A Royal Welcome

 

  

Canada's first luxury hotel, the King Edward (or King Eddy - as we all call it) is celebrating its 110th anniversary with a $110 rate and program of special events and amenities throughout the month of May, such as the unveiling of History Wall, specially re-created food and beverage offerings and, of course, afternoon tea.

It's not all about the past, though.  The King Edward Hotel recently transformed three floors to luxury condos - owners are now taking occupancy - and renovations have begun on its 301 guestrooms.

The updated look manages to be both traditional and contemporary - with rich marble and oversized mirrors, sleek, dark wood, and a restful palette of putty, taupe, and ivory punched up with red or (royal) purple.  I love that they've brought the hotel's original crown logo back; not shown here, the throw pillow on the bed will be emblazoned with the King Eddy crown.

The first floor of new guestrooms is expected to be ready by the end of August or early September. Renovations will continue floor-by-floor and likely be complete by the end of 2014.  The hotel has also renovated its large, windowed fitness centre and filled it with brand new equipment.

Laughing out Loud in the Muskokas

 

The gorgeous JW Marriott Rousseau is hosting the Cottage Country Comedy Festival featuring comedians Dave Hemstad (alumnus of the Halifax Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs, and CBC's The Debaters), Kate Davis, Graham Chittenden, and Tim Nutt. 

Special packages available May 9-11, 2013 with rates starting from $259:

• luxurious accommodation for two for arrival May 9th or 10th
• breakfast for two at Cottages
• two tickets to the comedy festival Friday, May 10th

Dinner reservations are recommended for Teca - and don't miss the Spa!!

 

The Toast of Texas

 

Always a sucker for historic hotels, I couldn't resist a peak inside The Driskill while visiting Austin, Texas recently. Pre-dating the nearby Texas State Capital building by couple of years, the Driskell Hotel opened its doors in 1886 to much fanfare, and has survived many reversals of fortune to operate today as one of the finest luxury hotels in the state - and apparently a Hyatt!  The lobby is wonderfully grand, all marble and stained glass, and the bar - pure Texas, with stars, bull horns, and cow-hide upholstery.

 The hotel straddles 7th and 6th Streets, the latter being Austin's answer to Beale Street in Memphis, or the French Quarter in New Orleans.  Being the Live Music Capitol of the World, the party atmosphere is amped up by live music flowing from nearly doorway. (True story: I was in a club one night, where there was a band playing and people dancing, and I had to take a phone call. I went outside so I could hear better, but it was louder on the street than inside!)

With 189 guestrooms  - I'll have to arrange to see one the next time I'm there - and 18,000 square feet of meeting space, I'm guessing it's *the* place to get married in Austin. A deejay friend who lives there is very familiar with the space, and related a story about a bride tossing her bouquet from one of the balconies to the street below - traffic obligingly stopped by the local constabulary.

To the Castle Born

 

...or so I like to think!

I've been watching too much Downton Abbey, I think, but our welcome to "Canada's Castle in the Rockies", was as grand and gracious as an Crawley could expect.

Styled after a Baronial Scottish castle, The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is majestic in stature, and in capacity, with 768 guestrooms and over 76,600 square feet of function space. 

In winter, alpine enthusiasts have their choice of, and shuttle service to Mount Norquay (just 10 minutes away) Sunshine Village (25 minutes), and Lake Louise (45 minutes). In summer, The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course offers 27 holes of championship golf. 

It should come to no surprise that an area renowned for its hot springs that there should be an award-winning Spa dedicated to the ancient rituals of "taking the waters", in this case the Fairmont-branded Willow Stream Spa offers the requisite hot and cold mineral baths and thermal pools as well as a wide range of hands-on treatments.

 

 

Rocky Mountain High

Limo to the airport, WestJet flight to Calgary, Brewster coach to Lake Louise (~an hour and 45 minutes), then this:

 

  

 

a sleigh ride along the frozen the lake and back to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, accompanied by Baileys-infused hot chocolate and the sound of sleigh bells. Magical!

At an elevation of 5,449 feet (1661 m) Lake Louise is the highest community in Canada, followed by Banff at 4,537 feet (1383 m), and more than twice as high as Whistler Village: 2,214 feet (675 m). This means a lot more of the white stuff.  So while Torontonians are chomping on their bits for patio season to start in March, ski season is still going strong in one of the largest ski resorts in North America, with over 4,200 skiable acres and 113 named runs.

The original Lake Louise Chalet, built in 1890, was designed to be "a hotel for the outdoor adventurer and alpinist". Skiing, snowshoeing, skating, hiking frozen canyons - and in the summer months: canoeing, horseback riding, mountaineering....It would be easy to forget that the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a well-appointed conference resort, offering 36,000 square feet of function space, all the latest technological systems, and excellent load-in/load-out capabilities within a purpose-built convention centre completed in 2004.

Mt. Temple Ballroom

 



From Sea to Sky

There are times when the fog is so thick you don't even see the mountains, and it can be overcast and rainy for days and days, yet Vancouver can also be almost unbelievably beautiful - so it's definitely one of those places where you appreciate a room with a view.

The Westin Bayshore self-identifies as the city's only urban resort. Surrounded on three sides by water,  85% of its over 500 guestrooms overlook picturesque Coal Harbour - with floor-to-ceiling windows no-less.  Indoor and outdoor pools, a brand new Vida Spa, branded Westin Workout facilites, sure - but this is a hard-working conference hotel, with over 70,000 square feet of meeting space, including a ~16,000 square foot ballroom. 

Host hotel for the 2010 Winter Games, the Westin Bayshore was completely renovated in 2009 and is showing beautifully. 

And the views are pretty awesome, too.

Golden Re-Birth

This 299-room hotel on Montreal's Golden Square mile enjoyed a former life as a Four Seasons and was rather overdue for major renovations. $20-million later the Omni Mont-Royal has unveiled completely refurbished guestrooms, meeting space, and wonderful new lobby bar, Alice.

To me the decor has a slightly retro feel, like a 1960's Mad Men set, but of course with current luxury-hotel must-haves such as Italian marble bathrooms, 42-inch LCD flat screen TVs, and fully-equipped fitness centre.

I had always thought - mistakenly! - the Golden Square Mile was some kind of marketing construct, not unlike Chicago's shopping mecca, the Magnificent Mile.  Not true!  Located at the base of Mount Royal, the neighbourhood dates back to the 1930's.  Today its residents include The Ritz-Carlton Montreal, the Sofitel, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, chic boutiques, art galleries, and the bars and restaurants of famous Crescent Street.