Bear Mountain’s 12,500-bottle cellar

VICTORIA, BC—The Cellar at Bear Mountain, a 12,500-bottle collection at Bear Mountain Resort, will feature quality wines from regions around the world. The new cellar raises the wine bar and contributes to the resort’s reputation as one of BC’s top culinary destinations. Bear Mountain foodservice also includes Panache Restaurant and the Copper Rock Grill. The Cellar is the creation of sommeliers Janice Reimche and Stuart Brown (shown at left).

Bellstar to manage Copper Sky rentals

WESTBANK, BC—Bellstar Hotels & Resorts will be adding Copper Sky Resort to its portfolio of resort offerings. Rempel Development Group has selected Bellstar to deliver a vacation rental program focusing on weekly stays for the new resort community.

Perched high on the rugged sloping hillside of Westbank, offering spectacular views of Okanagan Lake, Copper Sky is set on 16.7 acres above Hwy 97, five minutes from the new Bennett Bridge and heart of Kelowna. When completed, the resort will have 536 suites anchored by The Infinity Club, an 8,500 square foot amenity building. The Infinity Club and the first phase of suites will open in the spring of 2010.

Best Western nets historic Parlour Inn

STRATFORD, ON—There’s a new Best Western flag for the Parlour Historic Inn and Suites in Stratford, Ontario. Owned by Bill Windsor and Randy Simpson, the hotel has 28 guest rooms including six suites, a fitness center, a full-service business centre and 2,000 square feet of meeting space.

Located in downtown Stratford, the hotel is just a short distance from a variety of attractions including the Avon Theatre, Stratford’s Shakespeare Festival, Rim Park and St Jacob’s.

...And a new-build in Saint John, NB

SAINT JOHN, NB—Best Western International has also opened the Best Western Saint John Hotel and Suites, located at 55 Majors Brook Drive in Saint John, NB. Owned by Bryan Lee, this brand-new hotel has 77 non-smoking guest rooms including 17 suites, a full-service on-site business centre with wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, and 1,100 square feet of meeting space to accommodate up to 80 people.

Located in the heart of Saint John’s retail district with some of the best shopping in Atlantic Canada, guests will enjoy a variety of nearby attractions including Rockwood Park and the Reversing Falls. The Saint John City Market is just a short distance away.  Rates start at $109.00 per night.

Twin Holiday Inns in Hinton and Edson

TORONTO—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), has opened two new Holiday Inn Express hotels in Hinton and Edson, Alberta. The Holiday Inn Express Hinton property has been open since March 2008, while the Holiday Inn Express Edson hotel opened in July 2008.

Both properties are located on Highway 16 near Jasper National Park.  Both will employ 25 people from each respective town and offer visitors and local residents a variety of amenities and services.

Guests at both the Holiday Inn Express Hinton and Holiday Inn Express Edson will experience the hotels’ newly enhanced complimentary Express Start breakfast bar.

The new 42,000 sq.-ft. property in Hinton offers a variety of amenities such as an indoor pool and a fitness centre. The new 32,000 sq.-ft property in Edson will also provide on-site amenities including an indoor pool, fitness and business centre.

“More than $12.5 million was invested in the Hinton property and $10 million to build the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Edson and we are looking forward to a promising future in both towns,” said Shazma Charania, owner and general manager in Edson.

Delta Pinestone gets $2.5 million facelift

HALIBURTON, ON—The Delta Pinestone Resort, located in the Haliburton Highlands, two hours north of Toronto, has recently completed the first phase of a $2.5 million renovation.  The 103-room resort, located on 280 acres in Haliburton, Ontario, completed extensive upgrades to both the interior and exterior of the property.

Renovations included improvements and expansion to the resort’s conference room space. The indoor and outdoor pools were renovated, the golf pro-shop retail space was expanded by 50 per cent, and all guest rooms were upgraded to include new Delta Sanctuary beds.  Extensive improvements were also made to the exterior of the building, including landscaping and resort infrastructure.

Phase two of the renovations will begin in the late fall of 2008.  The resort has undergone many upgrades since being purchased by Vrancor Hospitality in November 2006.