Louie Naccarato has worked as a bellman at the Courtyard Marriott hotel in downtown Toronto for 38 years, since he was 17. The conversions impact some of Toronto’s marquee downtown venues, including the Park Hyatt and Chelsea, putting at risk some 1,300 hotel staff jobs according to David Anderson, a researcher with hospitality union UNITE HERE 75. City Councillors Ana Bailao and Kristyn Wong-Tam have called for a review of Toronto’s hotel capacity and the potential impact of condo redevelopment projects, noting that in 2015 tourists spent $7.2 billion on accommodation, transport and entertainment. In some cases, the eight conversions — which are all at different stages in the planning process — would retain some hotel rooms, but drastically reduce the number of available rooms. The Chelsea Hotel, for example, plans to retain under 20 per cent of its 1,590 rooms, according to city documents.

Source: thestar March 11, 2017 12:00 UTC