From October 14–15, the iconic JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District was buzzing with energy, as over 170 hotel owners, executives, and investors came together for Ascend 2025, and what a success it was!

This year, AHLA’S flagship event delivered cutting-edge insights into tourism trends, unlocked fresh investment opportunities, and sparked bold conversations around workforce strategy. Ascend wasn’t just a conference; it was a launchpad for the future of hospitality.

Keynote Highlights: Doug Stephens on The Business Archetypes of the Future

The day kicked off with an insightful keynote presentation from Business Futurist, Doug Stephens, who spoke about the Business Archetypes of the future. He challenged attendees to rethink the foundations of competitive strategy in today’s market and unpacked the shifts and trends that are currently reshaping consumer behavior and market competition. His key takeaway was that brands must differentiate themselves in either Design, Culture, Expertise, and Entertainment to maintain a competitive advantage in the current market.

Valuable Insights on Short-Term Rentals, Artificial Intelligence and Tourism Strategy

AHLA’s Laurie Chandler Vice President, Public Affairs led an engaging and interactive session on the impacts of unregulated short-term rentals on communities and hotels. Hoteliers across Alberta have made a significant effort to make their voice heard, and the results have been strong. Laurie encouraged attendees to take a stand and continue to speak to their local government concerning this issue.

Several key sessions centered around the importance of maintaining a strong workforce strategy.The Accommodation Outlookshared by Kirstin Hallet, CBRE’s Vice President of Valuation and Advisory Services, delivered valuable insights into factors that impact operational performance. She highlighted that Alberta's economic growth is expected to lead the country, with tourism identified as a key sector poised to support and accelerate the province’s growth.

As workforce strategies and operational excellence took center stage, AHLA’sElevate Hotel HR & Safety Programemerged as a timely resource for hotels. Elevate offers expert guidance, compliance support, and recognition tools, helping hotels to strengthen their operations and workplace culture.

The day ended with a session on Alberta’s Fiscal Landscape, led by ATB Senior Economist, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, where he covered various financial trends impacting the industry.

Sponsors and Acknowledgements

The success of the Ascend conference was made possible by the support of our varioussponsors and program partners. We also appreciate the JW Marriott team for their support in hosting the conference.

Final Thoughts

Ascend 2025 showcased the impact of innovation and a shared vision in shaping the future of Alberta’s hospitality sector, equipping attendees with actionable insights, tools, and connections to lead with confidence in this rapidly changing industry. For those looking to build on that momentum, theElevate programis a powerful next step to help hotels meet HR and Health and Safety obligations and earn recognition for doing so. We also encourage hotel owners to stay engaged as the conversations around short-term rentals continue to evolve.

Vancouver, B.C. – November 25^th, 2025 – Coast Hotels Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of APA Hotel Canada, Inc. and one of North America’s fastest-growing and one of Canada’s largest hotel brands, hosted the 23^rd Annual Coast Hotels Shuhachi Naito Golf Classic in July of this year. This tournament, supported by over 30 partner sponsors, a fully sold-out field of golfers, and a dinner attended by over 175 guests raised valuable funds for two charities this year: the ALS Society of BC and the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.

“Giving back to the communities where we live, work and operate is woven into the fabric of Coast Hotels and reflects our core values,” said Takamasa Machiura, President & CEO, Coast Hotels Limited. “Supporting the vital work of these organizations is truly a privilege.”

Hannah Marazzi, Executive Director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, said the contribution will help the centre continue developing and delivering Holocaust-based anti-racism and social justice education programs. “Partnerships like this are vital to preserving our history and carrying forward its lessons against hatred and intolerance.”

Coast Hotels also maintains a personal connection to the ALS Society of British Columbia: Shuhachi Naito, a former executive and long-time Coast Hotels Ambassador for whom the tournament is named, passed away of ALS in 2014.

“It was through Shu that we came to understand the critical impact of the ALS Society of British Columbia’s support for patients, families, and medical research,” said Mark Hope, Senior Vice President, Development, Coast Hotels.

“We are incredibly grateful for the long-time support of Coast Hotels through their annual golf classic,” said Donald Miyazaki, Executive Director, ALS Society of British Columbia. “This contribution directly influences the quality of life of thousands who have been affected by ALS in BC and the Yukon. Support from community partners like Coast Hotels allows us to continue providing vital services, funding essential research, and working toward a future where ALS is a treatable disease.”

This year’s Coast Hotels Shuhachi Naito Golf Classic raised more than $100,000 and has surpassed $1.4 million in charitable donations since its inception.

Vancouver, B.C. – November 24, 2025 – Coast Hotels Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of APA Hotel Canada, Inc. and one of North America’s fastest-growing and one of Canada’s largest hotel brands, is pleased to announce key leadership appointments that strengthen its executive team and position the brand for continued growth across North America.

As part of this evolution, Brigitte Diem-Guy has made the decision to step down from her role as Vice President, Revenue Strategies and Communication, effective December 1, 2025. She will remain with Coast Hotels as Brand & Communications Consultant, continuing to oversee brand and content strategy, internal and external communications, public relations, social media and influencer strategy, creative services, and U.S. digital marketing strategy, while maintaining her 24/7 crisis communications support role.

“We are deeply grateful for Brigitte’s leadership, mentorship, and countless contributions,” said Takamasa Machiura, President & CEO, Coast Hotels Limited. “Her influence and commitment to our brand will continue to shape our success as we move forward.”

In line with Coast Hotels’ commitment to growing talent from within, the company announced three internal promotions:

Commercial Growth

Nooshi Akhavan has been promoted to Vice President, Commercial Strategy. Akhavan has been with Coast Hotels for nine years, most recently serving as Director, Revenue Performance & Distribution, where she has led advancements in revenue management technology and data-driven decision-making.

People and Culture Development

Glen Merx has been promoted to Vice President, People & Culture. Merx, who has been with Coast Hotels for over nine years, previously served as Director, People & Culture, where he helped strengthen Coast Hotels’ workplace culture and championed leadership development programs across the organization.

Revenue Strategy Innovation

Amin Himani has been promoted to Director, Revenue Performance & Distribution. Himani’s analytical expertise and collaborative approach have contributed significantly to the company’s commercial performance and continued innovation in pricing and distribution strategy.

“These appointments reinforce our momentum and strengthen our presence across North America,” added Machiura. “Nooshi, Glen, and Amin bring proven leadership that will help us continue to deliver value and service to our guests and partners.”

Austin, Texas, USA – November 24, 2025: Cendyn, a global integrated hotel technology and services company, is leading the market shift to AI search in partnership with DirectBooker by enabling hotel direct booking rates to be visible in AI search results.

The launch of Cendyn AI Connect, a new distribution channel within the Cendyn DMP, pushes hotel Availability, Rates, and Inventory (ARI) directly into AI search platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini through a Model Context Protocol (MCP).

With the ever-growing adoption of AI search for travel planning, hotel owners are becoming increasingly aware of the impact AI will have on business. Currently, AI search platforms largely surface OTA listings, leaving hotels unseen at the exact moment travelers are making decisions. AI Connect ensures hotel direct rates and availability can be surfaced organically when travelers engage with AI trip planners, complementing existing hotel digital strategies by reclaiming visibility on emerging channels, without adding marketing overhead.

By utilizing a direct connection for distribution through an MCP – a new open standard designed to let AI models (like ChatGPT or Claude) connect with external tools, data sources, and APIs in a secure and consistent way – Cendyn is making essential hotel information available seamlessly and efficiently to these AI models.

Cendyn is currently inviting hotels to join a select beta group to be at the forefront of innovation and expand their reach in the era of AI travel search. Throughout this beta-phase, Cendyn will start to surface clicks and completed bookings attributed to AI channels as consumers gradually adopt AI search in their travel planning.

“As travelers reshape how they plan and book travel, we need to ensure our customers remain highly visible and are at the forefront of this compelling market shift, while avoiding OTA dependency,” said Michael Bennett, CEO & President at Cendyn. “Many hoteliers understand the importance of early adoption, especially given the existing challenges of maintaining visibility in front of travelers, and competing with OTAs to manage cost of acquisition. While we may be seeing AI-driven search bookings starting small, we know it will shape competitive advantage for years to come.”

"Real travelers care about the best value they can get for their trip," said Steve Kaufer, Board member, DirectBooker. "This partnership with Cendyn will enable hotels to have a direct line into AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini and be discoverable from the offset - helping to cut out traditional intermediaries. Hoteliers can now embrace the next travel revolution with their best direct rates and availability, visible via our MCP, ready for that moment when their customers are using AI to plan and book their trips."

The release of AI Connect as an additional channel in the Cendyn DMP means hoteliers will be able to track bookings that originate from AI platforms. With over 32,000 customers worldwide in more than 150 countries, Cendyn generates in excess of $20 billion in annual hotel revenue. AI Connect will ensure no property is left behind as the AI travel landscape evolves.

For more information discover Cendyn AI connect