Does Size Matter?

Well, sometimes, yes – like when you’re trying to shoe-horn your meeting set-up into a space that “on paper” seemed to work, but in reality leaves your attendees feeling like sardines. Or when a small group gets lost in an oversized box of a room. It’s all about getting the right fit.

How do Toronto’s newest luxury offerings measure up?

The Ritz-Carlton Toronto
Located on Wellington - Toronto’s new “south core”. Canadian-themed F&B outlets: TOCA (TOronto CAnada) features a “Cheese Cave”, and DEQ – with its coveted outdoor space – has been a hot spot since it opened last year.
267 guestrooms
23,000 sq.ft. of meeting space
Largest meeting room: Ritz-Carlton Ballroom - 7,400 sq.ft.

2nd Largest meeting room: Wellington Ballroom - 3,053 sq.ft.

Trump Hotel Toronto

Bay Street, Baby – on the corner of Adelaide. Food & Beverage outlets stay on message: Stock Restaurant & Bar on the 31st floor (with semi-private dining space) and SUITS Lobby Lounge. Welcomed its first official guests mid-April this year with much fanfare.

261 guestrooms

Largest meeting room: Grand Ballroom – 3,744 sq.ft.
2nd Largest meeting room: Grand Salon – 3,168 sq.ft.

Four Seasons Toronto
Migrating just a few blocks from its venerable Yorkville located at Avenue Rd. and Bloor to Bay and Yorkville Ave., the *new* Four Seasons Toronto is accepting group business from October onwards. Chef Daniel Boulud will oversee the cuisine in his eponymous restaurant/café and “dbar”.
259 guestrooms
14,300 sq.ft. of meeting space
Largest meeting room: Aria – 6,776 sq.ft.
2nd Largest meeting room: Vinci – 3,249 sq.ft.

Shangri-La Hotel Toronto

The baby of the bunch - the Asian luxury chain’s second property in Canada (a sister for the lovely Shangri-La Vancouver) due to auspiciously open on August 7th.

202 guestrooms

12,000 sq, ft. of meeting space

Largest meeting room: Queen’s Park Ballroom - 3,670 sq. ft.

2nd Largest meeting room: Museum - 1,722 sq.ft.

Recent Hard Hat Tour of the Shangri-La Toronto

"May I have your.......?"

Last week, staying up way too late to watch the season finale of Mad Men I caught the tail end of AMC’s show The Pitch. In the tense final minutes of the show, two advertising agencies were in hot competition to win the Autograph account.

The Autograph Collection of hotels is a new and unique Marriott brand – truly an “evolving ensemble” of one-of-a-kind properties – some historic and/or iconic – others new and edgy. The collection includes city hotels of all sizes and capacities, as well as large convention resorts, and exclusive retreats. Each hotel is, as one of the agencies pitches: “as unique as an autograph”.

Their creative was strikingly beautiful – but the other agency ended up winning the business with their bold, totally-outside-the-box approach – so unlike any hotel advertising I've ever seen – and soooo unlike anything Marriott has ever done.

For awhile you can see a preview of The Pitch on the Autograph hotels website: http://www.autographhotels.com/

I’m looking forward to my own first Autograph experience next week - staying at the famed Algonquin Hotel.

Faster, Higher, Stronger

Okay - just "faster" - but this is GREAT news!!

Delta Hotels is the gold medal winner when it comes to faster internet service in hotels across Canada - up to 20 times faster than your internet at home, making uploading content-heavy presentations or Skyping family or colleagues an easy sprint to the finish line.

Internet XL is currently available in 17 Delta Hotels and Resorts, and is currently *free*.

Don't Stop The Dance!

The venerable King Eddy is again taking a new dance partner.

After seven years under Starwood stewardship as Le Meridien King Edward Hotel Toronto, the 109-year old “grande dame” will – on July 17th – take back her maiden name, and follow the lead of one of her owner-partners, Skyline Hotels & Resorts.

For guests and groups booked into the hotel it should be pretty much business as usual, and the current condominium development and renovation plans remain unchanged.

Whew! Yours truly has been patiently waiting for the reopening of the Crystal Ballroom every since I heard about The King Edward Hotel’s “secret” roof-top ballroom.

Skyline also manages Deerhurst and Horseshoe resorts, and the Cosmopolitan and Pantages boutique hotels

The End of An Era

It seems such a cliché to say “if these walls could talk”, but certainly The Sutton Place Hotel Toronto would have borne witness to some pretty juicy stories in its 45-year history.

It seems The Sutton Place name has always been linked with the famous as well as the infamous, starting with an unsuccessful mob hit just months after it opened in 1967. The incident literally put the hotel on the map – with newspaper articles describing the brand new property as “posh” and “swanky”. In the three years I worked there we were still the host hotel for the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, now known as simply as “TIFF”. I have my own personal “star stories” including a chance encounter with none other than Madonna!

Last week I attended a farewell function for the staff, past and present – in anticipation of the hotel’s closure on June 15th. It was a classy and surprisingly moving trip down memory lane which included messages from various celebrities who fondly remember The Sutton Place as their home away from home while in Toronto.

But it was the testimonials of the long-time employees that really choked me up. Many, many with over 25 years of service spoke with such deep pride about taking care of the thousands of guests who walked through those doors at 955 Bay Street.

That’s why they call it the hospitality industry.

Tragically Hip

Club-style line-up, complete with bouncer, outside The Drake Hotel



It's Saturday night, and the line-up up of expectant and slightly inebriated party-goers stretches down the block. I was there to attend a Prince tribute in the Drake's designated event space, the Underground, but the main floor Dining Room was standing/dancing/drinking-shots room only, and I imagine the Sky Yard (a second floor outdoor patio overlooking Queen Street) was equally packed, considering the fine weather.

May-be not what some of the hotel guests staying there expected.

The scene certainly lends validity to concerns of residents in Prince Edward County, where Drake owner Jeff Stober is opening a remodelled and renovated century old inn: The Drake Devonshire. 

Bottom line for someone in my position is to know my client's expectations, the demographics of the group, and the goals and objectives of their meeting - as well as the overall "culture" of a prospective hotel, beyond its guestroom amenties and meeting room specs.

Come Up To The Lab

The "Chocolate Lab" is a signature dessert station offered at the Trump Hotel Toronto, both in its 31st floor restaurant, Stock, and for private functions.

Elements can be customized, as they were last night for our ConferenceDirect Client Event, held in the private dining space overlooking Stock.

It's hard to believe the hotel has only been open 90 days!  We were warmly greeted by the General Manager, who shared with us his vision for the residential-style of service, differentiating Trump in a now-crowded luxury market.

This evening afforded my clients, and clients working with my other ConferenceDirect associates in Toronto, to mix an mingle, sample some of the Trump cuisine (including the Chocolate Lab treats!), and see the hotel meeting rooms and guestrooms for the first time.

ConferenceDirect's Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Officer, Brian Richey happened to be in town and joined us - thanking our customers for trusting us with their meeting planning needs ("Like the airlines, we know you have a choice") and acknowledging all of the ConferenceDirect associates for the work we do in providing a consistent level of service to our valued clients.