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Daniel Ackland to oversee all food operations at St. Regis Bar & Grill
Located in the historic St. Regis Hotel, the St. Regis Bar & Grill is a favourite downtown stop for lunch, dinner, game night and late-night snacks. The St. Regis Hotel is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Ackland as Executive Chef overseeing all food operations at the Bar & Grill.
Daniel brings a great range of experience to the position having worked in BC kitchens for over 15 years including recent appointments as the opening chef for Tacofino Gastown, Per Se Social Corner, The Blackbird, and as regional chef for Donnelly Group.
"We're very excited to have Daniel join our team", said St. Regis Hotel general manager Jeremy Roncoroni. "He's got a very strong background in menu development and operations and we're sure that our guests are going to enjoy the new dishes and creations which will be added to our menu."
The St. Regis Bar & Grill is a popular venue for parties and private events in The Regis Room, and Daniel will also be tasked with reimagining the menus for group dining. "Daniel has also worked with a broad variety of local growers and suppliers and we're excited for a fresh perspective he will bring to our sourcing and group dining."
To learn more about the historic St. Regis Hotel, visit www.stregishotel.com. To stay up to date with news from the St. Regis Bar & Grill including features, events, and menu updates, follow along on Twitters @stregisbargrill.
Forbes Travel Guides have been offering travelers well-researched, expert advice since 1958 and a "Forbes Recommended" sign means that one of Forbes' anonymous rating team has visited and experienced the hotel.
The St. Regis Hotel is extremely proud to have again been named a Forbes Recommended Hotel for 2016. The award is testament to the hard work and commitment of the entire St. Regis Hotel team to ensuring great welcomes, restful sleeps, and the most complete set of amenities to make every stay memorable.
Click HERE To read the Forbes Travel Guide review.
Winning awards is always pleasing, but we're even more pleased when the award is based upon feedback from the most important judges of all--our guests!
That's why we were so pleased to receive notice of a 2015 Award of Excellence from Booking.com. Our 9.2/10 score was based upon hundreds of guest review during the year and made us one of the Top 10 Hotels in Vancouver. We're incredibly honoured to receive this award and want to send our thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences staying with us by writing a review!
Click HERE To visit our Booking.com page and read the reviews.
This hotel has operated proudly and independently as the St. Regis, welcoming visitors to Vancouver since opening in 1913. That's over a century of hospitality, but in the last 15 years that sharing the same name with a world-famous hotel in New York City has become an occasional source of confusion for visitors, who may mistake us for a hotel in the corporate St. Regis Hotels chain.
We're not. We're proudly independent, we're locally owned, and we're small. And we wouldn't have it any other way.
We love being the St. Regis Hotel, and we've had to stand up for our name. Some time ago, we were sued by the Starwood Group who tried to force us to change our name, but the courts recognized that our long history as the "St. Regis Hotel" in downtown Vancouver gave us the right to keep and use our name.
There are so many things about being a smaller hotel: like being able to get to know every guest's name and being able to make repeat guests feel warmly welcomed every time they return. As a smaller hotel, our management is still connected to the day to day running of our hotel in a way that doesn't happen at big hotels, whether that means helping with luggage, inspecting rooms before check in, or welcoming guests at the front desk. You don't need surveys to know what your guests are thinking when you spend so much time talking to them.
We enjoy being able to react to our guests' needs without worrying about head office, because we're our own head office. When things need to be changed, we change them; when something needs to be replaced, we replace it.
We're sure there are advantages to being part of a big corporate chain, but we're very happy to be able to offer our guests a personal connection and stay on every visit.
Being small has its advantages.
The St. Regis Hotel is pleased to be partnering with LoungeBuddy to offer guests a special thank-you for staying with us.
LoungeBuddy is a new smartphone app which helps travellers find airport lounges to relax, be productive, freshen up, or just get away from it all when they flying. As a special sign-on bonus, the St. Regis Hotel will be offering guests a special $20 off discount code that they can use anytime, whether it's on their way home from Vancouver or on a future trip.
With delays, cancellations, diversions, and misconnects part of the new normal, there are few guarantees in air travel these days. The ability to access airport lounges through LoungeBuddy will help travellers add comfort, relaxation, and productivity to ever trip.
Visit http://www.loungebuddy.com/ for more information and be sure to ask for your gift the next time you stay with us.
We've always been proud to offer superb spa-quality beauty and bath products for to our guests and when it came time to renew the amenities supplier contract this year, it was an ideal opportunity to see if we could even further upgrade our in-room offering.
In looking at products from a number of suppliers, the range from L'Occitane en Provence was the clear choice and well worth the added cost we would incur to place the products in guestrooms. We chose products from L'Occitane's Citrus Verbena collection which uses Italian citrus essential oils with the extract of organic verbena for a luxurious feel that gentle on the body and environment. The in-room offering includes a full range of products like soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion.
Top-quality in-room amenities add an extra level of indulgence to any hotel stay and we're certain our guests will enjoy these spa-quality bath and body products from L'Occitance en Provence.
Click HERE to learn more about the products we now offer.
The St. Regis Hotel is pleased to have again been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificiate of Excellence Award for 2015. This award is especially gratifying as it's based upon the reviews our guests have written after staying with us. To quote TripAdvisor: "TripAdvisor awards a Certificate of Excellence to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers."
Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and such kind words on TripAdvisor. Click HERE to read the latest reviews!
Stay in downtown Vancouver and swing the clubs at any time of year
Playing a round of golf at a new course is one of the most popular things to do while travelling, but for much of the year in Vancouver, courses are closed and swinging the clubs just isn't an option. The St. Regis Hotel is changing all that by launching Vancouver's first ever year-round golf package in partnership with One Under Golf. The Vancouver Urban Golf Experience package combines a stay at the award-winning St. Regis Hotel with a One Under indoor play package that provides a unique, innovative, and social way to swing the clubs on any visit to the city.
With six HD Golf simulators in a restored heritage space in the heart of downtown, One Under is a great place to work on the golf game at any time of year. It's perfect way to meet with clients, organize a get together with friends, or take a break from touring Vancouver.
With the latest in Nike Golf clubs and balls supplied for play, players can leave their gear at home and enjoy the experience, whether it's the first stop in a full night, or the destination in itself. A carefully curated menu of craft beers, handcrafted cocktails, and Italian pizzas, as well as wide screen TVs and lounge area round out the experience.
The St. Regis Hotel is offering two ways to add a One Under visit to a stay. The "Par 3 Urban Golf Experience" which includes two hours of play and a food and beverage credit and a "Par 5 Urban Golf Experience" which adds a credit to dine at the iconic Gotham Steakhouse afterwards.
Par 3 Urban Golf Experience:
Par 5 Urban Golf Experience
Located in the heart of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, the Strathcona Community Centre has been offering recreation, educational and food programs for over 40 years. The St. Regis Hotel has proudly supported the Strathcona Community Centre in a variety of ways in the past and is pleased to announce another program for DTES families.
Over the last two years, the St. Regis Hotel has donated tickets to send groups of families to the gala ice shows at the Pacific Coliseum and this year, the St. Regis Hotel will donate 100 tickets to Marvel Universe LIVE! (June 18-21). The Strathcona families will see all their favourite Marvel Universe LIVE! characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk and many others in a live-action, arena-sized experience.
"We're very pleased to have been able to send so many great and deserving families to see these shows", said Jeremy Roncoroni, GM of the St. Regis. "These shows are the kind of luxury that DTES kids often miss out growing up, and we're sure that those who see Marvel Universe LIVE! will have an exiting and memorable experience."
For more information about the Strathcona Community Centre and the range of programs they offer, visit http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/strathcona-community-centre.aspx.
The 2015 Forbes Travel Guide Awards were released this week and the St. Regis Hotel is proud to again be included in this exclusive list of the best travel destinations in the World. They listed their favourite things about the hotel like this:
"A mix of modern art and contemporary amenities made it easy for us to create a list of the five best things about The St. Regis Hotel:
1. The modern art. When the hotel was overhauled in 2009, the aim was to create a boutique hotel that included heaps of modern art. You'll spot large abstract paintings at the ends of the hallways, hanging next to the reception desk and dotted throughout the property.
2. You can rent an iPad. For $25 a day, you can surf the Internet via an Apple iPad, and with strong wireless throughout the hotel, you can do so from your guest room, the lobby or the business center.
3. The location. If you're coming in from the airport via Vancouver's convenient Skytrain, you'll find a stop is mere steps from the hotel's entrance. You're also in the heart of the city itself, with Pacific Centre Mall just a block away.
4. The heated bathroom floors. It's the little things that put a room over the top, and in this case we were delighted to slide across warm marble floors in The St. Regis Hotel bathrooms.
5. The business center. While plenty of hotel business centers are boring, stuffy affairs with just a lone PC stuck in a corner, the business center at The St. Regis Hotel is vibrant and comfortable. You'll find multiple computers lining the far wall, and several comfy leather armchairs arranged in front of a flat-screen television. The dark walls and recessed lighting make the space feel like a stylish library."
To read the full listing, click HERE.
We are proud to work with Feld Entertainment to send a number of families from the Downtown Eastside to see Disney on Ice during the holiday season. It's a great Christmas tradition and we're pleased to be able to sponsor these families in enjoying a Christmas tradition.
We were very pleased to receive an envelope from the Strathcona Community Centre, who distribute the tickets for us, with a wonderful set of thank-you notes from the families that we thought we would share with a photo!
The Independent, one of the UK's biggest newspapers, returned for a post-Olympics look at Vancouver. We were very proud to have made the shortlist as one of their top 3 hotel choices for the City.
Why not click the article and see their recommendations for a visit to Vancouver--even if it's just for ideas on how to be a tourist in your own city?
Click HERE for the article!
When you compare the standard inclusions chart, it's easy to see why the St. Regis Hotel is Vancouver's best choice for business travellers.
The St. Regis Hotel's industry-leading range of inclusions help visitors make their travel dollars go further than at another hotels. And without having to give up the comforts of award-winning boutique accommodations!
Click HERE to start booking your stay!
The St. Regis Hotel proud to win 2014 Orbitz Best in Stay Award
Orbitz, one of the world's largest online travel agencies, recently announced the winners of their 2014-2015 Best in Stay Awards, given to the Top 5 hotels in 75 key destinations. The Awards are given on the basis of customer reviews and ratings from an expert panel.
So, it is with enormous pride that we are able to announce that the St. Regis Hotel has been awarded a 2014 Orbitz Best in Stay Award as one of the Top 5 Hotel in Vancouver.
"Winning any award is a great honour", said St. Regis Hotel General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni, "but it's even more special to be named one of the top five hotels in a market like Vancouver, which offers visitors so many outstanding accommodation options."
"This award is a tribute to the hard work put in by our entire staff and to the vision of our owners who are committed to proving that a locally-owned and operated hotel can compete and even exceed foreign chain properties."
Click HERE to visit the St. Regis Hotel's Orbitz listing and read some of the fantastic reviews which have contributed to this award.
Recent changes to British Columbia's liquor laws have allowed restaurants and bars to offer happy hour pricing on all alcoholic beverages. Guests at the St. Regis Hotel can now celebrate the end of the work day and the start of the evening with happy hour specials at both the St. Regis Bar & Grill and Gotham Steakhouse.
The St. Regis Bar & Grill offers Happy Hour drinks starting from $3 with house wine for $3.75 a glass and other drink specials to help unwind after a day of work or exploration. With HDTVs and every sports package, it's also a perfect way to catch the early-starting hockey, baseball and basketball games.
Gotham Steakhouse takes a very different approach to Happy Hour from Monday to Friday with bubbles from the House of Chandon offered at special by the glass pricing along with sparkling-based cocktails and a special "Happy Hour Snacking" menu. Click HERE to see the full menu.
Either way, you can get your evening started the right way with two different Happy Hours on your next visit to the St. Regis Hotel.
With guests from many parts of the World staying at the St. Regis Hotel during the World Cup, we're excited to see them cheer their favourite teams on as the tournament progresses.
We know lots of them will choose to watch the games at the St. Regis Bar & Grill, one of downtown Vancouver's favourite places to watch sports. The Bar & Grill will be showing every match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup live and in HD.
The Bar & Grill will be opening early for all the 9am games and will be offering both a special breakfast menu and full bar service. Budweiser, the official beer of the World Cup, will be featured every game day: $5.50 for a 20oz pint, $16 for pitcher and $19 for a bucket of 4 bottles. The St. Regis Bar & Grill will also be giving away swag and prizes on game days.
With HD screens throughout the room, there isn't a bad seat in the house and the Regis Room downstairs is ready to handle any overflow on the busiest days. Centrally located and steps from the Skytrain, the St. Regis Bar & Grill is a great spot for a quick escape to catch a match or an all day World Cup watching session.
For more information on the St. Regis Bar & Grill, visit www.stregisbarandgrill.com or just stop into 608 Dunsmuir St. and see why it's so popular.
As part of its 100th Anniversary celebrations, the St. Regis Hotel reconnected with photos and stories from its past and one name which came up several times was that of Vancouver hockey legend Cyclone Taylor.
Cyclone Taylor captained the Vancouver Millionaires to the city's only ever Stanley Cup championship and was an city icon. During the 1940s the owner of the Hotel financed the local pro team which was renamed the "Vancouver St. Regis" and Cyclone Taylor was talked out of retirement to be part of the team.
To honour this legend, the St. Regis Hotel recently renamed its boardroom the "Cyclone Taylor Boardroom" to ensure that the name would have a permanent place in the Hotel. "We hope that this gesture will allow more of our guests learn more about Cyclone Taylor and his importance in the history of Vancouver" said St. Regis Hotel General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni.
At the same time as the boardroom was renamed the St. Regis Hotel also changed its policies to allow for hourly rental of the room with no prebooking needed. For more information on this business-friendly approach to meeting space, visit http://www.stregishotel.com/meetings-en.html.
The St. Regis Hotel would like to extend our thanks to the family of Cyclone Taylor for generously allowing the use of his name. To learn more about the legendary Cyclone Taylor, click HERE.
Another exciting Gastown Dining Experience option for hotel guests
The St. Regis Hotel is pleased to announce a new partnership with Secret Location Tasting Room that will offer guests an exciting new option when they choose the St. Regis Hotel's Gastown Dining Experience Package.
Gastown has been ground zero of Vancouver's burgeoning food culture and the St. Regis Gastown Dining Experience is the only hotel package to feature restaurants from this vibrant neighbourhood. Guests create their own custom Vancouver itinerary by choosing their St. Regis room type then adding dining credits from a group of carefully-selected independent Gastown restaurants.
Secret Location is the newest Gastown Dining Experience option for this package. Its hybrid of carefully curated fashion house and superb fine dining in ultra-stylish surroundings makes it a completely unique Vancouver dining experience.
Led by acclaimed Chef Jefferson Alvarez, Secret Location Tasting Room's evening service includes nightly three, five and ten course tasting menus which include wine and cocktail pairings (a la carte lunch and brunch service is also available). Renowned for his creativity and technique, honed in restaurants across North America and Europe, Alvarez' exquisitely prepared and plated dishes are as delightful to the eye as they are on the palate.
Secret Location's cool and cosmopolitan Tasting Room is as striking as the food, with white furniture and original works of art throughout. It's a marked contrast from the brick-and-beam aesthetic which dominates the City.
The St. Regis Hotel looks forward to working with Secret Location to give visitors a window into Vancouver's exciting culture of warm hospitality and outstanding food.
For more information on the St. Regis Hotel and the Gastown Dining Experience, visit www.stregishotel.com. To learn more about Secret Location and Chef Jefferson Alvarez, visit www.secretlocation.ca.
While we certainly enjoy getting nice reviews from media and bloggers, we have long believed that the opinions of our guests are the ones which are most important. That's why we're so proud to receive a TripAdvisor 2014 Certificate of Excellence, an award which is given to only those hotels with the very best guest reviews throughout the year.
Thank-you to everyone who has helped other travellers by taking the time to share your experiences of the St. Regis Hotel on TripAdvisor. We look forward to hosting you again.
Click HERE to read some of the things other guests have been saying about the St. Regis Hotel.
We were pleased to host the travel mavens from Not Without My Passport for a stay with us this Spring, and even more pleased when we read their lovely comments about our hotel.
Click HERE to read the full write up from their visit to Vancouver!
You knew we meant "meeting room", didn't you?
While business travel is increasingly done on-the-go from virtual office spaces, there are times when a fully wired and serviced conference room is needed for meetings, conference calls and interviews.
The St. Regis Hotel pleased to announce an innovative new program allowing guests to rent our Cyclone Taylor Meeting Room by the hour, for only as long as they need it. No more pre-booking or minimum half day rental!
The Cyclone Taylor Room comfortably seats six with a full range of A/V and data servies included. Room use is just $40 per hour and can be arranged with the front desk by calling, emailing or just stopping by during your next stay.
Use of the Cyclone Taylor Room includes:
The interest in craft beer is surging in Vancouver and Vancouver Brewery Tours have answered this demand by expanding their weekly tour schedule to also include Friday tours with a plan to begin tours on other weekdays in the summer. This is great news for guests hoping to book our "Craft Beer Experience" package as they'll be able to book it on more days of the week to fit their travel schedule.
The Experience combines a night in the award-winning surroundings of the St. Regis with a fully escorted tour of Vancouver breweries by Vancouver Brewery Tours and a craft beer sampler from St. Regis Fine Wines & Spirits . Along with taking care of all the navigation and driving, VBT leaves guests with a special pint glass and group photo to commemorate the day.
For more information on the Craft Beer Experience, please visit our Packages Page.
Now there are extra reasons to drive green when visiting Vancouver
With its compact layout and short distances, Vancouver is an ideal place for electric vehicles, and there's no better place for electric vehicle drivers to stay in Vancouver than the St. Regis Hotel. The hotel is rewarding drivers who have made the green choice with free charging from two newly-installed high-speed stations along with free secure underground parking during their stay.
With car companies releasing more EV models every year and rental companies adding more to their fleets, this offer is a perfect incentive for visitors to rent and test out an electric vehicle during their Vancouver stay.
"We're very pleased to be able to offer our electric-vehicle driving guests complimentary charging and parking," said St. Regis General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni. "We hope to reward guests for make the green choice when renting or buying their car."
EV charging stations are just one of the ways that the St. Regis is a remarkably up-to-date century-old icon. Guests also enjoy modern technologies like fully-digital in-room entertainment, docking stations for laptops and enough complimentary WiFi and wired bandwidth to run every device they could bring on their travels.
For more information on taking advantage of this offer, email email@example.com or call 1.800.770.7929.
Nothing beats the arriving in a brand-new hotel room—crisp linens, spotless carpets and walls, everything working just so. Hotel rooms have a hard life, though, and the wear and tear of spilled drinks, suitcases banged against walls and guests in a hurry means that the feeling doesn't last forever.
Each winter, the St. Regis Hotel completely refurbishes every room so that our guests can enjoy that brand-new feeling every time they stay at the hotel. During this process, all beds and all furniture are removed and carpet, paint and wallpaper are thoroughly cleaned and touched up as needed. The bathrooms are regrouted, all mechanicals and electronics are thoroughly checked and the room is tested and inspected before it's deemed ready again.
Along with these physical refurbishments, this year, all the pillows and towels were replaced and upgraded for an even more luxurious feel. Throughout the year, updates have been made to the amenities including new digital entertainment packages, bigger televisions and full-length mirrors. Past guests can expect an even more pleasing experience accompanied by our same award-winning service.
"I have worked at great hotels around the World and this process is unprecedented in my experience," said General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni. "The ownership of the St. Regis Hotel Vancouver is committed to the highest standards and allows us to invest each winter to maintain them".
The process of shutting one floor at a time for winter renovations has been repeated every year since the completion of the St. Regis Hotel's 2008 renovations. This year, however, high occupancy in February pushed the deadline forward and extra crew were brought in so that the hotel could be back at 100% capacity by January 31st.
We're pleased to report that all of our rooms are once again back to their as-new state and ready for another year of hotel life.
Hotel proudly enters second century of hospitality in Vancouver
The St. Regis Hotel is extremely proud to have again been named a Forbes Travel Guide "Recommended Hotel" in the 2014 Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating List, which is being released today, January 22nd. The Forbes Travel Guide, formerly the Mobil Travel Guide, has provided the travel industry's most detailed ratings and reviews of hotels, spas and restaurants since 1958. Their details ratings system anonymously evaluates each property against 800 rigorous and objective standards to help consumers make better-informed travel decisions.
In describing the St. Regis Hotel, the Forbes reviewers highlighted the hotel's "helpful and accommodating staff", "expansive art collection", heated marble bathroom floors, sophisticated design, and business centre which feels "like a stylish library".
"We're extremely honoured to receive this award," said St. Regis General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni. "It's a great way to start our second century of hospitality in Vancouver and an incentive to maintain the high standards we have set for ourselves."
Since reopening after a complete $12 million renovation, the independent, Canadian-owned St. Regis has become a Vancouver favourite while gathering numerous awards by offering guests superior service and industry-leading rate inclusions like free full breakfast, WiFi, Worldwide long-distance and much more. The commitment to excellence by the St. Regis Hotel includes annual floor-by-floor shutdowns and renovations to guarantee guests the pleasure of a "brand new room" experience every time.
To read the full listing for the St. Regis Hotel or learn more about their rating system visit the Forbes Travel Guide HERE.
For a century-old icon, the St. Regis Hotel is remarkably up-to-date with modern technologies, whether fully-digital in-room entertainment, docking stations for laptops or a fully-featured website allowing smartphone users to make and update their travel plan on the go.
Now, the hotel is getting ahead of the curve again by installing Electric Vehicle charging stations in its underground parking so that guests who driving Electric Vehicles can recharge their cars while they're enjoying everything Vancouver and the St. Regis Hotel has to offer. The two simple, safe, charging stations will each be equipped with 100amp system compatible with all current Electric Vehicles.
While EV ownership still represents just a tiny slice of the car market--less than 0.5% of sales, one area that's seeing strong growth is rental car electric vehicle fleets. With rental companies like Hertz Rent-A-Car. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Avis Budget Group, travellers will increasingly be able to make a greener choice when they're renting cars.
"Vancouver really is the perfect city for Electric Vehicle use. It's compact size makes range a much smaller issue than in city built on highways," said St. Regis Hotel GM Jeremy Roncoroni. "We're very pleased to be able to offer our guests of two EV charging stations in our parking area to help make the green choice much more convenient."
While there's an endless variety of great things to do in Vancouver, we know that sometimes our guests just want to kick their feet up and relax in front of the TV. To make those times even better, we've just installed brand-new, larger TVs in all of our Suites.
Our Junior Queen Suites now feature 47" TVs while all of our Junior King and Executive Suites have had 50" TVs installed. With our fully digital HDTV package which includes over 200 channels including free movie channels, guests can enjoy premium, home-quality entertainment standard with every stay.
Upgrade to a suite on your next stay at the St. Regis and you'll be able to enjoy much more TV than before!
The St. Regis Hotel reopened after complete renovations on December 1st, 2008. We're thanking you, our guests, for five great years by inviting you to take 1/5th off your next stay at the St. Regis!
This 20% discount off our Best Available Rate is available on any stay until April 30th on bookings made directly with the St. Regis between December 1st and December 15th.
Call 1-800-770-7929 or email email@example.com by December 15th to make a booking and take advantage of this special anniversary offer.
Subject to availabilty/cannot be combined with other discounts
Valid on stays until April 30th, 2014
Bookings must be made directly with the St. Regis Hotel by Dec 15th
Blackout dates: December 31st and February 14th
Stays are prepaid and non-refundable
If you're attending a seasonal event downtown and would rather avoid the drive home, why not take advantage of our special seasonal rate of just $129 including free secure underground parking?
This fabulous rate also includes:
Just book your stay directly with us with the booking code "XMAS2013" to get this great seasonal rate.
Please note that this rate is subject to availability and may not be combined with any other offer.
Located in the heart of the Downtown Eastside, the Strathcona Community Centre has been offering recreation and educational programs to local residents for over 40 years. The St. Regis Hotel is a proud supporter of the Strathcona Community Centre's Food Safety Programs through both cash and equipment donations to the breakfast and after-school programs, weekend food backpacks and the family fun cooking lessons.
This year, the St. Regis Hotel is proud to be supporting the Strathcona Community Centre in a completely different way by donating 100 Disney on Ice tickets to the centre. That means that in November, a group of lucky local kids will be able to attend this gala show at the Pacific Coliseum where they'll see their favourite Disney characters ands stories transported onto the ice.
"We're very pleased to be working with Feld Entertainment, the producers of Disney on Ice, to send some of the great kids from the Strathcona Community Centre to see the show", said Jeremy Roncoroni, GM of the St. Regis. "We understand that these shows are the kind of luxury that kids in the DTES often miss out on, and we hope that the night will be a great experience for them."
For more information about the Strathcona Community Centre and the range of programs they offer, visit http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/strathcona-community-centre.aspx. To learn more about the century-old St. Regis Hotel, please visit www.stregishotel.com.
If you're driving into downtown for the game or show and you're planning to spend the night, make sure you book with the St. Regis. On game and concert nights, we're offering complimentary secure, underground parking when you book your room directly with us and show us your tickets to that night's game or concert.
Once your car is safely parked with us, you can enjoy worry-free pre-game drinks and food at the St. Regis Bar & Grill or Gotham Steakhouse before making the short trip to the theatres and stadiums just a few blocks away.
When you add free parking to the free full breakfast for two, free WiFi and Worldwide long distance, award-winning service and extras like free FIJI bottled water, the St. Regis is unbeatable place to stay. Make sure that you book your stay at the St. Regis the next time you're catching a show or game downtown.
After all, when was the last time you read a happy headline with "parking" and "ticket" in it?
The St. Regis Hotel is proud to again be the official hotel of the Hopscotch Festival, Canada's premiere celebration of whiskey, beer and spirits. The highlight of each year's festival is the Grand Tasting Hall where attendees will be able to sample over 300 products from more than 100 exhibitors at the PNE Forum.
The St. Regis Hotel is now selling Hopscotch Packages for either night of the Grand Tasting Hall Friday, November 15th or Saturday, November 16th and each package includes a night at the St. Regis Hotel along with two tickets to the Grand Tasting Hall, all for only $259 ($279 for a double room). These packages are only available through the St. Regis and are the best way to turn a night at Hopscotch into a comfortable night in downtown Vancouver.
Each ticket to the Grand Tasting Hall includes five tasting tokens, a souvenir tasting cup and the opportunity to sample a huge variety of beer and spirits from all over the World. With the opportunity to taste over 300 products including a wide range of Scotch, Bourbon and other Whiskey makers, some of the finest craft brewers in North America and other premium spirits, the Hopscotch Festival Grand Tasting Hall is a delight for beer and spirits lovers.
For fans who want to fill their weekend with even more sampling and education, we're also offering the chance for guests to add a Craft Beer Tour from Vancouver Brewery Tours to their stay. This includes a guided tour of three craft breweries with lots of tasting and information along with a craft beer sampler from St. Regis Fine Wines & Spirits. The craft beer experience is available Saturday or Sunday and costs and additional $150 for two people.
The Hopscotch Package, like every stay at the St. Regis Vancouver includes a host of complimentary amenities like full breakfast for two, WiFi throughout the hotel, worldwide long distance phone calls, 24-hour business services, VIP Steve Nash Sports Club access and complimentary in-room bottled FIJI water.
To book your St. Regis Hotel Hopscotch Package, visit www.stregishotel.com or call 604-681-1135. To learn more about the 2013 Hopscotch Festival, visit www.hopscotchfestival.com.
The St. Regis Hotel Receives prestigious award in time for fifth anniversary of renovation & reopening
The St. Regis Hotel is extremely proud to have been named a Forbes Travel Guide "Recommended Hotel" in the 2013 Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating List, released September 9th. The Forbes Travel Guide, formerly the Mobil Travel Guide, has provided the travel industry's most detailed ratings and reviews of hotels, spas and restaurants since 1958 and their ratings system now evaluates each property against 800 rigorous and objective standards!
In describing our hotel, the Forbes reviewers highlighted our "helpful and accommodating staff", "expansive art collection", heated marble bathroom floors, sophisticated design, and our business centre which feels "like a stylish library".
This award is made extra special by the fact that we're celebrating both our centennial and five years since our reopening in 2013. Recognition like this is a great way of marking those anniversaries and inspiring ourselves to keep up the extras effort our team puts in every day.
To read the full listing for the St. Regis Hotel or learn more about their rating system visit the Forbes Travel Guide. To learn more about the St. Regis Hotel, visit www.stregishotel.com.
Includes tour from Vancouver Brewery Tours and craft beer sampler!
Vancouver is in the midst of a Craft Beer Revolution and the St. Regis Hotel is pleased to partner with Vancouver Brewery Tours to offer the City's first Craft Beer Experience hotel package. Combining a night in the award-winning surroundings of the St. Regis with a fully escorted tour of Vancouver breweries, this package is a great way to experience Vancouver's exploding craft beer culture.
The tour is led by the experts at Vancouver Brewery Tours and includes visits to three Vancouver craft breweries with plenty of information and sampling opportunities along the way. The itinerary will be built from local and well-loved breweries like Parallel 49, Storm, R&B, Deep Cove and Granville Island. With several new breweries scheduled to open this summer, the list is growing all the time.
Best of all, Vancouver Brewery Tours takes care of all the navigation and driving so that guests can sample without worry. Guests will also receive a special pint glass and group photo to commemorate the day.
The experience doesn't end there as visitors will be also be welcomed to their award-winning St. Regis Hotel room with a craft beer selection from the St. Regis Fine Wines & Spirits Shop. It's a great chance to enjoy beers from other BC Craft Breweries in the comfortable surroundings of a St. Regis guestroom.
The Craft Beer Experience, like every stay at the St. Regis Vancouver includes a host of complimentary amenities like full breakfast for two, WiFi throughout the hotel, worldwide long distance phone calls, 24-hour business services, VIP Steve Nash Sports Club access and complimentary in-room bottled FIJI water.
This package is available on Saturdays and Sundays and costs $345 from June 15-September 15th ($315 the rest of the year) which includes a night at the St. Regis Hotel, a Vancouver Brewery Tour for two and a selection of BC craft beers from the St. Regis Fine Wines & Spirits shop.
To book the package, visit www.stregishotel.com.
Summer in Vancouver can be so jam-packed with events that it's difficult to know which ones to choose so that you can make the most of your time in the City. That's why we're launching our St. Regis events picks, where we'll use our local knowledge to pick some can't-miss happenings in and around Vancouver.
St. Regis Hotel Event Picks
August 3rd: Enjoy a spectacular fireworks show during the final day of the Celebration of Light festival. Up to 400,000 spectators come out to watch the show. Click HERE for a list of best places to catch the show.
August 4th: Vancouver hosts one of the largest annual Pride celebrations in the World and the Pride Parade draws over a half-million spectators and participants.
August 3rd-5th: Just steps away from the St. Regis Hotel, Granville Street will be turned into the Viva Granville long weekend party.
August 10th-11th: The TD Chinatown Festival is an all weekend celebration of more than a century of heritage and history in Chinatown.
August 17-September 2nd: The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) has been the best part of over 100 Vancouver summers. This year's edition includes live music, a midway and a whole world of family entertainment. Click HERE for information.
August 24th-25th: Stanley Park is one of the World's great urban parks and this year it celebrates its 125th Anniversary with a full weekend of music, sports, family fun and more.
Mondays-Fridays: Each weekday from noon-1pm, CBC hosts their Music Nooners with different acts playing live outside CBC's studios on Hamilton St., just around the corner from the hotel. Click HERE for the schedule.
Friday/Saturday: The Chinatown Night Market is back, refreshed for another year with new vendors, events and features. It's held from 6-11pm each Friday and Saturday night until September 8th.
Please don't hesitate to ask our front desk team for recommendations on ways to make the most of your time in Vancouver.
The St. Regis Hotel is very proud to be the launch hotel for VOILÀ, the World's largest rewards program for independent hotels. St. Regis Rewards by VOILÀ is free to join and allows members to collect points with every stay toward great travel rewards including hotels, flights and more!
This summer, members of St. Regis Rewards are able to take advantage of a special promotion of a 25% savings on the standard number of points required for an award night and this promotion is being offered now through August 31st, 2013.
Wherever you'd rather be right now, St. Regis Rewards and VOILÀ will get you there faster this summer! Visit www.stregisrewards.com for more information on this program.
The St. Regis Hotel is very pleased to have been awarded a TripAdvisor 2013 Certificate of Excellence. This award is only given to hotels who maintain top ratings in consumer reviews throughout the calendar year. Only the top-performing 10 percent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award.
The St. Regis Hotel would like to thank the many guests to take the time to share their experiences with other travellers.
"The St. Regis Hotel is very pleased to receive a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence," said Jeremy Roncoroni, General Manager. "We constantly strive to meet our customers expectations je make their stay at the St. Regis memorable and enjoyable. We're very grateful that they take the time to share their experiences on TripAdvisor."
"TripAdvisor is delighted to celebrate the success of businesses around the globe which are consistently offering TripAdvisor travelers a great customer experience," said Alison Copus, Vice President of Marketing for TripAdvisor for Business. "The Certificate of Excellence award is our way of recognizing the top performing establishments around the world."
To read what people are saying about the St. Regis Hotel or share your experience, click HERE.
When real estate mogul Rob Macdonald revamped Vancouver's historic St. Regis hotel in 2008, he decided to put his own stamp on it, making the kind of place he'd want to stay himself. The personal touch is evident in both service and generous inclusions at this boutique property (think free world-wide long-distance phone calls). This year, the Vancouver landmark – no relation to the Starwood St. Regis hotels – celebrates its 100th birthday, with the modern-day slogan "more than you expect, everything you deserve."
....Read the full article at the link below:
The St. Regis Hotel is pleased to announce that it is donating the $5000 raised through the 100th anniversary $100 room night promotion to the Strathcona Community Centre to be directed toward their food safety programs.
The Strathcona Community Centre is located less that 2km away from the St. Regis Hotel in the heart of the Downtown Eastside. Its programs offer direct support to hundreds of children and families including school day breakfasts, food education for families, food backpacks to bridge weekend food needs and more.
We visited the Centre and watched these programs in action and were incredibly impressed with the impact that the staff and volunteers have in their community and the number of programs they were able to organize and run in limited space.
As part of the 100th Anniversary celebrations, the St. Regis Hotel sold 1000 rooms nights at a special $100 rate and pledged to donate $5 from each room sold to a local charity. With the full allotment of 1000 rooms sold out, the St. Regis was pleased to make the $5000 donation to a local charity as worthy as the Strathcona Community Centre Food Programs.
For more information on the Strathcona Community Centre, visit http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/strathcona-community-centre.aspx.
The St. Regis is proud to be the founding sponsor of the RBC GranFondo Whistler and for the 4th straight year, we are sponsoring the event. For the first time, we are introducing the GranRegis package for those planning to participate in the 4th Annual GranFondo on September 7th 2013.
Each GranRegis package costs $449 (excl. taxes) and includes everything that riders will need for a successful GranFondo ride:
This rate is based upon double occupancy.
Addition room nights are available for $219.
An additional GranFondo entry is available for $250.
The St. Regis Hotel opened its doors for the first time on March 15th, 1913, and exactly 100 years to the day later, we celebrated our centennial with a reception welcoming friends, media and dignitaries to join us to mark this great occasion.
We were pleased to welcome such dignitaries as Geoff Meggs, City Councillor; Rick Antonsen, president of Tourism Vancouver; and Charles Gauthier, Executive Director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, along with a number of friends from the media and Vancouver's business community.
The guests were treated to a spectacular spread from Chef Gerry Kleinhout and his St. Regis Bar & Grill team while drinks were poured by a number of wine and spirits suppliers on hand like the Mark Anthony Group, Select Wines, Brown-Forman and Phillips Brewing.
One thing that everyone knows is that surprises can turn a birthday into a truly great birthday. We got a great surprise present in the form of a proclamation from the City of Vancouver that March 15, 2013 was St. Regis Hotel Centennial Day. We're looking for the perfect place to display the proclamation in our lobby.
Of course, it wouldn't be a birthday party without cake and world-famous chocolatier Thomas Haas, who created a chocolate cake along with a chocolate sculpture of the Hotel. With so much chocolate to be had, we donated the sculpture to our friends at the Strathcona Community Centre who run a number of food safety programs in Vancouver's Downtown East Side and they were able to turn it into 250 chocolate treats for downtown kids and families.
For many attendees, the words of hotel owner Rob Macdonald resonated loudest when he spoke of his mission during the hotel renovations of 2006-8 wanting the St. Regis Hotel to become one of the "best boutique hotels in the World". It's rare that any business can start its second century at the peak of its game and still improving and while we won't be around to see it, we hope that the St. Regis Hotel will be around in another 100 years to throw a great bicentennial party!
To see photos from the event: CLICK HERE
We don't know many jokes but we'll give you free parking if you're attending the Vancouver Comedy Festival!
The Vancouver Comedy & Arts Fest returns this week for another year and while they can promise big laughs, we can promise a great comfortable stay with the extra bonus of free parking with every Comedy Festival stay at the St. Regis Hotel.
Just make your reservation at our best rate and show your Comedy Festival tickets at check in to receive free secure parking for the night - a savings of over $30 after taxes. Every stay at the St. Regis Hotel already includes free full breakfast, WiFi, worldwide long distance, FIJI bottled water, and Steve Nash Sports Club access.
Visit www.stregishotel.com or call 604-681-1135 for more information and to book. For more information on the Vancouver Comedy & Arts Fest.
With the start of the season upon us, the whole of Vancouver is getting hockey fever again, the St. Regis Hotel included. We're doing our bit for hockey fans by offering a special deal during every 2013 regular season home game.
Hotel guests who show their tickets (or jersey) at check in will receive our Game Night offer of free parking for the night - that's a savings of over $30 after taxes. Every stay at the St. Regis Hotel already includes free full breakfast, WiFi, worldwide long distance, FIJI bottled water, and Steve Nash Sports Club access and now on games nights, you can park your car, check in to our hotel and not worry about it until you check out.
Located just a few blocks from Rogers Arena, the St. Regis Hotel is the perfect place to stay when heading to the game. Grab some pre-game food at the St. Regis Bar & Grill or Gotham Steakhouse, then head to the arena at game time. Visit www.stregishotel.com or call 604-681-1135 for more information and to book.
The St. Regis Hotel turns 100 years old on March 15th, 2013 and after a century in Vancouver, the walls of the St. Regis Hotel have countless stories to tell. Like all hotels though, our walls have been sworn to secrecy, so we are asking our past guests to share their memories and tell us their St. Regis Hotel stories.
We will be collecting stories between now and our 100th Anniversary and are excited to share the best ones through our social media. We will also choose what we deem to be most interesting St. Regis story and invite the storyteller to join us for a deluxe stay in the hotel including two nights in St. Regis Executive Suite and Dinner at Gotham Steakhouse.
So please send your stories, photos or mementoes to firstname.lastname@example.com by March 15th and we'll look forward to hearing about the memories you have of the St. Regis Hotel's century.
Did you know that the St. Regis Hotel has a sister property in Kamloops? The Plaza Hotel is proud to offer guests the stylish boutique accommodations and the same wide range of inclusions as the St. Regis in the heart of the Thompson-Okanagan region.
The Plaza Hotel is another of BC's heritage hotel gems with a rich history that dates back to 1928. This year, The Plaza Hotel was lovingly restored with a multi-million dollar renovation which saw décor, amenities and fixtures upgraded throughout. The Plaza's renovated Fireside Restaurant and Bar now proudly offers Kamloops' best steak with a variety of locally-sourced beef, share plates, and lighter fare in comfortable, welcoming surroundings.
Whether you're in Kamloops for a stay or stopover, we invite you to try to the Plaza Hotel. We're sure you'll be pleased by its comfortable, boutique accommodations, heritage charm and central location in Downtown Kamloops.
The complimentary amenities include:
• Free full hot breakfast
• Free Worldwide long distance calling
• Free WiFi
• Free in-room bottled water replenished daily
• 24 business centre access
• Free parking
For more information on the Plaza Hotel, or to book your stay, visit www.theplazahotel.ca.
Kick off your seasonal splurge in luxury and style in downtown Vancouver
While giving is the spirit of Christmas, there's nothing written anywhere that says it shouldn't be fun for the giver, too. The St. Regis Holt Renfrew Shopping Package is the best way to treat yourself while you shop for Christmas treats for friends and loved ones.
The package starts with a stay in a sleek and stylish suite at the St. Regis Hotel which features multiple flat screen TVs, an opulent bathroom with deep soaker tub, plush robes and complimentary slippers. Just a few steps away, you'll be greeted at Holt Renfrew by one of their Personal Shoppers who will guide you through the top styles for the season--for you or for those on your shopping list—in the comfort of a personal shopping suite.
When you're finished shopping, the St. Regis will arrange to have your parcels delivered to your room while you enjoy a complimentary "Mad about Magenta" cocktail in the sexy, inviting lounge at Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar.
Book your St. Regis Holt Renfrew Shopping Package and get your Christmas Shopping off to the best start ever.
The package includes:
Your St. Regis Hotel stay also includes:
Available by booking through www.stregishotel.com, the shop and stay costs $399 ($449 from June-Sept).
While it's a first principle of good business to request client feedback, many guests and customers must sometimes wonder how much effect their input really has on operations. We'd like to assure our guests that we do listen to it all and it can have an immediate impact!
On the long list of things which go into the smooth running of a hotel, "Do Not Disturb" signs must seem pretty low down the list, but they really do help housekeeping staff to avoid unnecessarily disrupting extra sleep or work time. For some time we've been using off-the-shelf retro-style Do Not Disturb signs which feature a Maid on one side and Bellman on the other. We knew they weren't perfect and had designing something new and custom on our to-do list to update, they worked well enough that we never got around to changing them . . . until now.
Our front desk staff are trained to not only ask how each guest's stay was, but to document and pass along the comments to management. Recently, Ryan at our front desk took and passed along a guest comment that the female "Maid" character on the door sign outdated and even sexist and this comment was just the push we needed to start the new door sign project immediately.
Our new "Out and About" and " "Happy Hanging In" door signs are more clean, modern and consistent with our décor and other signage throughout the hotel and it's all because one of our guests took the time to pass along their feedback to us!
Suppose you're going to be in Vancouver for the first time -- but only for a day or so before boarding a cruise ship to Alaska or a flight across the Pacific.
What should you try to squeeze in while you're there?
Several passengers who were in that situation asked me that during a Banff-Vancouver rail trip last May. They were from Britain, Malaysia, Australia, and Korea, and I was one of the few Canadians in the coach.
I offered a few suggestions, but when I got home I contacted three tourism professionals who know Vancouver inside out.
What would they recommend to a first-time visitor pressed for time?
I limited them to three choices.
All picked cycling or strolling the seawall in Stanley Park and hopping an Aquabus ferry to Granville Island.
Stanley Park packs beaches, gardens, an aquarium, a pitch 'n' putt golf course and forested trails into a huge chunk of prime downtown real estate. (Visit vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/stanley-park.aspx).
Granville, centred around the Public Market, is a maze of craft shops, theatres and something like 70 places to eat, from food stands to restaurants by the water. One of the Vancouverites I polled suggested visiting the resident sake maker ( "try three types of sake for only $5"), another said she loves "strolling through Railspur Alley to see all the local artisans." ( www.granvilleisland.com)
That left each with one other recommendation.
My suggestions to the train passengers were remarkably similar: Stanley Park, especially the seawall path; Granville Island (that Aquabus has to be the cutest thing afloat, like an brightly painted, oversized bathtub); and the museum of anthropology. (To illustrate Bill Reid's work, I showed a British woman a $20 bill with his stunning sculpture Spirit of Haida Gwaii on the back).
To expedite sightseeing, I recommended Vancouver Trolley's Hop-On, Hop-Off City Attractions Tour. It's an easy and entertaining way of getting around. You can, for example, take it to Granville, get off and wander around, then hop another trolley to Stanley Park or any of several other popular spots and do the same, all on one ticket. ( www.vancouvertrolley.com).
Food is an attraction in itself. This city on the Pacific is famous for salmon. Local specialties recommended by one contact were salmon candy (or Indian candy), made by soaking salmon in sugar or maple syrup before smoking it, and Japadog, a Japanese hot dog sold by street food vendors.
A good downtown hotel is a bonus when you're short of time. The St. Regis is more than just good, if my one-night stay in May is any indication: a friendly and enthusiastic welcome at reception, a comfortable, smartly decorated room, and a whopping big breakfast, one of several things included in the rate.
No wonder the St. Regis has won TripAdvisor's Travellers Choice Awards for Service for Vancouver hotels three years running.
There are restaurants on either side, a Tim's and a wine store across the street. A block or so away is SkyTrain's Canada Line, which will take you to the airport for a fraction of the cab fare.
Canadian-owned and operated, the St. Regis was built in 1913 and underwent a $13 million renovation in 2008. Off-season rates start at less than $150. See www.stregishotel.com
Doug English can be reached at email@example.com or by mail c/o London Free Press, P.O.E. Box 2280, London, Ont. N6A 4G1.
Conde Nast Traveler is one of the World's most respected sources of accurate, unbiased travel information. It has offered "Truth in Travel" to readers for over a quarter century covering international luxury travel.
Last week, Conde Nast Traveler announced its Readers' Choice Awards and we at the St. Regis Hotel Vancouver were extremely pleased and proud to have been named one of the "Top 30 Hotels in Canada". We're in elite company on this list of top hotels.
This award is testament to the hard work put in by the entire St. Regis Hotel team, from front desk to housekeeping to delivering the best possible guest experience and it is great motivation for us to continue to go above and beyond.
We'd like to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to vote in these awards.
The entire Readers' Choice Award winners can be viewed online at: http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/canada/top-30-hotels-canada.
By Tales from a Barstool
This week, I found myself in a beautiful suite at the St. Regis Hotel. Bath running in the deep soaker tub, new lingerie from Agent Provocateur spilling out of a pink box, black ribbons and tissue paper strewn across the bed in excitement, and Diptyque candle burning sensually on the counter.
Clandestine encounter with a roguish lothario? International lover come to town for an affair?
Not this time.
This indulgence was all for me, and the product of the St. Regis Holt Renfrew Shopping Experience Package. The bundle of pampering and luxury includes a night in a delicious Executive Suite, $100 gift card and gift bag filled to the brim with goodies from Holt Renfrew, personal shopping consultation, makeup application, and welcome glass of champagne at the retailer. Fit for any shopping addict or beauty buff, or, really, any person of the female gender.
The treat began with lunch on the Gotham Steakhouse patio. Oh yes, dear friends, they have a patio. Hidden away behind a towering wall on Seymour Street is a city oasis complete with fireplace for those chilly summer nights. Jumbo shrimp cocktail, Sandhill Pinot Blanc and succulent fried chicken rounded out the feast before I walked the short block to Holt Renfrew.
I was met at the Laura Mercier counter for a full make up consultation and application from Erica. I would never have the patience to spend so much time on my make up on any given day, but to have it applied for me is always a treat. Shimmers, bronzes, rouges, and gloss transformed me into a camera ready face… at 3:00 in the afternoon. I needed a red carpet and dusk to set in.
Once complete, I was transported upstairs to meet sales associate Joanna and receive a tour of the store. I am well versed with the layout at Holt Renfrew (aren't most fashionable girls?), but having a professional point out all the enchanting garments and designers is an opportunity not to be passed up. My favourite? Tom Ford. Have you graced his enclosure at Holts yet? Breathe in his sophistication. Touch his clothes to absorb his sex. One day those clothes will wrap my body. Mark my words.
With a gift card to spend, I knew exactly where to go… the newly opened Agent Provocateur boutique. Black lace for days covering minimal expanses of the body. Someone (besides me) is going to be very pleased with my purchases.
I returned to the historic hotel, swinging my bag with glee, to sprawl spread eagle on the massive bed and close my eyes. If you concentrate really hard, you can feel the spirits who once graced the halls and rooms of the hotel. Almost 100 years of travelers is sure to have left some tales imprinted on the walls. If only they could speak louder.
Bar stools beckoned (obviously) in the Gotham bar where I sipped on bartender Steve's In the Pink martini while I wrote the final page of erotica to a beau. The dark and sensual bar made it flow out of my head and onto my paper. Or perhaps that was out of my loins.
For those weekends when the same old isn't good enough and you just need to treat yourself, indulge in the St. Regis Holt Renfrew Package.
My Lessons from the St. Regis Holt Renfrew Package:
1. Plush white robes are a staple in any home. Always have champagne on hand when lounging.
2. Staying in a hotel and not ordering room service is a crime.
3. Locking eyes with other solo diners in the breakfast room makes for an entertaining start to the day. Flirt before 8am.
See full article at: http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/07/12/spoil-yourself-at-the-st-regis-hotel-and-holt-renfrew/
The historic St. Regis hotel; junior queen suite has an art deco feel, complete with steely blue gray leather walls.
Smoked salmon flatbread pizza at St. Regis Bar and Grill; the beautiful balsamic reduction adds just the right amount of sweet sharpness to this bagel 'n lox inspired pizza.
See full article at http://citystyleandliving.blogspot.ca/2012/06/just-back-frombeautiful-british.html
Vancouver, British Columbia
By Deanna Ting
Does your client prefer a stay that offers a maximum return on investment? If so, The St. Regis Hotel is your best bet. With complimentary high-speed Internet access, full daily breakfast, bottled water and worldwide long distance, this compact 65-room hotel is both smart and satisfying. Not to be confused with the St. Regis hotel brand from Starwood, this independently owned boutique hotel charms with its simplicity and personable, attentive service; General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni (email@example.com) personally handwrites a note to each and every guest upon welcome. (One former visitor is Lady Gaga, who stayed here during her first tour.) Although The St. Regis is housed within a 1913 Edwardian landmark, its interior bears little resemblance to that era with its sleek furnishings and contemporary artwork. Executive and Junior Suites offer the most space; contact Assistant Manager Casey Kitamura (firstname.lastname@example.com) to make arrangements. Craving some of the city's best steaks? Look no further than the adjacent Gotham Steakhouse, one of the city's most awarded steakhouses. Good to know: The hotel's Holt Renfrew Shopping Experience package includes a $100 gift card and a personal shopping consultation.
See full article at http://www.luxurytraveladvisor.com/british-columbia/vancouver-british-columbia
TripAdvisor has become a truly essential tool for travellers researching places to eat, stay and sightsee on their travels—it's the World's official source for word of mouth opinions! We pay close attention to our reviews on TripAdvisor to make sure that we catch and act on any feedback as quickly as possible.
Recently we noticed that we were approaching a TripAdvisor milestone that only one other Vancouver Hotel had reached—1000 reviews! We wanted to take a moment to thank the many guests who've taken the time to share their feedback and experiences not only with other people who are making Vancouver travel plans, but also with us, helping us to get better all the time!
So, for the sake of posterity, here's our 1000th review!
We (2 couples) stayed at St Regis Hotel on 31 August and 1 September in Smart Queen Rooms prior to our cruise to Alaska and returned a week later (9 September) before joining the Rocky Mountaineer to find we had been upgraded free to Junior Suites. St Regis is the place to stay in down town Vancouver. It is central to shops, restaurants and the cruise terminal and the staff, in particular Ryan, are extremely helpful with advice in navigating Vancouver. The beds are super comfy - must find out what brand they are! Being visitors from Australia, it was fantastic that international calls were free from our rooms because we could call home. Having access to free WiFi and computers was an added bonus. The breakfast kept us going most of the day. We would thoroughly recommend St Regis Hotel to travellers who want a hotel that is boutique and not too big, offers a central location with extremely comfortable accommodation and helpful staff.
PS: The mattresses we use are Simmons Beautyrest Royal Plush Pillowtop.
Get all-inclusive meeting value at the St. Regis Hotel Vancouver
Rates starting from $149 in the perfect downtown location
The St. Regis Hotel already offers perfect location, award-winning service and the most extensive range of complimentary inclusions, and now a special All-Inclusive Meeting offer also makes the St. Regis Hotel Vancouver's unbeatable destination for business and social events from 10-50 people.
This Fall and Winter, when booking a meeting at the St. Regis Hotel, the following valuable meeting add-ons will be included at no charge:
All-inclusive Meeting Room value:
The St. Regis Vancouver will also offer one complimentary room upgrade per 10 hotel rooms confirmed.
Of course, the St. Regis Hotel's industry-leading range of inclusions are always part every stay saving guests up to $100 a night with amenities that include:
St Regis Hotel room inclusions
For more information or to begin planning a meeting at the St. Regis Hotel Vancouver, email Janet Thomas at email@example.com or phone direct at 604-681-1135.
Duration of package offer: Nov 2012-April 2013 . Valid for groups with a minimum of 10 guestrooms per night. Hotel accommodation and meeting rooms subject to availability. Rate does not include tax or gratuity.
The St. Regis Hotel is proud to be the official hotel of the Hopscotch Festival, Canada's premiere celebration of Scotch, whiskey, beer and spirits. The highlight of each year's festival is the Grand Tasting Hall and this year Hopscotch is moving it to the PNE Forum where the expanded floor space will allow them to nearly double their number of exhibitors to 70 and sampling products to over 250!
The St. Regis Hotel is now selling Hopscotch Packages for either night of the Grand Tasting Hall Friday, November 16th or Saturday, November 17th and each package includes a night at the St. Regis Hotel along with two tickets to the Grand Tasting Hall, all for only $239 ($259 for a double room). These packages are only available through the St. Regis and are the best way to turn a night at Hopscotch into a fun, comfortable night in downtown Vancouver.
Each ticket to the Grand Tasting Hall includes five tasting tokens, a souvenir tasting cup and the opportunity to sample a huge variety of beer and spirits from all over the World. With the opportunity to taste over 250 products including a wide range of Scotch, Bourbon and other Whiskey makers, some of the finest craft brewers in North America and other premium spirits, the Hopscotch Festival Grand Tasting Hall is a delight for beer and spirits lovers.
The St. Regis Hotel will also be a stop on the shuttle route back from the PNE Forum, making for a quick an easy return downtown, whether for craft beer at the St. Regis Bar & Grill or a superb cocktail at Gotham Steakhouse or just a return to your luxurious, comfortable St. Regis room.
The Hopscotch Package, like every stay at the St. Regis Vancouver includes a host of complimentary amenities like full breakfast for two, WiFi throughout the hotel, worldwide long distance phone calls, 24-hour business services, VIP Steve Nash Sports Club access and complimentary in-room bottled FIJI water.
To book your St. Regis Hotel Hopscotch Package, call 604-681-1135 or 1-800-770-7929. To learn more about the 2012 Hopscotch Festival, visit www.hopscotchfestival.com.
The St. Regis Hotel will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary in March 2013 and recently, we proudly hosted a visit from a legendary former hotel guest, Larry Kwong. Now 89 years old, Larry Kwong is a legend of hockey as the first player of Asian heritage to play in the NHL. He suited up for the New York Rangers in 1948 after leading their farm team in scoring the season before. While that was the only NHL game he ever played, he had broken the colour barrier and was given the key to New York's Chinatown as a symbol of the community's pride.
Larry learned how to play hockey while growing in Vernon, BC as the son of local grocery store owners. After a successful hockey start with the famous Trail Smoke Eaters, he joined the Vancouver St. Regis Hockey Team in 1943. During this time in Vancouver, he stayed at the St. Regis Hotel and worked part-time at a coffee shop down the street.
His stay in Vancouver was cut short when he was drafted into the Canadian Armed Forces but he continued to develop his hockey skills playing in the Armed Forces league in Alberta.
Larry's visit to the St. Regis was the first time he's been back to the hotel since he stayed here in 1943-44 and while much has changed, Larry's memories of staying at the hotel and playing for the Vancouver St. Regis were sharp. He even recalled meeting Cyclone Taylor, who was involved as a coach with the Vancouver St. Regis. It was a pleasure to show what the St. Regis has become in the nearly 70 years since he stayed here.
We'd like to thank Larry Kwong for visiting and Chad Soon, who helped set the visit up. We've invited Larry back to visit us on our 100th next year and will look forward to the release of "China Clipper", a documentary about Larry Kwong that's being released later this year.
Located just steps from Rogers Arena, BC Place and the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the St. Regis Hotel is one of Vancouver's most convenient and comfortable places to stay on game and show nights.
Now, we're offering a special game and show night bonus to our social media followers with the offer of free secure underground parking for fans who book directly with us and show their event tickets at check in. Just follow us on twitter @thestregishotel and Facebook.com/stregishotelvancouver to get first notice when we're offering this great deal.
The St. Regis Hotel already offers Vancouver's most complete list of complimentary rate inclusions including free full breakfast, WiFi and wired internet, worldwide long distance, in-room bottled water and more.
Whether you're downtown to catch the football, soccer or even a concert, stay at the St. Regis and you can park your car away safe, secure and free!
Just another way the St. Regis Hotel gives you More than you expect, everything you deserve.
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The St. Regis Hotel is celebrating the recent completion of a direct entrance from the Hotel Lobby into the beautiful Lounge of its next door neighbor, Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar. To mark this fantastic new connection, the St. Regis has launched the Gotham Dining Package. Guests add on $150 to their stay for a Gift Certificate to Gotha, and automatically receive a complimentary room upgrade to the next higher room category.
Gotham is Vancouver's premier destination for steak and cocktails in elegant surroundings, and the St. Regis Hotel is proud to be so conveniently connected to one Vancouver's iconic dining destinations. The new entrance offers hotel guests an extra incentive to try any or all of Gotham's wonderful amenities: lunch or dinner in the dining room or on the sunny patio; cocktails in the lounge; or business meetings and social gatherings in one of the exclusive private rooms.
There's no better way to enjoy Vancouver than with a stay in the St. Regis Hotel and dinner at Gotham… and this new package makes planning the stay even easier. For more information on Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar, visit www.gothamsteakhouse.com, and to book your stay, v
Freshen up your Summer look with our Holt-Renfrew Shop & Stay Package
Victoria Day is the traditional dividing point between winter and spring fashions and there's no better place to get your Summer look perfected than with a St. Regis Hotel Holt-Renfrew Package. Combining a night in a St. Regis suite with a VIP shopping experience at Holt-Renfrew, this package includes
This package costs $399 (plus applicable taxes) until the end of May and $449 (plus applicable taxes) from June-September and can be booked directly through this website.
It is the pleasure of the St. Regis Hotel to announce the opening of a direct entrance from the St. Regis Hotel lobby into Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar, Vancouver's finest and most decorated steakhouse.
First planned nearly 10 years ago, building the new entrance was no small task. It required demolition from both sides of the wall through six layers of up to 100- year old brick. The rewards are well worth it as guests of the St. Regis Hotel now enjoy direct access to Gotham's stunning cocktail lounge and dining room. Along with a classic steakhouse dinner menu featuring the best prime Alberta beef and freshest seafood, Gotham now offers a brand-new lunch menu with both classic and newly-imagined choices, perfect for midday appetites.
And now, hotel guests have convenient access to Gotham's meeting and private dining rooms, which can host events for up to 50 guests in style and comfort. With staff and management trained to take care of every detail with the utmost in professional ease and grace, there is no better downtown location that Gotham to impress, and be impressed.
"We're very excited to be able to offer this convenient new entrance to Gotham Steakhouse", said St Regis General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni. "Only steps away from our lobby, our guests have exclusive access to everything that Gotham has to offer."
This new physical connection between two award-winning, independently Canadian-owned Vancouver neighbours is a natural extension of the close relationship they already share. And now, as the St. Regis Hotel marks its centennial year, the new doorway is one more reason for guests and staff to celebrate.
Once again the whole of Vancouver has playoff fever as it gears up for another run to the Cup. The St. Regis Hotel is no different and we're going to do our bit for Canucks fans by offering a special deal throughout the 2012 Stanley Cup plaoyffs. We're going to be offering free parking on game night for hotel guests who show us their ticket (or Canucks jersey) at check-in--that's a savings of over $30 after taxes.
Just a few short blocks from Rogers Arena, the St. Regis Hotel is the perfect place to stay when heading to the game and, now, with the addition of free parking, it's even more perfect. Grab some pre-game food at the St. Regis Bar & Grill and catch all of the other NHL playoff action, then head to the arena for the game.
If you're coming to the game and need a hotel room for the night, book our best available rate and show us your ticket or jersey to get the a luxurious night which includes complimentary full breakfast, WiFi, worldwide long-distance, in-room FIJI bottled water, Steve Nash Sports Club access and, during the playoffs, free parking, too!
We're always gratified when our guests take the time to write nice things about us–so gratified that we want to share them! So occasionally, we're going to be posting reviews that stand out as exceptionally great.
The following is from TripAdvisor and was posted just this week. When someone calls you the "best ever", it's definitely worth sharing!
"Best Hotel I've stayed at Ever!"
I travel for work a lot and this in one of the best experiences I have had in a very long time. The staff really go above and beyond what I have come to expect. I arrived early and my room wasn't ready but I left my luggage with the front desk. When I came back to check in my luggage was already placed in the walk in closet in my room. I knew this hotel included breakfast but I wasn't expecting a nice dining room with a waitress and a menu with hot items and many choices…and all for FREE.
I locked myself out of my room by accident and when I called the front desk someone was there to help me in less than a minute!! Even the staff in the adjoining pub where really fast and attentive. Oh – and the room was nice too. I would definitely stay here next time I am in downtown Vancouver as you can't beat the location either.
St Regis Fine Wines & Spirits
The St. Regis Hotel is pleased to announce a new program being run in cooperation with St. Regis Fine Wines & Spirits which will allow our guests to order bottles of wine, spirits and beer for room delivery at street prices. Best of all, the delivery service is free.
Any item from the Fine Wine & Spirits store's inventory is available for order and free delivery simply by picking up the phone. Whether you're looking for something in particular or want to choose from a list of popular items, don't hesitate to contact the Fine Wines store at 604-662-3177 to check inventory. And, of course, like every phone call from the St. Regis Hotel, it will be free to make.
"A glass of wine can be the perfect way to unwind after a long day of work or touring the City," said St. Regis Hotel General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni, "We're very excited to be able to offer such a convenient program with our partners at St. Regis Fine Wines & Spirits."
Click HERE To book your stay at the St. Regis Hotel Vancouver and access the Best Rate Guarantee.
The life of a hotel room isn't easy—while it does get treated to daily housecleaning, it also gets some rough treatment along the way. Things like suitcases being banged against furniture and walls, spilled drinks and the strain of people in a hurry mean that hotel rooms get much more wear and tear than the average.
To help each room recover from the bumps and scrapes, we undertake a full refurbishment each winter, shutting down blocks of rooms so that they can be brought to good-as-new condition again. All beds and all furniture are removed so that the carpet, paint and wallpaper can be thoroughly cleaned and touched up as needed, the bathrooms are regrouted and every detail of the room is inspected before it's deemed ready to be stayed in again.
"I have worked at great hotels around the World and this process is unprecedented in my experience," said General Manager Jeremy Roncoroni. "The ownership of the St. Regis Hotel Vancouver is committed to the highest standards and allows us to invest each winter to maintain them. We were very pleased when our CAA/AAA review noted that we have 'a superb maintenance program and excellent housekeeping' ".
This process has been repeated every year since the completion of the St. Regis Hotel's 18-month renovation in December 2008, but this year, the process is going a little deeper as the air conditioning system is also being upgraded to rectify an incorrect installation during the renovation.
This made the winter refurbishment trickier than in the past as room closures had to be coordinated between maintenance staff, air conditioning contractors and higher than anticipated occupancy. the front desk. Despite the extra challenge, we're proud that our team has managed to strategically shut down the groups of rooms while continuing to offer our signature award-winning service.
We're happy to report that all of our rooms are once again back to their as-new state and ready for another year of hotel life.
We love our guests and sometimes they surprise us with how much they love us back. We never get bored of reading the great reviews and so we thought we'd start sharing some of the best ones on our blog. This guest recently posted their review of the St. Regis on Google and not only did it make us smile, it made us laugh, too!
Thanks for staying with us and thanks for the very kinds words!
"The difference between the St Regis in Vancouver and the next place I stayed)? At the St Regis, they actually WANTED you to enjoy your stay – from the handwritten welcome note to the fluffy towels to the helpful staff (great dinner recommendation!) to the gym membership around the corner to the free calls to the Fiji water to the free WiFi to the . . . need I go on? The other hotel couldn't have cared less if I'd died in that room, as long as they still got their money. Oh, and the other difference? I booked both through Expedia and the St Regis was ONE THIRD of the price, with TEN TIMES the value. I will definitely be staying at the St Regis again."
Offering perfectly prepared Canadian Prime steaks and the freshest seafood in an opulent, art-deco inspired space, The Shore Club is one of Vancouver's great dining experiences. This year, for the first time, The Shore Club is participating in Dine Out Vancouver, offering guests a delicious set menu of Shore Club creations at the most value-packed price ever.
The St. Regis Hotel has partnered with The Shore Club to offer full Dine Out night out in Vancouver which combines dinner for two with a night in a St. Regis guestroom for the incredible price of $214 (taxes and gratuity not included).
The package includes:
With Shore Club Dine Out reservations already a hot item, this package also offers VIP reservations for what's sure to be an in-demand table during Dine Out. To make your reservation click here. Click here to view The Shore Club's full Dine Out menu.
Valentine's Day is all about making your loved one feel special and pampered. This year, make it memorable for both of you and indulge in the romantic surroundings and 5 star service of two of Vancouver's best known landmarks, Gotham Steakhouse and the St. Regis Hotel.
This unforgettable experience starts after checking in to your beautifully appointed St. Regis Hotel suite. You'll be welcomed with a chilled bottle of Champagne and a decadent Thomas Haas Signature Chocolate Gift Box – a couple of treats to enjoy together as you prepare for the evening ahead.
Just steps away from the hotel, Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar is not only Vancouver's Best Steakhouse, but the warm and luxurious room is also one of the City's most romantic settings. On arrival, live music wafting from the Cocktail Bar will set the tone. Sink into one of the velvet booths in the Dining Room, take in the sexy, art-deco inspired decor, and settle in for dinner. Your romantic Valentine's 4-course menu includes Gotham favourites like Chateaubriand, Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail and Belgian Chocolate Cake, all served for two. You can relax and enjoy each other's company while professional, white coated servers take care of your every need.
Returning to your suite, plush robes and slippers await, inviting you to get a little more comfortable...and maybe you've saved a last glass of bubbly to raise a toast to your Valentine.
This incredible Valentine's package is just $449 (exclusive of tax and gratuity) and may be booked through www.stregishotel.com or by calling 800-779-7929. For more information on Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar, visit www.gothamsteakhouse.com.
The Package includes:
Gotham Valentine's Dinner Menu:
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail: with hot horseradish cocktail sauce
Caesar Salad: classic garlic, anchovy dressing, grana padano cheese and house made croutons
Chateaubriand for Two: Canadian Prime Filet of Beef Tenderloin grilled to order, carved, and served with roast potatoes, sautéed spiced mushrooms and steamed broccoli. Finished w/ béarnaise sauce
Belgian Chocolate Bourbon Cake: white chocolate ganache and fresh seasonal berries
Vancouver's all-inclusive boutique hotel prepares for a Centennial Party
In the 99 years since The St. Regis Hotel first opened its doors on March 15th, 1913, Vancouver has grown from a rough and tumble port into one of the World's' iconic cities with still-fresh memories of hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics.
To celebrate its imminent 99th Birthday and the start of its centennial year, the St. Regis Hotel will be offering 99 Smart Queen room nights a month from December to April at just $99 per night. Prepaid $99 room night vouchers will be sold through www.stregishotel.com starting on December 1st and these vouchers can be redeemed for any night up until April 30th, 2012 simply by calling or emailing the St. Regis Hotel to make the reservation (subject to availability, non-refundable, offer not available on February 14th or December 31st). Vouchers can also be redeemed for nights in Executive Suites at a great rate of two vouchers per night for a rate of less than $200/night!
Even at this anniversary rate, every stay at the St. Regis Hotel still includes free full breakfast for two, WiFi, worldwide long distance calls, full Steve Nash Health Club use, 24-hour business centre access and in-room FIJI bottled water.
"We're excited to start our Centennial Year with a promotion like this," said St. Regis Hotel general manager Jeremy Roncoroni. "This will not only be the best rate we've offered since reopening but the voucher format makes it a perfect gift and incredibly convenient for booking rooms at short notice. Customers can buy the vouchers and use them months later for any trip to Vancouver."
For more information, call the St. Regis Hotel at 604-681-1135 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
One of the nicest things about at a smaller hotel like the ours is the sense of team which develops among our small staff, so when someone leaves it's feels like a friend is moving away. Since he arrived at the hotel, Mishal Rijal has been a important and hard-working member of the St. Regis team as both our in-house massage practitioner and also as a tireless member of our housekeeping team.
Mishal is leaving the St. Regis Hotel to return to Montreal where he will pursue his dream of running his own massage clinic where he can focus on his passion for healing through massage. We'll miss him, not the hard-working team member who took such pride but also the warm, caring person who wished the best for everyone around him.
On behalf of the whole St. Regis Hotel team, I'd like to thank Mishal for all his contributions to the St. Regis and best of luck with all his future endeavours.
Jeremy Roncoroni,
General Manager
The St. Regis Hotel is proud to be partnering with the Hopscotch Festival, Vancouver's premiere Whisky and Beer festival and the largest festivals of their kind in Canada. Each night at the Grand Tasting Hall which takes place from November 17-19, attendees can sample over 250 premium spirits and beers from over 60 suppliers including Scotches, Rye Whiskys, Bourbons, Irish Whiskys, beers, tequilas and more.
We're offering exclusive room and ticket packages for Thursday (Nov 17th) night's sold-out Grand Tasting Hall at the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station. The Hopscotch Package costs $225 and includes a night in at the St. Regis Hotel and two tickets to Thursday night's Grand Tasting Hall.
Your room at the St. Regis includes the following complimentary inclusions:
Each Grand Tasting Hall ticket also includes:
To buy your package, call the St. Regis Reservations line at 1.800.770.7929 or goes here to reserve online. Hopscotch ticket holders can also access our special $139 room rate any night during the Festival by calling our reservations line and quoting the code "Hopscotch".
For more information on Hopscotch, visit www.hopscotchfestival.com. For more information on the St. Regis Hotel, visit www.stregishotel.com.
While TripAdvisor reviews and rankings aren't the be-all and end-all of success in the hotel business, we'd be lying if we said that we didn't check them often. We're very proud that we've consistenly been ranked in the Top 5 hotels in Vancouver since our renovation and reopening.
TripAdvisor recently added a "best for business" category and we started paying attention to those rankings as well. We're proud to announce that we are now #1 in Vancouver for business travellers!
While all travellers can appreciate our complimentary amenities like internet, worldwide long distance, printing and faxing, these tools are essentials for business. Not only do all the amenities add conveniece to the stay but the savings for business travellers can be huge. Not to mention the convenience of complimentary full breakfast, in-room bottled water and more.
We have also updated our website with information about a wide variety of meeting space that we can arrnage for you in whether in the hotel or in one of our nearby partner sites.
Thanks to our business traveller guests who have helped us be #1.


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6 People Whose Names Took on Regrettable Meanings
#3. "Molotov Cocktail" (from Vyacheslav Molotov)
The Word:
"Molotov cocktail," as in "glass bottle of flammable liquid with a burning rag in the top that rioters throw at soldiers."
The Man:
Vyacheslav Molotov was a Soviet politician who first took office in 1921 and managed to hang on until 1957. He was Stalin's protege and a freaking machine of international politics. Seriously. Winston Churchill once said of him, "I have never met a human being who more perfectly represented the modern conception of a robot."
But damn did he look pimpin' in a red hat.
In 1939, the Soviets began bombing the shit out of Finland, since those crazy Finns kept declining to hand over their territory to the Soviet Union. This wasn't the most unpopular invasion going on in Europe at the time, but it wasn't exactly well-seen, either.
However, our pal Molotov, then serving as the people's commissar of foreign affairs, had it covered: He claimed on the radio that his country was not bombing anything; they were merely "dropping food" to help the poor, starving Finns. Food that exploded, and that strictly speaking did save the Finns from starving, but only by blowing them to pieces.
"And then the survivors have several hundred pounds of broiled meat, ready to eat!"
In response to these statements, the amused/horrified Finns began calling the clearly non-edible Soviet cluster bombs "Molotov bread baskets" after the Soviet minister.
To repay the Soviets' kindness, the Finns also began greeting incoming tanks with "Molotov cocktails" -- improvised fire bombs consisting of glass bottles filled with explosive substances, which they claimed were just "a drink to go with the food." Because if there's one thing Finland loves more than protecting its land, it's food-based jokes.
They really missed a softball dick joke with this one, though.
Although this type of weapon already existed, the name "Molotov cocktail" stuck from then on, much to the namesake comrade's annoyance.
#2. "Jackanapes" (from William "Jack-a-Napes" de la Pole)
Carl de Souza / Getty
The Word:
"Jackanapes," as in the old-timey insult. Call somebody one at school or work tomorrow, it will confuse them.
The Man:
In the 15th century, William de la Pole, first duke of Suffolk, was a well-known British admiral and rich person. He was one of the first merchants to really rise to super-rich status, and as such he managed to piss off every other commoner without royal blood running through their veins who didn't get to mingle with the aristocracy or have their own giant statues made.
Steve Cameron
"This statue is a memorial to the giant pile of money that paid for it."
Since he was a minister of King Henry VI, de la Pole also shows up in a couple of Shakespeare's plays, and like Shakespeare, he too is responsible for expanding our vocabulary. But not in a good way.
De la Pole and his family used a somewhat pompous coat of arms that included a collar and a chain, which people took as an opportunity to compare him to a chained monkey. Back then, monkeys were commonly (and bizarrely) known as "Jack from Nepal," since most of them were imported from that country and they ... sorta look like Jacks, we guess?
Huh. We would have pegged him as a Mike.
Anyway, de la Pole's detractors nicknamed him "Jack-a-Napes," completely missing the fact that the dude literally had the word "pole" in his name. We can think of at least 15 better pole-related nicknames for the guy. But back to the point: As a testament to de la Pole's popularity, his nickname became a common insult for the English folk.
#1. "Guillotine" (from Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin)
The Word:
"Guillotine," as in the head-chopping execution machine.
The Man:
"Dr. Guillotin" sounds like the name of a comic book villain whose power is decapitating people, but in reality he was the exact opposite of that. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was a French physician and humanitarian during the post-Revolution period who strongly opposed capital punishment.
The original hippie.
Finding it impossible to convince his countrymen that chopping off heads wasn't a nice thing to do, Guillotin resigned himself to at least trying to make the executions a little more humane. At the time, people were either hanged or put to death with axes, which was messy and took a few whacks to get the job done. This was a problem for both the guy lying there with half his neck exposed and whoever was in charge of the executioner's dry-cleaning.
Guillotin proposed a recently invented device (not by him) that would quickly and cleanly cut people's heads off, the then-called "machine that cuts people's heads off." In 1789, during an assembly on capital punishment, Guillotin clumsily tried to convince everyone to adopt this device by stating that "Now, with my machine, I cut your head off in the twinkling of an eye, and you never feel it!" The room erupted in laughter at that sentence, and Guillotin's speech soon went viral. He was mocked in periodicals, and parody songs were written about him by the Weird Als of the day, like the following:
Google Books
Sung to the tune of "Hot for Teacher."
Eventually, it was decided that Guillotin may have been onto something and the head-cutting device was officially adopted by the French government. However, Guillotin and his family were embarrassed by their ironic association with the machine, so they requested to the government that they change its name -- 45 minutes of solid laughter later, the government said no, so they decided to change theirs instead.
Eric Yosomono writes for GaijinAss.com and you should LIKE them on the GaijinAss FaceBook page! Josh wants to be your friend on Facebook because he loves you.
For more help with your SATs, check out 6 Everyday Words With Disturbing Alternate Meanings and 9 Words You've Used Today With Bizarre Criminal Origins.
If you're pressed for time and just looking for a quick fix, then check out The 3 Most Spectacularly Full of Crap 'Experts'.
And stop by LinkSTORM to learn what Wonging the cashier means.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hypothetically speaking, let's say I've equipped a vehicle with an aftermarket audio system with an amplifier that has a higher draw (in amps) than my alternator produces causing my average voltage (while system is active) to drop to around 10-11 volts. How drastically can I expect this to effect the life of my alternator and battery?
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After installing high wattage stereos with stock alternators, I have burned out alternators in less than 30 minutes, and I have also had them last months. It would be prudent to plan for an early failure.
If you put too much of a load on the alternator it will constantly max itself out as it tries to keep up with the demand. Running at max will heat up the alternator and eventually it will burn out. As @Brian pointed out, probably sooner than later.
Most aftermarket audio systems that require higher amps also have high output alternators.
Better consider an alternator upgrade when it blows up. You'll probably be blowing it up pretty soon. :-)


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Product Details


text:
In the following passage, would it be correct to say that the bolded sentence uses
She walks past one of the farm workers (is his name John?), a robust, small- headed man wearing a potato-coloured vest, cleaning the ditch that runs through the osier bed. He looks up at her, nods, looks down again into the brown water. As she passes him on the way to the river she thinks of how successful he is, how fortunate, to be cleaning a ditch in an osier bed. She herself has failed. She is not a writer at all, really; she is merely a gifted eccentric.