Archive for the ‘Koko Montreal’ Category

Fun on New Year’s Eve is back!

December 27th, 2010

Gambler, bootlegger or masquerader? Whatever your vice, OPUS Hotels invites you to ring in the New Year with all the good cheer and optimism of a champagne-soaked cheerleader.

One Hundred Days
Vancouver’s hit pop-up restaurant won’t be around next New Year’s Eve, so enjoy it while you can. Get a head start with the early seating from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. and enjoy a three-course meal and NYE cocktail for just $35. Or raise the stakes with a High Roller ticket for $150 from 9:00 p.m. to  midnight, including canapés, champagne and dessert bar, and an open bar (degree of restraint required: limit two bevies at a time). After midnight it’s $20 at the door. (more…)

An interview with Robert Bailey, OPUS Hotels’ interior designer

September 24th, 2010

Back in 2001, while OPUS Vancouver was under construction, we used to sneak away from the cramped opening offices to see how the hotel was evolving, and were always surprised and excited by what we saw. That surprise and excitement continues to this day, thanks in part to the talents of Robert Bailey, OPUS Hotels’ interior designer. On the heels of the launch of the hotel’s refreshed suites and “pop-up” restaurant One Hundred Days, I thought it was high time we heard from the source.

Tell us about the fresh new look of the suites at OPUS Vancouver.
My intention was to build on the success of the original décor schemes, and turn up the volume. We kept the saturated colour, brightening and updating it. I have always loved the work of decorators from the 70’s like David Hicks.  Their use of colour and pattern was so pervasive; it actually expands space rather than breaking it up. With this thesis in mind we kept the palette very monochromatic, but mixed numerous patterns for an eclectic (more residential) effect.  Although the rooms are timely, the play of pattern and saturated colour brings warmth and a sense of history.

In 2001, your design team conceived five fictional characters as muses for the hotel’s lifestyle-inspired décor schemes. They have since taken on a life of their own. How relevant are the characters today?
The muses were never supposed to leave the design studio. They were created to provide answers to our questions, like “what colour is this room and why?” The muses gave us guests in a world of possibilities. They also allowed us to step out of the generic hospitality box, and create more soulful spaces. With the room refresh we revisited them. In doing so, we asked, “Who are they now?” and “Who is our guest now?” I hope we have evolved with them.

 

High drama: one of the newly refreshed penthouse suites at OPUS

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Summer in Montreal: moi, j’adore

April 5th, 2010

Montreal’s summer festival season is fast approaching, a time of year when the locals take their joie de vivre to the streets. The city’s enthusiasm for arts, music and spectacle makes for a spirited and enriching summer, with back-to-back events featuring live music, street performers, comedy, sports and cinema.

I experienced festival season in 2008, after I relocated from Vancouver as Opus Montreal’s temporary resident manager. It didn’t take long to realize that my tight-assed anglophone persona needed some adjustment. Shortly after arriving, I was entertaining a group of locals on the terrace of Koko Restaurant + Bar. It was a Tuesday night, and I was hoping for an early-morning workout before work the next day. Around midnight, our waiter swung by to offer more wine, and I declined, assuming my guests would agree it was the sensible thing to do. Pas du tout. I was unanimously overruled, and the party continued until the wee hours of the morning. (more…)

See you on the flipside

December 21st, 2007

December 28 will be my last day at Opus. And wow, what an amazing six years it’s been. For those not interested in hearing me get all sentimental, feel free to fast-forward to previous posts about misbehaving guests, mini-bar sex toys, and makeup-smearing drag queens. For the rest of you, kindly allow me a moment.

There’s one major reason why I’ve come to this place every day for six years, the same reason it’s so hard to leave: the staff. Never before have I worked with such a talented team of dedicated professionals. It’s been a privilege to work with them every day. I’ve learned so much and, most importantly, I’ve had a blast along the way.

I’m proud to be leaving Opus while it leads the boutique hotel market in service, financial performance and reputation. Opus Vancouver is once again named on of the World’s Best 500 Hotels in the January 2008 issue of Travel + Leisure magazine. How has a little independent hotel achieved such success? Great location, style, and quality, yes, but more than anything it’s all about the people.

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