Goodbye Santa, hello Cupid! February 14th is just around the corner and the arrows are already starting to fly.  We see it every year, millions of couples panicking and stressing in search of the perfect way to express their devotion.   Some choose the boring and predictable “go-to” box of chocolates ….but come on!?  Then, there are those who go to the other extreme, like giving a Rolex, or a shiny new BMW.    Don’t get me wrong, I would personally be very happy to receive either (hint), but just feel it’s a tad out there.   So, what is the perfect answer?   This is where I plug my hotel….Well, OPUS Vancouver is here to the rescue!  This year we have hired CUPID, to assist the frantic and calmly assist individuals looking to plan an amazing romantic experience.   When you book our “Exclusively Yours” package,  CUPID takes care of everything.  He’ll frame your favorite photo and place it in your room with a personal hand written note from you all before you arrive.  Don’t worry CUPID is discreet, and keeps the romance real.   Happy Valentines day to all and remember in the end it’s the thought that truly counts.

Exclusively Yours Package starts at $295, and includes:

• Deluxe king guest room
• Sparkling wine welcome beverage at check-in
• 375ml bottle of Veuve Clicquot delivered to guest room
• Your choice of ½ dozen red roses or a fresh orchid
• Handwritten note and framed photo of your choice

Connect with Cupid Concierge year round:  cupid@opushotel.com

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!

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.

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!”

We recently took a trip to Oregon State, and brought along our beloved puppy dog, Molly.  She is a well loved dog, to the extent that I feel she clearly ranks above me in every category at home, including who is the king of the castle a.k.a house.  We took a week to enjoy the fantastic beaches and outdoors that the Oregon Coast has to offer, which is a prefect road trip to have with your furry friend. The challenges though began early as we prepared for our vacation, starting with where to stay.  It’s interesting to see how most motels/cottages/hotels didn’t pay a lot of attention to marketing or communicating to prospective guests their pet friendly initiatives.  Coming from a neighborhood in downtown Vancouver called Yaletown; where I see most dogs wearing collars that are worth more than my watch, you get the feeling that dog owners are a great market to tap into.  On the contrary, there were the properties that I really got a kick out of that did market themselves as “Pet Friendly”, but upon closer review they weren’t that friendly… One property charged $25/night to have your dog cozy in with you.  Hmmm… so an extra cost of $175 to bring along the little flea bag puppy for a week.   In the end we found a cozy hotel that suited our needs and accepted dogs, albeit with a flat $25 fee, which was much more reasonable.

All of that said, I have started to reconsider our Pet Program here at OPUS Vancouver.  Are we too generous in what we currently offer? We currently do not charge any fee, even though we dedicate extra cleaning to the room, like steam cleaning the carpet.  As well we provide  the guest with a doggie toy and treat, along with a copy of Modern Dog magazine, a must read for any doggie owner.  I looked to Molly to help me with some direction and guidance, which I usually do in important business matters, and those big puppy eyes told me there was no way I could charge for Mans Best Friend, or maybe just a little…

Yes, the entire world knows that our hearts were broken when our beloved Vancouver Canucks lost in Game 7 in a hard fight for the Stanley Cup, but unfortunately our hearts were broken even further by the horrible rioting and delinquent behaviour that took  place in our beautiful city. It will take a long time for us to heal, and for the world to forget, but the immense support and love coming out from Vancouverites has been, well, very inspiring.  The spirit and pride of Vancouver is coming out in full colors, especially in recognizing the heroic efforts of the Emergency Personnel who kept us safe. They all played a crucial role, the Fire Department, the Medical Response Teams and especially the Vancouver Police Department.  They say an image is worth a thousand words, how true it is when you see photos capturing the outpouring of messages of thanks and gratitude being displayed on boarded up store front windows, to sticky notes being placed on police cruisers.  It was an amazing playoff run that we cheered our Canucks on; and now, we need to cheer each other on as we rebuild our spirit and love for this wonderful city.

Blue and Green Fever!

Unless you have been living under a rock or live in a country that doesn’t eat, breath, and sleep for ice hockey, then you will undoubtedly be aware that our local NHL team, the Vancouver Canucks, are in the Stanley Cup Finals.  To place some perspective on the impact that this has had on the city, it is like the Gold Medal hockey game during the 2010 Winter Olympics being played on repeat.

Therefore, OPUS Vancouver, wanted to harness the hockey enthusiasm on property, and we thought it best to empower the staff to show their “true colors”…in blue and green! So for every game day we outfitted our front office staff, in Canucks gear, trying to get that perfect Canuck chic look (i.e..No baggy jerseys, but not skin tight).  We didn’t stop there, we thought, why not change our welcome beverage for guests checking in to be the colour of blue? My suggestion of Grey Goose on the rocks with blue coloured ice was not received well by the rest of the Executive Team.  The main thing is the overwhelmingly positive guest reactions allowing them to catch some of that blue and green fever.

One of the benefits to working at a smaller independent hotel, like OPUS Vancouver means that there is no Corporate Office telling you yes or no, or that you can’t be different.  Hotels all around the world try to work hard at staying fresh and unique, and one way you can do that is through changing your staff’s uniforms. Now, we may have opened the doors to  Pandora’s box for future staff requests to wear different uniforms to celebrate other sporting events perhaps like a UFC match… , but until those challenges present themselves, all I can say is GO NUCKS GO!

A very good friend once told me “An abandoned blog is like a frayed carpet in the hotel lobby – it speaks of apathy and neglect and is off-putting when stumbled upon.” It is a great analogy, which crystallizes the importance of staying fresh and current in the fast paced world of on-line management and social media.

So here it goes…

Hi, my name is Nicholas Gandossi, I am the General Manager of OPUS Vancouver, and blogger-in-training. My predecessor, Daniel Craig, was an extremely gifted child who was born with a pen in his hand, and a natural personality as a hotel General Manager. I on the other hand, was born with ridiculously good looks, charismatic leadership qualities, a strong work ethic, and a thirst for new experiences.

Therefore, I am officially throwing my hat into the ring of on-line blogging, offering an insiders perspective and into the glamorous and not so glamorous life of a hotel GM. The intent of our blog is not for me to become witty and famous, (ok perhaps a little), but more importantly to provide a behind the scenes look at the world of hotels, OPUS style.  I pledge to not subliminally sell OPUS Vancouver to you, (uniquely stylish and always fresh), but instead provide some interesting and captivating snapshots of how we roll here at the hotel.

I look forward to hearing from our guests, potential guests, and from people in general who are curious about this ever changing and crazy world we call the Hotel Industry!

For two hours beginning at 8:30 PM on Saturday, March 26, OPUS Hotel Vancouver will join world icons like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and Rome’s Coliseum in shutting lights off to commemorate Earth Hour.

Around the world, people and businesses will turn off lights and come together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all share in common. No, I don’t mean death, taxes, and Justin Bieber. I mean our planet.

Organized by WWF, Earth Hour started just four years ago, in Sydney, Australia, and has since become the biggest grassroots environmental movement in history, with 128 countries and territories participating last year. This year participants are urged to go “beyond the hour”: to think about what else we can do to preserve the planet after the lights go back on.

On the heels of the devastation of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Earth Hour seems particularly poignant this year. At OPUS the tragedy feels especially close to home. Our own Haruko Motoyama, national sales director, was born in Japan and all her family lives there.

“I learned about the earthquake when my Mom called me on Skype from Yokohama,” says Haruko. “We spent the next three hours talking. There were constant aftershocks, and Mom kept hiding under the table. During the following days there were blackouts and the phone networks were down, so I kept up to date through Twitter.”

Fortunately, Haruko’s family is safe. But fear of another earthquake and radiation exposure prompted her parents and two sisters, one three months pregnant, to fly to Vancouver. “When they arrived they had a hard time adjusting to still ground,” Haruko says. “In Japan the earth was trembling every half hour or so.”

Haruko says she’s touched by how the international community has rallied in support of Japan. “Small things make a difference,” she says, “like Shaw Cable offering the Japanese news channel for free and phone companies offering free long distance calls to Japan. It shows that we truly are a global community.”

At OPUS we like to think that every hour is Earth Hour—except for the turning off all the lights part, which could get inconvenient for guests. When it comes to environmental-friendly hotel practices we were early adopters. So it’s only natural that we’re all about Earth Hour.

On Saturday night it’ll be lights out at the front desk, in the lobby, bar, and restaurant, and on the hotel’s exterior. Guests will be encouraged to participate, and guestrooms will be supplied with flashlights, which they can keep for $5, with all proceeds going to the Japan Relief Fund.

And who says Earth Hour can’t be a bit sexy? Dinner and drinks will be by candlelight in OPUS Bar and One Hundred Nights, where a special “Going Beyond the Hour” three-course menu will be available for $45. Throughout the hotel, 15% of food revenue will be donated to the Japan Relief Fund.

For more information about Earth Hour and how you can contribute, click here.

No video for Billy yet—he doesn’t do suites, so he’ll have to wait until rooms are refreshed. Just so he doesn’t feel left out, we included an image of him doing what he does best: just being.

DEDE:

MIKE:

SUSAN:

PIERRE:

BILLY: