports committee with a mission: make movement part of our daily routine. Biking to work? Standing desk? Check and check. And to kick things off on the right foot, there’s a walking club that has the team out and about twice a week.

Rachel Garon, General Manager, now insists on a quick hike after their weekly management meetings. “We shortened our meeting time and rearranged the schedule so that everyone could get outside for a walk. If there’s still more to discuss, we simply talk while we walk. But you need to make it quick, because I can’t maintain a conversation at this pace for too long!,” she laughs

Even a little rain won’t stop this parade. Inspired by the go-getters at the Alt Hotel Toronto Airport, who regularly take the stairs for their cardio fix, Rachel kicked off a new team challenge: “At noon, we meet on the 8th floor and climb up and down as many times as possible. It’ll be fun, I swear!” Ask their quadriceps and calves, which are still burning 3 days later!

Toronto takes its health seriously as well. “When I’m not getting the team to sign up for Pilates or a Tough Mudder obstacle race, I’m making ginger turmeric shots to boost their immune systems. A bit intense, maybe?” jokes Andrea Young, General Manager. No surprise then that they’ve started a walking club of their own!

TEAM ACTIVITIES 
MAY THE BEST PERSON WIN! 
Our first Spirit Day was an animated affair
In St. John’s, 30 of our colleagues traded in their uniforms for runners and friendly competition at a high-energy sports meet. Teams were assigned at random before each event, sparking loud cheers and some light-hearted bragging. And of course, nothing breaks the ice like a three-legged race!

But the crowd went truly wild during the main event, the tug of war. While the Maintenance team began celebrating what they thought was a surefire win—and doing so loudly, we might add—Housekeeping pulled off a dramatic upset. Their surprise win also earned Yullia Buksa the coveted title of event MVP!

Double agent
The competition was no less fierce when management teams from Quebec hotels went head-to-head at the bowling alley. Though he brought theatrical flair and confidence to the event, André MacFarlane, Guest Services Manager at the Alt Hotel Quebec City, had to concede defeat to his right-hand man, Desmond Dulder. Desmond bowled with such unerring precision, there are whispers he leads a secret life as a semi-pro …

Still, the real star of the night was Renel Pedie, Housekeeping Supervisor at Le Germain Hotel Quebec, whose victory dances after each strike live rent-free in our heads!

“The Classic” Toronto ping pong match 
The spirit of competition also took over when the Le Germain Hotel Toronto team was invited to take part in a ping pong tournament. Reynaldo Jr Latorre, Assistant F&B Manager, clinched victory in a nail-biting finale that had everyone holding their breath.

Level Up 
Some twenty Alt Hotel Montreal team members took a more collaborative approach to movement. Picture the scene: participants in red socks had to stomp out lights on the floor like so many cats chasing laser pointers. From dance moves to ninja kicks, nothing was off limits. And belly laughs were guaranteed!

Trivia, escape rooms, and nemeses
It was full-on game-show vibes during a rousing trivia night hosted by the Quebec Service Centre. Gabriel Penney, Financial Analyst, and Sylvie Lalancette, Accounts Payable Coordinator, earned the title of Supreme Champions—yes, we know! “Our secret weapon was an inter-generational team,” Gabriel joked. But watch out, rumour has it some of their competitors are already plotting revenge…

In Montreal Service Center, Isabelle Charron, Distribution Coordinator and board game enthusiast, played emcee during a rousing game of Hitster, a trivia game that tests your music knowledge. The competition got fierce fast, especially once Marie Pier and Hugo Germain were named team captains. While details of their duel are classified, let’s just say a competitive attitude alone doesn’t guarantee a win!

Meanwhile, Jean-Philip Dupré, General Manager at Le Germain Hotel Toronto, put his management team’s talent to the test with a nerve-wracking escape room challenge. While Director of F&B Lauren Hall and her team just managed to beat the buzzer, their blood-curdling screams could be heard in the next room. It made a chilling chorus for Reynaldo Jr Latorre and his team, who weren’t so lucky. But the real mystery that night was Fred Kodsi, Director of Maintenance, who stunned everyone with his uncanny ability to crack open locks.

CULTURAL BREAKS
This spring, whether sharing an Eid al-Fitr feast at Le Germain Hotel Montreal to mark the end of Ramadan or honouring Ukrainian cultural identity on Vyshyvanka Day at the Alt Hotel St. John’s, our teams took time to celebrate cultural diversity in many ways, all sincere expressions of respect and openness towards each other’s traditions.

Tulips, a torch, and a papal surprise
Each May, the Canadian capital bursts into colour during the Canadian Tulip Festival. This year, the Alt Hotel Ottawa was also in full bloom! With cheerful cocktails, larger-than-life tulips and a commemorative torch, the lobby was transformed into a full-on selfie hot spot. The team wrapped up this perfect spring day with a joyous celebration. 

“It was a fun, invigorating experience for everyone. The team did an incredible job!” says Rania El Moustaghfir, Guest Services Supervisor and event organizer.

Fun fact: the event had a surprise special guest in the form of newly elected Pope Leo XIV. The live broadcast of his investiture added unexpected pomp and circumstance to the day!

Tradition with a twist
The classic Easter egg hunt got a hilarious grownup upgrade this spring, much to the delight of all our chocoholic colleagues! The McGill University campus became a giant playground for the Le Germain Hotel Montreal team, who scoured the grounds for three elusive golden tickets. At the Escad Hotel, blindfolded participants relied on the less-than-accurate directions of their colleagues to find hidden eggs. And in St John’s, the egg-citement lasted all week before the coveted egg was finally uncovered!

With a large Ukrainian community on its team, the Alt Hotel Saskatoon team explored a whole new facet of this tradition by taking part in a Pysanky egg painting workshop. Equipped with a Kitska (a pen-like tool with a metal funnel designed to precisely apply hot wax to the egg shell), participants patiently and meticulously recreated the delicate motifs of this ancestral art.

TEAM INITIATIVES  
KINDNESS IN ACTION   

Together for PIaMP 
Moved by a shared desire to give back to the community, the Escad Hotel Green Committee held a fundraiser for PIaMP, an organization that supports minors who are victims of prostitution. While a sensitive subject, this is a particularly relevant cause in our industry. In total, the team collected 25 boxes of essential items along with $1000 in cash and gift cards, surpassing all their expectations!

No sleeping on an opportunity
A technical issue in the laundry room at the Alt Hotel Halifax Airport could have dampened morale, instead the team turned the setback into an act of generosity. They donated unusable sheets to Hope for Wildlife, an organization that rehabilitates injured wild animals — maintaining a well-established tradition at the hotel

Spring cleaning 
Armed with trash grabbers and good will—shout out to the Alt Hotel Montreal team for making neon orange vests look good!—several members of our Alt Hotels Calgary East Village and University District and Escad Hotel took to the streets to clean up their neighbourhoods in honour of Earth Day.

The jury’s still out on which crew collected the most trash. In Calgary, Rob Derochie’s, Sales Coordinator, group picked up 44 pounds of litter, while in Montreal, François Tetu, General Manager, and team filled 25 bags. One thing’s for sure, it was a win for the planet and for team spirit.

Kindness in our veins
There’s no doing things by halves for Bailey MacPhee, Guest Services Agent at the Alt Hotel St. John’s. Nervous about donating blood for the first time, she turned a personal challenge into a group mission, rallying her entire team to sign up for a Canadian Blood Services drive. Unsurprisingly, her colleagues enthusiastically jumped on board... waiting on their personal chauffeur.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
OUR TALENTS SHINE

A rising star at Les Cousins
Maxim Béland, Manager at Bar Les Cousins, was named to the prestigious Top 30-under-30 list—a national program recognizing young professionals making a meaningful mark on the industry.

Maxim, your bold, inspiring leadership has transformed Les Cousins into a destination that stands out for its warm, personal, innovative ambiance. Thank you for your contagious passion, your dedication, and your attention to detail – all hallmarks of your drive for excellence.

A crown of talent, experience, and Lauriers
A finalist for Sommelier of the Year at the Lauriers de la Gastronomie Québécoise—a gala honouring excellence in culinary craftsmanship and culture—Christian Beaupré exemplifies the passion and talent that elevate our industry.

This recognition highlights the key role he played in enhancing the dining experience at Les Labours Restaurant at Le Germain Charlevoix Hotel & Spa. His thoughtfully curated wine list earned a 2024 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, and his inspired pairings consistently wowed guests during our Free Rein gastronomic evenings. Congratulations, Christian!

Leaders who inspire us
Congratulations to Jennifer Luke, Director of Business Development at Le Germain Hotel Toronto, who received the 2025 Rising Star Award in Ontario, and to Sarah Major-Bourgeois, Director of Distribution, a finalist in Quebec. This honour, a nod to female leadership in hospitality, is a testament to your unwavering passion and dedication to excellence and innovation in our field. You both inspire us daily as outstanding role models and leaders!

The 2025 OCTAS
This year, the IT team continued its tradition of driving innovation—earning them not one, but two nominations at the OCTAS, a gala that rewards excellence and innovation in information technology. The Auto Sync 360 project, led by Alexandre Baudon, Data Architect and BI Team Lead, and Simon Dumas, Full-Stack Developer, together with Moses Mweze, HR Coordinator, and Laurie Germain, VP Culture and Talent, won the Production – Supply Chain (SME) Award. This honour recognizes our commitment to developing human-centred solutions that simplify and support our teams’ day-to-day. While the CRM project didn’t win a trophy, it did go head-to-head with large-scale international AI-integration initiatives—an achievement worth celebrating in its own right!

MILESTONES 
10 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG! 
Who better to know the inner workings of a hotel than someone who’s been there since day one? That’s why our 10th-anniversary dinner at the Alt Hotel Winnipeg last March was also a tribute to four remarkable colleagues: Reem Mohammed and Eejay Chua from Banquets, and Margie Blanco and Aurea Alontaga from Laundry and Housekeeping. Each of them, in their own way, has become an integral part of our hotel’s story. Cheers to ten more amazing years!

GROW WITH US
TRADING PLACES
Is the grass really greener on the other side? Not many people get to find out — but from April to June, our managers in Saskatoon and Toronto took on that very challenge. As part of a cross-departmental exchange, they spent three months stepping into a new role with a new team: a daring and transformative experiment!

Inspired by a similar opportunity early in her career at Germain Hotels, General Manager Andrea Young encouraged Karyl-Anh Fandoux and Vijay Harrilal to say yes. Respectively Assistant Director of F&B and Guest Services Director at the Alt Hotel Toronto Airport, they embraced the adventure. “It’s a safe space to try on a new role with a team that’s incredibly supportive,” Andrea explains

Sure enough, the warm welcome is what Karyl-Anh mentions first when talking about her experience. “From day one, their openness to my management style allowed me to stay true to myself and feel completely at ease.” It was also a homecoming of sorts for Karyl-Anh who first interned as Guest Services Assistant Manager at the Alt Hotel St. Jonh’s before joining the F&B team in Toronto.

For Vijay, the experience was a masterclass in leadership: “Observing different operational styles — shout out to Julie Guzman Contreras, Assistant F&B Manager — opened my eyes to new approaches I plan to bring back to my regular role.”

Danika Diceman, who traded her role as Director of Housekeeping for that of Morgan Yaworski’s Guest Services Director, describes the experience as a rare opportunity to understand our colleagues’ day-to-day realities and find better ways of working together. “It pushes us to think differently, be more open to collaboration, and embrace new perspectives. Basically, it gets us out of our comfort zone — and that’s a good thing!” she says.

Want to try it for yourself? Curious about shadowing colleagues for a day to experience their reality? Talk to your GM about the opportunities available to you! 

Take the lead from Hind Touaj, Business Development Manager at the Alt Hotel Quartier DIX30, who opted for a training day with the Revenue Management team at our Montreal Service Centre.

A NEW HOTEL BRINGS NEW OPPORTUNITIES!  
Looking for a challenge that’s anything but ordinary? Or yearning for a rewarding new experience? If you’re dedicated, passionate, and ready to bring your best, the opening team at the Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport wants to hear from you. This is a rare chance to advance your career and make your mark! ;

Take the first step — apply today!
Already have a role in mind? Speak with your GM and send your CV to the Talent Acquisition team through UKG — Internal Opportunities. Otherwise, stay tuned: new positions will be posted in the coming weeks.

Where can I find internal postings?
1. Log into UKG Pro on your computer (not available on the mobile app)
2. In the menu, click the “Myself” tab
3. Under “My company” select “View opportunities”.

Make this newsletter worth reading by sharing your ideas, initiatives, and achievements. Your contributions make every issue personal and inspiring. We look forward to reading your stories from coast to coast (soon)!