From children’s hospitals to charities that support debilitating chronic conditions, Realstar Hospitality and its hotel owners are proving there is no endeavour too big (or too small) for their assistance
By Kym Wolfe
Gifts of money, time, and talent are the currency of caring, and Realstar Hospitality and their franchisees bring all three in droves when they give back, both nationally and locally in their own communities.
Realstar Hospitality is the Canadian master franchisor of Days Inn (a Wyndham Hotels & Resorts brand), Motel 6, and Studio 6 (G6 Hospitality brands). There are currently over 100 Days Inn and more than 30 Motel 6 and Studio 6 franchised locations across the country. At the company’s foundation is a culture of caring, with an emphasis on building strong personal relationships and working side by side with its franchisees to ensure each has tailored support to help them find success. It’s not surprising that franchisees in turn demonstrate the power of caring through partnerships with organizations in their communities.
“We believe that supporting charitable organizations strengthens the communities in which our hotels operate and fosters a culture of compassion and generosity for all guests, team members, and owners,” says Ally Wesson, vice president marketing for Realstar Hospitality. “Together with our franchisees, by partnering with national and local charities we aim to make a positive impact and hopefully inspire others to join us in creating a brighter future for everyone.”
On a corporate level, Realstar Hospitality supports national charities that benefit communities across Canada, including the SickKids Foundation and Food Banks Canada, providing cash donations as well as volunteer time. It also encourages franchise owners to support local charities that operate in their own communities.
Walking the talk
Although Realstar Hospitality would love to support every request for financial donations, giving back might also take the form of giving time, attention, and resources to help bring about change and raise awareness for a particular cause or social issue.
Irwin Prince, Realstar Hospitality’s president and chief operating officer, has a deep commitment to the prevention of human trafficking, especially as it applies to labourers and sex workers. It can be an uncomfortable topic for hoteliers to explore, but Prince feels that the industry has a role to play in eliminating human trafficking, at least regarding the rooms that they have control over.
For several years he has used his speaking time at industry events to talk about the issue, encouraging open discussion, the sharing of resources and information, and promoting the training of all hotel employees on what to look for, and what to do when they spot it. Employees at all Realstar Hospitality franchised hotels are required to complete human trafficking prevention and awareness training developed in partnership with non-profit organization Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST). As part of this commitment, Realstar covered the costs of translating the English printed materials to French and distributed them to every Days Inn, Motel 6, and Studio 6 locations in Canada.
While there is no formal requirement that franchisees must give back by donating money, time, and resources to worthy causes, the company’s culture certainly encourages it. Realstar Hospitality makes a point of recognizing the hotel teams in its systems that have shown outstanding generosity and volunteer leadership in their local communities with its Community Champion and Humanitarian awards. “Realstar Hospitality’s franchise community is made up of socially responsible and caring owners and teams,” says Wesson. “We are fortunate to have such kind and generous franchisees.”
Hoteliers who care
One of those franchisees is Justin Schinkel, chief operating officer of Schinkel Properties, a family-owned business that was established by his parents in southeast Manitoba in 1984. The full-service property management and development company got into the hotel business in 2001, when it built the Days Inn in Steinbach, Manitoba. Since then, Schinkel Properties has acquired three more hotels in Manitoba (Super 8 East and Motel 6 in Winnipeg, and Quality Inn & Suites in Winkler), as well as a Best Western and a Days Inn in Edmonton, Alberta.
Each hotel has several thousand dollars earmarked for local giving every year, and which charities are supported by each location is decided by its management and staff. That enables them to direct resources to causes that will benefit their local communities, or causes that matter to them personally, ranging from the sponsorship of sports teams to raising money for specific charitable purposes. “We have a committee to keep everyone on track, and a champion for each initiative,” explains Schinkel.
A cause will often resonate with employees because they or their family members have been personally affected by an issue. “Charitable giving involves us in the community, and it empowers our teams to choose things that they are passionate about,” says Schinkel.
For example, he notes that a few of his staff members have been “touched by multiple sclerosis (MS),” leading the company to heavily support the MS Society. In May of this year, Schinkel Properties was a lead sponsor of the 2024 Winnipeg MS Walk, and several staff participated as walkers in the event. Last year, the company organized a charity barbecue to raise money for MS research and matched the $12,000 generated in customer donations.
Another long-term program that receives annual support from the company is the United Way’s Koats for Kids initiative. Ten years ago, Realstar discovered that the staff of some of its Winnipeg locations who were new to Canada were accessing winter coats for their children through this program. The two hotels offered to help the United Way by laundering all donated coats before they were distributed to families across the city. The hotels have commercial laundry facilities on site, and at each location the staff work after-hours to clean 6,000 to 8,000 coats annually. It makes for long days, says Schinkel, and that’s not easy, but they continue to do it because they feel good that they’re helping keep kids warm each winter. The hotels absorb the wages for the workers who are involved, in addition to covering $15,000 in utility costs to support this initiative.
Red Road Lodge, a transitional and supportive housing facility located in the heart of Winnipeg’s homeless community, is another charity that Schinkel Properties supports on a regular basis, both financially and through the donation of gently used sheets, pillows, towels, and other items that the hotels no longer use. As with most local giving, it was a personal connection with one of Red Road Lodge’s staff that led Schinkel Properties to establish this ongoing partnership.
“Cutting a cheque is easy,” says Schinkel, speaking to the different ways the hotel staff gets involved with giving back to their communities. It’s the initiatives that require extra time or additional volunteers (for example, by helping out at the soup kitchen) that truly embody the company’s wholesome spirit of giving. So long as there are needs in the community, Schinkel says, “We’ll keep going and keep giving!”
That sentiment is echoed by Wesson. “Looking ahead, Realstar Hospitality remains committed to fostering our existing partnerships and expanding our efforts. We will continue to explore new opportunities and support diverse causes across the country.”
Learn more about franchising with Realstar Hospitality
