The five-year-old Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver has thriving arts and food and beverage programs. The hotel's growing collection of artworks is the focus of a newly released self-guided art podcast tour. In the kitchens, newly appointed executive chef Nathan Brown is showcasing local Vancouver ingredients with a focus on sustainable ingredients and cooking from scratch. PAXnewsWest.com sat down at the hotel's ORU restaurant with Kaylyn Storey, public relations manager, to learn more about the latest developments in the hotel's efforts to highlight the visual and culinary arts…
Category Archives: Travel writing
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: Boomerang & Exotik showcase new website, itineraries
Boomerang and Exotik Tours invited travel agents to the TravelBrands offices in Vancouver yesterday to announce new technology improvements that will change the way agents quote and book travel through the companies as of Sept. 7. These backend changes will enhance the functionality of the revamped website launched in May, which brought the Exotik and Boomerang product offerings together on one site…
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: Context brings ‘deep travel' to Vancouver & Montreal
Context Travel, named one of the top European tour companies by Travel + Leisure magazine, launched its first Canadian tours in Vancouver and Montreal in May. This week, PAXnewsWest.com joined expansion manager Lily Heise and Vancouver wine docent Louise-Marie Lessard for a trial run of the new Vancouver-based tour Wines of B.C., a Tasting Journey of the Province, with stops at The Wine Bar in Yaletown and Beach Bay Café in the West End…
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: Choose Chicago zeros-in on Western Canada's untapped potential
Representatives of Choose Chicago wrapped up four days in Vancouver on Thursday with local travel agents during a sunny soiree on the patio of the Shangri-La Hotel.
"There's great interest in Chicago,†Cathy Domanico, Choose Chicago's vice-president of tourism and leisure sales, told PAXnewsWest.com. "Chicago is a new product offering for Western Canada, which provides a good opportunity for travel professionals…”
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: Arizona for millennials: W Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Entertainment District
The booming entertainment district in Scottsdale, Arizona is growing fast. Nine new restaurants and bars have opened in the last two years, giving the area the highest concentration of bars and lounges in downtown Scottsdale. The 230-room W Scottsdale hotel is located in a prime position for visitors looking to experience the area's nightlife, including three lounges within the hotel. PAXnewsWest.com sat down with Rich Gonzalez, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, to learn about the latest developments in the entertainment district, and what guests should know about this 230-room Starwood property…
Article for PAX Magazine: Forgetting Charlie – A Hawaiian Love Affair on Kauai’s North Coast
My first destination article for PAX Magazine appears in the summer issue. Find the digital version at PAXMagazine.ca.
New article for PAXnewsWest.com: Exploring Anantara’s newest Thailand properties
Anantara Hotels and Resorts, a brand launched with one resort in Thailand in 2001, now includes 13 hotels and resorts across the country, with a collection of 35 properties stretching cross Asia, the Middle East and Africa. While the brand may not be well known to Canadians, it is part of the Minor Hotel Group, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific region, and a member of the Global Hotel Alliance.
PAXnewsWest.com recently had the opportunity to visit two recent additions to the Anantara portfolio in Thailand to learn what this luxury hotel brand can offer the Canadian traveller…
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: Transat launches largest sun brochure yet
The sun obliged yesterday, shining on guests as they arrived at the Transat Holidays 2015–2016 sun product launch in Vancouver, presented at an intimate lunch for 20 agents at Blue Water Café.
Transat's new 2015–2016 sun brochure features 35 destinations. For the first time, all vacation destinations are offered as Transat Holidays packages, including those previously available only under the Nolitours banner…
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: KVB reveals romantic side of Kauai
"I could have lived anywhere, but I chose to live on Kauai.†It was a refrain heard over and over again on a recent PAXnewsWest.com visit to the destination.
"Kauai has a feeling, a spirit,†said Sabra Kauka, a Kauai cultural representative. "It has a way of embracing you and saying ‘Aloha.'â€
Ninety-seven per cent of Kauai's land is undeveloped, with many pristine areas accessible only by boat or foot, and some only by helicopter (a quirky piece of legislation prevents the construction of buildings that exceed the height of a mature coconut tree)…
Article for PAXnewsWest.com: TTM+ 2015: Experiential travel & the essence of "Thainessâ€
The Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2015 wrapped up Friday after three days of connecting Thailand tourism operators and service providers with buyers and media.
The 2015 Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) campaign encourages visitors to "Discover Thainess,†a theme much discussed at the event. What exactly is "Thainessâ€? It's that unique aspect of Thailand that keeps visitors returning to the country…