St. Regis hotel reopens in Vancouver

Showpiece bathrooms at Vancouver's newly-reopened St. Regis Hotel.

VANCOUVER—It wasn’t easy, but the St. Regis Hotel in downtown Vancouver officially opened its doors on Dec. 1.  But, says general manager Jeremy Roncoroni, “The pain was well worth it. Now we have a beautiful hotel and rooms with state-of-the-art technology.
“Where to start with a city on strike?” said Roncoroni, when asked by CLN about the renovation’s biggest challenges.

“Renovations are a challenge under any circumstances—delays with permits are the last thing you want to deal with.  We open[ed] Dec. 1st. That’s all that counts now—everything else is just a nightmare from the past.”

The St. Regis aims to be “just enough hotel, at just the rate price, in just the most perfect location,” Roncoroni said. “[The Vancouver] market has seen its share of Canadian hotels dwindle. We are Canadian owned and operated.”

The St. Regis, along with neighbouring restaurants Gotham and The Shore Club, are owned by Rob MacDonald of Vancouver-based MacDonald Development Corp. Anducci’s Pub is also located on the premises. McDonald owns The Heritage Plaza hotel in Kamloops, and is currently involved in a residential development at Britannia Beach near Squamish.
The hotel renovation was costly, at approximately $130,000 per room, including $120,000 for artwork in the rooms and halls.

It’s an environmentally responsible reno as well. “We have also put a lot of effort in minimizing the ecological footprint that a traveller makes, from our cleaning chemicals to our electrical master switches to our hotel and guest recycling program,” Roncoroni said.
Guests will feel better having accomplished their travel goals and being given the opportunity to be gentler on the environment.

“I had tried to implement this at a previous hotel, and was shocked by the lack of interest, even [when I suggested] simple things such as changing light bulbs,” Roncoroni added. “[Energy conservation] is not seen as luxury,” hotel management told him, even though this would have saved tens of thousands of dollars in just one year.

“At the St. Regis we have achieved the ultimate outcome, giving our guest a hotel that strives to minimize the overall environmental footprint and a personal choice during their stay to participate without compromising comfort or luxury.”

Traditional hotels deliver newspapers to guests’ doors—the St. Regis does this only if guests want them to.  “Our standard is to offer a great selection of papers in our breakfast lounge and business centre,” Roncoroni said.

All other choices have been made based on the principle of minimizing the environmental impact of the hotel.
 
“I am still looking for a viable solution to replace plastic laundry bags,” Roncoroni said.  “I challenged suppliers to print the laundry price list onto a recycled material, and the answer cost over $14 per unit.  I will continue to work on finding a solution.  I have a plan in the works, but need to see the final sample.”

The hotel’s nearly 100-year history includes special relationships with sports greats—including Maurice “Rocket” Richard. The newly-reopened hotel also has a special sports relationship—guests of the St. Regis will be able to secure privileged access to basketball player Steve Nash’s prestigious health club.

“Smart room” technology
While many of the attributes of the St. Regis reflect its historical charm, the technology in the rooms is completely up to date.  They include plug and play media hubs with MP3 and iPod connectivity, master electrical switches, choice of joining the hotel’s green program, 32” LCD TVs, cordless phones, complimentary wired and wireless Internet.

Roncoroni has an impressive resume, including positions with Liverton Hotels and Diva at the Met. He has his own company, Roncoroni Hospitality, but is devoting the lion’s share of his time to the St. Regis. He said his decision to get involved with the St. Regis was an easy one. 

One of the main reasons was “Robert J. MacDonald’s commitment to deliver a product that will make any operator proud. Being able to do this with 65 rooms is exciting—who would not want to offer affordable luxury, state of the art technology and amenities while being friendly to our environment.”