A grand, new look for Toronto’s grand dame of hotels. The Fairmont Royal York celebrated its 90th birthday yesterday and also unveiled a sleek, sexy and very much updated look that no doubt will give the hotel a huge lift. Surrounded by employees, guests, and members of the community, hotel officials unveiled its transformed lobby, designed by Rockwell Group, and the new lobby bar, called CLOCKWORK in honour of the jazzy new clock; a meeting place for Torontonians for nearly a century. Hundreds of people crowded the famed lobby for the celebrations, which were inaugurated with entertainment from Big Smoke Read more
Canada
Canada has a new, heart-felt tourism slogan. The new slogan, “For Glowing Hearts,” was officially unveiled this week at Destination Canada’s Rendez-vous Canada event in Toronto, an annual tourism extravaganza that brings together thousands of sellers, buyers and media folks to celebrate Canadian tourism – and book new visits to bolster our economy. Destination Canada, the national tourism marketing agency, has tapped into what it means to be Canadian and evolved its brand to inspire even more international travellers to visit Canada. The tagline For Glowing Hearts, which was inspired by the national anthem, and a distinctive heart-shaped logo, rooted Read more
This is encouraging. The Canadian government today issued a new tourism strategy that talks about new ways of getting more tourists out of the big cities and into other great areas of this wonderful country of ours. They also want to boost numbers in slower seasons, when hotels, attractions and restaurants could surely use the boost. I want to see how the funding develops, but the mere fact a federal Cabinet minister is actually talking about new funding for tourism is great news, as that’s seldom been the case in this country in my experience. Canada’s tourism numbers grew 1.2% Read more
TORONTO – There are plenty of hotels in Toronto with spiffy rooms. And there are lots with smiling front-desk folks. And a number with great food either at the restaurant or immediately adjacent. I could name a half-dozen city hotels that have those qualities in spades. But there aren’t many where the mere act of walking in the door gives you a lift and makes you think, “Okay, I’ve arrived. This is something special. This is something cool.” That’s the feeling I get when I walk into the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto, which features a large, airy lobby and a glittery Read more
