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Percentage of the market that will be controlled by Marriott once the company US$12.2 billion deal with Starwood closes. Percentages include Delta/Marriott/Starwood rooms plus all affiliated brands.

Greater Vancouver 29.9%

Calgary 50.7%

Edmonton 32.7%

Winnipeg 26.8%

Greater Toronto 33.7%

Ottawa-Hull 56.6%

Greater Montreal 37.7%

Quebec City 15.8%

Halifax/Dartmouth 73.1%

Source: HLT Advisory Inc.

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Hall notes that in the Halifax-Dartmouth region, the merged entity would have 73.1 per cent of the room supply in the downtown area. It will control 56.6 per cent of the downtown supply in the Ottawa-Hull region, and 50.7 per cent in Calgary’s central market.

“When you have 70 per cent of the rooms controlled by one reservation system with a whole bunch of brands, you think of the power they have. It’s enormous,” said Hall, adding it his understand that the watchdog did look at the Marriott purchase of Delta Hotels and Resorts which closed in the spring.

To date, the Competition Bureau has never intervened in the hotel sector, and one lawyer who specializes in the area doesn’t expect the watchdog to get very involved in this latest deal.

“The Bureau looks at a lot more than market share,” said the lawyer, who asked not to be identified. “I don’t think the hotel market is all that problematic. There is just so much happening in the industry with bed-and-breakfasts. It’s just thrown market share out the window. These things start with market share, but (the decision) always ends with do consumers have other choices?”