February 12th is the Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver is waiting to welcome the world with distinct offerings and legendary hospitality. From the arrival of three-star Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the creation of Street MARKET to medal-worthy spa treatments that harness the power of the Pacific Ocean, Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver is ready for a year of fun and GAMES.
FOOD & WINE
International Celebrity Chef – From February 15 – 17, three-star Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will be in-house and joining his team in MARKET by Jean-Georges, the signature restaurant of Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. Their winning strategy is to take it to the street, setting up a Street MARKET by tenting and heating the outdoor third floor patio off Alberni Street. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., Street MARKET will be offering bar fare at approachable pricing.
Vancouver Shake Up – The mixologists of Shangri-La’s Lobby Lounge have five flavourful cocktails heavy in Canadian content and each paying homage to the five Olympic rings. They include Oh Canada! (red ring) featuring Canadian Maple Whiskey, rum and maple syrup and After the Celebration (black ring), a twist on a Canadian classic, the Caesar, complete with a strip of smoked meat. The team, while international in scope, is counting on Canada to bring home hockey gold, and in anticipation, have created Gold on Ice (gold ring) – a blend of Canadian Calvados and True Canadian Cider poured over ice cubes made of iceberg distilled water – Canadian naturally – garnished with caramelized apple and gold flakes. The Lobby Lounge will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily for the duration of the Olympics. Post-Games, the five cocktails will remain on the Lobby Lounge menu, ready to be shaken or stirred.
SPA
CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La has created medal-worthy treatments, each harnessing the restorative powers of the Pacific Ocean – specifically organic seaweed, rich in nutrients and minerals, and harvested off the British Columbia coast – and incorporated into each treatment. Topping the list, Wild Ocean Gold, a two-hour treatment that begins with a seaweed foot soak followed by exfoliation and customized massage, all using sea plants such as Nereocystis, Ulva Lactuca, and Macrocystis with blends of Pacific sea salt, marine minerals and chlorophyll to boost metabolism and improve circulation. The Silver Sea Facial, with its liberal use of creams abundant in restorative seaweed products, ensures you put your best face forward. Every great athlete knows that regular massage is part of a total fitness regime and with that in mind we have created the Bronze Medal Body Massage. A rich blend of seaweed, pumpkin and olive oils in combination with your preferred pressure, makes you a medal contender, whatever your sport. Introduced for the Games, these treatments will be part of the CHI menu through the end of March.
PEOPLE
Row, Row, Row your Boat – MARKET bartender, Christian Baccardax-Scully (“Scully”), is an aspiring Olympic kayaker – working towards becoming a member of Canada’s Olympic kayaking team for the 2012 summer Olympics in London, England. As a member of the Canadian National Dragon Boat team, representing Canada at all international regattas, he is ready to row. In summer 2009 the team won gold in the 500 metre in Prague, and in 2011, heads to Tampa, Florida.
Fluent in 36 Languages – With more than 40 countries ready to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Shangri-La staff are ready to respond in 36 languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay, Korean, German, Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Russian.
Opened January 24, 2009, Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver is set in Vancouver’s downtown core, located at 1128 West Georgia, at the intersection of West Georgia and Thurlow Street. The hotel occupies the first 15 floors of a new 61-storey landmark building, a multi-purpose complex built incorporating innovative residential living, high-end retail shopping, signature restaurants and an outdoor public art space curated by the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 65 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The group has over 40 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Seychelles, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information or reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.
