USA & CANADA

New family offer at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa’s new ‘Ultimate Maui Family Vacation Offer’ is perfect for families looking to experience authentic Hawaii together. Priced from US$1,360 for two adults, the offer includes: daily breakfast buffet at Swan Court; daily lunch in ‘Umalu per person, including drinks; daily dinner in ‘Umalu, Japengo or Son’z Steakhouse with custom menus (reservations required); Hertz Full-Size Car daily rental (pickup/drop off at Kahului Airport); one ticket per person to Drums of the Pacific Luau; one ticket per person to the Tour of the Stars activity; daybed reservation for one day; daily self-parking; and daily resort fee.

The offer must be booked at least 21 days in advance, and can be cancelled 21 days prior to 11:59 p.m. local time the day of arrival. A credit card deposit is required upon booking as well as arrival flight information. There is a fee per additional guest and a six-night minimum. hyatt.com

Bellagio to fully transform Spa Tower guestrooms

Bellagio in Las Vegas has unveiled plans for a US$110 million transformation of all rooms and suites within its luxurious Spa Tower. Encompassing 819 guestrooms and 104 suites, the renovation is slated for completion in October 2023, with the first collection of rooms available for guest stays beginning in July. The renovated rooms will feature Italian light fixtures, custom TV armoires and vanities and curvilinear sofas. Upon completion, the Spa Tower guestrooms will mirror the Bellagio Tower’s recently redesigned rooms. In 2024, resort-wide guestroom enhancements will culminate with the redesign of the Bellagio Tower’s 400 suites. mgmresorts.com

Canopy by Hilton makes Canada debut in Toronto

Canopy by Hilton has officially arrived in Canada with the opening of Canopy by Hilton Toronto Yorkville. The 184-room boutique hotel opened its doors on Feb. 16, 2023 with a sleek indoor pool, a fitness centre featuring local street art, and 3,500 square feet of meeting space. Designed by Studio Munge, the property also boasts two on-site dining options: Día, which offers Roman-style pizza and a signature wine program as part of Canopy’s bespoke evening tastings, and Virtu Café & Provisions, featuring locally-inspired dishes. hilton.com

New ‘edutainment’ experience lands at Kennedy Space Center

Snoopy and other Peanuts characters have landed at the Universe Theater sponsored by Northrop Grumman at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The beloved characters are starring in ‘All Systems Are Go!’, an immersive experience featuring puppetry, lights and sounds where guests assist with the next NASA mission

– Artemis. From training for the mission to testing the Orion spacecraft, this 20-minute adventure is full of education and imagination.

Just 45 minutes from Orlando, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens daily at 9 a.m. The new two-day ticket, which can be used for up to six months from purchase and averages to a cost of less than US$45 per day, is now available for $89 per adult and $79 per child. Single-day admission is $75 per adult and $65 per child.

KennedySpaceCenter.com

Air Canada has the most nonstop flights to the USA

Air Canada is making it easier than ever for travellers to explore the USA this summer. The airline offers 400 daily flights a day between Canada and the United States, with more nonstop flights to the most U.S. destinations than any other carrier. Air Canada’s partnership with United Airlines allows for easy connections to cities from coast to coast, including two new routes for summer 2023 with a United-operated flight between Washington-Dulles and Calgary, and an Air Canada-operated flight between Washington-Dulles and Vancouver.

With the addition of flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport, which began back in March 2023, Air Canada now offers service into all three of New York City’s major airports (LaGuardia, Newark and JFK). Also new for summer 2023 is yearround service between Toronto and Sacramento starting June 1, in addition to a number of transborder flight resumptions including VancouverAustin, Montreal-Nashville, TorontoSalt Lake City and Toronto-Portland. aircanada.com

Element and Le Méridien team up for new dualproperty in Utah

Element Hotels and Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts have opened Le Méridien Salt Lake City Downtown and Elements Salt Lake City Downtown in Utah. The dual-branded property marks the first Le Méridien in Utah, and the first hotel with an expansive rooftop bar in the city. Le Méridien Salt Lake City Downtown features 144 rooms and suites with floor-toceiling windows, while Element Salt Lake City Downtown offers 126 sustainable rooms and suites with fully-equipped kitchens and spa-like bathrooms. marriott.com

IHG debuts first Vignette Collection hotel in the Americas

IHG Hotels & Resorts has debuted the Vignette Collection – the newest brand in its Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio – in the Americas with the opening of Yours Truly DC. Nestled within Dupont Circle, the 355-room Yours Truly, like all Vignette Collection hotels, was inspired by a ‘bohemian-meets brutalist’ style, with velvety furniture, colourful styling and artwork by national and local artists. At El Donut Shoppe, located off the hotel’s lobby, guests can borrow rare records to spin on their in-room turntable. They can also indulge in South American cuisine at Mercy Me restaurant and bar, and enjoy exclusive offers and perks from neighbouring small businesses via the Yours Truly Small Business Collective. Additional hotel amenities include a modern barber shop, a gym and 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

vignettecollectionhotels.com

Stay protected with Manulife when travelling in Canada

Travel insurance is a must nowadays, even when travelling within Canada. Under the Canada Health Act, the national health insurance program is designed to ensure that “all residents of Canada have reasonable access to medically necessary hospital and physician services on a prepaid basis.” But each province and territory has its own rules about insurance coverage, which means Canadians may have to pay for costs not included in their own provincial or territorial coverage.

Private health insurance plans can cover health services not included in provincial or territorial plans. The Manulife Global Canada Medical Plan, for example, offers benefits of up to $5 million to cover expenses for: emergency treatment; paramedical services; ambulance transportation; emergency dental treatment; emergency medical evacuation home; additional expenses for meals and hotel; return home of vehicle; hospital allowance; child care; and more. manulife.ca

Vogue Hôtel Montréal, Curio Collection by Hilton opens doors

Artifact Group has announced the opening of the completely reimagined Vogue Hôtel Montréal, Curio Collection by Hilton following a multi-million-dollar transformation. Nestled in the heart of Montreal’s Golden Square Mile, the hotel –the first Curio Collection by Hilton property in Canada – features a new two-storey glass and steel façade that allows light to pour into the main level and mezzanine, as well as a new Japanese restaurant, YAMA, that offers a curated Sake menu and refined Latin-influenced Pan-Asian cuisine.

hilton.com

Porter to offer yearround service between YOW and YYG

Porter Airlines has confirmed plans to fly year round between Ottawa and Charlottetown. The direct service begins with 11 weekly flights before increasing to 14 weekly roundtrips during the summer peak season. As of Oct. 29, 2023, the route will increase to daily through the winter. With the service, Porter now flies to all Atlantic provinces for the first time. flyporter.com

Four Seasons Hotel Boston adds touch of whimsy to redesign

Four Seasons Hotel Boston has reopened its doors following a dramatic redesign of its arrival area, lobby and porte cochere. Years in the making, the hotel’s transformation draws inspiration from the elegant homes of neighbouring Beacon Hill and Back Bay. Guests are now greeted in a black-and-white-tiled entry court before entering a lobby complete with a mural of swan boats gliding under a foot bridge. Upon closer inspection, one swan is holding a key, a clue to a hidden mystery closet next to the front desk. Upon their arrival, young guests are handed a ‘kids-only’ key to the closet where they can select their own toys for an enchanting beginning to their stay.

Other highlights of the redesign include Coterie, a new lounge and restaurant open daily for dinner (with lunch to follow soon), the Library where guests can select from the bookshelves and enjoy a classic cocktail, and Aujourd’hui, a second-floor breakfast and lunch restaurant with its hallmark floor-to-ceiling windows that frame Boston’s Public Garden. fourseasons.com/boston