The Fairmont Chateau Whistler is undergoing a changing of the guard at the top, with longtime general manager Norm Mastalir stepping aside, and company man Ken Hall stepping into the role as of mid-January.
Hall comes to Whistler from Quebec City, where he served five years as general manager of Fairmont Le ChaÌ‚teau Frontenac. He has 33 years’ experience with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, having held manager postings in Chicago, Montreal, and Jasper.
“I am so excited to start my new role and continue the great work that has been achieved by Norm Mastalir and the exceptional team at Fairmont Chateau Whistler,” said Hall in a press release.
“The hotel’s recognition as one of Canada’s top resorts is a testament to their efforts, and I look forward to building on this success by enhancing guest experiences and showcasing the ‘Best in the West.’ This will certainly be an epic adventure!”
Hall’s focus will be on maintaining the existing Fairmont offerings, with plans to renovate the hotel’s restaurants and expand the terrace, while cultivating new markets and developing visitor experiences beyond the lucrative golf and ski seasons.
He has big shoes to fill: The outgoing general manager of Fairmont Whistler, Norm Mastalir, has run the show since 2011, and has a long and storied history working in the Whistler business community.
“I just had my 66th birthday,” he said in an interview with Pique. “I’m not planning on retiring to a rocking chair, but I’m planning on taking it a little bit easy. I’ll be just four months shy of my 45th anniversary with Fairmont hotels and it’s been a long and joyful and exciting career, but you get to a point in your life when it’s time to take it easy for a bit.”
Mastalir said he is excited to see Hall take over as general manager.
“He’s spent time managing the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, which is a very similar environment to Whistler—a small town where the large hotel general manager needs to be part of the fabric of the community … Ken certainly understands that and likes that role,” he said.
Looking back on his time in the hotel industry, Mastalir said the responsibility of reinventing the resort multiple times a year kept things interesting and fun, but he said mentoring promising young talent was a major bonus, having watched many young aspirants move up the ranks—including Hall.
“A lot of people come to places like Whistler to start their career, and it’s super exciting to watch them progress and work through the various departments,”
Mastalir said.
“Ken Hall is a great case-in-point. I actually hired Ken 33 years ago in his first job out of hotel school at the Jasper Park Lodge. Now he’s coming to take over from me—that is personally very rewarding.”
Mastalir, who was named Whistler businessperson of the year in 2022 by the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, led Fairmont Whistler through the COVID-19 pandemic—which besides a few hurricanes in Bermuda was just one of many challenges he’s faced in his (almost) 45-year career.
“We tried to keep ourselves busy and be as aggressive as we could about returning to business and keeping guests safe, and the full team here deserves great credit for doing a great job with that.
“We were able to get back on our feet much more quickly. I think the whole community of Whistler deserves to be congratulated for the way that was managed, because there are other destinations that are still trying to figure out how to get back to pre-pandemic levels, and Whistler achieved that at the beginning of last year.”
Looking forward, Mastalir said he’ll be sticking around in Whistler, so it’s not goodbye.
“I am planning on doing a lot of skiing this winter, and we’ll see where it goes from there,” he said.
“I will certainly keep myself active doing something in the community—I don’t know what that is yet—but we plan to live here. We love it here and enjoy being part of the community.”
