Word of Mouth - Vancouver The ’Hood

Condé Nast US - May, 2003

A former warehouse district turned film-industry haunt, Vancouver's Yaletown has recently produced a spate of A-list hotels, restaurants, and amenities. Opus's 97 guestrooms come in six different styles to suit as many personalities, from straitlaced business traveler to L.A. scenester (604-642-6787; opushotel.com; doubles, $235-$330)

Think of the 97-room Opus, in the heart of trendy Yaletown, as an irrepressible party girl: fun, beautiful, and the center of attention - but with a bit of growing up to do. The lobby scene is set by a flashy, if seen-it-before, décor (Philippe Starck meets mid-century modern, right down to the requisite Jacobsen egg chairs). Well-heeled Vancouverites spill past the lobby bar's blue-velvet rope. Elixir, the brasserie-style restaurant, is equally packed, but consider yourself forewarned: The hubbub is more impressive than the ho-hum food and service. Guest rooms are stylish and comfortable, if a tad undersized. Still, with the most happening part of the city right outside your door, none of the negatives seem to matter. When to go: July, when festivals abound and beaches and outdoor cafés beckon. Which room to book: A top-floor room with a sexy glass-walled shower looking into the bedroom.

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