http://www.cosmotoronto.com/blog/index.php http://www.cosmotoronto.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080826-154947 Here are some suggestions on how you can enjoy this area of the city, without having to become city slickers.

It’s a beautiful summer day in Toronto, perfect for taking a walk. But where can visitors go for a leisurely, urban stroll? The neighbourhood of St. Lawrence is an ideal destination for those who want to check out a slice of Toronto’s history and culture. One of the city’s oldest and most vibrant communities, the St. Lawrence district offers architectural gems, friendly people and lots of great options to for drinks and good eats.

Start off your stroll at the lively St. Lawrence Market (92 Front St. East at Jarvis). On Saturdays, the north market opens up to farmers and local food producers who all sell their goods under one roof. Be sure to make it here before noon—by then, the fresh eggs, locally-grown veggies and artisanal cheeses begin to run out. Cross Front Street to the south market and revel in a centuries-old building that offers everything from fresh pasta, wild salmon and—everywhere you turn—any kind of pork product you could possibly want. Don’t forget to check out the basement level, where you can pick up fresh-baked bread and locally made tofu.

Shopping in hand, head out the rear door of the market and walk eastward down the Esplanade. Though this modest stretch of residential living may not look like much at first glance, it’s actually one of Toronto’s most important feats of urban planning. Beginning in the 1970s, politicians and planners—including the much-loved Jane Jacobs—began to envision building a mixed-use neighborhood that provided subsidized and market-value housing. By the early 1990s, the stretch of the Esplanade from Jarvis to Berkeley streets was dotted by condos and co-ops, cafes and schools, and was widely hailed as an urban success story.




At the end of the Esplanade, make note of the Berkeley Street Theatre, where you can return later that evening for a show. Walk across the park, or maybe sit down on a bench to enjoy that brioche you picked up at the market. A bit further down, cross Parliament Street and enter the Distillery District, an area newly revitalized with some development cash and an entrepreneurial spirit. Built on the site of a former whiskey-producing business, the Distillery District maintains many historic features that give an amazing insight into Toronto’s origins. You can stroll around the cobble-stoned streets and poke your head into the shops and studios of no less than 18 different artists and galleries. There is lots of shopping to be had (especially if you’re in the market for fine chocolate, yoga gear or high-end stereo systems). Or you can sit outside Balzac’s café and just people watch.

History buffs mustn’t neglect to scoot just a stone’s throw south of King Down Trinity Street (one block east of Parliament) to see the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, built in 1848. This is Toronto’s first free school, a living history museum and one of the oldest, continually-operating buildings in the city.

You can then walk westbound along King Street, and do some window shopping in one of the many furniture and antique stores that line the street. Stop at Jarvis and marvel at the beauty of St. Lawrence Hall (157 King. St. E.), a grand building that dates back to 1850. Pop inside to find historical displays relating to the neighborhood. You can’t help but notice the grandeur of the place (no wonder it serves as a film set and a venue for weddings!). Stroll south on Jarvis, back towards St. Lawrence Market, where you began your stroll. If you’re lucky enough to be there on a Sunday, have a poke around the antiques market that sets up on the north side of Front Street. It’s full of all kinds of treasures just waiting to be discovered—a little bit like the city of Toronto itself.

The Cosmopolitan Hotel’s lifestyle specialists can certainly help plan out your free time! We have maps, brochures and plenty of suggestions to make your leisure time a one of a kind, fun and a learning experience.

David
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Dear guests and friends,

Health specialists around the world have been saying for years, that a nutritious breakfast is essential to living a healthy lifestyle and more particularly they say that breakfast should be the “king of meals” as it will give you the “power” to make it through the work day with energy and enthusiasm. Since we, in Skyline Hotels Group, are good listeners, we took that to heart.

Under the leadership of our great Executive Chef, Derek Kennedy, we have recently improved our breakfast offerings at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Our regular guests are thrilled and our new guests feel it is great value as they enter our restaurant. We welcome you to join us daily in our “Eight” restaurant for a buffet style breakfast. We offer fruits, various kinds of cheeses, healthy bread and bagels, muffins and pastries, cereals, luxurious smoked salmon, devilled eggs and more! We are now also offering delicious made-to-order omelettes, freshly made waffles and French toast, all made on the spot by the chef. Yum! We offer variety of juice, coffees and teas. What a way to start the day! We look forward to giving you a great start to your day.

See you all at breakfast!

David


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We, of course, offer rooms over the internet – that’s the way to go these days! We can showcase our rooms and offer the best deals or packages and even last minute discounted rates (which rarely happens thank God!). You can book via our website www.cosmotoronto.com. Check it out!

This is the reason that we have recently contracted an e-marketing company to design and program for us a completely new web site, that will take us directly to the next era technology. I promise it would be slick, attractive and very friendly! Wait and see…..

At the Cosmopolitan we also know that technology is important to our guests. This is why we have wireless internet in all of our guestrooms, meeting rooms, lobby, spa and restaurant. Most of our rooms also have two phones, one is mobile. This way you can multi-task and conduct business from your room with efficiency.

So book a room and try us out, if you already stayed with us come again and let us know in advance how we can make your stay even better than the last one!

Another advice to you, my guests, and you may already know about this, now you can do all sorts of searches from your cell phone and get the results back in seconds via a text message. For example, try to text “weather 05403″ and get the latest forecast for the city you visit.

All you have to do is set up a new contact for Google in your mobile phone. You do this by entering “Google” in your address book and then lock in this mobile number 466-453. Let’s say you want to know the sushi restaurants in the Hollywood: text “sushi restaurants 90210″ then send the text message to “Google” in your address book. But if you would like to try fine food and best selection of wine, don’t Goggle; Eight Wine Bar www.eightwinebar.com is located at the lobby of the cosmopolitan.

Need to look up a word, text “define __word_” and get back the definition.

From your computer go here and you’ll see all the commands you can use. You can even test them out in the box they give you.

Try it!

See you soon.

David
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We are seeing many more travelers coming in by train and by car from neighboring provinces and states. Toronto’s main train station is only about a 7 minute walk to our welcoming hotel. For drivers, we offer valet parking service 24 hours a day.

We take security seriously at the Cosmopolitan and we have taken one extra step. Our elevators run on a key card system. Upon check in, your room key will be given to you. The key will only allow you to access your floor. This way, not only is your floor quieter, due to reduced unnecessary traffic – but you can also feel safer. We have in room safes in all of our rooms also for your valuables. Our lifestyle specialists are at your service in the hotel 24 hours a day. So should you require assistance with anything, we are at your service.

Thank you to our devoted Director of Operations Sabine J. Smith,

Info source: www.travelindustrywire.com
]]> http://www.cosmotoronto.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080523-110916 It's the little details that count and that set us apart.  We have had so many guest fill out comment cards.  What they recognize the most, is our friendly staff.  Personally, I have never worked with such a wonderful team!

Without their dedication and passion, we would have never won this award!

Our staff are sincere and truly want to make everyone's stay the best it can be. We look forward to welcoming you to our hotel, whether it be for the first time, or for the twentieth.
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Gaming is also big here in Ontario. It’s entertainment after all (well, to most of us...)!  The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Spa in Toronto is about more than only an hour from Casino Niagara and Casino Rama.  And talking about resorts, our parent company – Skyline Boutique Hotels and Resorts is just in the end stages of acquiring the renowned Horseshoe Valley Resort just north of Toronto (see http://www.horseshoeresort.com) <http://www.horseshoeresort.com/> ). It just made sense to have an amazing golf and ski resort in our family.  And if you haven’t yet heard, the company has also starting building residences and Yacht Club at Port McNicoll on Georgian Bay (see <http://www.portmcnicoll.ca> www.portmcnicoll.ca). This will expand into the construction of a luxury resort and club activities such as boating, fishing, spa, fine dining and all with a very interesting real estate investment.  And who knows….maybe a casino too?

It is my great pleasure to announce that Sabine Smith, our devoted front office manager, has promoted and is now serving as Director of Operations at the Cosmopolitan. It is a very demanding position but with her wisdom and high managerial skills Sabine will enjoy the pleasure of serving our loyal and first time guests aside to the duty of supervising our wonderful staff.

Good luck to Sabine and until next time - enjoy!

Yours
David]]> http://www.cosmotoronto.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080506-070157
Over the next few weeks, I will be happy to share with you on this blog some high-lighting each trend and how it relates to the Cosmopolitan Toronto Hotel and Spa.



THE CHANGING CUSTOMER: Niche Travel and Mini Vacations
Today more and more people are bypassing the traditional, two-week getaway in favor of mini-vacations of a week or less. According to Deloitte's October 2007 Travel Survey, 47% of respondents said they take more short vacations and fewer long ones than they used to.



On a professional and personal level, there is no doubt that the 2 week vacation has nearly vanished. Not that we wouldn’t mind having that time off (or more!), however, with the level of responsibility that comes with most jobs these days, we just cringe at the thought of the amount of work that would be waiting for us once we returned from a fortnight away from work! Also, a longer vacation means a larger investment. There means more involved planning, more time and more money. It’s just easier to get up and go! (it can also be more fun!). At the Cosmopolitan Toronto, we often have great weekend rates just for this purpose. Many of our guests live in the city and just want to get away – see different wallpaper and be pampered with our services, led by our Lifestyle specialists who know not only how to exceed our guests’ expectations but know what is the hottest spot in the city. Others come in from more rural areas, wanting to be city slickers for a few days – taking in shopping and cultural events. So, when will you join us for the weekend?



Special thanks to Sabine J. Smith, Front Office Manager.

Info source: www.travelindustrywire.com]]> http://www.cosmotoronto.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080331-114328

Hi Everyone,

I have to apologize for not updating this sooner. Busy times around here, but I will endeavour to update the blog more regularly. In fact, we will soon be re-designing this website as well as our sister hotel, The Pantage's website in the near future...but more on that on a later blog.

I was speaking with our Spa Director, Erit the other day and she was telling me that she's getting alot of bookings from clients that have been missing over the winter. I guess everyone likes to "hibernate" as it were during winter. And as we all know, this winter was one for the books! Anyway, she got to thinking about that, and how even folks who don't usually go to the spa, or can't afford to do so on a regular basis, should come in at least as the seasons change to get "refreshed". Erit tells me that just as it's important to change your skincare regime for the winter, you should also change it for the spring/summer.

So without further ado, here are some of Erit's tips for springtime skin to look it's best:

1. Always put on a moisturizing lotion with a high sun-protection factor (SPF) before heading out of your house. Use one that offers an SPF of at least 15. All facial creams are required to afford some protection from the sun, but always check.

2. Start wearing your sunglasses regularly to protect your eyes. Look for glasses with good UV protection. You should always wear sunglasses when there's sun, but especially important in the spring/summer.

3. Drink LOTS of water.

4. Keep a spray bottle filled with a mixture of equal parts toner and water in the refrigerator for a refreshingly quick pick-me-up skin treatment.

5. A great homemade skin soother is rose water. Take a glass jar and combine two cups distilled water, 1/2 cup loosely packed rose petals and 20 drops of rose-fragrance oil. Mix well and seal the jar in a cool, dark place for one to two weeks. Shake gently every few days. Or of course you can come to Shizen and have our signature Rose Facial and Massage and totally feel relaxed and pampered!

6. To reduce puffy eyes and provide a cool facial treat at the same time, try soaking two cotton balls in cold chamomile tea. Apply a slice of cucumber to each eye for another puffy eye remedy.

7. Three final words on spring/summertime skin protection: moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.

8. While this goes without saying, everyone should have a facial after winter. Everyone's skin becomes drier and benefits greatly from professional spa treatments. At Shizen we have several facial options including our anti-aging hydradermie and hydradermie lift both from Guinot. These are wildly popular at our spa.

9. Pedicure and manicure is a must for showing off your amazing summertime sandals! At Shizen our professionals can have you in and out with our express mani and pedi, or if you have more time, will relax you in a leisurely signature treatment.

10. A short word on men going to the spa. Do it! Seriously, Shizen is getting more and more interest from men and we welcome them. It's often a given that women love going to the spa, but men should also get their faces refreshed and most also need a nice pedicure for their sandal-wearing as well!

Look forward to seeing you at Shizen 416-350-2424 www.shizenspa.com




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Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner (next week!), I thought I’d chat about that this week.

Valentine’s Day has a different meaning to everyone; small children delight in buying those little ‘will you be mine’ candies and cards and can’t wait to give them to their secret Valentines at school. For them, it’s an innocent and fun day that they can indulge in some more candies and hot red hearts.

For adults, it’s a different story, of course. If you’re married or have a significant other, you can’t even dream of forgetting Valentine’s Day… Like all holidays lately though, it seems that Valentine’s just gets more commercialized by the year. I mean really, only one day to tell your true love how you really feel? But it is what it is, and I think those of us in love and with partners should embrace it with the spirit the kids do. Have fun with it.

Which leads me into a smooth seguay about Shizen Spa. I can guarantee that no wife, husband, or significant other would be disappointed with a gift certificate from Shizen. But this is not just a spa certificate. It’s a chance to allow your loved one to experience the city’s only 5-star rated spa in a boutique setting, with impeccable service.

The options are endless—from our ‘Relax & Dine’ package, perfect for couples that includes a 1-hour massage in our famous Rose Room and then dinner at the city’s newest hotspot, Eight Wine Bar--to our ‘Pamper Your Partner’ package with couples massage, facial and Champagne and strawberries…very romantic.

And, as an homage to Sex In The City, we’ve also created the wildly popular ‘Girls Night Out’—jacuzzi tub access, mini pedicure and manicure, Champagne, strawberries…and gossip galore. I’ll go on record saying that it’s the best spa package anywhere in the city, and at an amazing price of $75. Book fast though, as all time slots are quickly being snapped up!

To check out more of our wonderful packages click on www.shizen.ca

"And in the end, the love you take
Is equal to the love you make." - John Lennon and Paul McCartney



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Hi Folks
I am about to complete my two weeks at Cornell University and head back to my family, to the Pantages, and to the Cosmopolitan in Toronto. I was so lucky that I could spend this time here without having to worry about the hotel's operations or sales. I know I have the best executive team backing me up who do what ever it takes to successfully deal with every challenge that arises. Actually, I find it very beneficial for every manager to try and handle issues directly that usually would have come through the General Manager's desk.

This is a great opportunity to thank my team members back in the two hotels in Toronto for allowing me to graduate this program without being worried on a daily basis.

Below, I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to some of my colleagues I've had the pleasure to meet here at Cornell. They are some of the best and brightest General Managers from successful hotels and resorts from 23 countries including Greece, Switzerland, U.S., Costa Rica, Monaco, Germany, South Africa, Egypt, China, Singapore, Mexico, Spain, Canada and many more.

Take care and I am looking forward to coming back to Toronto.

Yours

David







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