Personalized Accomodations
The Opus Hotel in Vancouver adds a little bit of glamour up North

By Chris Rubin, Brentwood Magazine - August, 2003

A hotel with personality: That's one of the things I enjoy most when I travel. And personality is definitely what I found at Opus Hotel in Vancouver. Five of them, in fact: Susan, a fashion analyst who indulges her toes in Manolo Blahniks; Mike, a New York doctor who drives a Saab; Los Angeles method actor Dede; and Bob and Carol, dot-commers from the Bay Area who are into the outdoors and jazz standards.

Here's the twist: None of these people were in the hotel when I was there. In fact, they're imaginary, the hotel's ideal guests for whom the room types were created and named. Décor ranges from the muted palate of colors in Dr. Mike's rooms to Dede's mix of leopard skin and other sensual coverings in the beach bungalow-influenced rooms that carry her name.

But it's fact, not fiction, that the 97-room Opus, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, lures real - and celebrated - personalities with a capital “P”: Jennifer Lopez, Anna Paquin, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos are just a few of the celebrity set who are reported to have stayed here, and REM lead singer Michael Stipe was at the reception desk as I was checking in.

Opus opened late last year in Yaletown, a newly trendy area filled with boutiques, restaurants, and nightlife where once there were only warehouses. The area began its transformation back in the '80s, but the process stalled several times, in step with the faltering economy. Now, though, there's no question that its 12 square blocks are hot. Because Yaletown's been designated a Heritage area, no changes are allowed to the buildings' exteriors, so it maintains its distinctive industrial look. But elevated stretches that once served as loading docks now welcome freight of a different kind: customers and sidewalk tables.

Yaletown provides the perfect location for the visitor who enjoys the outdoors. Though Opus' fitness room is tiny, the hotel sits so close to areas for biking, jogging, walking, and boating that only a curmudgeon would complain. I was out the door early each morning, stopping for a quick espresso and a muffin at Café O, just off the lobby and up Davie Street to the water. Paths for walkers, bladers, and bikers stretch into the distance in both directions, a total of nine miles of waterfront seawall.

Vancouver is famous for its restaurants, nightlife, and shopping. Recommended spots in Yaletown and beyond include West for its contemporary regional cuisine, Sandbar for freshly caught local seafood, Circolo for fine Italian cooking, and Opus' own Elixir, a brasserie-style bar and restaurant with an extensive wine list. Hits among wines from the nearby Okanagan Valley include impressive pinot noirs from Blue Mountain and Quail's Gate and a buttery chardonnay form Mission Hill.

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