TORONTO — Marriott Hotels of Canada isn’t just giving back with its charitable work. It’s also an active participant.

The President of Marriott Hotels of Canada, Don Cleary, recently led his company’s team in ‘Le Grand defi Pierre Lavoie’ charity bike race. Marriott Canada’s delegation of 25 cyclists joined Cleary in the 1,000-km race in Quebec.

The race took place over a 60-hour span – beginning in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, with major stops in several of Québec’s cities – and ending in Montreal.

This is Cleary’s second time participating in the event, but marks the largest team effort by Marriott Hotels of Canada to date. The team worked tirelessly towards their goal of raising $100,000 for a local elementary school as part of Le Fondation du Grand défi Pierre Lavoie. The charity’s mission? To support the development and promotion of any activity that contributes to the adoption of a more active lifestyle, mainly among young people. The charity also raises money for closer looks at the cause of orphan hereditary diseases which, because of their rarity, attract little attention from researchers.

Travelweek touched base with Cleary after he returned from the 1,000-km race, to find out more about Marriott Hotels of Canada’s charitable outreach with Le Fondation du Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, plus get an update on new and renovated properties in Marriott Hotels of Canada’s portfolio.

Travelweek: Le Grand défi Pierre Lavoie looks like an incredible experience. Why did Marriott Hotels of Canada choose this event as part of its charitable activities?

Cleary: “We chose Le Grand defi Pierre Lavoie because of their mission to support the development of youth and promotion of more active lifestyles (especially among young people) which is something we strongly believe in as an organization.

“It also gave us the opportunity to bring associates from various positions within the Quebec hotels to work together towards a common goal, which not only included the race itself, but several hotel-level fundraising activities.

“As a result of these efforts, I’m thrilled to report that our Marriott Quebec team, along with our partners at the Montreal Canadiens, raised $125,000 in support of the charity and the local school we selected, Gérard-Filion High School in Longueuil, QC.”

Travelweek: When was your first year doing the race – and what was it like? And what can you tell us about Marriott Hotels of Canada’s team this year?

Cleary: “This was my second year doing the race, but this is the largest Marriott participating team we’ve had to date. I was excited to be able to participate with associates from different functions throughout our organization including several of our General Managers and hotel line staff. Our team of 25 delegates was also fortunate to be part of the Montreal Canadiens Cyclist Team. Marriott Bonvoy is proud to be an official partner of the Montreal Canadiens and a major sponsor of its cycling team.”

Travelweek: “Companies big and small have honed in on charitable outreach, more so in the past few years than maybe ever before. Beyond raising money for a good cause, what benefits are there from taking part in something like Le Grand défi Pierre Lavoie?

Cleary: “In addition to the mental and physical benefits of participating in a race like this, our associates from several of our hotels throughout Quebec were able to work together to achieve our fundraising goals.

“This was a great example of Marriott International’s Worldwide Business Councils, which are collections of General Managers and associates from across all hotel brands and business functions in a specific market or region.

“Associates come together to work on common challenges that they can collectively address for a stronger impact – whether that is supporting the community throughout the year or after a disaster, hosting a customer or associate event, lobbying on issues that affect the hotel business, or engaging associates in causes that are important to them.”

Travelweek: What news from Marriott Hotels of Canada would you like to make sure is front and centre with Canadian travel advisors?

Cleary: “We’re happy to report that we’re off to a great start in 2023. First quarter worldwide RevPAR grew 34% year over year, with meaningful gains in both occupancy and average daily rate.

“The Canadian market is especially robust and our investment in Canada remains strong.

“This year, we’re particularly excited about several new openings and brand launches including Canada’s first Moxy hotel in Halifax, followed by Banff later this year.

“We’ve also just opened the HONEYROSE Hotel, Montreal, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel and are making significant improvements to many of our legacy hotels within the portfolio including Le Centre Sheraton Montreal and Montreal Marriott Chateau Champlain, which recently completed multi-year renovation projects.”

For more information about Marriott properties worldwide see marriott.com