Hi Tech Meets High Design at the OPUS Hotel in Vancouver

Robert Ellsworth checks in to this 21st-century boutique hotel that blends technology and style with coolness and calm.

If Vancouver is the hipster capital of Canada, then the fashionable Opus is its decadent heart. Situated in Yaletown, one of Vancouver’s swanky hip zones, this 96-room cosmopolitan hotel has a chill vibe with a sophisticated and colorful ambiance. The adjacent neighborhood boasts a plethora of hopping bars, trendy restaurants and au courante shops.

This summer, Opus Hotel completes a multi-phase technology renovation, including the installation of TELUS Optik TV, the inauguration of a Virtual iPad Concierge program, an original lifestyle-driven website as well as a fresh and engaging mobile website; all reinforcing that technology is a lifestyle, not a luxury.

True to its pledge to “redefine the downtown boutique,” this delightful intimate hotel shows precision styling and stimulating attention to detail. Each of the 96 individually tailored rooms offers airy space and clean, uncluttered lines with sweeping views of Vancouver’s waterfront area, not to mention complimentary WiFi, iPhones in every room, and your own personalized iPad 2!

Unlike most cookie cutter hotels, each room is extraordinarily unique with five individualized themes named after fictional guests. These include party-boy Billy (retro-modern dotted with eclectic art); mod and minimalist gay Mike; stylish and sophisticated Susan, her room, bathed in blues; Parisian Pierre prefers bright airy and bursting with orange hues; and Hollywood diva Dede, a Los Angeles actress (room replete with faux fur, naughty art and a four-poster bed).

All rooms imbued with signature touches like Herman Miller ergonomic chairs, spa bathrooms with heated floors, Hello Kitty dispensers, and Frette bathrobes and removable second generation customized iPads for guests to use while strolling around Vancouver. Each iPad has been programed with a specific concierge to offer you a personalized city tour based on your personality. They also offer complimentary bike rentals!

The stylish setting doesn’t end with the rooms−mosey down to the bustling lobby and find yourself in Vancouver’s notorious nightspot, the Opus bar, where the inventive cocktails flow with edible flowers, a roster of celebrity DJs spin till the early morning hours, and the cloakrooms have video feeds so you can engage in voyeuristic tendencies and other naughty distractions.

Exceptionally well run, Opus, has impeccable service that’s both professional and personal. A cute and affable staff happily assists in any need, whether offer its taking your dog for a midnight walk or digging up some late night munchies for a hungry guest. Maybe that’s why celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Cher and Christina Aguilera (who brings her pet dogs) make it their home away from home.

Cento Notti, the hotel’s restaurant−part bistro, part la dolce vita−welcomes diners from morning to midnight and dishes up Italian classic comfort food and locally sourced snacks to the pumping bass of cabaret tunes. Chef Paul Marshall knows his food. With Vancouver’s scenesters mingling with gays and rich cougar beards, dinner can be a hectic experience. Service may be slow, but the mouth-watering onion rings, slathered in bacon aioli and crispy prosciutto crumble is worth the wait.

Contact: For more information call or 001 604 642 6787 or check out www.opushotel.com