Opus Hotel's Blog

Lifestyle Hotels: Gotta Have Soul

Daniel Edward Craig — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:00:20 +0000

Now that luxury is a bad word, hoteliers are scrambling for ways to reinvent their hotels without spending a whack of money. The quick fix? Simply delete all references to “luxury” in marketing materials and replace them with “lifestyle”. Magically, the hotel’s image transforms from visions of champagne baths and gold-plated toilet seats to a [...] Related posts:

Emerging Trends in the Hotel Industry: A Lighthearted Approach

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:56:00 +0000

For the residents, businesses and visitors to Yaletown who have endured construction of the Canada Line underground rapid transit station these past three years, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, it’s a speeding train—a Canada Line train. Whether it will flatten us with a railcar of problems—traffic, parking, security—or will transport [...] No related posts.

Emerging Trends in the Hotel Industry: A Lighthearted Approach

Daniel Edward Craig — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:05:00 +0000

The hotel industry is built on cheerfulness and spirited optimism, yet in these challenging economic times it’s getting increasingly difficult for employees to hold their smile. Amidst all the doom and gloom I thought I’d take a more lighthearted approach to identifying some of the trends emerging in the hotel industry. 1. Everything learned in revenue [...] Related posts:

Home Sweet Hotel

The Devil, the Details, and Pierre

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:48:00 +0000

A recent guest took our Lifestyle Concierge quiz and was so surprised by his similarities to Pierre he sent us this letter. We thought you’d enjoy. To: Mr. Nicholas Gandossi, General Manager I have just spent an evening at your trendy little address in Vancouver and felt I should convey my observations for the sake of fellow [...] No related posts.

Home Sweet Hotel

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:06:00 +0000

The increasing popularity of condo-hotel developments has put within reach a lifestyle previously reserved for the rich and famous: living in a hotel. Having been living in a hotel myself for the past few months, I’ve discovered that it’s not as always as glamorous as it sounds. For any aspiring Donald Trumps out there, a [...] Related posts:

Emerging Trends in the Hotel Industry: A Lighthearted Approach

See you on the flipside

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:18:00 +0000

December 28 will be my last day at Opus. And wow, what an amazing six years it’s been. For those not interested in hearing me get all sentimental, feel free to fast-forward to previous posts about misbehaving guests, mini-bar sex toys, and makeup-smearing drag queens. For the rest of you, kindly allow me a moment. There’s [...] No related posts.

Hotels in Space

Daniel Edward Craig — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:44:00 +0000

Recently there’s been a lot of hype in the media about a hotel that plans to launch in 2012—in space. It’s called Galactic Suites, and reservations lines are expected to be open next year. I would be the first in line if it weren’t for the astronomical price: $4 million for a three-day stay. Now [...] No related posts.

Chain conformity and other foreboding phrases

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:05:00 +0000

Sorry for the long absence, but I have a good excuse. In case you somehow dodged the salvo of announcements issued by our media team, Opus has adopted a younger sister. She’s gorgeous, speaks fluent French and, fortunately, lives far enough away from Vancouver that we won’t be too jealous. Her name is Opus Montreal. On [...] No related posts.

So you want to work in hotels…

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 22:01:00 +0000

I get lots of messages from hospitality students and aspiring hotel workers who read this blog. In fact, an associate professor at San Francisco State University recently emailed me to say the General Manager’s Blog is required reading for his class. For some time now I’ve been promising to write a post about how to [...] No related posts.

Back to the Scene of the Crime

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:46:00 +0000

Just back from New York and Canada’s Media Marketplace, where my fellow Canadians and I mercilessly flogged our country’s wares in the hopes that media will write gushing stories. I stayed at the Gramercy Park Hotel for the first two nights, Ian Schrager’s latest hotel project in collaboration with artist Julian Schnabel. I’d heard mixed [...] No related posts.

Technical Challenges for the Technically Challenged

Daniel Edward Craig — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:54:00 +0000

It seems my recent posts have not been going out to the subscriber list - a travesty! Our web designer extraordinaire Pierre seems to have fixed the problem, so this is a quick post to see if it’s working. Check out the latest, and thanks to all my loyal readers (make that reader, Dad got [...] No related posts.

Multiple Personalities

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:47:00 +0000

Opus has never claimed to be the clichéd “home away from home”. Unless of course your bathroom at home has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street. I like to compare Opus to “a cool friend’s apartment”, a phrase I appropriated from one of our frequent guests. It captures the hotel’s residential feel and some key design [...] No related posts.

The Cream In My Coffee

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:13:00 +0000

In our relentless pursuit of world domination, right on the heels of assuming control of Elixir and Opus Bar, last week Opus management took control of Café O. Until now, this sunny northeast corner of the building was leased to a third party. It’s earned a reputation for making a mean cup of coffee, but [...] No related posts.

Deconstructing Mini-bars

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 20:47:00 +0000

It’s time for our annual mini-bar program review at Opus, so it was quite timely that a little package arrived for me by courier yesterday. Upon opening it I found a “Mile High Kit” complete with lubricant, condoms and a “whisper-quiet massager”. Curious, I turned the massager on. The vibration was so powerful it almost [...] No related posts.

SOS From Island Paradise

Daniel Edward Craig — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:25:00 +0000

An important step in a well-rounded hotel manager’s career is getting overseas experience. I’m proud to say that I have overseas experience – all of one month’s worth. I alluded to this story last June, and since then a number of readers have asked for the sordid details. So here goes. In 1996, a hotel company [...] No related posts.

Together at last

Daniel Edward Craig — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 00:08:00 +0000

It’s December 29 and I’m feeling sorry for myself because for weeks now, while friends and colleagues in the industry have been stumbling from one holiday party to another in a boozy haze, I’ve never been busier. While they’ve been Christmas shopping during work hours, I’ve been shopping for a director of food & beverage. [...] No related posts.

Guests Behaving Badly

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 18:48:00 +0000

Last weekend was a challenging one at Opus. You would have thought it was a full moon. Maybe the incessant rain and contaminated water seeped into our brains. Whatever the reason, by Sunday three of our guests had been blacklisted. They won’t be welcome back. Of course, I never divulge the identity of guests, but I [...] No related posts.

Lysol comes to the rescue

Daniel Edward Craig — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:03:00 +0000

In the past few months I’ve received lots of great stories from readers about their hotel experiences: the good, the bad, the ugly and the hilarious. I encourage you to send me yours by clicking any of the “comments” link below. All comments are monitored, so please keep them clean and brief. Oh, and try [...] No related posts.

I'm baaaaack! Did you miss me?

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:49:00 +0000

First up, thanks to Katrina for filling in for me during my vacation. When I read her posts and saw how brilliant they were, I thought, “That brazen little upstart is so fired.” But I’ve since learned to accept being upstaged, and I quite like the idea of a backup for times of low inspiration [...] No related posts.

Appropriation, the Highest form of Flattery

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:53:00 +0000

Sometimes I miss the days when I was in sales. I got to travel all over the continent at the company’s expense and – my favourite pastime – check out other luxury hotels. This job keeps me chained to Opus most of the year. But this fall will be a heavy travel month for me. On [...] No related posts.

The Tyranny of the Mistreated Traveller

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:47:00 +0000

I’m still smarting from a review posted on a travel website recently by an unhappy guest. It’s hard not to take these comments personally. I’m passionate about the hotel, as are my staff, and we want everyone to love Opus. The frustrating thing is the review is anonymous, so I can’t respond and try to [...] No related posts.

Rates and favours

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:47:00 +0000

After meeting Stephen Perrine recently, Editor-In-Chief of Best Life magazine and all-around great guy, I picked up the current issue and came across an article by Peter Greenberg, author of Hotel Secrets From the Travel Detective. Mr. Greenberg advises readers looking for hotel room upgrades to call ahead to the general manager or director of [...] No related posts.

Hotel Confidential

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:49:00 +0000

At Opus we host lots of media, and in return they write stories about Vancouver and (we hope) say great things about us. Recently I’ve been approached by writers of travel blogs like vagablond.com who want write a review. Tech companies and celebrity publicists have long recognized the ability of popular bloggers to generate buzz. [...] No related posts.

Something fishy around here

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 18:42:00 +0000

It’s room inspection time at Opus. Every manager, from sales manager to controller, gets a block of rooms and a detailed list of items to check off. Walls, mirrors and artwork free of smudges? Check. Toilet paper roll folded into a perfect triangle? Check. Magnum Opus CD playing at turndown? Check. Mini-bar liquor bottles watered [...] No related posts.

Miscellaneous thoughts of little consequence

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 23:38:00 +0000

How’s that for a gripping lead? A few months ago, when Katrina, our director of sales & marketing, came up with the idea of a general manager’s blog I thought it was brilliant. Back then I didn’t realize how hard it would be to come up with new material each week, and to find time [...] No related posts.

We want our word back

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 16:39:00 +0000

Several years ago, the term “boutique hotel” arrived on the travel scene. Today, it seems like every second hotel is calling itself boutique, from 800-room properties to highway motels to mega chains. There are also boutique salons, ad agencies, law firms, hardware stores and pet stores. Everywhere, businesses are pilfering this precious term to distinguish [...] No related posts.

Must Love Smiling

Daniel Edward Craig — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 17:28:00 +0000

Last week was a busy one at Opus, with 4 perfect fills in 7 days. We’re currently hiring for positions in reservations, guest services and housekeeping. So if you know anyone who is experienced, has a great attitude, is well mannered and exceptionally competent, we’d like to hear from them. I have friends who might [...] No related posts.

Silent Shoppers

Daniel Edward Craig — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 23:29:00 +0000

Once a year at Opus we recruit “silent shoppers” to stay at the hotel anonymously and evaluate the experience. They book a room like a regular guest, pay full rate, have drinks in the lounge and dinner in the restaurant, order room service, and test the hotel’s facilities and services. To preserve anonymity, we rebate [...] No related posts.

The holy grail of the hotel business

Daniel Edward Craig — Fri, 26 May 2006 15:54:00 +0000

It’s been a busy week at Opus. The hotel has been sold out all week. Well, almost. The holy grail of the hotel business is the “perfect fill”, when every room is occupied and no guests are relocated. It’s proven elusive this week. Relocating is the hotel industry’s equivalent of an airline bumping a passenger. But [...] No related posts.

Courting divas

Daniel Edward Craig — Thu, 18 May 2006 16:32:00 +0000

People often think that being a general manager is a glamorous life.It certainly has its moments, but sometimes it’s like having your dream job at Disneyland – in the accounting office. You know you work for Disney because you see the logo on every bill you send out. And you can tell people you work [...] No related posts.

Does that room come with a midwife?

Daniel Edward Craig — Wed, 17 May 2006 15:41:00 +0000

People often ask me about the strangest request I’ve had as a hotel manager. Having been in the business for over 12 years, I’ve encountered my share. The one that comes to mind happened recently, here at Opus. A woman – a seemingly rational, articulate, sane woman – contacted me to ask if it would be [...] No related posts.

Never a dull moment

Daniel Edward Craig — Thu, 11 May 2006 15:06:00 +0000

So. A hotel manager’s blog. Maybe a first in the industry, likely not the last. This blog is inspired by a series of columns I wrote in the National Post about the daily life of a hotel manager. There is an enormous amount of interest in the behind-the-scenes workings of luxury hotels. Or so I [...] No related posts.