Summer Series at Canada Place

Photo credit: Canada Place

Get ready for the new unveiling of Canada Place’s North Point. The newly renovated area will come alive for six weeks in July and August to celebrate Canada Place’s Summer Series.Outdoor activities include Zumba, Waterfront Cinema and Picnics on the Point, which will take place Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays during the summer months.

Zumba
Instructors from Zumba Vancouver will guide guests through the easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired dance steps. No experience or partner is needed for this fun, fitness class. Classes take place at 530pm every Monday, starting July 24 to August 21.

Waterfront Cinema
Free outdoor event where 1,500 guests will gather to watch a movie under the stars, featuring great Canadian talent! Movies take place at dusk every Thursday, starting July 27 to August 24.

Picnics on the Point
Grab a seat and bring your own picnic basket, while enjoying local entertainment and stunning views at Canada Place’s newly revitalized North Point. Picnics on the Point take place from 5pm-8pm every Friday, starting July 28 to August 25.

Schedule:

Monday, July 24 – Zumba

Thursday, July 27 – Waterfront Cinema

Friday, July 28 – Picnics on the Point

Monday, July 31 – Zumba

Thursday, August 3 – Waterfront Cinema

Friday, August 4 – Picnics on the Point

Thursday, August 10 – Waterfront Cinema

Friday, August 11 – Picnics on the Point

Monday, August 14 – Zumba

Thursday, August 17 – Waterfront Cinema

Friday, August 18 – Picnics on the Point

Monday, August 21 – Zumba

Thursday, August 24 – Waterfront Cinema

Friday, August 25 – Picnics on the Point

Monday, August 28 – Zumba

Thursday, August 31 – Waterfront Cinema

Friday, September 1 – Picnics on the Point

So whether you’re into fitness, outdoor movies or picnics, there’s sure to be something for everyone! Come on down to Canada Place and celebrate summer!

For more information, click here for the Canada Place website.

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Canada Day Photo Contest – Winner: Madhav Goyal

Oh, Canada!

To celebrate Canada’s upcoming sesquiscentennial, we invited our community to submit aphoto in our contest that captures the spirit of our beautiful country, along with a little blurb about what it means to be Canadian.

The lucky winner would win dinner for four on our Oceans 999 patio – with THE best view of the city – during Canada Day celebrations.

This was a tough one to judge, as we had some pretty great submissions…

After some deliberations, we selected Madhav Goyal as the winner!

His winning comment:

My favourite Trudeau quote says “Canadians have proven that a nation can be strong not in spite of our differences, but because of them.”

As someone who became a Canadian not long ago, I can assure you that it is the greatest privilege to be a member of this great nation. Canada allows us to live alongside people from around the world, to express our culture, ideas, heritage, sexuality, traditions and values freely, and to have friends with vastly different backgrounds. Friends, who stand by us not thinking about all the reasons that make us different, but focusing only on what makes us one. So, I guess it is not just a privilege but also our responsibility to be Canadian: To share the love we receive from this great country. 

Thank you to everyone who submitted their photos and showing off their Canadian spirit!

Diving in BC – submitted by Michael Waddington

Wishing everyone a Happy Canada Day!

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150 Years of Vancouver History

On July 1, Canada will be celebrating its sesquiscentennial or 150th anniversary of Confederation. To mark such an auspicious milestone, let’s travel back 150 years to look at all the milestones in Vancouver’s history that makes that city what it is today.

Source: A Portrait of Canada

1867 – 1892
Gassy Jack opened a saloon, in what is now Gastown (1867), Vancouver reaches 1,000 residents (1886), Great Vancouver Fire (1886), Vancouver Police Department formed (1886), CPR’s first train arrived (1887), Stanley Park opens (1888), original Capilano Suspension Bridge was built (1889), original Granville Street Bridge was built (1889), electric streetcars hit the street (1890)

Source: Miss 604

1893 – 1917
Sand added to English Bay Beach (1898), the 9 o’clock gun was placed at Brockton Point (1898), Woodward’s building was constructed (1903), the city’s first skyscraper, the Dominion Trust building opened (1909), first Pacific National Exhibition is held (1910), UBC opens (1915)

Source: City of Vancouver Archives

1918 – 1942
Orpheum Theatre opened (1926), Vancouver City Hall is completed (1936), Lions Gate Bridge was completed (1938), Lions Gate Bridge opens (1938)

Source: VIAwesome

1943 – 1967
Vancouver’s first TV station goes on the air (1953), Elvis Presley performed at Empire Stadium (1957), Queen Elizabeth Theatre opened (1959), Vancouver’s first shopping mall, Oakridge Centre, opened (1959)

Source: Vancity Buzz

1968 – 1992
Vancouver Canucks played their first game (1970), Stanley Park seawall opened (1971), Vancouver Marathon started (1972), first ever Vancouver Gay Pride Festival took place (1978), Vancouver International Film Festival began (1982), BC Place roof was inflated (1983), Vancouver International Jazz Festival established (1984), SkyTrain built (1985), Vancouver held its first Sun Run (1985), Alex Fraser Bridge opened (1986), Vancouver hosts Expo 86 (1986), Canada Place opened (1986)

Source: 604 Now

1993 – 2017

West Coast Express opened (1995), new Vancouver Public Library was constructed (1995), GM Place opened (1995), Canada Line opened (2009), Winter Olympics took place (2010),  Vancouver celebrates 125th birthday (2011), Vancouver began hosting TED Conference (2014)

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Canine Spotlight: Joey

Did you know that the Pan is pet-friendly or rather, paw-friendly? We love our four-legged friends here! In fact, a lot of our staff are human parents to dogs and cats. So we’re laughing a new blog series where we’ll introduce some of the furry children behind our Pan associates.

Let’s meet Joey, whose human is Marshall Mills, Revenue Analyst and Reservations Manager!

Joey is an Olympic year puppy who was born April 7, 2010. He’s a King Charles Cavalier Cocker Spaniel cross, or Cockalier for short. He was the runt of his family and the only boy, so naturally I fell in love with him and took him home.

On his first vet visit, the doctor told us he was going to be one of those “forever puppies” which to this day at almost 7, holds true.

When we lived near English Bay, I used to take him for walks along the seawall every day, and due to his striking resemblance to Charlotte’s pup on that Sex and the City show, we would get stopped all the time for photo ops. He became quite the celebrity there for a while, sometimes breaking the rules and going for swims. He has a Facebook following of 100 friends who still put messages on his wall and he’s been an office dog for three different people (those people never get any work done).

Joey is a very strong swimmer and loves the water so much, that he starts to shake when he gets close. He would swim all day, every day, if he had the chance! His favorite beach is near the Museum of Vancouver. It’s the same place that he played fetch with Ryan Kessler (former Canuck’s player). One time I took him to the west coast where he saw big waves for the first time and actually started to surf them. It was one of the most amazing things I’d ever seen.

He has a very strong addiction to chocolate, thanks to an incident that happened, while I was away on vacation over Christmas. He found a bowl of chocolate truffles on the table of my friend’s house. You can imagine what happened next. He can’t sniff out cookies or his toys, but if there’s chocolate within a hundred feet, he will find it! The poor pup has been hospitalized four times and it always seems to happen when someone else is watching him.

It’s gotten to the point that whenever we go to the vet, the new question is “What has he gotten into now?” It can be quite embarrassing. It’s been almost 2 years since the last incident, so we’re currently on a good streak!

Joey is one of those dogs that’s just happy all the time and brings a smile to people’s faces.

Book your stay and treat your canine companion to a wide selection of pet-friendly experiences at Pan Pacific Vancouver including a plush doggy bed, gourmet treats and dog friendly places guide. For more information, click here.

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Father’s Day Photo Contest – Winner: Charis Broadbent

To celebrate dad, we invited our community to submit their favourite photos of dad/father figure for our Father’s Day photo contest.

One lucky winner was invited to take Dad and two other guests for Father’s Day brunch at Oceans 999 on Sunday, June 18.

We received many wonderful entries and after carefully sorting through them all, we selectedCharis Broadbent’s photo as the winner!

Thank you to everyone who submitted their photos and their lovely words, honouring their dads!

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Recommendations From Our Associates: Gordon Cook

What would you recommend?

Guests ask us this question all the time! To that, we say, so many ideas. So, we thought we’d hit up our Associates and share with our readers their personal recommendations when staying at the Pan and visiting Vancouver. Consider this your insider tip! 

We asked our Room Divisions Manager, Gordon Cook, CRDE who was recognized as 2016’s Leader of the Year:

Q: What is your favourite thing to order at Oceans 999?

A: Eggs benedict! They’re the best in Vancouver!

Q: What is your favourite drink to order at Coal Harbour Bar?

A: Whatever beer they have on the rotating Parallel 49 tap.

Q: What would you recommend guests to see or do in Vancouver?

A: In spring, summer and early fall, I recommend Van Dusen Gardens. It’s a beautiful spot with a great variety of gardens within a garden. Year round, when the weather is clear, I recommend the Vancouver Lookout at the top of Harbour Centre. Awesome views of the city!

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Celebrate Canada Day at Canada Place!

Photo credit: Canada Place

In 2017, Canada celebrates is 150th sesquicentennial and what better place to celebrate Canada Day than at Canada Place!

From Saturday, July 1 through to Sunday July 2, Canada Place and its surrounding city blocks and plaza will be a thriving hub for family-friendly entertainment and celebration – the largest Canada Day celebration outside of Ottawa, our nation’s capital!

The award-winning Port of Vancouver  event will feature:

• Five stages with performances from Sam Roberts, Fefe Dobson, Emerson Drive, Hey Ocean!, Dragonette, Madeline Merlo, The Matinee, and many more
• A special Citizenship Ceremony welcoming 150 new Canadians
• Canadian Oath reaffirmation ceremony presented by CIBC
• Canadian Forces Zone with incredible displays and interactive exhibits
• Canada 150 Zone
• North Point Lounge serving beer and wine by Steam Whistle Brewing
• Canada Day fireworks show with simulcast by Rock 101 (July 1)
• Pancake breakfast (July 2)
• Canada 150 Parade (July 2)

Schedule:

July 1 – Daytime event | 10am-6pm
July 1 – Canada Day Fireworks show| 1030pm
July 2 – Daytime event | 10am-4pm
July 2 – Canada 150 Parade | 4pm

For more info and full schedule of events, click here for Canada Place’s website.

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Staff Spotlight: Robert Murray, Director, Quality Assurance

Welcome to our Staff Spotlight blog series! This is where you’ll meet the people behind the Hotel. With over 400 associates working at Pan Pacific Vancouver, there are a lot of personalities and a lot of stories to tell!

Today we shine the spotlight on Robert Murray, who is not only our Director, Quality Assurance, but also a Hall of Fame Firefighter!

Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Australia and emigrated from Germany with my wife, and have lived in Canada since 1992 and currently reside in North Vancouver with my wife, son and cat.

How long have you been with Pan Pacific Vancouver?

I was here for one year in 1989-1990 and returned in 1992, and have been here ever since, so a total of 26 years.

What’s a typical day as Director, Quality Assurance like?

There is no typical day – which is what makes it interesting.  Depending on what is happening at the hotel, my day can begin with leading the housekeeping team in their morning stretches, then reviewing our guest satisfaction surveys and online reviews, and then checking in and assisting on the operations in various departments throughout the day. You name it, I have probably done it. 

What’s your favourite part about your job?

Working with the associates and seeing the guest feedback, conversations with our guests, and working on projects.

What are the most challenging aspects about your job?

Balancing time and flowing from department to department and job to job at a moment’s notice.

You are in charge of protocol when it comes to VIP and celebrity guests. Can you share with us the process in getting the Pan ready for such a guest?

This is a group effort and the dedication of the entire team both front of house associates,back of house teams and often liaising with external security teams or protocol offices that may range from Private or Government (often from other countries), to RCMP or VPD.

Any special moment or celebrity encounter you want to share with us?

Over the years I have been very fortunate to have met and assisted numerous celebrities, entertainment personalities and heads of state. Confidence, trust and integrity are paramount – there may be musicians practicing, tenors singing, dancers practicing or conversationsbetween presidents/prime ministers.   Instilling this confidence in these guests is key. 

You also enjoy taking photos and build up quite a following on your Instagram. What do you look for in a picture when you’re around the hotel or when walking around town?

I tend to look for images of urban settings, black and white, shapes, shades, general day to day what all see and do.. whether I’m walking through a particular area, I see something. I generally don’t take images of people or take pictures of myself and post them, however just recently I was asked to take pictures at an outdoor setting wedding which turned out well.

And if being Director, Quality Assurance wasn’t enough to keep you busy, you also volunteer with local groups in the community! How did that start and what do you do with them?

I have been volunteering for 12 years with community policing, Operation Red nose for 8 years and for the past 15 months at home volunteer program assisting people with their yard work.

Last question! What do you like to do for fun when you’re not working?

Well, I like to run –  half marathons, 10K races, road and mountain bike, kayaking, cooking and yard work!

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Let Us Entertain You – June Edition

Summer is almost upon us. Get ready for warm nights, cool breeze, tasty bites and great music. All those elements, combined with million dollar views of the water and the Cascade mountains make for an unforgettable evening at Oceans 999 and Coal Harbour Bar. We’ll save you a table!

Our featured entertainers this month are:

Mark Hoeppner

Stephen Lecky

Cole Petrone

Paul Filek

Dave Martone

Olaf De Shield

Austin Nash Park

Neal Ryan

Dan Graham

Clyde Harvey

Mel Dekker

Cory Curtis

Aiden Miller

Dani Jean

Edd Wright

Burnaby Lyric Opera (Opera Buffet)

Click here for the entertainment schedule.

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