5 minute read
Luxury in the Gateway 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
Canada’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 fi tting 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 off er 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 Pacifi c 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 fi replace and en-suite marble bathroom with hand-carved soaker tub, plus an outdoor patio that includes a private gazebo, meditation pond and fi re pit, and a rooftop tented terrace with a private lift.
Clients can also be high-fl yers on a backcountry helicopter and Fraser Valley wine and culinary adventure with BC Adventure Company. The experience will see them taking a private helicopter fl ight over mountains and lakes before landing for Champagne beside a river, followed by a chauff eured drive in a luxury vehicle through the Fraser Valley to visit two wineries.
Or they can take off on a West Coast craft beer fl ight tour with Sky Helicopters, fl ying 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 off ering up to three bedrooms and measuring 3,820
sq ft. Both offer panoramic views over the city from their top-floor corner locations. For a cool C$16,000 per night, Royal Suite guests get fantasy granite bathrooms, a private office, private bar, dining area for eight people, multiple plasma HD TVs and 24/7 room and concierge services.
The 2,900-sq-ft bi-level Penthouse Suite at the new Hotel X Toronto offers skyline city vistas and views of the CN Tower from every room, its guests enjoying exclusive access to the hotel’s Library Club Lounge.
For an indulgent epicurean experience, the Cheese Cave in Toca restaurant at Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton reputedly has one of the world’s best cheese collections.
Meanwhile, the iconic and very central Fairmont Royal York is marking its 90th anniversary by celebrating a major makeover imagined by the Rockwell Group.
At the heart of the hotel’s metamorphosis is an elevated food experience. For example, its REIGN restaurant has private dining rooms where its traditional afternoon teas include a Royal Champagne experience.
Montreal
Book clients who want a true rock star experience into the 17th floor John Lennon and Yoko Ono Suite at Montreal’s Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth.
This is where The Beatles legend and his wife famously staged a week-long Bed-in for Peace in 1969, getting up only to record the now timeless (and festive) Give Peace a Chance with visiting celebrity friends. A 2017 renovation of the hotel included refurbishing the suite with a 1960s theme inspired by the couple’s life and their work promoting peace.
Opened this summer, the Humaniti Montréal boutique hotel – a Marriott Autograph Collection property – is described as Montreal’s first-ever ‘Live-Well’ hotel, offering a tranquil sanctuary and ultimate luxury and featuring the ultra-chic 1,200 sq ft Hero Suite.
Ready to celebrate in style its 110th anniversary in 2022, the Ritz-Carlton is offering an exclusive Royal Experience stay from C$6,000 per night in its Royal Suite. The deal includes a C$2,000 food and beverage credit per night valid at its restaurants and for in-room dining.
Would-be sailors can charter the Ohana yacht for a three-hour private sailing tuition experience in the heart of the city.
Alternatively, take to the air with Helicraft for a private fly-over of Montréal before landing at the Trois Tilleuls restaurant for a three-course dinner. Or enjoy a Thermal Experience before arriving at the lake-side Balnea Spa for a four-hour spa session after an aerial city tour, returning to Montréal via flying over the Eastern Townships.
Halifax
Guests at the new opulent waterfront Muir, another Marriott Autograph Collection hotel opening in December 2021, can really push the boat out by sailing on the hotel’s 36-ft yacht, Little Wing, or getting an adrenalin rush on Reach, its 24-foot motorboat. Its chauffeur-driven hybrid Range Rover is also available for guests.
The Watch, Muir’s top-end suite, features a private tasting room with ocean views.
Book it with... Prestige Holidays A luxury package with Heathrow-Vancouver British Airways Club World flights, four nights in a Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel Fairmont Gold Corner Suite, private Vancouver sightseeing tour, helicopter flights to Sonora Resort with a five-night, fully-inclusive stay in the Presidential Suite and private transfers, start from £12,602pp (twin share), departing May 22, 2022. Upgrade to the Chairman’s Suite at the Fairmont Pacific Rim for £26,222pp.
