The people at Michelin are famous for their restaurant reviews, which have been going on for decades. They got into the hotel review business a few years ago, and now put out a yearly ranking of the best places to stay around the world. The highest ranking is three keys, followed by two and then one. Even one key represents a place with everything you would want in a hotel. The 2026 hotel guide for Canada lists 42 properties in Canada; almost exclusively but not entirely in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. I wish there was more geographic variety, Read more
best hotels in Vancouver
MSN Travel has an excellent story on its website that shows off some of the best small towns and cities of Europe. The story lists a smaller city or village in all 46 member countries, so you’ll find something in all your favourite destinations, including Italy, France, England, Portugal and Croatia. I must admit there are several I’d never heard of but look fabulous, such as Dinant, Belgium, Vianden, Luxembourg and Castle Combe in the delightful Cotswolds area of England, where I spent some time a few years ago. Others I know (Colmar, France, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland and Atrani, Italy, as Read more
Fancy hotel rooms don’t necessarily equate with luxury. A new Vrbo/Harris poll of some 1,700 travellers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia finds that travellers place greater value on the consistent delivery of the fundamentals. In an increasingly competitive market, mastering the basics can be more important to travellers than offering additional amenities or elaborate in-home experiences. The poll asked for travel opinions for people who have stayed in a vacation rental and found that 86% would pay more for a place to stay that had a higher-quality listing. Respondents made it overwhelmingly clear that quality is not Read more
The first game of the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver will be played on Saturday, June 13, with Australia matched up against Türkiye. Vancouver might be the most beautiful city on earth in terms of the proximity of towering mountains and the ocean. I’m from San Francisco, but I’d say Vancouver is even more striking. Cape Town is nice, and Sydney, too, but the combination of open water and snow-capped mountains give Vancouver the edge. I’ve been a good 10 to 15 times and have probably spent a couple months of my life in the city, including a month for Read more
A pair of luxury hotels in Toronto and New York City are the newest properties to receive the AAA Diamond Program’s highest designation. The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto and Waldorf Astoria in New York City have earned AAA Five Diamonds for their stunning surroundings, thoughtful amenities, and unparalleled service, the Canadian Automobile Association and the American Automobile Association announced. I haven’t been to the recently renovated Waldorf in Manhattan, but I’ve stayed at the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto’s trendy Yorkville district a couple of times, and dined there on several occasions. It’s an elegant property that definitely worthy of Five-Diamond Read more
