News Briefs ~ February 2010

Toronto hotel will feature affordable rental units for staff

TORONTO—A recently approved tower near King St. W. and Spadina Ave. will feature a floor of affordable housing built expressly for tenants who work in the building. At least seven rental units on one floor of the 41-storey hotel and condo tower at 56 Blue Jays Way will be reserved for hotel workers, the Toronto Star reported.

Tenants will pay less than market rent, and, in exchange, the developer has city permission to build a taller condo than zoning allows.

The agreement was brokered under Section 37 of the city’s official plan, which stipulates developers have to pay fees to community benefits in exchange for higher density.


HAC Award winners announced

OTTAWA—The Hotel Association of Canada has announced the winners of its 2009 Hall of Fame awards, to be presented at an Awards Luncheon at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York hotel on Feb. 4.

Fantasyland Hotel, Edmonton, AB wins this year’s Human Resources Award. The Delta Brunswick Hotel in Saint John, NB wins the Humanitarian Award. There is a tie for the Energy & Environment award—the Hôtel du Vieux Québec and Westin Ottawa were both winners. This year HAC added a category, Outstanding Supplier of the Year Award, won this year by Ecolab.


Hotel chefs make Team Canada

VICTORIA—Two chefs from Aura, the restaurant at Inn at Laurel Point, have made it on to Culinary Team Canada. Aura’s executive chef Brad Horen and sous chef Patrick Gayler earned their spots at the team trials in Edmonton in mid-January. Horen has also been appointed captain of Culinary Team Canada for the next four years.

The team’s next competition is the World Cup in Luxembourg, followed by the 2010 World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, and the Germany World Cup in Chicago in 2011.

The other team members are Vinod Varshney, James Holehouse, David Ryan, Poyan Dansesh, Peter Dewar, Simon Smotkowicz, Jeffrey Thomas Young, Scott Ards and Roger Andrews.


Hotel’s human bed warmers

LONDON—International hotel chain Holiday Inn was offering a trial human bed-warming service at three hotels in Britain in January, according to Reuters.

If requested, a willing staff member at two of the chain’s London hotels and one in the northern English city of Manchester will dress in an all-in-one fleece sleeper suit before slipping between the sheets.

Holiday Inn said the warmer would be fully dressed and leave the bed before the guest occupied it. They could not confirm if the warmer would shower first, but said hair would be covered.

Florence Eavis, Holiday Inn spokeswoman, could not explain why the beds were not being warmed by hot water bottles or electric-blankets, but admitted the human method was quirky.