Carry On Notes: JdV Hotels by Hyatt Expands into Canada, Plus Quebec and Hawai’i News

April 2, 2021 Jim Byers

Hyatt Hotels is on the move in Canada’s largest province. The Chicago-based company has added Toronto’s boutique hotel The Anndore House to its JdV (Joie de Vivre) collection, and will add the stunning Walper Hotel in downtown Kitchener in May.

I was able to stay at the Walper last fall and found it to be a sensational boutique hotel, with high-end design, lots of vibrant colours and terrific food, especially at their basement restaurant TWH Social.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us to join the JdV by Hyatt brand to enhance our guest experience and increase awareness of The Walper across the globe, while keeping operation and ownership local,” said Craig Beattie, Walper Hotel Co-Owner and Founding Partner at Perimeter Development Corporation. “We see this as a huge opportunity for Kitchener, elevating Downtown Kitchener’s brand through this Hyatt affiliation.”

“We are thrilled to introduce the JdV by Hyatt brand in Canada and expand our brand footprint in the Americas through the addition of this new hotel,” said Scott Richer, regional vice president of real estate and development, Hyatt. “The JdV by Hyatt portfolio offers our spirited guests a vibrant and socially inclusive stay through joy-driven experiences and eclectic, locally inspired programming within the neighborhoods we call home.”

The Anndore House is a 115-room boutique hotel just south of Yonge and Bloor in downtown Toronto I stayed at a few years ago. You’ll find funky artwork and cool touches like in-room turntables. Their on-site restaurant Constantine, is excellent.

SWEET TIMES IN QUEBEC

Québec is the world’s leading maple syrup producer and visiting a cabane à sucre is a quintessential springtime ritual in the province. Each year in March and April, locals and visitors head into the woods to enjoy some tree tapping before tasting sticky maple taffy on snow and tucking into warm meals bathed in sweet syrup.

Bonjour Québec’s website offers plenty of resources for travellers seeking out a traditional sugaring off experience, including a comprehensive Sugar Shack directory with more than 125 listings for rustic and contemporary venues organized by region and price point. While many of Québec’s sugar shacks will be operating with limited capacity this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, there are still plenty of spots where visitors can indulge their sweet-tooth:

• Domaine du Petit Saint-Joseph: This quaint, family-owned sugar bush, orchard and cider house is perched on a mountainside in the Laurentians region. During a typical sugaring season, Domaine du Petit Saint-Joseph offers tractor rides, guided tours, all-you-can-eat maple taffy and live musicians singing folk songs. This year, guests can pick up ready-to-cook meals inspired by traditional sugar shack cuisine.
• Sucrerie de la Montagne: Tucked away in a century-old maple forest just 45 minutes outside of Montréal, Sucrerie de la Montagne is an all-season heritage destination that has been in operation for more than 40 years. Visitors can explore the 120-acre sugar bush and enjoy guided tours, horse-drawn sleigh rides, live music and hearty Québécois cuisine.
• Le Vignoble du Ruisseau: Part vineyard, part sugar bush, Le Vignoble du Ruisseau is a must-visit attraction in the renowned grape-growing region of Dunham. The contemporary new-style sugar bush boasts 15,000 certified organic maple tree taps and is known for its upscale multi-course tasting menus. An on-site boutique is stocked with fine wines and gourmet maple products like maple butter, handmade caramels and candies, and maple-glazed nuts.

HIGH VISITOR SATISFACTION FOR HAWAI’I

The Hawai’I Tourism Authority recently asked visitors what they think of the Safe Travels program, a set of safety protocols brought in to make folks comfortable with the idea of visiting the islands.

The survey asked visitors who travelled from the U.S. mainland to Hawai’i between February 12 to February 28, 2021 about their trip and how satisfied they were with the state’s pre-testing requirement, which allows visitors presenting a negative COVID test to bypass mandatory, 10-day quarantines.

Eighty-two percent of visitors said their vacation was excellent, while another 14% said their trip was above average.

Seventy eight per cent of respondents said they’d be very likely to recommend travelling to Hawai’i in the next six months, while another 15% said they’d be somewhat likely to do so.

PALM SPRINGS TOURISM UPSWING

With travel restrictions being eased in California, folks are making a bee line to enjoy Palm Springs.

NBCPalmSprings.com reports that the patio at the colourful Lulu California Bistro on the city’s main drag was full on Wednesday.

“It’s really great to get some sense of normalcy, it really is. It’s overwhelming to the point where it almost brings tears to my eyes,” said Gabe Terrado, general manager at Lulu.

OPTIMISTIC AMERICANS

MMGY Travel Intelligence, MMGY Global’s research and insights division, has released findings from the 2021 “Spring Edition” of its  Portrait of American Travelers survey. Following a year of uncertainty, along with constantly changing attitudes and policies toward travel, the results indicated unprecedented  optimism from leisure travelers in advance of the summer travel season. The Traveler Sentiment Index (TSI) rose to 119, which actually exceeds some pre-pandemic levels, affirming that U.S. adults are thinking much more positively about travel than they were throughout this past year.

The company’s Traveler Sentiment Index was at 115 in January, 2019 and 117 in January of 2020.

The top states of interest among U.S. travellers over the next two years are Hawaii (64%), Florida (62%), California (53%), Colorado (50%), Alaska (49%) and New York (49%).

The survey found that just 19% of leisure travellers indicated that they’re likely to take an international trip in the next six months, which isn’t encouraging for airlines or international tourism. That 19% figure is down from 24% in January 2020.  

Road trips continue to be the most likely form of near-term vacation travel. Three in 5 U.S. adults (62%) expect to take at least one leisure vacation during the next six months with the preferred mode of transportation being personal car, while 38% say they will take a domestic flight. Looking further out to the next 12 months, 81% of U.S. adults expect to take at least one trip. 

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