Canada Travel Guide
Valentine's Day Hotels / Concierges / Vancouver Hotels / Opus Hotels / Hotel Services / → All Tags
The Opus Hotel Has Been Hit by The Cupid Concierge
V-Day is now less than a week away and if you've planned on doing a romantical weekend in Vancouver with your honey but are clueless on everything else, then you should probably book a room at the OPUS Hotel where there's now a Cupid Concierge on staff. The cupid concierge even has their own email! (Cupid@OpusHotel.com)
This specialty concierge of love is a part of the hotel's Exclusively Yours romance package which has the standard love weekend amenities of bubbly at check-in, more bubbly in the guestroom, fresh flowers, breakfast in bed and a late check-out. The concierge will also set up a framed photo of you and your lovah along with a love note when you arrive in the room.
If you need help planning something a little more extravagant, the Cupid Concierge is the one to call whether it's to arrange a romantic experience about town, craft a handwritten love sonnet or plan a gourmet picnic with wine selected by a private sommelier.
The package starts at $295 a night (not including any costs associated with other romantic activities) and is available throughout the rest of the year. So any day can be V-Day at the Opus Vancouver.
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What Does a Non-Starwood St. Regis Have To Offer?
A St. Regis for around $200* a night? Yes, it's possible—in Canada! Of course, that room rate should be the first thing to tip you off that the St. Regis Vancouver is not actually a St. Regis of the Starwood variety.
As we found on a recent trip north, the St. Regis Vancouver is a charming boutique hotel with historic bones, a fantastic downtown location perfect for business travelers and tourists alike--and a ton of added extras that we bet you won't find at your local posh version of a St. Regis.
If you're wondering what a Non-St.Regis St. Regis looks like, just click through our gallery for a peek at what the Vancouver indie has to offer.
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A Hotel Pool You Can Swim In When It's Below Zero
Many parts of the U.S. are having mild winters but that doesn't mean it's hotel pool weather everywhere. Up in the snowy mountains of Alberta, Canada, you can swim all winter long--even if it's minus 40 outside.
We were skeptical when we first spotted this outdoor pool at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge last week. It is heated, of course, but look at those mountains! And the snow surrounding the pool edge!
Lucky for us, it wasn't minus 40 as it has been recently in Jasper, but the temp was still hovering in the mid-30s. Of course, curiosity got the better of us and we dragged ourselves out of our snow boots and parka and into a swimsuit.
Ice Hotels / Montreal Hotels / Snow Village / Opus Hotels / → All Tags
Don't Lick the Ice Sculptures and Other Tips for Staying at Montreal's Snow Village
Yesterday we told you about Montreal’s new Snow Village, the first North American outpost of the chain with structures in Finland and Norway. Today, we're about to tell you what it's like on the inside. Yes, despite arched eyebrows from our pals, we spent the night in the "ice hotel". We’re troopers like that. Or so we thought.
First thing—we were prepared for things to be a bit wonky the first few nights as this is new territory for Montreal. It’s not like Quebec City’s Ice Hotel—a well run operation in effect for years. But, things did go a bit haywire during our visit.
The registration process in the welcome center involved a seemingly normal contract—no smoking, lock your valuables, we’re not responsible if you slip—until the last paragraph, advising guests “not to lick any of the ice structures.” Visions of Flick’s tongue sticking to the pole in “A Christmas Story” danced in our head.
Ice Hotels / Winter Hotels / Montreal Hotels / Snow Village Montreal / → All Tags
Montreal is Cold Chillin' with its Snow Village
Last winter we proved we don’t wuss out when it comes to the cold, so when we heard about Montreal’s new Snow Village, we strapped on our snowshoes (ok, not really), and headed to the Great White North.
Montreal’s latest attraction is a five minute ride from the downtown area on Sainte-Hélène island. This area hosts an annual winter festival in its Parc Jean-Drapeau, but this year it goes over the top with the addition of the Snow Village, three giant igloos forming a ice hotel complete with restaurant, bar, conference center, and chapel to rival Quebec City’s famous seasonal structure. It opens this evening and is set (hopefully!) to remain in place until it’s deconstructed on March 31st.
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Trump Takes Toronto in Typical Trumponian Technique
Another day, another new hotel that's opening! We're loving 2012 already for its exciting hotel opening news and we've still got an entire year to go!
One of the biggest openings on our hotel stalker radar is The Trump Toronto which opens January 31st. The hotel, which also has residences attached and is now the tallest residential building in Canada (this is Trump after all), was inspired by champagne and caviar which is evidenced in the grey and silver color palette in the guestrooms. But there's much more beneath the bubbly surface here.
Here are some interesting design facts from the hotel:
· A wall mosaic in the hotel's porte cochere consists of 500,000 handmade, hand-cut tiles which reportedly took 20 artists and three months to make. The mosaic also gives off two images. Up close, the work entitled, "A Small Part of Something Larger" by Canadian artist Stephen Andrew shows off a pattern of porcelain, glass, stone and gold. But from afar, the mosaic shows an image of a stadium filled with cheering people (perhaps Maple Leaf fans?)
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Twitpic of the Week: A Children's Choir Always Livens Up The Lobby
In the ever-expanding universe of Twitter, there is one particular trend @HotelChatter happens to quite enjoy: candid hotel photos. These Twitpics range from stunning views to anti-views to celebrity tomfoolery and everything in between. And we can't get enough of 'em! Every Monday, we will feature one "Twitpic of the Week" to commemorate our favorite hotel-themed snapshot. Got a favorite of your own? Want to show off your sweet suite? Send it in!
How adorable is this photo, tweeted by @SheratonYHM, located in Ontario, on Thursday. Shown gathered around the hotel's gold-and-pink themed Christmas tree is the local St. Joseph's elementary choir, who sang carols in the lobby, accompanied by a violin.
Unlike some other bands we've seen recently, these guys didn't take up an entire suite just to perform a song.
Hotel Designers / Hotel Design / Lenny Kravitz / Hotel Openings / Hotel Hype / Toronto Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
When One Lenny Kravitz Hotel Door Closes, Another Lenny Kravitz Hotel Door Opens
Even though Lenny Kravitz's Florida Room at the Delano Hotel is going bye-bye, the rocker turned hotel designer has another bigger project in the works. Kravitz's design firm, Kravitz Design Inc., will be designing an entire floor at the upcoming BISHA Hotel and Residences in Toronto.
The floor will be inspired by the music, art and travels of Lenny Kravitz. And judging from what he recently told the Toronto Star, we kinda wish all hotels could be as sexy as Lenny's hotels:
“It’s going to be plush and lush and comfortable and inspiring,” says the musician in a phone interview from Croatia, where he is on a European tour. “It’s going to be warm, it’s going to be soulful. It has to be elegant and sexy the moment you get off that elevator.”
Hotel Promotions / Cheap Hotels / Canada Hotels / British Columbia Hotels / Hotel Deals / → All Tags
For A Little While Longer, You Can Name Your Price At The Hotel Grand Pacific
It isn't often that a hotel lets you have a say in the price of your stay. But that's exactly what Victoria BC's Hotel Grand Pacific is offering for the next two weeks. Running through next Friday November 11, prospective guests can visit the PayWhatYouWantVictoria site, answer some survey questions, and enter a price that they feel best reflects the "worth" of a one-night stay at the waterfront hotel.
When we first heard about this, we immediately thought of when Radiohead released In Rainbows in 2007, becoming the first band to ever release a digital album without an actual price—customers chose how much they wanted to pay, and that was that. By doing so, the band was challenging the conventional record distribution process, and the aging music industry in general. But in this case, the motives are a little more complex.
Hotel Openings / Trump Hotels / Toronto Hotels / Hotel Opening Rates / Donald Trump / Ivanka Trump / → All Tags
Trump Toronto, Inspired by Champagne and Caviar, is Opening January 31st
If you're planning on visiting Toronto in the new year, you've got a new luxury hotel to consider--The Trump Toronto.
The latest biggest and bestest Trump hotel has just announced that they will open on January 31, 2012. It will be the only luxury hotel in the city's Financial District. And the rooms sure do look pretty! Perhaps because they were inspired by some luxe items--champagne and caviar. No, for real. The press release actually said that.
Since we love the bubbly (caviar not so much), we're curious as to whether or not the rooms will have champagne prices. We tried to use the hotel's convenient Facebook booking app, to suss out the room rates on opening night but an error message kept appearing. But no worries, the hotel's website was working just fine and we found Superior King rooms available for $495 CAD (or about $488 in USD) on January 31st. Sigh. We've got champagne tastes and a mid-service budget.
Hotel Art / Meeting Rooms / Business Hotels / Montreal Hotels / Hotel Renovations / Hotel Furniture / Hotel Design / Canada Hotels / Sheraton Hotels / Hotel Photography / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
Get Comfortable While You Enjoy New Art At Le Centre Sheraton Montreal
Le Centre Sheraton Montreal has acquired the rights to 40 archival photographs from the city's nearby McCord Museum, and the photos are to be displayed exclusively in the hotel's meeting rooms. A recent $40 million renovation enabled the artsy purchase, as well as the addition of some swanky new banquet chairs.
Designed with fidgety, conference-bound business travelers in mind, these aerodynamically-configured chairs provide laptop storage space underneath the seat and a hook on the back of the chair (for backpacks, umbrellas, fruit cornucopias). In short, the hotel is doing away with beds completely, and now asking frazzled business travelers to get cozy in their banquet chairs for the duration of their stay.
Snapshot / Hotel Restaurants / Canadian Hotels / Toronto Hotels / Thompson Hotels / → All Tags
Thompson Toronto's Canadian Burger Would Make Us Thankful
While lots of Americans have the day off today in honor of Columbus Day, our friends up in Canada are celebrating Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, Canucks!
As much as we love a big turkey feast, we're wishing we were spending this holiday at Thompson Toronto, where we'd order one of these delectable All Canadian Burgers from the hotel's 24-hour diner The Counter.
While she comes in turkey and veggie varieties, we can only speak of--and heartily recommend--the beef burger. And, of course, the French Fries instead of salad or crispy rings.
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