Speaker: Hasheel Lodhia, Executive Vice President Design and Development, JM Hospitality
Hasheel Lodhia: Hello. My name is Hasheel. I am the executive vice president of Design and Development for JM Hospitality, and I'll be running for the Hotels Canada Board of Directors in the ownership category.
Hasheel Lodhia: I really want to serve on the board of directors to advocate for ownership groups that are navigating, uh, an increasingly complex development landscape. So I recently led our team to be the 2024 Hilton Developer of the Year. We ended up building one of Canada's first dual-branded hotel. We recently opened up Canada's first Spark by Hilton, and we are developing the first triple-branded hotel in Canada. Now, of course, with all of that, I've had to truly wrap my head around the realities of capital deployment. Uh, zoning, labour shortages, and of course, challenges within the supply chain management. And I believe I can really contribute to the board through a combination of all of that experience, alongside some extensive governance experience as well. So I bring to the table over 15 years of involvement in political advocacy and board leadership, um, including serving as a campaign manager for a provincial election in 2018. This, I believe, directly aligns with the association's goal of delivering really successful political outcomes. Additionally, my background as an international event producer and an event manager will allow me to offer concrete support for the annual Hotels Canada conference. And finally, as, uh, as an openly queer South Asian executive, and a full-time performing artist, I am deeply committed to the board's mandate of advancing diversity within the lodging industry. So I'm ready to leverage all of that experience to really drive strategic growth for our members.
Hasheel Lodhia: I bring a bit of an unusual intersection of skills to the table, um, that bridges together corporate real estate, uh, high-level political strategy, live event production, artistry, and a sprinkling of mathematics and statistics. So, I, um, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Biology. I have a Bachelor of Commerce in Hospitality and tourism, as well as a continuing education diploma in interior design from Ryerson University. So, uh, first, from a development perspective, my experience is rooted in really pioneering new projects. Uh, I do know how to execute very ambitious ground up developments, as well as PIP renovations, uh, of course, while tightly controlling the capital costs, which is a perspective, of course, that is critical for owners. Uh, my educational background in interior design, uh, allows us to be a leader in this front. Oftentimes, reverse engineering brand standards where the brands are coming to us and to our properties for suggestions on their new design package. Uh, my recent renovation was just nominated last year for an International Design Award in the UK. Now, secondly, I bring a direct political campaign experience. So I served as a campaign manager for a provincial election. And so I really understand how to mobilize volunteers, uh, how to leverage data strategy, and uh really execute, um, an effective government outreach. So, I, of course, I believe that directly translates to strengthening the association's advocacy work. I have also been a parliamentary style debate and public speaking coach for over 10 years of my life. And finally, my background as a former uh international events producer, and a festival manager, uh, as well as my ongoing career as a composer and a performing artist. Provides me, I think, with a unique lens on community engagement, uh, diversity, large scale event production. Um, and so I can directly support the programming of the annual conference, while bringing a highly analytical yet, um, creative approach to board governance.
Hasheel Lodhia: I think that over the next 5 to 10 years, the biggest opportunity for Hotels Canada, uh, really lies in aggressively shaping the narrative around industry prosperity, as well as international competitiveness. So, as developers and owners, we are facing very severe headwinds, right, regarding the cost of capital, uh, construction pipelines, and, you know, really complex municipal zoning hurdles as well. Uh, Hotels Canada, I think, has a very critical window to leverage this targeted political advocacy to, uh, streamline development processes, and I believe really ensure that Canada can reinvent itself as an independent global powerhouse. Uh, at the same time, our most pressing challenge, as we all know, is an opportunity in the workforce. So the solution, I believe, is not just about aggressive recruitment. It's really about retention and evolving, uh, our, our corporate cultures. Uh, so to remain competitive, we have to actively champion diversity and inclusive leadership. And I believe as a board, we have, uh, an opportunity to set the standard for what a modern and equitable hospitality sector does look like. And we can draw in exceptional talent from marginalized and underrepresented communities. So by combining this, uh, rigorous political outreach, uh, as along with the commitment to diverse workforce development, I think Hotels Canada can really secure long-term resilience for all of our members. So I do look forward to contributing my development experience as well as my political campaign experience to help drive these outcomes.
