FAQs
What is the BHA?
The BHA is the recently formed Brantford Hotel Association which is a not-for-profit organization consisting of 4 major hotel properties: the Best Western Brant Park Inn and Conference Centre, Days Inn Brantford, Quality Inn & Suites, and the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Brantford. The BHA will collect a voluntary Destination Marketing Fee (DMF) that will assist in the marketing of Brantford as a destination for visitors.
What is the DMF?
The DMF is a Destination Marketing Fee, which is a 3% surcharge applied to short-term accommodation that enables the tourism industry to collectively promote and improve a destinations’ attractiveness in the marketplace.
Is the 3% Destination Marketing Fee (DMF) a Tax?
No, the fee is not a tax. It is a voluntary fee that is collected by participating businesses to be used for additional marketing funds that will help a destination attract more visitors.
What is destination marketing?
Destination marketing includes, but is not limited to: advertising, public relations, media relations, sales promotional activity, and human resource costs.
Where else does this happen?
There are now at least 12 Ontario jurisdictions that have DMF including Burlington, St. Catharines, Kenora, Ottawa, Kingston, Dryden, Sault St. Marie, Hamilton, Stratford, Cornwall, Gananoque, and Toronto.
What was the impact of a DMF in other cities?
Hotels in cities where a DMF is in place have indicated that there was no negative impact upon business when the program was put in place.
Does the United States have places that implement a DMF?
In the United States, similar fees have been implemented in many cities for decades.
Will U.S. Visitors have an unfavorable reaction to the DMF in Brantford?
Americans are familiar with the DMF concept and we believe that they will not have an unfavorable reaction to finding that Brantford has one as well.
What will happen to the money raised through the DMF?
All DMF funds will be held by the separate non-profit incorporated body Brantford Hotel Association (BHA). The BHA Board will ratify the disbursements of these funds, using the criteria and processes that are spelled out in a Destination Marketing Program plan.
The BHA will prepare an annual marketing plan, indicating how DMF monies will be spent, for the approval of the BHA Board.
How do we know that members of the Destination Marketing Program are remitting all of the DMF money they collect?
All DMF participants, will, as per the agreement, submit the 3%, less applicable taxes along with a form which includes a certification by an officer of the participant showing that the room revenue for purposes of calculating the DMF is the same as the room revenue which has been used in the calculation of PST for the remittance period. Payments are made monthly. Additionally, the agreement provides for the BHA Board to commission compliance audits to ensure the funds collected are being remitted.