VANCOUVER, B.C. If the room’s apple-green walls and faux-fur
banquette have somehow failed to convince you that the Opus Hotel
is not your average place to park a suitcase the bathroom leaves no
room for doubt.
Behind the raised steel sink and the wedge-shaped polished
granite countertop are floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto a
busy street in Yaletown Vancouver’s answer to New York’s SoHo
district.
If you’re not an exhibitionist, don’t worry: A privacy screen or
a blackout shade can be pulled down to keep out prying eyes, as
they can in another room where the bathtub is separated from the
bedroom by only a glass wall.
The 97-room Opus, which opened last September, is one of the few
places that can lay a claim on the “boutique” label. From the
moment you walk into the lobby bar, dotted with an eclectic mix of
furniture ranging from rococo settees to futuristic, egg-shaped
ottomans you know this is no cookie-cutter chain hotel.
“More and more travelers are looking for a property that
reflects the city they’re in, that’s full of surprises,” says
Daniel Craig, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.
For that reason, its designers came up with 16 different room
layouts and five decors based on the personalities of fictitious
guests.
“Susan,” a fashion analyst, is at home with deep periwinkle-blue
walls and sleek, contemporary furnishings; while “Bob and Carol,” a
professional couple, prefer a more conservative, earth-toned suite,
which opens onto an inner courtyard with a Japanese garden. All
rooms have wireless Internet access and a portable stereo with a
selection of CDs.
Details, Details
Address: 322 Davie St., Yaletown
Phone: (866) 642-6787
Restaurants: In addition to the hotel’s Elixir, a 96-seat French
brasserie, the Yaletown area is home to some of Vancouver’s best
restaurants. Try the Yaletown Brewing Co. at 1111 Mainland St., for
its casual atmosphere, good thin-crust pizzas and an interesting
selection of microbrew beers; or the more upscale Cioppino’s
Mediterranean Grill at 1133 Hamilton St., for high-end Italian
fare.
Facilities: Fitness room.
Web site: www.opushotel.com
Nearby attractions: A minute’s walk away is the False Creek
seawall, a walking and cycling trail, which leads to some of
Vancouver’s best beaches and the 1,000-acre Stanley Park.