It’s done!  Our very own BC Lions are the 2011 Grey Cup Champions! For our friends south of the 49th parallel, the Grey Cup is the equivalent to the Super Bowl with a heavy dose of Canadian beer, spirit… For Vancouver, it meant a lot. It meant increased sales for restaurants and hotels, a chance for the city to shine, and for the local fans to celebrate. The energy and enthusiasm was clearly felt at OPUS Vancouver, as we benefited from being located within a 5 minute walk from the epicentre of the action, the newly refurbished BC Place Stadium. I loved every minute of the festivities, which thankfully did not include torching police cars or looting local stores. No instead, I was consumed with pride for being a Canadian, a Lions fan, a Vancouverite!

Woah. Just hacked into this blog. Now what?

Well … first, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Vinnie. Couple weeks ago, I broke into the restaurant formerly known as Elixir at OPUS Vancouver. See, they shut down for renos, but renos don’t start ‘til January, so guess what? I’m squatting. Hundred days of free rent. Sweet.

Soon as I got in, I had to make the place my own. All that brass and velvet, those tired Toulouse-Lautrec knock-offs? Gone. Kept the video monitors in the bathrooms though. I like to watch the ladies in OPUS Bar while drainin’ the main vein, know what I mean?

Next I painted those nasty yellow walls white and made ‘em my canvas. Some might call me a squatter, I call myself a graffiti artiste. I’ve defaced some of Vancouver’s fugliest monuments, and now I’m sprayin’ my territory here. Think murals, lots, always changing.

Thing is, not only am I insanely gifted as an artiste, I make a kick-ass burger too. So I thought, why not invite a few buddies over, cook up some eats, showcase my art, right? Suddenly, there’s a friggin’ lineup at the door. I call the joint 100 Days, ‘cause that’s all the time I have before the tool-belt brigade arrives and I get the boot.

Come check it out. Apologies in advance, though, it’s not a fancy place. Think raw, urban, industrial: plastic chairs, picnic tables, paint splatters, the occasional ladies’ shoe lying around (not tellin’, sorry). Plus cocktails and tunes from my buddy the DJ.

Keep it on the down-low though, ‘kay? Dudes who manage the hotel think I work in maintenance. A bit clueless if you ask me, but whatever.

Don’t be a slacker – don’t have much time left. And don’t be bringing no dirtbags or Tea Party folks, ya hear? This is a respectable establishment. Oh yeah, if you’re staying in the hotel, ask for me at the door, I’ll give you priority access. After all, you’re paying, I’m not. Heh heh.

Gotta blast. Guy who writes this blog, the James Bond wannabe? I think he’s on to me. Lucky he ain’t too bright. Least not judging by what I been reading here.

Later … Vinnie the Artiste

Catch 100 Days on Facebook and Twitter. See 100 Days website.

Photo Credit: Richard Wolak – Vancouver Foodster

Having lived and worked in Yaletown for over a decade, I’ve grown so attached to the lifestyle here that whenever I’m obliged to leave, I feel a nosebleed coming on. Fortunately, my neighbourhood has it all, and rarely do I have to venture beyond. For guests of OPUS, I thought I’d share a few of my summertime faves.

About Yaletown

Yaletown’s origins date back to the late 1800s, when the Roundhouse station was built as the turnaround point for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Today, former warehouses have been converted into chic loft-style residences, boutiques, office space and restaurants. The distinctive red brick walls and exposed beams have been beautifully preserved, and the raised docks and cantilevered awnings have become pedestrian walkways and patio shelters. Surrounding the heritage core are glass residential towers and the False Creek inlet.

Yaletown is a place of contrasts. One of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods, it’s also one of its newest. The lifestyle here is ultra-urban, with a decidedly resort feel. It’s a place for hedonism and healthful living, for superficial whims and quiet reflection. It’s hyper-caffeinated, yet laid back. And it’s safe, clean and modest, yet noisy, chaotic and a tad pretentious. In essence, it’s a mass of contradictions living in relative harmony. Which is probably why we get along so well.

Eating & Drinking

In recent years, chain restaurants have taken over Yaletown; for a truly authentic experience, try the independents. In summertime the patios are teeming; take a walk along Hamilton or Mainland streets and choose one that grabs you, then don the shades and watch the fashionable people and their fashionable dogs parade by.

For casual seafood, try Rodney’s Oyster House, where the friendly waiters fill your wineglass to the brim. A trip to Vancouver is incomplete without sampling its superb Japanese food, and for that I recommend the homegrown Hapa Izakaya. For Mexican fare, you won’t find any sombreros or plastic cacti at Salsa y Agave, but you will find authentic, inexpensive dishes like savory Aztec soup and crispy tostados.

If someone else is paying, I go to Cioppino’s for sublime Mediterranean cuisine or to Blue Water Café to suck back oysters and Grey Goose. If I’m paying, I go to Cactus Club, where the crowd is pretty and the menu is presided over by celeb chef Rob Feenie. For brunch, it’s worth the wait for the patio at Provence, where the menu hasn’t changed much in years, and that’s a good thing. Start with a basket of orgasmic pastries and move on to the seafood spaghettini. Or head to the always-busy Glowbal, where the beignets are warm and the Caesars are spicy.

For after-dinner cocktails, head to George or the rooftop patio at The Keg. There’s only one place for dancing in Yaletown, Bar None, a former horse stable that feels more like a zoo on busy nights. If you’re going to be a drunken yahoo, head up to Granville Street. I’m a light sleeper.

No problem finding a café in Yaletown: walk twenty steps in any direction and you’ve arrived. For a taste of France, try the delectable pastries at Boulangerie la Parisienne, where, in true Vancouver fashion, the food is French, the coffee is Italian-style and the counter staff are Japanese.

Shopping

The shops in Yaletown still retain their fierce independence, which means lots of unique offerings. And by unique I mean expensive. For men’s casual clothing I like Brooklyn Clothing, which promises “no stretchy designer trousers or sheer, sparkly blouses”. (I go to Vegas for my New Year’s outfits). At Basquiat you’ll find designer clothing for men and women and frequent sales. If you just can’t resist dressing up your dog, check out Barking Babies for designer dogware.

Furniture? Go to Design House and Ital Interiors. For gourmet food at extravagant prices, Urban Fare is Yaletown’s answer to Whole Foods. From feather hats at Fine Finds to Moroccan poufs at The Cross to yellow convertibles at MINI Yaletown, plus books, art, cigars, flowers, gadgets and great BC wine, you can find anything in Yaletown. Grab a coffee, stroll and browse. You can offset your indulgences at my all-time favourite boutique: the Dollar Store.

Pampering

There a reason why Yaletown denizens looks so good. In two square blocks there are approximately 17,000 hair salons, 204 dental clinics and 97 spas. My favourite spas are Spruce Body Lab, which proves that getting a facial doesn’t have to be an emasculating experience, and Skoah, where staff provide personal training for your skin. For grooming products, the boys go to Masc and the girls to Beauty Mark. For a pre-party blow-dry and styling, check out Blo (tagline: “Blo me dry”) or go to Bombay Brown Bar for those all-essential Indian-style eyebrows.

Activities

In Yaletown you’re never more than a few minutes from the seawall, where you can bike, walk, run or blade for miles without ever having to stop for traffic – though you might knock down a pedestrian or two. On sunny days, David Lam Park is like a beach hangout … minus the sand and Guidos in Speedos.

On a rainy day, you might find me doing sun salutations at Y Yoga, where the instructors nourish the mind, body and spirit without getting too inner chakra on you. For a full-body workout with the posers there’s World Gym. Or exercise your creative side at Raw Canvas, where you can get all liquored up and then paint your take-home masterpiece in the art studio.

Getting around

Construction of Yaletown’s Canada Line rapid transit station made our lives miserable for years, but now that it’s open all is forgiven. The system whisks visitors from the airport to OPUS in twenty-two minutes and downtown in three minutes. Or catch an Aquabus from the foot of Davie Street to Sunset Beach or Granville Island and enjoy spectacular views of the City of Glass by water. That involves leaving Yaletown and risking a nosebleed, however – proceed with caution.

Naturally, the hub of all this activity is OPUS Hotel, where a visit to Yaletown is not complete without cocktails in OPUS Bar, steak frites in Elixir, and an espresso in Café O. Guests of OPUS enjoy exclusive offers at select Yaletown businesses via OPUS Perks.

For more info, visit the Lifestyle Concierge, Yaletown BIA or Tourism Vancouver. Enjoy exploring your yin and yang in Yaletown.

Questions or more tips? Share them here.

A recent story about a hotel housekeeper in Miami who found in $6,000 in cash in a guestroom got me to thinking about items guests leave behind. As travelers, we’ve all experienced that sensation upon arriving at the airport that our luggage feels pleasantly lighter – only to realize we left half our belongings in the closet of our hotel room.

Curious, I decided to pay a visit to OPUS hotel’s housekeeping department to see what was kicking around Lost and Found. There I found boxes and boxes of guest belongings. Most of it looked like junk abandoned by guests, but hotels undertake too many frantic dumpster dives to make assumptions about what guests may or may not deem as valuable.

While I was perusing the log book, a group of housekeeping staff filed in after their shift, and one of them deposited an item on the desk before me.

“A bra?” I asked, staring. It was one big bra.

“Happens all the time,” said Alejandro, one of the housemen.

“Usually it’s men’s underwear,” said Mila, making a face.

I asked what other things guests leave behind. They listed off everything from the trivial – toiletries, toothbrushes, CDs, adapters – to the treasured – jewelry, laptops, iPods, passports, USB sticks, clothing and prescriptions. One guest left behind an $800 bottle of Crystal champagne. It might have made for a fun staff party had he not picked it up – two years later.

“Socks,” said Alejandro. “Lots of socks.” Next time you can’t find a sock, don’t blame the washing machine. You probably left it in your hotel room.

“Cell phone chargers!” Marifel exclaimed, leading me to a box teeming with every imaginable type of charger.

“Everything but money,” Maria said, with a sigh.

Sex toys are another popular leave-behind, probably because they’re hidden out of sight, in a drawer or under the bed. “Do guests ever call looking for them?” I asked.

“Oh no, never. They’re too embarrassed.”

We don’t call them either. Leaving a message with their secretary might be a bit awkward.

If items left behind in hotel rooms are an indication of what travelers are up to on the road, partners and spouses have good reason to be nervous. Recorded in the log book I found a whip, pornographic material, a nurse’s uniform, a wig, a stethoscope and narcotics. Then again, I also found business books, language tapes and a Bible.

Years ago, when I worked on the front desk of a hotel, a guest left behind a blow-up doll. The doll hung around the back office for weeks and became like an employee, sitting in on meetings spread-eagle in her chair, her red lips shaped into a permanent look of surprise. One day she just disappeared. I think she grew tired of all the jokes.

A few years ago at Opus, I found a bag of marijuana stashed on a ledge in the stairwell. I alerted the operations manager, Nicholas, and while passing a spliff back and – er, I mean after flushing it – we speculated on which staff member it belonged to. Recently, it occurred to me it might have belonged to a guest, after I read an interview with rocker Ryan Adams. Speaking about the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, he said, “I used to hide my pot in the ventilator shaft for every time I returned, with a few Xanax for coming down from the boozing. It was always there, as they never dusted the place. Not so anymore.” Hotels are always happy to hold on to extra baggage for frequent guests, but our hospitality ends with illegal activities.

Speaking of which, a friend of mine used to manage a swank hotel in Los Angeles, and one day a female guest came to the front desk to ask for access to another guest’s in-room safe. When she was informed that only the registered guest could be granted access, she gave a sinister retort: “Oh, he won’t ever be back!” The next day, management opened the safe and found $200,000 in cash stuffed inside. They notified the police, who confiscated it – to the disappointment of the housekeeper, no doubt. Typically, hotels hold on to an item for three to six months and then dispose of it, donate it to charity, or allow employees to keep it.

What should you do if you leave something behind in a hotel? Call Lost and Found immediately, and pray that it hasn’t been sold on the black market – a new revenue stream for hotels during the recession (kidding). If they can’t find it, be patient and persistent; sometimes items are temporarily misplaced, but eventually they should show up. The hotel will arrange to mail it back to you.

As for that housekeeper in Miami, she turned the money in, and people were so taken by her honesty and dire personal circumstances that she received donations amounting to far more than the money she found. Let her story be a friendly reminder: If you’re going to leave anything behind in a hotel room, a modest tip for the room attendant will be most gratefully received.

Have you lost or found something unusual in a hotel room? Tell us here.

My comments prompted a minor outcry, though notably not from hotel managers but from third-party web marketers, who were quick to point out the benefits of blogs to search engine optimization. Last year, a Hubspot survey reported that small businesses with a blog receive 55% more website traffic and 97% more inbound links than small businesses without a blog.

If anyone understands the value of a hotel blog, I do. It was four years ago this month that I started this blog as the General Manager’s Blog, a first in the industry. Our then-director of marketing, Katrina, came up with the idea, and I’m still mad at her. Nevertheless, I tackled my first posts with zeal, writing in a breezy style that suggested I had banged them out between check-ins. In fact, a great deal of effort went into making them sound effortless.

From the outset I promised to give an insider’s look at the hotel business and to “leave out the boring parts”. As the manager of an independent contemporary hotel, I could get away with being a bit edgy; writing things other hotel managers think but don’t dare say. I covered taboo subjects like relocating, construction and guest complaints. I debated the pros and cons of offering sex toys in the mini-bar. And I vented about a challenging weekend in which a guest received a stream of “nieces” to his room and a drag queen gave her room a makeover … with her makeup.

In many ways, hotels are an ideal platform for a blog. We welcome a stream of new guests each day, and they bring with them unique stories, inspiration and, occasionally, drama. But while reporting on guest antics might be great for attracting blog traffic, it can also frighten travelers away. So I’ve had to walk a fine line, providing enough intrigue to appeal to readers while respecting the privacy of guests. With such a narrow scope, I’ve often found myself staring hopelessly at a blank computer screen, feeling increasingly anxious about the other duties I’m neglecting. It’s a lot more fun to swill cocktails with clients in the hotel lounge.

Given the challenges, it’s no surprise that blogs written by hoteliers are still quite rare. Some of the best I’ve seen are published like an online magazine, rich in imagery and content, with enviable resources backing them. Others are simpler, maintained by the owner or manager of a small hotel or inn, with compelling, quirky stories and an intensely personal feel.

Recently, I came across a new blog for a bed-and-breakfast whose author promised to post something every day so as “not to disappoint” her readers. All I could think was good luck. It’s only a matter of time before she resorts to writing about kittens, what she had for breakfast, and why beige is her favourite colour. I try to avoid this fate by blogging infrequently and writing long posts, exploring topics from various angles.

In this age of social media, a blog provides a platform for hotels to engage with guests. But readers rarely leave comments, and I’m often convinced that no one is listening—and that if anyone is listening, they think I’m a moron. Then, just as I’m sinking into total despair, I’ll receive a gushing comment about how great my blog is … only to realize it’s spam from a timeshare in Goa. Travelers tend to be more active in sharing content on Facebook, Twitter and, of course, TripAdvisor and other online travel communities.

What readers probably don’t know about the OPUS blog is that it’s frequently quoted and republished across the web, has been lauded by publications from Condé Nast Traveler to USA Today, and is followed by travelers, hotel employees and students around the world.

At the end of 2007, I left OPUS to focus on writing. My successor as general manager, Nicholas, a clever fellow, opted to delegate the blog to Katrina. Suddenly Katrina wasn’t so thrilled about her brilliant idea. Rechristening it OPUS Hotels’ Blog, she explored meaningful issues like hotels and the environment and healthful drinking. Needless to say, readership plummeted. (Okay, I’m kidding.) In 2008, I returned as interim resident manager of OPUS Montreal and have been maintaining the blog since, along with working on various other projects.

There’s no question, a blog can be great for SEO and can give personality to a hotel, helping to distinguish it from other hotels. If a property has the skills and commitment for the long haul, I say go for it; we need more hoteliers in the blogosphere. If not, the hotel’s scarce resources might be better channeled elsewhere.

Why does OPUS persist? The blog has become a part of our culture, drawing people to our site who might not otherwise find us and giving our guests a flavour of what to expect before they arrive. Looking ahead, we plan to integrate it further into our marketing and social media activities and to bring back some of its original edge. Our marketing director, Chella, tells me I’ve softened of late. Apparently, I was getting dangerously close to writing about kittens.

OPUS Hotels’ Top Ten Most Popular Blog Posts:

1. So You Want to Work in Hotels
2. Is Green the New Black?
3. Hotels in Space
4. Deconstructing the Hotel Mini-Bar
5. SOS from Island Paradise
6. The Tyranny of the Mistreated Traveler
7. What to Do When Things Go Wrong in a Hotel
8. Online Travel Reviewers to Watch Out For
9. Behind the Scenes Before the Winter Olympics
10. The Day the Earth Stood Still

Do you have a favourite travel or hotel blog or blogging tips of your own? Share them here.

A woman – a seemingly rational, articulate, sane woman – contacted me to ask if it would be possible for her to check into a room and, um, give birth in it. She explained that she wanted to have a “natural” childbirth, but needed to be close to a hospital in case something went wrong. She identified every conceivable objection I might have, which she outlined in an email as:

1. Liability
2. Mess
3. Noise/Chaos
4. What if something went wrong?

She addressed each issue in turn, promising to keep screaming down to a minimum and, very considerately I thought, offering to bring her own sheets and towels. She assured me that she had no problem with being rushed to the hospital by ambulance if necessary. “Admittedly,” she said, “that might cause a few stares in the lobby, but this is only the worst case scenario.” She also promised not to wander the halls or public areas. I envisioned her going door to door with her newborn baby, telling guests, “Oh yes, I just had her down the hall in #503.”

She also urged me to think of the great publicity we could get. We could issue a media release like a birth announcement! Now I’m not one to shy away from publicity, but what our sweet, thoughtful mother-to-be hadn’t considered was how the guest who checks into the room after her might feel.

Many couples have told us their babies were conceived at Opus. Some send us baby pictures. One couple even named their daughter after us. That’s Stella May Opus Broom pictured above, daughter of the guitarist with Jann Arden. (Note the logo on her shirt.) But so far, no one (as far as we know) has ever given birth at Opus. We’re a hotel, not a maternity ward, and we’d like to keep it that way.

So, I politely declined, inviting her to stay at Opus for a birthday or anniversary instead.

Without a doubt, hotels can be fascinating places. Things are rarely as calm and dignified in the “back of the house” as they are in the “front of the house”. It’s an ideal setting for a reality TV show. In fact, Opus participated in one a while back called Crash Test Mommy. The premise: harried mother with lots of bratty kids switches lives with childless friend. Mom checks into luxury hotel for weekend of pampering while “friend” checks into her home for weekend of Kids Gone Wild. 

I made a cameo appearance as the obsequious hotel manager in one episode, and my entire belief system was shattered when I discovered that “reality” TV involves a lot more acting than reality. A scene in which I toured the ecstatic mother through her penthouse suite had to be reshot repeatedly because I kept flubbing my lines. After the suite scene, we went back and staged the arrival scene. Due to a staff shortage I had to sub in as the chauffeur. Mom played it up for the camera as we pulled up, oohing and aahing as though it were her first look at Opus and we hadn’t just spent hours filming inside. I accidentally drove the hotel car onto the sidewalk, almost taking out a bellman. That was the end of my reality TV career.

I’d like to say there’s never a dull moment when you’re in charge of a luxury hotel. But, sadly, there are lots of dull moments. But not to worry, in this blog I’ll take Stephen King’s advice to writers: I’ll leave out the boring parts. I’ll focus on daily challenges and rewards of running a hotel, on some of the more unusual situations I’ve encountered, and, yes, on some of my most humiliating experiences. Who knows, I might even dish some dirt. But I’ll always protect the privacy of our guests, which is paramount. Oh, and I promise to be a blogger, not a flogger – I’ll keep Opus propaganda to a minimum. The hotel’s track record speaks for itself.

I hope you enjoy.