48 / Luxury in gateway the gateway cities cities
HOW TO SELL
comfort zones After an extended unwanted hiatus not being able to travel to Canada, many travellers have cash to splash and are ready to ‘upgrade’ their next holiday, says Peter ellegard
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anada’s leading gateway cities – Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal and Halifax – really know how to lay out the red carpet for visitors looking to enjoy themselves with the type of glamorous stay that would be fitting for rock stars or royalty. And with pent-up holiday money ready to be spent, now is the perfect time to upsell top-end accommodation and experiences. Carolyn Addison, Head of Product for luxury specialist Black Tomato, said the operator saw a 30% jump in spend for all its bookings from August to September, with Canada featuring prominently. “One of our top clients is the frequent traveller to Canada for the festive season, who this year is staying for longer and bringing a larger family group,” she said. “With the world opening up and optimism returning, we are seeing travellers seeking to catch up on the trips they passed up and plans they had to cancel and put on hold. “For many, that means ‘going big’ and booking a bucket list trip or experience, or planning something indulgent in a way they wouldn’t have considered before.”
Denise Hunn, Director for Canada tour operations for Prestige Holidays, agrees that clients are willing to spend more but warns that some of Canada’s top experiences will be in heavy demand in 2022. These include the popular bear viewing lodges, due mainly to the high number of deferred bookings from 2020 and 2021. “Clients may want to spend more on a 2022 holiday but we might struggle to get them what they want. Our advice is to book as early as possible and consider as many options as possible,” she says. But what is on offer for those looking to pimp their stay with the best money can buy?
Vancouver Fairmont Gold suites are the height of luxury for many, but at the Fairmont Pacific Rim guests can top that by staying in the property’s grand two-storey Chairman’s Suite, nicknamed the ‘Rock Star Suite’. Spread over 2,250 sq ft, it includes two living rooms, an eight-foot-long Swarovski crystal chandelier, kitchen, master bedroom featuring a fireplace and en-suite marble bathroom with hand-carved soaker tub,
plus an outdoor patio that includes a private gazebo, meditation pond and fire pit, and a rooftop tented terrace with a private lift. Clients can also be high-flyers on a backcountry helicopter and Fraser Valley wine and culinary adventure with BC Adventure Company. The experience will see them taking a private helicopter flight over mountains and lakes before landing for Champagne beside a river, followed by a chauffeured drive in a luxury vehicle through the Fraser Valley to visit two wineries. Or they can take off on a West Coast craft beer flight tour with Sky Helicopters, flying over the Coast Mountains to sample local craft beers in a forest clearing before returning to Vancouver. Other upscale Vancouver area experiences include breakfast with bears and a seaplane and whale watching tour excursion.
Toronto If size matters, Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel weighs in with the Presidential Suite, with up to three bedrooms spanning over 3,300 sq ft, or the even larger Royal Suite, again offering up to three bedrooms and measuring 3,820
selling canada Winter/Spring 2021/22
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