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Town & Country
November 3, 2011
Restaurant at The Ritz Carleton, Toronto
From city luxe to country casual, Ontario can deliver the goods for corporate events.
By Hailey Eisen
The Town: Toronto
With a consistent stream of venues, accommodations, restaurants and entertainment options popping up across the city, Toronto continues to impress as a destination for meetings and events. And, with a new wave of five-star luxury properties, most of which are still in development, the city is upping the ante in terms of upscale hospitality.
The first five-star hotel to open its doors was The Ritz Carlton, which first welcomed guests in February 2011. In the heart of the city’s vibrant financial district, this Wellington St. hotel has 267 stunning guest rooms and suites. “The suites are truly to die for,” says Lori Heller, president of Heller Productions Inc. a Toronto-based event management company. “Five-star accommodation was something this city was missing, and hotels like The Ritz will certainly help put us on the map.”
The Ritz Carlton has the largest luxury ballroom in Toronto with 7,400 sq. ft. of space, accommodating up to 600 guests. The grand foyer serves as ideal pre-function space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Metro Hall Square Park and Roy Thompson Hall. Other meeting space includes the 3,000 sq.-ft.Wellington Room and individual meeting rooms including an executive boardroom. To date, The Ritz Carlton has accommodated groups of two to 450 for galas, corporate meetings and incentive trips. “For us it all comes down to the people,” says Daniel Newberry, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. “What we focus on is anticipatory service – taking care of our guests and customers before they have to ask for assistance.”
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Expected to open in late 2011, and the second hotel to join the Toronto luxury scene, is the Trump International Hotel & Tower. Also situated in the financial district at Bay and Adelaide streets, this 65-story building towers over Toronto boasting 261 luxurious hotel rooms and suites with views of the city and Lake Ontario. The Trump will feature high-speed elevators, a world-class restaurant located on the 30th floor, and The Spa at Trump® wellness facility. The hotel’s 12,000 sq.-ft.- business center will include two floors of meeting rooms and a 4,000 sq.-ft.-Presidential Expo Suite on the Trump Executive Level, for hosting exclusive meetings and presentations.
If it’s a boutique hotel experience you’re after, Hotel Le Germain and Thompson Hotels are amongst Toronto’s finest, offering stunning décor, modern amenities and a highly urban experience. Both have meeting spaces; Hotel Le Germain’s being somewhat smaller and more intimate. “The Thompson Rooftop Lounge is certainly the place to see and be seen and is available for private functions,” says Heller.
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Heller has also hosted many successful events at Steam Whistle Brewing. From casual to sophisticated, this downtown venue has three spaces and can accommodate groups of 30 to 750 for galas, fundraisers, meetings, and corporate parties. Much of the building’s historic architecture remains in place, making this a unique space for any event.
For spectacular views and an intimate experience, Heller recommends 180 Panorama atop the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre in the tony Yorkville neighbourhood. “This is a fantastic space for a corporate dinner or cocktail reception,” she says. The revolving dining room allows guests to experience views of downtown and uptown Toronto and serves as a great introduction to the city.
With state-of-the-art venues, world class dining and entertainment, unique multicultural experiences and an onslaught of five-star luxury accommodations set to take the city by storm, Toronto remains a high-class, high-energy destination for events and meetings.
And Country: Muskoka
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| The Rosseau, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Minett, Ont. |
Ontario’s Muskoka region provides the perfect combination of a serene country setting coupled with world-class amenities and activities – making it a destination of choice for meeting planners. With 2,500 square miles of stunning forest, pristine lakes and rivers, sandy beaches and luxury hotel properties, Ontario’s ‘cottage country’ offers many of the perks of a tropical destination without the long flights and extensive travel time. It’s no wonder National Geographic named Muskoka the top summer destination of 2011.
“As soon as you arrive, you can’t help but feel relaxed – even if you’re working,” says Brooke Soucier of Hidden Champions, a full-service travel incentive, executive retreats and corporate meetings company in Oakville, Ontario. Just a 90 to 120 minute drive north of the city, the Muskoka region is home to clean air, starry night skies, and spectacular wildlife.
One of the region’s newer luxury hotels is The Rosseau, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa that overlooks the stunning Lake Rosseau. This is the first Canadian location of the Marriott’s upscale resort brand, JW Marriott, and it offers corporate guests a full service spa (with 11 treatment rooms), a suite of team-building and adventure activities, a private beach and 700-acre nature reserve, and access to The Rock, a Nick Faldo-designed golf course.
The resort opened in December 2008, and features 13,800 sq. ft. of meeting space including the 6,480 sq.-ft.-Rosseau Ballroom with seating capacity of just over 500. With 221 stunning and spacious hotel rooms, guests are able to enjoy country charm alongside modern amenities and pure luxury.
“While this is a top tier hotel, the atmosphere is more unassuming than something you’d find in the city,” says Leah Leslie, director of sales and marketing for The Rosseau. “Here you’ll find CEOs and executives enjoying a glass of wine at the bar in their bathrobes and flip-flops, having just come from the pool.”
Nearby, and also overlooking Lake Rosseau, is Windermere House, another of Muskoka’s upscale hotels popular amongst planners. Completely renovated in 2008, the property features a brand new full-service spa, the seventh Ontario location of Sanctuary International Day Spas. Guests can also expect live entertainment throughout the summer on the resort’s famous veranda and participate in a wide selection of land sports and waterfront activities.
With famed Oliver and Bonacini Restaurants now at the helm of foodservice, guests of the Windermere can expect creative Canadian comfort food and spectacular fine dining all onsite. With tons of natural light and walkouts from meeting spaces onto the veranda, delegates can enjoy natural surroundings while getting down to business in comfort and style, explains Sue Nickason, a marketing consultant with Windermere House.
“Meeting goers love the charm of our property and are continuously wowed by the character and personality of our guest rooms all equipped with modern amenities,” she says. The hotel has a main lodge with 56 guest rooms and an adjacent Windermere Cottage with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Meeting space can accommodate small and medium size groups. The Islandview room – the property’s largest - is 2,000 sq. ft. and has space for 200 reception guests.
For Soucier, the decision to take a group to Windermere House in September of this year was made based on the hotel’s friendly service, stunning scenery and gorgeous guestrooms. She’ll be hosting a group of 25 delegates from a Mississauga-based pharmaceutical company for their quarterly meeting. She plans to take advantage of on-site entertaining and dining options.
For groups looking to incorporate outdoor networking events and cocktail receptions into their meeting or event schedule, Muskoka offers stunning lakeside venues and boat rental options. Soucier suggests a tour of spectacular celebrity summer homes, all hidden from the main roads, but visible from the water. With the likes of Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Martin Short and Steven Spielberg summering in these parts, an evening boat cruise is a great way to enjoy appetizers and cocktails while taking in the star-studded scenery. “On a recent boat tour of the area we spotted Brett Lindros [retired NHL star and brother of Eric Lindros] outside with his dog setting up for a bonfire.”
If it’s a country escape you’re looking for, the Muskoka Lakes region has all the peace and serenity you’ll need to unwind and recharge.
Filed under: Canada
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