Archive for the ‘Opus Bar’ Category

OPUS Hotels Take Lead as Canada’s Premiere Boutique Brand

November 16th, 2011
OPUS recognized by readers of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine

OPUS Hotels recognized as Best in the World by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine

It’s time to say “bye-bye” to big hotel chains and their long lobby lineups and “hello!” to the friendly service of boutique hotels. Readers of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine have done just that.

OPUS Hotels was recently recognized amongst the world’s hospitality elite as “Best in the World” and “Best in Business Travel” by readers of Condé Nast Traveler. In fact, OPUS Hotels was the only boutique brand included on the Best in Business Travel list which has us feeling very thankful considering that travelers have a lot of choices.

Year after year, OPUS Hotels is widely recognized as best of the best by esteemed outlets including Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and Forbes Traveler. OPUS Hotels, for consecutive years, has even been included in the Presenters’ Gift Baskets at the Academy Awards.

As General Manager of OPUS Vancouver, I am extremely proud to share these achievements with our Team.

So what sets OPUS Hotels apart in a crowded market?

Without giving away all of OPUS’ fabulous secrets, here are the top 5 reasons savvy business travelers crave a dose of OPUS while on the road:

  1. Complimentary Welcome Beverage
    After a long day of traveling and being assaulted by frisky airport security agents, it’s nice to unwind with a drink. That’s why OPUS Hotels offers every guest a refreshing welcome cocktail at check-in (something airport security could consider before those invasive pat-downs).
  2. Residential Ambience
    Something to read other than the room service book? A custom music selection to rock out to in the shower? Rooms at OPUS Hotels are unlike any other. Inspired by five fictional guests, each room has its own personality, from modern and minimalist to artful and eclectic. Rooms are complete with a unique selection of artwork, books, magazines and music.
  3. Luxury BMW Downtown Chauffeur Car Service
    Time is money. Jet-setting business guests don’t like to wait in taxi queues, nor do they care for chatty cabbies blasting foreign radio. That’s why OPUS Vancouver and Montreal offer all guests complimentary downtown drop-offs in the hotels’ luxurious BMWs. So whether guests are attending a button-down business meeting, or simply popping off for some late night Chinese – OPUS makes sure they arrive in style.  
  4. Whimsical Service
    After a long day at the office, guests return to a sensory wonderland in their rooms. From freshly turned down bed linens and cool water carafes to relaxing mood music and retro candy bedtime treats, getting into bed with OPUS is an unforgettable experience.
  5. Award Winning Bars & Restaurants
    The Zagat rated, award winning bars and restaurants at OPUS Hotels are sought-after destinations themselves. No visit to Vancouver is complete without meeting over drinks at OPUS Bar or enjoying a taste of La Dolce Vita at OPUS’ Cento Notti Pop-Up Restaurant. OPUS Montreal’s KOKO Restaurant + Bar is the city’s premier dining and nightlife hotspot, and was recently included on Condé Nast’s Hot List, Hot Nights List. Hint, hint – a perfect venue to entertain discerning business associates and clients.

OPUS Bar hosts The Global Party

September 23rd, 2011

Party around the globe, OPUS Hotels style!

This past Thursday, September 15, OPUS Bar was one of 80 venues across the world, to be selected and invited into an exclusive membership to, well party… I mean really party. The event tagged as The “Global Party”  and hosted by the hottest bars, clubs and lounges across the world, from Paris to London, to New York to LA.  Yes, a prestigious list to be included in for international cities. There were only 3 locations in Canada chosen, along with Vancouver there was Toronto and our friends up in Whistler. The evening was a showcase of everything luxury from the VIP Land Rovers used as Chauffuer Service, to the Perrier Jouët Penthouses to the Grey Goose lounge in OPUS Bar. I even pulled out my best “James Bond” black and white classic suit, as we all love to play dress-up sometimes.  The crowd was a great mix of the who’s who of Vancouver, from the media to Vancouver socialites to sports personalities like our beloved goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks, Roberto Luongo. The night went quickly for all, as the champagne flowed freely… and the delicious canapés were devoured by everyone, to provide that needed sustenance to continue well into the night .  Near the end of the evening, one of the guests at the event approached me and asked what the main “theme” or “purpose” of the event was.  After taking a long sip of my Grey Goose, which was perfectly chilled, I replied  “To Party!”

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…)

Smile (or scowl), you’re on camera

August 24th, 2010

A recent story on CBC Television about the public restrooms at OPUS has ignited a firestorm of controversy that could only take place in the age of social media. Last week, Elisabeth Everett reported that while celebrating her sister’s birthday in OPUS Bar she was shocked to discover that men could observe her via video monitors mounted over the urinals in the restroom.

To date, over 300 comments have been posted to the CBC’s website. Many express anger and outrage, mostly related to the mistaken belief that the cameras point into the bathroom. Others get the setup but still feel it’s an invasion of privacy. Some wonder what the big deal is.

At OPUS, we lean toward the latter. The cameras have been there since 2002, part of the lounge’s playful “see and be seen” theme, and until now have elicited little more than bemused smiles. Three cameras feed into monitors mounted over the urinals in the men’s room and over the vanity in the ladies’ room. The system is closed-circuit, the footage not recorded or broadcast. The 5-inch monitors emit a grainy, bird’s eye view of the lounge – certainly not optimum conditions for leering at patrons. A far more alluring view is offered by the floor-to-ceiling windows in OPUS Bar. (more…)

Arabian Nights: OPUS Bar’s 8th Annual Street Party

August 3rd, 2010

On Friday, July 30 OPUS kicked off a very festive long weekend in Vancouver with the 8th Annual OPUS Bar Street Party, themed “Arabian Nights”. In addition to following through with the hotel’s annual commitment to getting VIPs and regulars liquored up with sponsored cocktails, OPUS continued its five-year, $50,000 commitment to UNICEF when owner John deC. Evans presented a cheque for $10,0000.

To get sweeping footage of the event, I had planned to suspend GM Nicholas Gandossi by rope from the rooftop Cirque-du-Soleil-style, but when he caught wind of my plans he “forgot” to bring his camera. So I had to improvise from the ground with my pocket camera. Blame the videography on the Hendrick’s-infused cucumber cocktails (yum).

For party pics and buzz visit OPUS on Facebook.

Together at Last

December 30th, 2006


It’s December 29 and I’m feeling sorry for myself because for weeks now, while friends and colleagues in the industry have been stumbling from one holiday party to another in a boozy haze, I’ve never been busier. While they’ve been Christmas shopping during work hours, I’ve been shopping for a director of food & beverage. And while they’ve been inventing all sorts of excuses for coming in late and leaving early, I’ve been coming in early and leaving late. You get the idea. I’m bitter.

I was whining about this to my Mom over dinner last night, likely boring her to tears, and she basically told me to get over myself. Did I think being a general manager would be a walk in the park? I really hate it when she’s right. Problem is, I’ve never been fully convinced I want to be a hotel manager. Right now folding sweaters at the Gap or greeting at Walmart is sounding pretty appealing. I’ve always been in the hotel industry a bit grudgingly, convinced that another career is out there for me, one with more pay, less hours and frequent trips to Tahiti. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. LOVE IT. But would I want to be a general manager anywhere but Opus? Probably not.

Normally things settle down for me this time of year and I’m one of those irritating people drifting around in a boozy haze. But recently my job got a lot bigger. I’ve assumed responsibility for Elixir and Opus Bar. When Opus opened four years ago the hotel and the restaurant/lounge were set up as separate companies, and I joined the hotel side. The ownership wanted to avoid the dreaded curse of hotel restaurants: bad food, inflated prices and poor financial performance that sucks the life out of the more profitable rooms division. So Elixir was given its own identity, its own entrance and a brasserie concept that contrasted with the hotel’s contemporary style. Things have worked out well for the most part, and Elixir and Opus Bar are popular with locals and guests alike. But there have been internal challenges and problems with consistency. For me it’s been frustrating not to have control over food and beverage, but at the same time it’s allowed me to focus all my attention on the hotel. All that will change now that we’re one big family.

When Elixir staff first heard I was getting involved they were nervous. I guess someone told them about my days as a waiter in Toronto when I was in my early twenties. I had two waiter jobs, one in a fine-dining restaurant and the other in a nightclub on ladies’ nights. My specialty was spilling drinks, usually on people, like the cold glass of milk I dumped down an elderly woman’s back and all over her fur coat. She screamed so loud everyone ran over to look. I was so embarrassed and apologetic that she felt sorry for me and gave me an enormous tip. At the nightclub I didn’t fare as well with spills. The ladies wanted my scrawny butt out of the way so they could see the big, buff strippers. Now that Elixir staff know I won’t be waiting on tables, they’re very supportive of the change.

Present position excluded, serving tables is the most stressful job I’ve ever had. Anyone who scrimps on the tip after receiving good service should be forced to spend a day as a server. I still have a recurring nightmare in which I have a section full of hungry, angry guests and the kitchen is totally backed up. It’s like those university dreams where you show up for an exam and realize you never attended class. (Other people have those dreams too, right? It’s not just me?)

Once I get a director of food and beverage in place the workload should ease up. I’m really excited about working with our management team to provide a seamlessly brilliant experience in Elixir, Opus Bar and Opus Hotel in 2007. Stay tuned, and swing by.

One last note. Condé Nast Traveler’s 2007 Gold List is out and once again Opus has been recognized as one of the top hotels in the world. What’s also cool is the write-up tells readers to “check out the general manager’s irreverent blog”. Thanks for the plug, CNT.

Wishing all of you a very happy new year! Hope to see you at Opus soon.