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The Road Warrior1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Itinerary | Home
I love a hotel that anticipates my needs before I do, like the sound of Miles Davis’ solo “All Blues” greeting me at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, where my Jacuzzi suite has a built-in surround sound system hooked up to digital radio. My suite at Toronto’s Windsor Arms Hotel has convenient controls for the five-disc CD player in the bathroom and beside the bed, and the W Montréal has its own compilations of international lounge music. At the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, I return late one night to discover that the lights rise automatically – no fumbling in the dark. Oh, and I spend a lot of time on the phone at the Westin Calgary. Its Service Express button can be used not only for the usual room service and valet calls but also for requesting things like those nifty little collar stays that keep shirts sharp but are always getting lost in the wash. High-powered Lobbying Meeting colleagues or business partners at your hotel? Nothing reflects more on your image than the lobby. I retire to the library in the modern tiered entrance to Ottawa’s Arc The.Hotel to fix myself a complimentary coffee and check e-mail via the wireless connection. Across town, the compact marble entrance to the Westin Ottawa is intentionally small for a 487-room hotel to ensure an efficient check-in. Lobbies like Hôtel 71’s in Quebec City and Hôtel Le Germain’s in Toronto feel like a well-designed living room in someone’s mansion. The latter includes a guest computer and an espresso maker; later in the day they wheel out a bar cart and offer cocktails. Hallelujah! I worked with some innovative concierge services before I even left home. Zebrano Lifestyle Solutions provided me with a miniplanner of insider information on my destinations – from a suggestion to visit the seafood shack Flex Mussels in PEI to information on zip trekking in Whistler, B.C. The Westin hotels in Calgary and Ottawa have a bespoke concierge service, Majestic Events & Concierge Inc., which can organize everything from personal shopping to group picnics. Experience Wish is a “wish-fulfillment” service that works in collaboration with Preferred Boutique Hotels (PBH). Company founder Kristen Schmitt quizzed me about my ideal day off, and when I checked into the Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver, an itinerary was waiting. (See Itinerary for my perfect day. Ferris Bueller, eat your heart out!) Also part of PBH services is Luggage Free. Two days before my flight, I arranged to have my luggage picked up by FedEx. They overnighted my bags, and all I had to do when I arrived in Winnipeg was unpack. Visiting Dignitaries Some hotels add to their luster with the presence of prominent visitors and celebrating locals. The Sutton Place Hotel, Toronto is a natural celebrity habitat, and not just during the film festival. During my stay, the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan is looking its best, having just played host to Prince Edward. As I sip a cocktail in Le Café at Loews Le Concorde in Quebec City, debutantes flit past on their way to the ballroom. Returning to my room at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront, I discover another party in full swing, but the room is so soundproof I don’t even break out my Sony noise-cancelling headphones. Hotel Arts in Calgary always feels festive with its chic lobby surrounding the courtyard pool. But I order a bottle of wine to my suite and connect my Lenovo laptop to the 42-inch plasma screen to watch Chaplin’s Modern Times, soundtrack courtesy of my Sony MP3 Walkman in its speaker cradle. |
