Posts Tagged ‘montreal hotels’

An Olympian Brings Inspiration

May 12th, 2010

This weekend the sales teams of Opus Hotels in Montreal and Vancouver convened in Vancouver for the first national sales meeting, which I had the privilege of facilitating. It was a formidable group, ranging from grizzled veterans like Vancouver-based sales manager Phil Renaud and general manager Nicholas Gandossi to fresh-faced newbies like Montreal-based sales managers Marc Barmash and Yves Pouliot. Also present were John deC. Evans, Tom Johnston, and Katherine Evans from the ownership group.

Topics included the evolution of the Opus brand, from the opening of Opus Hotel Vancouver in 2002, then considered a risky and audacious undertaking, to the property being named one of the World’s Best 100 Hotels by readers of Condé Nast Traveler in 2005, and on to the opening of Opus Hotel Montreal in 2007. We also discussed the importance of our vibrant restaurant and lounge scene as a key differentiator to other hotels, of our vision of providing the best boutique experience, and of our corporate values of respect, empowerment and innovation. (more…)

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…)