VANCOUVER, BC-Allied Hotel Properties Inc., a Vancouver-based hotel operator, says it has struck a deal to sell the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe in Edmonton for $47.8 million. Details of the purchase were finalized at the beginning of May. The sale was expected to close by June 1. The company did not identify the buyer.
Allied is a hotel ownership and management company. Its hotel portfolio consists of the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe in Edmonton, Alberta and the Toronto Don Valley Hotel Suites in Toronto, Ontario. Allied also owns an interest in the Residence at Accolade Inc., a condominium development adjacent to the Toronto Don Valley Hotel Suites.
Plans proceed for Eco-hotel and school in Trois Rivières
TROIS RIVIERES, QC-Plans for an eco-hotel and school are a few steps closer to reality, following an announcement early last month that Filaction development funds would be made available to help developers, Vire-Vert of Trois Rivières with their plans for the Ameau building in the centre of town.
The $10 million project was first announced in February 2009. Jeanne Charbonneau, who heads up Vire-Vert, says that studies still have to be done before the project can be built.
Her vision is for a boutique hotel, built to LEED specifications, that would house students majoring in hotel, restaurant and tourism programs. It would involve a total transformation of the four-storey Ameau buiding, which is in the city's historic quarter, and was built in 1928.
Renovations this summer at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
JASPER, AB-Jasper Park Lodge's spa, retail and restaurants will undergo a $6 million redevelopment this summer, with an expected completion date of August 2010.
Four Points Calgary Airport now open for business
CALGARY, AB-Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport opened for business on May 17. Owned and developed by A 1 Hospitality, Ltd., the hotel offers 159 spacious and comfortable guest rooms and suites. With a total of 6,500 square feet of flexible meeting space the property offers complimentary shuttle service to and from Calgary International Airport, as well as a full-service spa, indoor heated pool, steam and sauna room and food and beverage services. The hotel will debut a waterslide shortly. Heated underground parking and complimentary high-speed Internet access round out the many services provided on site.
The Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport is located minutes from the airport and eight minutes to downtown Calgary and the city's attractions, including the Calgary Zoo, the Saddledome, Eau Claire Market and the Calgary Tower. The property is located one hour from the Rocky Mountains and makes a most convenient gathering place before trekking into the mountains or as home base while enjoying some the province's best golf courses.
In the evening, guests are invited to kick back and relax with family or colleagues in Ric's Grille and Lounge. Domestic and international brews are served in the lounge, courtesy of the popular Four Points by Sheraton Best Brews program, along with an impressive roster of wines and martinis.
Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport
Saskatoon's $40 million Holiday Inn breaks ground
SASKATOON, SK-Shovels have hit the ground for a $40 million, 11-storey Holiday Inn with 179 rooms at Pacific Avenue and 22nd Street, the former site of the Pacific Theatre in Saskatoon.
Developers are Lawrence and Patricia Rychjohn's P.R. Hotels Ltd. The hotel was originally announced in 2007, but the company decided to hold off on construction until the building boom of the late 2000s cooled down.
"It's going to be a state-of-the-art property on what we consider to be the best hotel location in the city," Lawrence Rychjohn told the Star-Phoenix.
P.R. Hotels says the project will be the first of its kind downtown since the Radisson Hotel was built in the early 1980s.
The hotel is expected to be completed in about 18 months. When finished, it will include a full-service restaurant and bar, heated parking and penthouse suites featuring 14-foot floor-to-ceiling windows.
Saskatoon’s new Holiday Inn
in an artist’s
sketch
Aqua Chicago is Carlson's first U.S. Radisson Blu
Aqua Chicago site of first Radisson Blu
MINNEAPOLIS, MN-Carlson Hotels, one of the world's leading hotel companies, today announced that it has signed a landmark agreement to develop the first Radisson Blu hotel in the United States. This $125 million (U.S.) development in Chicago is scheduled to open in the fall of 2011. It marks the company's most important investment so far as part of Carlson Hotels' Ambition 2015 growth strategy.
"Our ambition is to establish flagship hotels in major cities in the U.S., and the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel is a major step towards realizing that goal," said Hubert Joly, president and chief executive officer, Carlson.
Ambition 2015 is fuelled by an investment program of up to 1.5 billion (U.S.) focused on positioning Radisson in North America as a powerful, globally consistent first-class brand. Recognized around the world for its contemporary design, Radisson Blu delivers upper-upscale hospitality.
A joint venture between Carlson Hotels and Aqua at Lakeshore East LLC owner and developer, Magellan Development Group, Chicago's Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel will be located on 18 floors of the 81-story tower. The mixed-use residential property received the 2009 Skyscraper of the Year Award for its fascinating shape, the appearance of which changes dramatically depending on the perspective.
Sidecut is the name of new Four Seasons Whistler eatery
WHISTLER, BC-Starting this month, Whistler visitors and locals will have a new way to satisfy their après ski appetites.
Sidecut, scheduled to open June 19, 2010, is Four Seasons Resort Whistler's new restaurant featuring a modern steak concept. Named for the distinctive curved shape of skis as well as the location of a cut of beef, the restaurant promises diners "steak with an edge."
While Sidecut will serve traditional breakfast and lunch favourites, dinner is when the chefs will really show their culinary chops. Presenting a contemporary twist on the classic steakhouse, executive chef Scott Thomas Dolbee and chef de cuisine Edison Mays have put together a dinner menu that includes an array of creative steak and seafood dishes.
Sidecut’s executive chef
Scott Thomas Dolbee
Five new luxury hotels will soon transform Toronto
TORONTO-Toronto is undergoing a profound transformation. The city skyline is alive with 53 new corporate towers, two major arts and entertainment Centrex, luxury hotels and spanking new condos. A new construction crane seems to join the skyline every week.
The current building boom will add four million square feet of office space, some 15,000 condo units and 850 hotel rooms to Toronto's core.
Not only has the building boom kept up throughout the recession, but all projects follow a sustainability guideline developed by the Toronto Green Standard for New Construction. This is a city-wide guideline that sets out environmentally-friendly construction practices and ways to increase the energy efficiency of new buildings.
The luxury hotel boom in Toronto has been the most prominent of city-wide developments.
Appropriately located in Toronto's art and design district is the Thompson Toronto Hotel. Set to open shortly, Toronto is the first location outside of the U.S. for the prestigious Thompson chain. The rooftop features a bar lounge, swimming pool with private cabanas and stunning views of Toronto's skyline and lakefront.
Putting on the Ritz is precisely what the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto will be doing once open in fall 2010. The building's striking form standing at 53-stories will be an architectural icon. The only Ritz-Carlton in Canada, it will feature 267 rooms and 159 condominium residences in the midst of the entertainment district.
When the new luxury boutique hotel, Le Germain Maple Leaf Square opens its doors in August 2010, discerning travellers and sports fans alike will appreciate the modern décor and high-tech amenities each room features. Adjacent to the Air Canada Centre, a major league sports and concert venue, the eight-storey boutique-hotel will have 171 guest rooms, 5,000 square feet of meeting space, 8,000 square feet of fitness facilities and a 2,000-square-foot hotel café.
Donald Trump's first Canadian venture, Trump International Hotel and Tower, a 60-storey mixed use building, is slated to open in 2011 in the heart of Toronto's financial district.
The hole has been dug and construction is now underway on the renowned Shangri-La Hotel and Residences. Slated to open in 2012, this 65-storey tower will feature 17 floors of sumptuous hotel rooms decorated in a contemporary classical style with Asian highlights.
Rising out of Toronto's sports and entertainment district in 2010 will be Bisha Hotel & Residences. This 41-storey hotel and residence building with its 1920s-inspired interior takes guests back in time. Bisha will feature a 24-hour café, two restaurants and a rooftop swimming pool.
Scheduled to start construction in 2011 and open in 2013, Hotel in the Garden will be located on the grounds of Exhibition Place along with the Direct Energy Centre and the newly-opened Allstream Centre convention and tradeshow facilities. The 320-room, 26-storey hotel will offer guests resort-style amenities and stunning views of neighbouring Lake Ontario and the city skyline.
Canada's newest and greenest conference centre, the Allstream Centre, opened in October 2009.
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