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With a ceremonial unlocking of the front door at 11 a.m. Pacific Standard
Time on January 24, 2009, General Manager Stephen Darling officially
opened Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. It is the first hotel in North
America for the Asian-based luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts,
and its 60th hotel worldwide.
In attendance were the 190 men and women who will bring Shangri-La�s
renowned Asian hospitality to life in North America. Among them,
the Shangri-La �Tigers,� a group of young hoteliers placed in positions
at the group�s properties throughout Asia on training programs ranging
from two months to two-and-a-half years, who are now leading the hotel�s
staff in delivering Shangri-La�s distinctive style of service.
Throughout their stay, guests will experience the touches and technology
that define this �next generation� hotel. A calming sensory experience
using light and sound will welcome guests; candlelight flickers along a
back wall and natural light streams into a small bamboo garden while wind
chimes, crickets and rustling grass provide soft background sounds.
The traditional front desk has been eliminated and each guest is met individually
and escorted to their room for private in-room check-in with Shangri-La
welcome tea. Purpose-built for Shangri-La, the hotel�s technology
system is intuitive, responding easily to human touch � from proximity
cards for guestroom access to a single remote control for the entire in-room
entertainment system, which includes a 46 inch flat screen TV.
Within the hotel, guests will be in the care of service professionals
from around the world, among them a team of guest hospitality ambassadors
who transition seamlessly throughout the hotel, playing many roles rather
than serving in a fixed position. With one of the highest staff to
guest room ratios in North America, personalized service will be a hallmark
of Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver.
Distinct among the facilities and services of the 119-room hotel will
be guestrooms that average 52 square meters (550 square feet) � among the
largest in Canada; CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, the group�s signature spa
brand; MARKET by Jean-Georges, the first restaurant in Canada for three-star
Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten; and intimate meeting space that
includes the first private hotel screening room in Vancouver. Luxury
finishings include d�Porthault linens in each guestroom, B&B Italia
furniture in rooms and public spaces, Dedon outdoor furniture on guestroom
balconies, crystal chandeliers commissioned from Italy and art chosen to
suit each space occupied.
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Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver
(under construction)
1128 Georgia Street West
Vancouver, BC V6E 0A8, Canada
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Three design firms have come together to create a destination that integrates
British Columbia�s west coast style and Shangri-La�s Asian heritage.
Areas flow and transition from light and airy to dark and dramatic � from
the hotel�s lobby with three-story windows, sandstone floors and walls
with Asian tables and vases to CHI with its low lighting, earth tones and
teak and maple wood accented by handcrafted art pieces from Nepal.
Set in Vancouver�s downtown core at the intersection of West Georgia
and Thurlow Street, the hotel occupies the first 15 floors of a new 61-story
landmark building, a multi-purpose complex built to LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) Silver building standards, incorporating
innovative residential living, high-end retail shopping, signature restaurants
and an outdoor public art space curated by the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Vancouver-based Peterson Investment Group and Westbank Projects Corp.
have jointly developed Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. Together, Westbank
and Peterson Group have developed or have under construction more than
USD5 billion in projects representing approximately 1.39 million square
meters (15 million square feet) of residential, retail, office and mixed-use
projects. Their notable Vancouver icons include Living Shangri-La*,
Shaw Tower and adjoining estates and the development of the legendary Woodward�s
property; in Toronto, Living Shangri-La, Toronto, which follows the Vancouver
model and will include Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto, is scheduled to open
in 2012.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or
manages 60 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms
inventory of over 28,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe
properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La
hotels are located in Australia, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan,
Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The group has over 50 projects
under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Japan,
Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Kingdom
and the United States. For more information or reservations, please
contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.
*The Living Shangri-La Residences are owned and being developed, offered
and sold by Peterson Investment Group and Westbank Projects Corp.
Neither Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited, Shangri-La Hotels
and Resorts nor any of their affiliated companies, nor their respective
officers, directors, agents or employees, are the owners, sellers, brokers,
developers, issuers, underwriters or offerors of the Living Shangri-La
Residences and nor are any of them an affiliate, partner, sales representative
or agent of Peterson Investment Group or Westbank Projects Corp. |