WESTERN AUSTRALIA – I’m driving north along the lonely, quiet coast of Western Australia. I’m supposed to check into my hotel in the town of Kalbarri at 5 p.m. and it’s already dangerouly close to that. My schedule says I should motor on, but there’s a particular quality of light in the sky. I see a sign that points the way to a coastal section of Kalbarri National Park, and decide the schedule can go to hell. I drive down a winding road towards the setting sun and pull into looks like the closest parking lot. I quickly make my Read more
Ritz Carlton
Eight Canadian hotels have been honoured with five-star ratings from the Forbes Travel Guide, and four are in Toronto. Two Canadian hotel spas also were awarded five-star ratings. Forbes today announced five-star ratings for The Ritz-Carlton Toronto, The Four Seasons Toronto, The Shangri-La Toronto and the Hazelton Hotel in the city’s Yorkville district. The Four Seasons Toronto spa also got a five-star spa rating. In Vancouver, five-star ratings went to the Shangri-La, The Fairmont Pacific Rim and the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The Four Seasons Montreal was the lone entry for Quebec, although the hotel spa also received five stars. The Read more
Canadian hotels are in the beginning of a “dramatic turnaround,” says Don Cleary, the president of Marriott Hotels Canada. I sat down with Cleary at the Ritz Carlton hotel in downtown Toronto today to talk about everything from the travel rebound to hotel renovations and labour shortages. We’re not back to early 2019 times just yet, but he says there’s definitely progress being made. “We’re beginning to see some encouraging signs,” Cleary said. “We are not out of the woods at all, but the last three to four weeks have been a dramatic turnaround. It’s like a light switch was Read more
I love a hotel that provides a real sense of occasion. The Ritz Carlton San Francisco does that in spades. The minute you pull up to the front doors you’ll be thoroughly impressed by the architecture. The hotel occupies a brilliant, white, neo-classical building on Nob Hill that was built in 1909 as the Pacific Coast headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. It’s got character galore, including magnificent columns that march across the front of the building and tremendous detail in every corner and facade, not to mention nook and cranny. But that’s just the exterior. The lobby is Read more
Great local explorations. Fantastic food. And one of North America’s best hotels. The new “Off the Eaten Track” program is being offered exclusively for guests of the Ritz-Carlton Toronto features four distinct programs to help visitors truly engage with locals and learn about the Toronto food scene on an up close and personal basis. The programs are being offered with the help of Culinary Adventure Co., one of Canada’s top food tour companies. “It’s all about giving guests a personal experience,” said Kevin Durkee of Culinary Adventure Co., a long-time foodie who learned to cook at a young age. “We Read more
