VacantReady

Andrew Morrison over at UrbanDiner.ca covers Vancouver’s restaurant food scene, but he has a pretty good eye on the hotel trade as well. Thanks to Urban Diner, I discovered that yet another hotel property will open its doors to guests in the downtown core.

Construction on the ParaYso Hotel (para-Why-so?) is expected to kick-off in the summer of 2009. Local hospitality entrepreneur Graham Alexander has finalized a land deal at 620 Seymore street for $5.5M, and he plans to develop a small hotel property at the downtown location.

“The Company plans to build a Hotel with a roof top bar lounge, of up to 91 nicely designed interior suites, and energy efficient Hotel. The interiors will be exquisite but will be for the 20th century where beauty, green and energy are of high concerns. The development is lead by Graham Alexander, a developer of hotels in Mayan Riviera Mexico and Chilliwack, B.C., Canada.”

[via Yahoo! - & no doubt the PR writer meant 21st century]

The ParaYso Hotel will be located near the financial district, within one block of the new Canada Line shuttle from the Vancouver International Airport and a few blocks from the new convention centre. The hotel lies adjacent to the Steve Nash Sports Gym, Gotham Restaurant, and the Shore Club restaurant.

The 600 block of Seymore Street in Vancouver is not exactly the most upscale strip downtown, and incidentally, the hotel’s location sits almost exactly on the spot where two men were gunned down in a targeted gangland shooting in January of this year.

I’m sure developments like the ParaYso Hotel are exactly what Seymore needs as part of a long-term strategy to rejuvenate the area. The newly renovated Moda Hotel to the South on Seymore, and the Delta Suites to the North of the ParaYso will certainly benefit from more hotel critical mass.

And hey, who doesn’t love roof-top lounges? Watch out Loden—yours isn’t going to be the only one in town.

0 comments | Permalink | Canada • Vancouver • Development

Vancouver’s upcoming Shangri-La Hotel opening seems to be creating considerable PR buzz. Surprisingly, local hotel professionals located as far away as Cairo, Egypt (Vacant Ready’s new home-base) are watching the opening of the Shangri-La with some anticipation.

The Vancouver Sun reported today that renowned French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (now hailing from New York City) is negotiating to open a new restaurant in the Vancouver property. No agreements have been formalized yet, but Jill Killeen, Director of Public Relations at the Shangri-La Vancouver confirmed that talks are currently underway.

Vancouver culinary scene insider Andrew Morrison of UrbanDiner.ca already caught wind of discussions with Jean-Georges earlier this week, and member comments on Urban Diner reveal some excitement about the potential opening.

The Vancouver Sun article by Bruce Constantineau tempers any exuberance however, with a comment from Barbara-jo McIntosh, owner of Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks store in Vancouver:

“It’s a sign that Vancouver is becoming recognized as a growing metropolis with a culinary scene that is worthy of these grand chefs’ attention,” she said in an interview. “It’s fine, and kind of neat, but it doesn’t excite me to an exultant level because we already have a great culinary community.”

I don’t know who Barbara-jo is (apart from a local Vancouver shop owner), but I certainly share her belief in Vancouver’s culinary prowess. Living in Cairo is full of delights and excitement, but the food scene is definitely not one of the world’s seven wonders.

Apparently there have also been rumours circulating in Vancouver that the Shangri-La was trying to entice celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to open a restaurant in the property, but Killeen has denied any such discussions.

The Shangri-La continues to build momentum on its journey to opening day in January 2009 (already postponed from their expected 2008 opening). Let’s hope they don’t fall into the same opening date delay quagmire faced by the nearby Loden Vancouver.

Linkage
Image thanks to Flickr member [suntom]

0 comments | Permalink | Canada • Vancouver • Gossip

ASAP News in the U.K. reports that a new boutique hotel is set to open in Vancouver at a yet-to-be named location.. The recently formed Boutique Hotels & Resorts of British Columbia (BHRBC) is the management company behind the project—I wonder of they are the developers too?

The new 60 room property will be called “L’Hermitage” (not to be confused with the new residential development on Richards Street), and will be located somewhere in Vancouver’s downtown core. The hotel was designed by Canadian firm Lawrence Doyle Architects in the style of Chicago Modernism. Since I have no idea what that means, I look forward to seeing some design mock-ups. I can’t find any other mention of this project online, and the BHRBC corporate website has no information either. April fool’s day leftovers perhaps?

From the Press Release:

HRBC president Mike Duggan comments, “L’Hermitage Hotel is a perfect fit for Boutique Hotels & Resorts of British Columbia’s portfolio and a welcome addition to the city of Vancouver. The distinctive hotel will be positioned as the leading boutique property in the city appealing to the discerning business and leisure traveler.”

If this new property is anticipating being THE leading boutique hotel in Vancouver, they’ll have to out-perform some pretty tough competition from the Opus, the Wedgewood and the upcoming Loden Vancouver (if it ever opens!), and the Hotel Georgia.

In each of the 60 suites, the most advanced technology will be avaialbe, like plasma televisions, kitchenettes, 4-piece bathrooms, wireless internet access and designer furniture. Facilities include a health club, a library and a full-time concierge .

If four piece bathrooms and designer furniture are the “innovations” L’Hermitage is positioning around...I assume their service delivery will be out of this world!

Update: Thanks to Jay, one of our savvy readers, we’ve learned that L’Hermitage actually is part of the Richard’s street residential project (not surprisingly). The property is anticipating a May opening, so we’ll be watching for more info in the near future.

3 comments | Permalink | Canada • Vancouver • Development

Last week the B.C. Hospitality Foundation held a gala fundraising event, and I was lucky enough to receive an invite from a colleague (thanks Sara!).

What’s the Foundation?

The B.C. Hospitality Foundation was inspired by the desire to financially assist long-time local wine agent Michael Willingham. Michael requires additional costly surgery and rehabilitation after suffering a stroke, and his medical insurance will not cover the cost.

Many of us Canadians assume that our provincial health insurance covers pretty much any “required” medical procedure (at least I did), but Michael and his family discovered that clearly this is not always the case—at least in B.C.

Michael’s situation inspired some local industry colleagues and friends to establish a trust fund that could be used to assist anyone within the foodservice, beverage, and hospitality industry who requires financial support due to illness or accident.

The ‘Founders Dinner’ I attended last week at Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel was another fund raising event planned by the Foundation, and it was an incredible display: outstanding food, wine(s), and a fun auction with some pretty amazing prizes donated by the hospitality and travel trade.

The B.C. Hospitality Foundation is a terrific organization with the sole mandate of helping colleagues in need. It just doesn’t get better than that.

1 comments | Permalink | Canada • Vancouver • Celebration

West Vancouver based Larco Hospitality manages a number of hotel properties across Canada as well as the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort in the U.S.

In 1999 Larco opened the Hilton Vancouver Airport in Richmond, which at the time was the very first Hilton hotel in British Columbia. We’ve heard whispers over the years that the strata-owned Hilton Vancouver Airport has faced some challenges with their ownership regarding the hotel’s financial returns in past years, and yesterday we received a tip from one of our readers alleging that Larco no longer will be managing the property.

According to our insider Ocean Pacific has assumed management responsibility and a new G.M. is already set to come back from retirement to head operations.

Interesting news from the Richmond hotel market, and we look forward to hearing an update from our colleagues at the Hilton Vancouver Airport regarding this transition.

2 comments | Permalink | Canada • Vancouver