Few and rare are the municipalities that allow a festival to cut off traffic to its city centre for a public gathering. In Montreal, not only do they do it… they encourage it by offering this service free of charge. This might explain why the city is so popular for international festivals, such as the Grand Prix, Just for laughs
The Grand Prix of Montreal is a major source of revenue for the hotel industry to the point where many accredit its absence in 2009 to a 5% loss in OR. The Canadian Tourism Commission estimates that of the 300,000 spectators of this event, 25% of them are foreigners. It generates $89M (66M€) for the economy, and more specifically, 75,000 room nights. 2011’s Grand Prix enjoys a privileged relationship with the hotel industry because they have linked the websites of 20 area hotels to their own. This type of partnership is becoming more common.Future trends will bring more “lifestyle” marketing techniques in Montreal’s hotel industry. In order to bring in a trendy clientele, boutique hotels such as Opus are not hesitating to use details such as flashy colours and retro-pop furniture to appease the eye of their younger crowd. However, their PR clearly states that their boutique hotel is for the business traveller as well as the tourist. Opus has also created characters that potential clients can relate to. Their names are Billy, Susan, Pierre, Mike and Dede and they are each represented by one of the flashy colours that adorn their hotel: lime green, blue, bright orange, red and grey. These imaginary characters, or “lifestyle concierges” have jobs such as rock-n-roll singer, fashion executive, and doctor. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. They have won an award for conceptual design and are featured in economic journals, style magazines, and travel magazines.Like the Grand Prix, the Montreal Jazz Festival also recommends hotels on its website and even counts the Hyatt Regency amongst its sponsors. This event (taking place from 25 June to 4 July 2011) brings in many foreign visitors from 30 different countries and has secured its place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest festival...
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