Starwood Breaks New Ground in North America With Luxurious, Boutique Hotel in Vancouver

Hotel Le Soleil's Successful Formula: Sex Appeal At $650 Per Square Foot

Press Release

October 19, 1999
VANCOUVER, BC -- The $36-million, 122-suite Hotel Le Soleil is Starwood's first luxury, boutique hotel in North America and has become a fashion and style Mecca in the heart of Vancouver's downtown financial and business district.

At $650 per square foot for the new property, Hotel Le Soleil has stepped out of the traditional Starwood realm as the most expensive to build, chic hotel in Vancouver.

``Style, elegance, romance and a certain `sensuality' are the key French ingredients that differentiate Hotel Le Soleil in a city known for an abundance of Five Diamond properties. I drew my inspiration from the Savoy in London and Le Crillon in Paris. The decor is sumptuously appointed, even theatrical,'' says Hotel Le Soleil interior designer, Jose-Luis de Araujo.

Le Soleil owners Barry Hong and Julius Pataki say it is not your typical, upscale hotel. ``Every piece of art, furniture and fabric was hand-picked from the best local and European designers. From our satin sofas to our floor-to-ceiling marble bathrooms, we went to every expense to create sensual settings.''

Le Soleil's ``Old World'' style reflects a neo-classic theme with high vaulted ceilings, crystal chandeliers from Schonbeck, fluted columns, Nero Portorro Italian marble and Louis XVI-style furniture purchased from Sedital in Italy. The guest suites are luxuriously appointed with Aveda toiletries and fresh orchids.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., through its St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and W subsidiaries, is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 700 hotels in 76 countries and 130,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.


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Contact:

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Wendy Morris, 604/488-1100