Vovia Client Feature – Banff Hospitality Collective

The Banff Hospitality Collective (BHC) was founded in 2010 with the goal of creating a unique dining experience that reflected the beauty and culture of Banff. Today, BHC is a collection of 15 venues that offer something for everyone. From the rustic charm of Park Distillery to sushi and karaoke at Hello Sunshine to the elegance of The Bison, BHC has something to suit every taste and budget.

Whether you’re a local or a visitor to Banff, the venues under the Banff Hospitality Collective umbrella are a must-visit destination for foodies and adventurers alike. With its unique dining experiences, attention to detail and commitment to sustainability, BHC is redefining what it means to eat and drink in Banff.

Vovia has had the pleasure of working with BHC over the last year, developing an exciting and collaborative relationship. I caught up with James Fraser, Director of Media & Marketing at BHC, to find out a little more about Banff Hospitality Collective.

How would you differentiate the restaurants and venues under the Banff Hospitality Collective from others in the area?

We’re locals and we get it. BHC was founded by a group of friends who love food, drinks, skiing, mountains, and their community. This extended into the passion our team has for anything and everything food and drink related and what it takes to be a savvy restaurateur. The deep level of experience, expertise and learning is what sets BHC apart from other hospitality groups. The collective is devoted to sourcing local quality ingredients, delivering genuine hospitality and creating memorable culinary experiences.

I know Banff Hospitality Collective prides itself on its commitment to the local community. Tell me more about some of your initiatives.

BHC is deeply embedded in the community of Banff and the Bow Valley. As we’ve grown over the years we still maintain a strong connection between our employees and the places where we work and live. Caring is at the core of our community commitment. We support and participate in various initiatives that are important to our teams and the community. We also give back to the community by donating personal time and money. We volunteer our time to various organizations in town, and even provide paid hours for some who volunteer their time. We are so lucky to have amazing local organizations doing amazing things. We like to help them out with their hard work by donating money or providing sponsorship of their events. Some initiatives and sponsorships that we have been or are involved in are:

• Annual ‘12 Days of Giving’ – A fundraiser for local non-profits where BHC matches all funds raised by employees. 
• Straws Suck – To eliminate plastic straws from all BHC venues, educate staff and guests.
• Annual Bow Valley SPCA Volunteer Day – Giving BHC staff the opportunity to donate their time to an amazing local non-profit organization.
• BHC Community Cleanup – Cleaning up the streets of Banff to show our staff and community how much we care about the environment and this town.

What do you enjoy most about working at Banff Hospitality Collective?

BHC has so much to offer. There are three things I enjoy the most. First, the people. I get to work with and learn from some really cool people and have a bunch of fun along the way. Second, the creativity! If you’ve experienced any of our restaurants, you can tell that our organization is highly creative. This carries into all of our marketing and content giving us some neat opportunities to play and experiment creatively. Lastly,  I love the experience we provide to our guests. We love creating memories in our restaurants for visitors and locals alike.

Is there anything new and exciting on the horizon?

There’s always something brewing at BHC. Pun intended because, yes, we have a brewery too. Over the past two years, we’ve opened four brand new restaurants along with launching Mountain Joe – a ready-to-drink (RTD) hard coffee cocktail from Park Distillery. This summer, we will be launching a new floral-infused gin from Park to compliment our best-selling Alpine Dry Gin, along with some gin smashes that will be added to our RTD line-up. We’re also excited about all of the summer programming that has launched, highlighting all our summer patios, our new Banff Cocktail Trail program and the feature Indigenous Menu at the Maple Leaf. Needless to say, with 15 venues were always cooking up something. (Again, pun intended.)

How would you describe the Vovia and Banff Hospitality Collective relationship?

We love working with Vovia since they carry the same entrepreneurial spirit that we do. We genuinely consider them an important strategic business partner who is helping us take our business to the next level. We work so closely together that the Vovia team might as well be honorary employees of BHC. That’s how well Vovia understands us and supports us. Vovia has been integral to our digital evolution by spearheading our digital overhaul and optimization projects, ensuring our analytics and reporting is dialed, along with the optimized configuration of our digital campaigns. Plus, the ongoing support from Vovia and the team is what brings it all together. We know we can rely on Vovia for whatever we need. 

If you had to describe Vovia in one word, what would it be?

Phenomenal

Be sure to follow BHC on Instagram @banffhospitalitycollective. Also, check out https://www.banffcollective.com to browse all the different venues and experiences, and don’t forget to make a reservation!