04/02/2018 | 02:08 PM

OPENINGS SALES AND RENOS to Feb. 6, 2018

Comfort Dorval Aéroport completes multimillion dollar reno

DORVAL, Que. – The Comfort Inn Dorval Aéroport has recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation designed to offer guests a new level of sophistication with an even better accommodation experience.

The exterior of the building was totally refurbished with a new roof, energy efficient LED lighting and new stone floors in the entryway, flanked by pots of evergreen trees to enhance the guests’ arrival experience. The welcoming interior of the property features an expanded lobby with upgraded furniture, artwork and a large fireplace. A new guest laundry room and a state of the art fitness center round out the offering to help make guests feel comfortable and at home.

“The hotel has undergone a complete renovation and we are very proud of our new look,” says Luis Riomayor, general manager at the Comfort Inn Dorval Aéroport. “The innovative design will enhance both the leisure and business traveller’s experience.”

Owned and operated by Sunray Group of Hotels, the Comfort Inn Dorval Aéroport features 94 newly renovated guestrooms, with complimentary airport transportation, gated parking and upgraded high-speed wireless Internet.  The property also recently launched an expanded complimentary breakfast featuring a variety of hot and cold items including eggs, sausages and waffles. 

Hotel Equities enters Canada to manage two Edmonton Marriotts

ATLANTA — Hotel Equities has entered the Canadian market to oversee two Marriott hotels in Edmonton. The company added its first hotels in Canada after the firm’s executive team recently restructured the organization to support both domestic and international growth. 

The new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Edmonton North and the recently built TownePlace Suites by Marriott Edmonton South are owned by Iliyan Hospitality, Inc.  The owners of Iliyan Hospitality explored several management options and felt Hotel Equities was a great fit due to their strong culture, performance results and brand relationships.

“Hotel Equities’ superb reputation within the industry and their proven success as operators are what caught our attention,” said Zul Damani, owner of Iliyan Hospitality, Inc. “It is profoundly reassuring to know their team has a game plan for the success of our assets.”

“Hotel Equities has a tremendous relationship with Marriott in the United States that is driven by results,” said Joe Reardon, Hotel Equities’ senior vice-president of business development and marketing.  “We’re excited to bring those best-in-class results to Canada and are committed to deploying the necessary resources, infrastructure and support to ensure optimal performance for our Canadian partners both here in Alberta and throughout this wonderful country.

“We are fully committed to embracing opportunities throughout Canada with a regional team composed of hand-picked, experienced specialists from within and outside of our organization,” added Reardon.  “Our brand of management delivers an efficient ramp-up of hotels that achieves success with guests and profitability for the owners and we are thrilled to be selected as a partner in the Canadian market.” 

The Courtney Room to open at Magnolia Hotel & Spa

VICTORIA, B.C. — The opening of the Magnolia Hotel & Spa’s new restaurant, The Courtney Room, later this spring, will provide an exciting addition to Victoria’s dining scene. 

“Old world meets the new world in The Courtney Room, which is opening in our 20th anniversary year,” said Bill Lewis, general manager at Magnolia Hotel & Spa. “Now owned and operated by the hotel team, we can’t wait to reveal the bright, elegant new room, and share chef Sam Harris’ menu, inspired by both land and sea.” 

Chef Harris, who comes from Victoria's Agrius Restaurant, will provide a menu that celebrates Canada’s local and seasonal products with a classic French twist. Chef Harris helped set the bar for Victoria’s flourishing culinary scene when Agrius was listed in enRoute’s 2016 Best New Restaurants top 10 with him at the helm, and he will continue to innovate with a menu that honours local farmers and flavours. The Courtney Room will be open every day and night to provide a genuine welcome to both visitors and locals. 

The team at Magnolia Hotel & Spa once again worked with interior designer Sharon Bortolotto from BBA Design, the firm responsible for the hotel’s guestroom refresh, and is excited to work with the team from Glasfurd and Walker, designers of innovative brands such as The Botanist in Vancouver. 

Taking cues from the old grand dame hotels of Paris, where designer Bortolotto recently spent time, The Courtney Room is a modern dining space in the style of a classic French bistro, with elements of Art Nouveau. High ceilings and bistro style lighting create a casually elegant ambience: focal features include commissioned artwork by Blu Smith in an abstract expressionist style; and a central black granite bar framed between two panelled wood columns with white marble chevron detail.

Downstairs, a classically inspired tiled entrance and chevron patterned wood floor lead to brasserie style velvet banquette seating and the main bar, clad with an elegant gray marble showcasing a custom glass oyster station and illuminated back bar shelves. Upstairs provides an elevated dining experience in a carpeted space with white tablecloths, and a glassed-in wine room. Vintage style lighting, leather touches, brass accents, and bronze beaded curtains add layers of elegance, whilst the smoky grey/blues, taupes and elegant earthen hues continue the feel and flow of the hotel’s colour palette throughout the restaurant. 

Sheraton Maui's $26.5 million guestroom renovation

MAUI, Hawaii – Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa has announced a $26.5 million renovation is underway to transform the resort’s 508 guestrooms and suites. The historic resort, situated on 23 oceanfront acres at iconic Pu‘u Keka‘a (Black Rock) on Ka‘anapali Beach, was the first resort to open in Ka‘anapali in 1963 and celebrated its 55th anniversary on January 23, 2018.

The new guestroom design by AHL, formerly Architects Hawaii Ltd., blends past with present, honouring the history and sense of place found at Pu‘u Keka‘a while modernizing the living and bathroom spaces with timeless furnishings, textiles, decor and artwork. Colours and textures used throughout the resort’s six buildings are inspired by the culture and island landscapes of Maui, Lanai and Molokai.

Three Westins for sale by Cushman & Wakefield

TORONTO — Westin Hotels owned by Starwood Capital Group in Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa are now up for sale, according to Curtis Gallagher, vice-president of hotel investments for Cushman & Wakefield, which is handling the deal.

“They have owned them for over 12 years. Ottawa is doing exceptionally well,” he told Gordon Kent of Post Media in an interview. “Calgary and Edmonton have done well. The market was depressed and it’s starting to turn the corner … With the Ice District and all that, it’s pretty exciting.” The  Ice District’s luxury JW Marriott is expected to open just a few blocks away from the Westin Edmonton next year.

The trio of Westins is considered a "rare portfolio of assets" and together they are expected to fetch between $475-million and $525-million, according to Gallagher.

Cushman & Wakefield also handled Starwood's sale of the Westin Toronto for $350 to $400 million and the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver for $290 million in recent years.  The Westin Ottawa, whichhad $50 million in renovations recently, last changed hands in 2014.