Re-brand And Expand
Canadian Travel Press’ executive editor, Bob Mowat reports in this week’s edition of CTP that Delta Hotels & Resorts is creating a lot of buzz these days as the iconic Canadian hotel company rolls out its re-branding and expansion strategy in the marketplace.
And when you ask company president and CEO Ken Greene what it’s all about, he’ll point to key elements of the hotel company’s re-branding plan that include being “modern” and “innovative;” having “thoughtfully designed rooms and public areas that adapt to the needs of the guests” and which are coupled with consistent product and service.
“That’s what we’re trying to get to. And I think we’ve got about a two year journey to complete that transformation. What’s exciting for us is that when you look at our competitors — Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, Westin — we have two to three times more properties, so we own distribution in Canada and I think that’s a real competitive advantage for us,” Delta’s boss told CTPress.
Greene took over at the helm of Delta about 18 months ago, arriving from Hong Kong where he’d spent three years leading the Wyndham Hotel Group’s Asia Pacific region, describing the opportunity to run the icon Canadian hotel company as a “unique one.”
“Actually, I think, it’s the most unique opportunity in the hotel industry. Delta is Canadian owned, Canadian founded and it’s only in Canada today. It’s one segment of the hotel industry, you know, four star, full service; it’s owned by a Canadian pension fund which really wants to build it and hold on to it long-term.”
For Greene the fact that Delta’s owners have a long-term strategic plan in place is critical. “So often in our industry,” he explained, “we make decisions because either we’re public companies or we’re owned by private equity, so we make decisions for the short-term maybe at the expense of the long-term and the opportunity to make decisions today for the benefit of the long-term growth of the brand is really quite compelling.”
Just as important, though, Greene said is that “the culture at Delta and the value system at Delta is one that really mirrors my own. It’s high integrity. It’s customer-centric. I think that we have a confident team, but [it is one] that takes a humble approach to the business. We like to serve and do the right things at the right time. That’s sort of the Delta way and that’s very appealing to me as a leader.”
For the full story on Delta’s journey of transformation, click here.
