Openings, Sales & Renovations ~ March 2010

The Met goes rural

Grande Rockies Resort, Canmore, AB

CANMORE, AB/TORONTO, ON – In a departure from its urban downtown locations, luxury boutique hotel operator Metropolitan Hotels has built a resort in Canmore, AB, just outside the gates to Banff National Park. And the company offered skiers and winter sports enthusiasts the chance to preview the Grande Rockies Resort, in Canmore, Alberta during this winter’s ski season, ahead of its grand opening this spring.

Rooms were available on a limited basis as of December 11 with rates starting at $215 CDN per night.

“We are the first luxury hotel brand to open its doors in Canmore and we’re very excited to offer this sneak-peek opportunity,” Henry Wu, president of Metropolitan Hotels said.

The 150-room hotel will feature one bedroom, two bedroom and penthouse suites with state-of-the-art technologies. Suites will come with fully equipped kitchens, spa-inspired bathrooms, along with designer décor and Gilchrist and Soames eco friendly amenities. Warmly appointed with a comfortable, yet urban flare, guestrooms include plasma televisions, gas fireplaces and down duvets with Italian-Fretté linens.

AMAN Building Corporation has spearheaded construction and development of the Grande Rockies Resort and collaborated with Paul Waddell of Urban Innovations Custom Homes.

The Grande Rockies Resort at 901 Mountain St. includes a spacious indoor pool that incorporates a children’s activity centre and state-of the art fitness facilities. A complimentary shuttle service and Les Clefs d’Or member trained concierge services are also available.

Metropolitan Hotels also operates three luxury urban properties: Metropolitan Toronto, the Soho Metropolitan and the Metropolitan Vancouver.

Hilton Head Office now located in Virginia

McLEAN, VA—Hilton Hotels Corp. has relocated its corporate headquarters to Park Place II in the Tysons Corner area of McLean, in Fairfax County, Virginia.

The company’s new contact information is: Hilton Worldwide Corporate Headquarters, 7930 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102. Phone: 703-883-1000. Development Hotline: 800-286-0645.

The location is near the McLean Hilton hotel and visible from the beltway.


New conversion will boast 95 rooms

EDMONTON, AB—InterContinental Hotels Group officially opened the doors to its sixth hotel in Edmonton in mid-February. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Edmonton North will reopen after being converted from an independent hotel.

Located minutes away from downtown Edmonton, the 95-room hotel is accessible to Fort McMurray and Fort Saskatchewan. The hotel is a short drive away from tourist attractions like the West Edmonton Mall, Valley Zoo and Winspear Hall, as well as businesses such as Northlands Park, Agricom and Rexall Place, making the hotel a convenient option for both business and leisure travellers alike.


Four-star Delta Soo rebrand costs $6 million

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON—Sault Ste. Marie got its first upscale, full service, four-star hotel on January 18th when Delta Hotels and Resorts opened its first property in Northern Ontario. The Delta Sault Ste. Marie Waterfront Hotel and Conference Centre underwent an extensive $6-million redevelopment before it transitioned to the Delta brand.

The redevelopment included upgrades to all guest rooms, public areas, meeting space and food and beverage outlets. All 195 guest rooms and suites now include the Delta Sanctuary bed and June Jacobs spa products.

Additional upgrades include a revitalized fitness centre with health club and indoor pool, as well as a new business centre.

View Restaurant + Bar, led by executive chef Darius Martin, offers steak and seafood in an upscale casual dining experience with spectacular views of the river.

The hotel also includes 10,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 5,208 square foot Algoma Ballroom.

The Delta Sault Ste. Marie Waterfront will be led by general manager Bill Durnford, who has been at the helm of the hotel since 2000 when it operated under a different brand.


Holiday Inn Barrie nets contemporary look

BARRIE, ON—Holiday Inn Barrie Hotel & Conference Centre completed a multi-million hotel renovation project last month.

The full renovation, which began in October 2009, included remodelling the lobby and front entrance, guestrooms, and a fresh new look and feel to the restaurant and lounge area.

“We are excited to showcase an entirely new guest experience through this comprehensive and exciting renovation,” said Donald Buckle, general manager for the Holiday Inn Barrie Hotel & Conference Centre.

“This renovation was focused on adding more contemporary furniture, revamping the lobby space to be more welcoming, a new inviting dining room/lounge and upgrading 108 of our guest rooms.”

A full renovation to the lobby includes new giant-size floor tiles, upgraded wall vinyl, custom artwork and stylish new furniture in warm earthy tones that compliment an intricate stone wall leading up to the hotel’s main staircase.

Tattinger’s, the hotel’s restaurant and lounge, received a complete floor-to-ceiling makeover during renovations with new carpet, wall vinyl, modern light fixtures and new furniture to create a more inviting dining experience.

The bar area has been repositioned along with the buffet and private dining area for improved functionality and design appeal.


Choice opens four new hotels in Alberta/BC

Choice Hotels has opened three Econo Lodge hotels in Lloydminster, and Kelowna, BC, and Drumheller, Alberta. They also have a new Quality Hotel & Suites in Langley, near Vancouver.

The Lloydminster Econo Lodge is located in historic downtown Lloydminster, Canada’s border town and just one block from the Alberta and Saskatchewan border. This property features newly renovated guest rooms, free continental breakfast at the onsite restaurant, and free Wi-Fi.

The Econo Lodge Inn & Suites, Drumheller, AB is located on the banks of the Red Deer River, within easy access of the Royal Tyrrell dinosaur museum and other area attractions. It has three banquet and meeting rooms, free continental breakfast & Wi-Fi.

Econo Lodge, Kelowna, BC is located in downtown Kelowna, close to local attractions including the Prospera Place Stadium, Lake City Casino, the University of British Columbia, and many outdoor activities.

Guests can enjoy the indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi. All guestrooms are furnished with refrigerators and standard amenities, and some rooms feature balconies. Plus, the hotel offers 12 spacious kitchenette suites, perfect for longer stays.

The Quality Hotel & Suites, Langley, BC is a brand new hotel, only a 45 minute drive to Vancouver and 2.5 hour drive to Whistler.

It is set in the heart of Langley’s shopping district, near many popular attractions including Willowbrook Mall, Langley Events Centre, Cloverdale rodeo, Cascades Casino and Langley Airport.

Amenities include an onsite fitness centre, restaurant, and meeting facilities up to 100 people. For added convenience, this hotel has a coffee shop, sundeck, laundry facilities and offers valet cleaning service.


Intrawest sheds resorts

VANCOUVER/PANORAMA, BC, Intrawest and a newly formed company, Panorama Mountain Village Inc. (Panorama Inc.) announced at the end of January that they had entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement that will enable Panorama Inc. to purchase Intrawest’s interests in Panorama Mountain Village. The transaction includes the resort’s on-mountain and Nordic ski operations, a 50 per cent ownership position in the Greywolf Golf Course, all of Intrawest’s commercial operations and lodging units in the village and the land available for real estate development.

Intrawest also sold Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado in November and Village at Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe in California in January. In that case, Intrawest owned the village, but not the ski hill.

And in mid-February, it shed the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Florida, an oceanside oasis featuring more than seven miles of white sand beach and four championship golf courses.

Where Intrawest owns both the town and the ski hill—Whistler-Blackcomb, Mont Tremblant in Quebec and Blue Mountain in Ontario—it plans to hang on to them, Intrawest’s Ian Galbraith told the Vancouver Sun in mid-February.

For the time being, Intrawest also plans to hold onto its Club Intrawest properties, which include stand-alone hotels in Hawaii and Mexico.


Media tour Kingston Residence Inn

KINGSTON, ON—Members of the media donned hard hats last month as David Smythe, area director, Atlific Hotels, introduced the new Residence Inn by Marriott Kingston Water’s Edge set to open in April, 2010, then led them on a tour of the new property. Atlific is also working in partnership with Homestead Land Holdings Limited and the City of Kingston to develop the adjacent public park.

Located on Kingston’s waterfront overlooking Lake Ontario, the Residence Inn by Marriott Kingston Water’s Edge will be Kingston’s premiere extended-stay hotel when it opens this April.

Managed by Atlific Hotels, this newly constructed hotel is located just steps away from restaurants, City Hall and the Springer Market Square with easy access to Queen’s University, RMC, Kingston General Hospital and many other businesses. All of the hotel’s suites are at least 50 per cent larger than standard hotel rooms and are custom-built for longer stays.


Growth capital for Shell Vacations

NORTHBROOK, IL—Shell Vacations LLC, a leader in the development, sales and operation of vacation ownership properties throughout North America, announced that it has received a substantial investment from York Capital Management, a leading global investment firm. Shell Vacations LLC operates through a club points system that allows its club members to use their points at any resort in the Shell system or for any number of external benefits including hotels, flights, cruises, and entertainment. It has 23 resorts and over 1,700 employees. Shell Vacations properties in Canada include Mountainside Lodge, Whistler, plus Carriage Hills Resort and Carriage Ridge Resort, one hour north of Toronto.


Fifty new Sheratons in the next three years

WHITE PLAINS, NY—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc’s announced in mid-February it will add approximately 50 new Sheraton hotels and over 20,000 rooms to the brand over the next three years.

Starwood and its partners are investing more than $4 billion in new hotel openings across four continents – a development effort that follows the recent three-year, multi-billion dollar revitalization of the Sheraton brand and guest experience. As Starwood’s largest and most global brand, Sheraton currently boasts more than 400 hotels in 70 countries with 92 per cent global awareness among business travellers – the highest of any hotel brand in the world.


Surrey, BC gets its first Holiday Inn hotel

SURREY, BC—Holiday Inn & Suites has opened its first property in Surrey, British Columbia.

Situated in the heart of Surrey, the newly built 49,000-square-foot hotel is accessible to Vancouver by highway and is close to the U.S. border, Vancouver International Airport, Abbotsford International Airport, Ferry Terminals and the Trans Canada Highway. Tourist attractions such as Downtown Vancouver, Historical Fort Langley and several golf courses are also a short drive from the hotel.

With more than 2,380 square feet of function space, the hotel will also be available for business meetings and banquets.

RICHMOND, BC—The team at The Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport pose in front of the new-build hotel, which opened in Richmond, B.C. in time for the Olympic Winter games. Owned and managed by Wall Financial Corporation, the hotel has 176 guest rooms and eight unique suites.