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

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.

The Yin and Yang of Yaletown

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. (more…)

With glowing hearts: a post-Olympics wrap-up

The Olympics come to a city only once in a lifetime, and Vancouver was lucky to enjoy a perfect confluence of spring-like weather, an unexpected surge in patriotism and enough gold medals for Canada to break the world record.

About 250,000 people visited the city during the Games, and judging by the herds that streamed past Opus day and night, every one of them made it into Yaletown. The hotel was a hotbed of activity, enjoying a full house of awesome guests from Alberta to Australia.

The hotel kicked festivities off early with the Podium Party on February 9 co-hosted by Tourism Vancouver. Among the media personalities, celebrities and athletes in attendance were Olympic gold medal pairs figure skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier and gold medal rowers Jake Wetzel and Ben Rutledge. Making a rare appearance were the fictional characters that inspired Opus Hotel’s lifestyle décor schemes—Mike, Billy, Susan and Pierre—who performed slice-of-life scenes to showcase our stylish guestrooms. (In typical fashion, diva Dede was a no-show).

Gold medalist Jake Wetzel tests bounciness of Opus beds with 24 Hours reporter Michael Schratter and virtual resident Billy

(more…)

The Day the Earth Stood Still

For the residents, businesses and visitors to Yaletown who have endured construction of the Canada Line underground rapid transit station these past three years, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, it’s a speeding train—a Canada Line train. Whether it will flatten us with a railcar of problems—traffic, parking, security—or will transport our neighbourhood to a new level of cosmopolitanism remains to be seen.

Life and Times of a Bar Promoter

I can’t recall if Dan mentioned this in a previous blog, but this winter we (as in ‘we, the hotel management’) took over management of Elixir restaurant and Opus Bar. To date, it’s been a lot of work. My previous restaurant experience was comprised simply of eating in them. Occasionally critiquing them. But certainly never promoting them. That all changed a couple of months ago.

Some of my new responsibilities have closely mirrored that which I already do on the hotel side, but no one ever told me about the serious business of bar promotion. You see, while one part of the job is the very civilized marketing of the fabulous French-inspired cuisine of our Chef Don Letendre the other is frankly all consuming: creating more buzz for Opus Bar. Since opening five years ago, it’s been Vancouver’s hot spot. But, it’s a competitive market, and Vancouverites can be a fickle bunch. In the last year alone Vancouver has witnessed the emergence of a half dozen hot new lounges. But Opus Bar has a cache no other venue in town can offer: it’s resides within Opus Hotel. There’s something aspirational about sipping a martini in the bar –if you can’t stay at Opus, you can certainly always drink at Opus. Anyhow. In my quest to keep the lounge buzzing every weekend, I’ve had to break out of my ‘early to bed’ habits and start living la vida loca as a bar promoter.

My first foray into club-land involved the aptly named Tall Paul. Heard of him? If you’ve danced ‘til dawn in London or Ibiza, the answer is an emphatic yes. If, like me, the last time you shook your groove thang was to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’, the chances are less likely. He is one of the world’s hottest DJs, and he comes by his name honestly: he’s over 6 foot 7. In town to play a crowd of over 3000 in Whistler, we snagged him for a hush hush VIP invite-only event at Opus. With under a week to promote the event, we sent out hundreds of e-vites and text messages (who actually prints invitations nowadays?) not knowing whether we’d have 20 or 2000 responses. I confess I was anxious at featuring a DJ who’s used to playing outdoor venues for up to 20 000 semi-lucid ravers in our 1000 square foot lounge. Wearing my ‘hotel hat’ I worried about how our hotel guests might react. Throughout the night I kept approaching the DJ stand like a school dance monitor asking (OK, shouting) ‘could you please keep the bass to a dull roar’? At 9pm doors opened and a crowd of two stampeded in. Hm. Where were the hordes of beautiful people? I started to panic. Would this be my first and last event? Should have know better…Fashionably late, crowds started to pour in by 10. Murphy’s Law, the liquor inspectors also chose to drop in that night. Us, over capacity? Never. The night was a big success: three DJ’s including the headline act, line ups down the street, a steady flow of Grey Goose and Moet, and throngs of fabulous people with smiles on their faces. One event down…many more to go. In the three weeks since, we’ve held a launch for Rickards Original White Beer and a Grey Goose themed “Joie de Vivre” party (featuring DJ Mlle. Fleur de Lys and the Burlesque Beauties), next week we’re throwing a Champagne party to launch our Thursday “Bubble Lounge” concept. Next month we’ll welcome another celebrity DJ, and host another party. My beauty sleep is diminishing, but hey, liquor sales are up!

The coup de grace this summer will be our Fifth Annual Summer Street Party. Over 500 invitees join us on the street outside of Opus for the city’s largest private street party. This year’s theme is Out of Africa, complete with throbbing drum circles, electric African bands, and fire eaters. If you want to be there, you’ll have to snag a spot on our invite list.

To say this role requires versatility is a mild understatement. It demands the capacity to engage in strategic planning with high level execs to chasing down errant 20-something nose-ringed DJs. I was joking in a café with someone the other day about my new job as Bar Promoter Extraordinaire. A snappily dressed guy in front of me turned around and asked if I was the new promoter he’d heard about in Yaletown. He was the head of a chain of hot bars and wanted to talk to me if I was. While I couldn’t have looked less the part in my conservative suit and heels, I’m clearly learning to talk the lingo. I guess if things don’t work out for me in the luxury hotel industry, I can always pursue my newfound promoting career.

Food and Beverage: the Cream In My Coffee

In our relentless pursuit of world domination, right on the heels of assuming control of Elixir and Opus Bar, last week Opus management took control of Café O. Until now, this sunny northeast corner of the building was leased to a third party. It’s earned a reputation for making a mean cup of coffee, but one of the baristas was, well, kind of mean. A tad overzealous in his love for coffee, he has chased guests out of the café for being so barbaric as to ask for – gasp – cream with their coffee. His passion was admirable, but his service tactics didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the hotel.

Vancouverites can be funny about coffee. “I’ve never seen so much coffee in all my life,” Bette Midler once commented during a performance in Vancouver. “The whole town is on a caffeine jag, and still nothing gets done any faster.” I myself love coffee, but I’m far from a purist. Afraid to confess that I too like a bit of cream in my coffee, I used to bypass Café O and skulk over to Starbucks. Now I can simply pop upstairs without fear of reprisal.

We had less than two weeks to organize the seamless transfer of Café O into our hands, with no downtime in between. Admittedly, I was not thrilled at the prospect of taking over a coffee shop while still consumed by new responsibilities in the restaurant and lounge. I secretly feared we wouldn’t be able to recruit staff in time for opening and I’d be pulling shifts behind the counter. Imagine a barista who secretly wonders what’s really so bad about instant coffee.

It’s times like this when I really appreciate the value of great staff. Over the years we’ve assembled a crack team at Opus. I respect each employee so much I could spend hours raving about them, but I’d never want to single one out over another. Amazingly, quite a few of us have been here since day one and are celebrating our fifth anniversary this year. The occasional live one gets away, but our goal is to “trade up” – to find an even better replacement. In taking over management of Elixir and Opus Bar we snagged three big fish: Leonard, an outstanding director of food & beverage; Michael, a highly experienced restaurant manager; and Annabel, a respected local publicist. Working with existing talent, these individuals will no doubt bring great things to Opus.

Okay, okay, I know I’m being really boring. But allow me a sentimental moment and I promise to return to wedding day relocates, make-up smearing drag queens and celebrity meltdowns on my next post.

On its first day of operation Thursday, Café O pulled in a staggering $83 in revenue. Why waste everyone’s time when there are much greater returns in other departments? Because every department at Opus, large and small, is a critical part of the experience.

Next time you’re in Yaletown I invite you to swing by Café O, Elixir or Opus Bar to check us out. Now that we manage every inch of this building I guarantee you’ll experience even better service, a renewed optimism among staff and a sense of warmth and freshness everywhere. And if you want cream in your coffee, it’s totally okay by us.

Together at Last

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.

Holiday Havoc

Dan’s swamped this week (with his never-ending, glamourous holiday parties) and asked if I could write the blog. Mais oui, I said, I love writing the Director of Sales and Marketing’s blog. I’ve got Christmas tunes streaming through my computer, an eggnog latte by my side, and am dreaming of my three week holiday to Thailand – yippee! Oh right, I’m here to write. Focus.

‘Twas two weeks before Christmas, and holiday fever has hit the hotel. Stylish cranberry wreaths have been hung with care, in hopes that more revelers soon will stay/eat/drink here. Our guests are nestled in their Frette linen beds, with visions of (guess this one depends, but I’ll wager…) Beemers and Veuve dancing in their heads. Client lunches have been scheduled in Outlook calendars and post-work cocktails planned with colleagues after. The sales staff and I had just settled down to a flurry of card writing and gift box wrapping, when arose such a clatter I jumped up from my computer to see what was the matter. [Run on sentence, but this rhyming stuff is tough.] The Grey Goose minis and long-stemmed martini glasses were still lined up awaiting distribution to the masses. (Thank god those weren’t broken). But what to my horrified eyes did appear were cookie shards scattered both far and near. (Guess I’ll be asking the kitchen to bake a few dozen more “for our clients”. Ahem, not like they’re being eaten by staff). I think this is a far as I can take my poem. Anyone still reading?

The unofficial kickoff of the holiday season is the annual Tourism Vancouver Christmas lunch. Hordes of enthusiastic hospitality types flowed into the elegant Hotel Vancouver last Thursday ready to eat, drink, drink some more and be very, very merry. Chestnuts roasted, carolers caroled, turkeys basted (how DO they turn out 100 plus turkeys at once), and wine flowed. After some ‘networking’ (i.e. swapping industry gossip) came the requisite team photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Yet again this year, I landed on his knee – well hovered uncomfortably above as the pictures will attest (note the tight smile). There’s just something faintly lurid about sitting in Santa’s lap in one’s mid-thirties while sporting stilettos and a skirt. Finally, several hundred famished and red-faced party-goers settled down to the tunes of Dal Richards, and awaited their table’s turkey (the Tourism Nanaimo bunch next to us were particularly lively). Lunch culminated in enormous fanfare with the annual ‘Parade of Hats’. A not-so-dignified procession of hapless (usually new) employees cha-cha-cha’d their way around the ballroom in front of respected peers in gaudy chef hats featuring blinking Christmas lights, steaming dry ice, festooned with glittering ornaments and garlands, felt antlers, toy trains, company logos – literally, whatever. If you’re wondering which of us donned the hat, you should know that hell-would-freeze-over before any Opus employee would lap a room wearing a Leaning-Tower of Pisa inspired Christmas chapeau. Simply. Not. Stylish. At least not until Donatella agrees to design one.

Opus really shines in its own special way during the holiday season. Lights are twinkling throughout Elixir; purple and pink synthetic trees adorn Opus Bar; and silver disco-themed Christmas balls hang from the ceiling. Guests arrive laden with parcels from their shopping excursion or linger over a late afternoon glass of champagne in the lounge. There’s a general feeling of anticipation (or is that panic?) in the air. Christmas is only 2 weeks away.

From everyone at Opus to all our loyal readers, we wish you Happy Holidays. Stay tuned for the first story of 2007 early in January.

Posts Tagged ‘Yaletown’

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

The Yin and Yang of Yaletown

With glowing hearts: a post-Olympics wrap-up

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Life and Times of a Bar Promoter

Food and Beverage: the Cream In My Coffee

Together at Last

Holiday Havoc

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