In any case, there is one other exceptional day to celebrate this month , and that’s (drumroll please…) The Academy Awards – or The Oscars – (we’re still not sure which title is correct). Possibly the most anticipated award event of the year, this annual exposition of glamour, glitz and a one-too-many inflated Hollywood egos is the perfect event to watch with a bottle of your finest $10 Cabernet Sauvignon. Allowing you to indulge in the fantasy world of fame, fortune and, oh yes, cinematic arts – the merry occasion lets you enjoy that Hollywood fun, while also relishing in the fact that you live a life of blissful normalcy, untainted by flashing lights, paparazzi and that dreaded red carpet interview with Joan Rivers.

That being said, we love our movies just as much as the next person, and wouldn’t have the Oscars done any other way – especially since the master host Billy Crystal is back – bringing with him a night of cute comical gags, in addition to that calm, smooth charisma that certain former hosts have lacked (sorry Anne Hathaway and James Franco).

Our beautiful lobby at Sandman Calgary Airport

With the event happening this weekend Sunday Feb. 26 at 7pm eastern/4pm western, we think this is the one time of year that you can add a little luxury to Sunday night dinner, and if you want to go one step further, you can head to a Sandman and take in all the sights and sounds from one of our plush king-sized beds. In fact, if you live in Calgary you can celebrate the Oscars with our special movie night package at Sandman Calgary Airport, where you can stay-in and get cozy while watching a movie with popcorn, 2 chocolate bars and two cans of pop. More info here: http://ht.ly/9fwZg .

Staying home? Well that’s just fine too, and just in time for the annual event, we’ve got a few interesting facts to keep you up to date with your Academy Awards past and present.

• The awards actually have an interesting connection to hotels, with the first ceremony being held at a dinner held in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and thereafter between several other buildings including the Biltmore Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel’s Coconut Grove.
• The first awards were presented on May 16, 1929, in front of an audience of roughly 270 people. The post award party was held at the Mayfair Hotel and tickets for the affair cost just $5.
• No one – not even The Academy itself – knows why the Oscar is called well…an Oscar. Their official website claims that the name may have come from Academy librarian Margaret Herrick – who once remarked that the statue looked like her uncle Oscar. Yet other people claim that Bette Davis named hers after her band leader (also named Oscar).
• It wasn’t until 1939 that the “Oscar” nickname became the statue’s official moniker.
  

  Sit back, relax and enjoy the show (our warm lobby at Sandman Edmonton West).

• Only 3 movies have won 11 awards in all of Oscar history:
  • Ben-Hur
  • Titanic (1997)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• This year’s “Hugo” and “The Artist” have been nominated for 11 and 10 nominations respectively.
• The Artist is the first Silent film to be nominated for Best Picture since “The Patriot” in 1928.
• This year’s host, Billy Crystal, will entertain the Academy elite for the 9^th time… and that being said, 2012 is a great year to watch – no matter if your at home or in one of our sweet suites (see our other ‘Hot Deals’ here:http://www.sandmanhotels.ca/specials-rewards/hot-deals/ ).

Of course in North America we’re used to saying “I love you” whereas in Japan they say “Kimi o ai shiteru”. In Korea they say “Dangsinul saranghee yo”, in Spain they say “Te amo”, while in France and many parts of Canada it’s “Je t’aime”. In several countries they even have one single word to say it all, such as “Nakupenda” in Swahili or “Ngiyakuthanda” in Zulu (try saying that five times fast).

However, we wanted to go beyond the lyrics and delve in to the customs, because as we all know, nothing says I love you like roses, chocolate, jewellery, dinner, or a romantic night in at your favourite hotel – the best idea of all if you ask us. Click here to see some of our best Sandman Signature romance packages.

It might interest you to know that around the world, not everyone celebrates V-Day with the customary flowers and fancy cards, and in fact, some don’t celebrate it at all. In addition, sometimes the celebration of love isn’t relegated to couples, and extends to children, friends, family and more.

• In Japan for example, generally women only give chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day, then they wait until March 14th, when on “White Day”, men return the favour with non-chocolate candy gifts for the women.

• The tradition in South Korea is similar, but adds a special event for the single folk too, where on “Black Day”, April 14^th, all the lonely people go to a Korean restaurant to eat black noodles and mourn their single life. For the more festive folk in Korea, every month has some special occasion that is loosely related to love, all of which fall on the 14th including: Candle Day, Valentine’s Day, White Day, Black Day, Rose Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Green Day, Music Day, Wine Day, Movie Day and Hug Day.

• In South Africa, many young couples celebrate the day with friends at a nice dinner or a fun event.

• In some parts of England, specifically Norfolk , they celebrate with a character named “Jack Valentine” who knocks on the back door and then leaves sweets and presents for the children (guess that defeats the purpose of telling your kids not to take candy from strangers though…).

• In Finland they celebrate the day with Ystävänpäivä which translates into “Friend’s Day” and, as you may have guessed, the day is focused on remembering all your friends, in addition to your loved ones.

• The friendship theme continues in many Latin American countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peurto Rico where they celebrate “Día del Amor y la Amistad” which stands for the “Day of Love and Friendship”. What do they do? Well the rules are vast and generally extend to “performing acts of appreciation” for friends and family.

Any way you slice it, whether you say it, gift it, card it or cook it, there will always be some way for you to express your love, and if you can’ think of anything good, at least take solace in the fact that all around the world people are struggling with the same romantic predicament– so you’re not alone (and that’s the point of this silly holiday isn’t it?).

We’d challenge anyone to find a link (beyond a name and a date) between these histories and modern Valentine’s Day… which is perhaps why a number of legends have been created to fill in the romantic blanks.

The romantic in us wants to believe in the legend of St. Valentine, a cleric who defied a Roman Emperor’s law that forbade young men from marrying, believing it distracted them from their military duties. So the story goes, St. Valentine continued to conduct secret wedding ceremonies until he was found out and thrown in jail. A modern day embellishment on this tale – created by American Greetings – concludes that once in jail and on the eve of his execution, St. Valentine himself sent the first ‘Valentines’ card to his beloved – ‘from your Valentine’.

Fast forward a lot of centuries (past a few vague references in the middle ages) and you find that modern Valentine’s Day practices have their roots in the late 1700s when an English publisher decided to give the romantically challenged a helping hand in expressing their feelings – in the form of sentimental versus. Soon these versus were produced on cards and with the postal system becoming more accessible, so started the popularity of sending cards. The first mass produced factory cards actually date back to the late 19^th century – a little earlier than you were expecting perhaps?

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day 2012 is just around the corner! How will you be celebrating? If you’re pro-Valentine’s day, perhaps a romantic getaway to a Sandman or Sandman Signature Hotel is in order? We have hotels in many of the destinations that Amazon.ca has just named Canada’s most romantic destinations – including Victoria, Toronto, Kelowna, Langley and Regina.

Hate it? Then perhaps you should check out your nearest Anti-Valentine’s Day events! Gather up your friends and check out the Sutton Place Hotel’s “Be My Anti-Valentine” package   in Vancouver. Build your own Sundaes in your room, get unlimited in-room movies, a voodoo doll, cocktails in the Gerard lounge, breakfast and a late check out!

However you choose to celebrate (or ignore) Valentine’s Day – here’s hoping you have a fabulous February 14^th!

The Housekeeping Award presentation will take place on Monday, April 16, 2012 during the AHLA’s annual convention at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Bruce Primeau, General Manager at the Sandman Hotel Lethbridge and his fabulous housekeeping team for their efforts in maintaining this exceptional level of service!

“This award is our sixth in a row since taking over the property in 2005-06 and it’s a source of great respect and pride.” Mr Primeau comments. “ I would like to congratulate Brenda McCoy, Executive Head Housekeeper and Leah McColl, Housekeeping Supervisor and the entire housekeeping team at the Sandman Hotel Lethbridge for such an incredible run.  Our housekeeping team includes; Hanne Burgemeister; Carol Hilton; Maria Dudas; Lorna Gilday; Patricia Breton; Leena Speakman; Charlene Mintz; Melinda Loxton; Melody Robinson; Terri Brown; Jesse McCoy; and Dakota McCoy.”

MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE (February 16 – 26)

“Cities like Montréal don’t happen very often.” – LonelyPlanet.com

If you’re looking for some winter getaway inspiration, then look no further than this blog.

This week, we’re profiling events in the fabulous city of Montreal. Whilst some argue that the city is best seen in the summer months – (long balmy days and al fresco dining do have their appeal) – we’d like to take a few moments to sing the city’s winter praises.

In addition to the history, culture, cuisine and world class shopping that Montreal is famous for, you’ll also find a number of unique, winter themed events and spectacles throughout the city this season!

Snow Village (open until March 31)

The Snow Village is a new attraction for the city, located in Parc Jean-Drapeau. It’s an awe inspiring reconstruction of Montreal city, made entirely out of ice and snow! The Snow Village also incorporates a very real hotel, restaurant, bar, convention centre and even an ice chapel where you can get married! The Snow Village will return annually to Montreal in the guise of different cities from around the world!  http://www.snowvillagecanada.com/

Igloofest (Until January 28)

Igloofest is a unique winter festival that celebrates the electronic music scene. Now in its 6^th year, the festival takes place on the Quays at Jacques Cartier Pier on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in January! Enjoy a ‘unique and punchy audio-visual ambiance’ and partake in the ‘wacky one piece ski suit’ contest – it makes for a highly entertaining winter experience! This festival has started already – but never fear – there are 5 nights remaining! January 20-21, 26-27 and 28! http://www.igloofest.ca/en/info

MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE (February 16 – 26)

This 11 day festival is apparently the biggest winter festival in the world – and a firm favourite with locals. Inspire your senses with a program of exciting gastronomic delights and displays, wine tasting activities, exhibits, concerts and an impressive illuminated site (Thurs-Sunday – free entry) at the Old Port. http://www.montrealenlumiere.com/home.aspx

If spending the night on ice at the Snow Village isn’t for you, then we have a hotel just a metro ride away! Warm rooms and comfortable beds await at the Sandman Montreal – Longueuil! http://www.sandmanhotels.ca/hotels/montreal-longueuil/

For a full list of activities in Montreal this year, visit: http://www.tourisme-montreal.org

St James’ Park (Newly titled the Sports Direct Arena), Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.

Though we on the west coast of Canada are separated by some 7000km from London, UK, we’d be surprised if you hadn’t had some sort of exposure to the buzz surrounding the Olympic Games. With less than 200 days to go, Canada’s sports teams and individuals are gearing up left right and centre to compete at the 2012 Olympics – including our women’s soccer team.

Next week marks the beginning of the ‘2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament’ at BC Place in Vancouver.  During the tournament, national soccer teams from Canada, the USA, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Haiti, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic will battle it out for the precious two berths available at the 2012 London Olympic Games this summer.

Once they’ve made it to the Olympics, it’s very likely that the successful teams will play at least one soccer game at St James’ Park – Newcastle United Football Club’s home ground – which as it happens – is conveniently located just opposite our new UK hotel in Newcastle-upon-Tyne! St James’ Park was selected by the Games’ organizers, along with nine other out-of-London UK venues to host important events during the Olympic Games.

The stadium is the oldest in the North East of England and the sixth largest stadium in the UK. During the Olympics, it will host a total of nine soccer matches, including a quarter final in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

We can’t wait to track Canada’s journey from BC Place to St James’ Park and are excited to have front row seats to the action from the comfort of our Sandman Hotel in Vancouver City Centre and our Sandman Signature Hotel in Newcastle!

And speaking of the Olympic Games, did you know that the first ever Youth Winter Olympic Games started today in Innsbruck, Austria. Canada is among the bigger contenders with over 50 athletes competing for gold in more than 13 sports. Keep up to speed with our talented teams’ progress here:

http://www.olympic.ca/

http://www.innsbruck2012.com/en

Go team Canada!

Penticton, BC - a 'Top 10 Destination for 2012'

At the start of every new year, we are faced with an abundance of ‘lists’ which aim to anticipate trends for the coming months and inspire our New Year endeavours. From where to travel, to what to eat, what cars to drive, what gadgets to use, what clothes to wear, what music to listen to… the lists go on!

This year, we were particularly drawn to the travel recommendations – who doesn’t like to look at pictures of exotic vacation destinations and day dream about being there?

What struck us as we perused the plentiful 2012 travel lists titled ‘hottest’, ‘top 10’, ‘most exciting’ and ‘most mentioned (on Facebook)’, was the number of times Canadian destinations featured.

Singled out on an international scale and rubbing shoulders with some of the most exotic and exciting places on earth, these fantastic Canadian destinations all come highly recommended for 2012!

Penticton, BC

Yen Lee – Co-founder of Social travel site UpTake.com – and colleagues trawled Facebook, analysing more than 200 million comments for travel buzz. The result? The ‘Top 10 Travel Destinations for 2012’ based on the locations people were talking about most!

Making the list for Canada, is Penticton, BC with “beautiful beaches, a burgeoning wine industry and outdoor activities galore, it’s quickly becoming a year-round vacation hot spot.”

We couldn’t agree more!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yen-lee/top-10-travel-destination_b_1181237.html#s585732&title=Penticton_British_Columbia

Calgary, Alberta

Specifically, the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’. The Calgary Stampede makes CNNGO’s list of ‘Top Places to Visit in 2012’. Rather excitingly, it also features on their list of ’15 Places to Party like a Rockstar’. 2012 marks the much loved rodeo’s centennial year – so expect even bigger and even better – if that’s possible!

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/best-places-visit-2012-776891 

Toronto - one of 2012's 'Hottest Destinations'

Toronto, Ontario 

‘Travel + Leisure’ highlights Toronto as a top travel destination in its ‘Hottest Travel Destinations of 2012’ list for its ‘remarkably hip restaurant, fashion and nightlife scenes’ amongst other things.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/hottest-travel-destinations-of-2012/3

“This ocean bay between Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine has one of the world’s most dynamic and dramatic coastlines…”

The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia narrowly missed out on being one of the New 7 (Natural) Wonders this year. It’s now been voted as a ‘Top Destination of 2012’ by travel website, Frommer’s.

http://www.frommers.com/micro/2011/top-destinations-2012/bay-of-fundy-nova-scotia.html 

Atlantic Canada

Atlantic Canada in its entirety makes CNN’s list of the ‘Worlds Top Destinations for 2012’, not only for its beauty, but for its connection to the Titanic. 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy and the region plans to commemorate the historic event with many interesting exhibits, including a film festival in Halifax.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/27/travel/top-destinations-2012/index.html

As an added bonus – apparently a trip here won’t set you back too much – the Atlantic coast also features in Budget Travel’s ‘Top Budget Destinations for 2012’. Budget Travel also highlights the region’s outdoor potential with the promise of ‘scenic kayak rides’, ‘whale watching’ and ‘wilderness hikes’!

http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/top-budget-travel-destinations-for-2012,8005/?page=2

Happy Travelling in 2012!

You’ll find Sandman Hotels at many of these locations, for details and current promotions visit our website, www.sandmanhotels.com.

We enjoyed researching for our last blog ‘Happy Holidays and Interesting Traditions’ so much that we decided to stick with the theme for New Year!

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the more elaborate ways people choose to celebrate New Year around the world…

Canada – Polar Bear Swim

And we’re starting in our home city – Vancouver – with none other than the famous ‘Polar Bear Swim’. Established in 1920, the Polar Bear Swim started with a group of just 10 hardy swimmers, led by a fellow called Peter Pantages. This year, the event has received over 2000 entries. At 2.30pm on January 1^st, these aquatic enthusiasts will plunge into waters, probably around 6 degrees Celsius, off English Bay. Buurrrgghhh (that’s the noise we make when we’re cold).

The event attracts more than 10,000 smug observers who watch from the comfort of the beach or their boat. Vancouver isn’t alone in seeing in the New Year this way; other (and colder) parts of Canada like Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Clarington all have their own versions of the chilly New Year swim too.

Denmark – Smashing time

In Denmark, throwing crockery at your neighbour’s front door was a common pastime on New Year’s Eve. Whilst a casual, non-Danish observer may think they were caught in the midst of a neighbourhood brawl, it is in fact a sign of affection – sort of. It’s a way of wishing friends luck for the New Year. The household with the most earthenware shattered across their doorstep is the most popular. Sadly, we hear this is a tradition in decline.

Another favourite and more popular NYE pursuit in Denmark is to jump off a chair as the clock strikes midnight – again it supposedly brings you luck and shows that you are ready to literally leap into the New Year!

Ecuador – Burn your troubles away

Burning scarecrows at midnight is how some mark the end of the year in Ecuador. The reason is two-fold. 1. The scarecrow ‘scares’ bad luck away for the New Year. 2. The burning part is a symbolic way of destroying all the bad things from the previous year to make way for a prosperous new year!

Philippines – Celebrate with circles

All things ‘round’ are celebrated by some in the Philippines on NYE. Polka dots are common attire and eating round fruits and food at round dining tables is a popular way to see in the New Year. Why? Because these circular objects apparently symbolize coins, wealth and general prosperity for the upcoming year.

Puerto Rico – Clean away your troubles

At midnight on NYE in Puerto Rico, some families throw buckets of water out of their houses to symbolize ‘washing away’ the troubles of the previous year. Apparently it’s also common for people to spend time cleaning their houses and possessions in the run up to New Year – out with the old and in with the new!

Spain – las uvas

As the clock strikes midnight in Spain, apparently Spanish people switch their vino for the vines. The challenge is to eat twelve grapes before the final chime of the clock. Each grape represents good luck for each month of the coming year!

Estonia – Eat in the New Year!

Here’s a tradition we particularly like the sound of although our research suggests it’s not so common anymore. In Estonia, people would eat seven times on New Year’s Day.  Supposedly it gave them the strength of seven men and ensured an abundance of food throughout the year!

Russia – Festive diving

Not for everyone, but a select few diving pros choose to celebrate Christmas and New Year by jumping into Lake Baikal (the world’s oldest and deepest lake.) Here they drink sparkling wine and swim around a Christmas tree… underwater. Watch this video if you don’t believe us! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pqwszusW4k

How will you be celebrating the New Year? 

Krampus – A lump of coal?! Pah, you should be so lucky! This TRULY terrifying mythical creature (think demonic goat) recognized in Alpine countries in Europe, seeks out naughty children, stuffs them into its child catching sack before devouring them for Christmas supper. If you want to keep him sweet, he won’t be bought with the standard milk and cookies, the Krampus apparently likes his schnapps.  The Krampus ‘celebration’ commonly takes place in countries like Austria in the first week of December, where people dress up as the creature and take to the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells! Good grief, they must have the best behaved children in the world.

Spider webs – No they haven’t confused the festive season with Halloween. In the Ukraine, it’s quite common to find decorative spider webs hanging from Christmas trees. This tradition stems from a fairy tale style story whereby a family who were too poor to decorate their tree, awoke one morning to find that spiders had spun a beautiful web around their evergreen. As the sun rose, shards of light hit the threads making them sparkle – who needs tinsel and fairy lights?

Witches - In Italian folklore, La Befana is a witch who visits Children on the eve of the Feast of Epiphany (5^th January) to deliver gifts if they’ve been well behaved, or a lump of coal (or garlic or onion) if they’ve been bad! Le Befana is armed with a broom which she’s not afraid to use to thump people who spy her leaving gifts.  And it’s this broom she’ll use to sweep your floors before departing your house, being the conscientious housekeeper she apparently is. Families commonly leave La Befana wine and a few morsels of local food.

KFC - Who knew? Apparently KFC is big in Japan during the holiday season. Instead of ordering your turkey, imagine putting in an order for your bucket of chicken a month in advance. Apparently this is common place in Japan following a marketing campaign in the 1970s called “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” (Kentucky for Christmas!)

If you know of any more interesting holiday facts or traditions we’d love to hear them – simply leave a comment below!

However you celebrate the holidays, we at Sandman Hotel Group would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours all the very best for the festive season and a prosperous 2012! We look forward to seeing you soon.

At about 3.20 yesterday afternoon, we received an email from the general manager at our city centre hotel, informing us in a ‘breaking news’ style bulletin that there was a bear roaming around in a garbage truck not far from the hotel.

Our first reaction was… ‘are you serious?’ However, shortly followed evidence in the form of three blurry cell phone shots. And sure enough, there it was; a black bear – wildlife’s ‘warrior’ – captured on camera against a backdrop of familiar Downtown architecture.

Bear sightings in leafier, North Vancouver are quite common – but in the bustling, sky scraping metropolis that is Downtown Vancouver? We did a bit of investigating and yup, this appears to be the first instance of a bear venturing into Downtown as we know it today. Although we did learn that bears were often kept as pets in the early days of Vancouver. Take a look at these pictures from City of Vancouver  Archives.

Image courtesy of City of Vancouver Archives. Photographer: James L. Quiney. Item No: CVA 7-27 Year: 1911

Image courtesy of City of Vancouver Archives. Photographer: James L. Quiney. Item No: CVA 7-13 Year: 1909

We’re still not entirely sure how the bear ended up on its city break. Some report that it was scavenging in dumpsters under the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and went unnoticed as workers emptied him, along with the trash into their truck. Others say perhaps the bear was already in the truck, brought in from an area where one would more likely expect to find bears.

What we do know, is that this bear has caused quite a stir. Within minutes, Twitter was alive with comments about the stowaway, #Downtownbear was trending – and sure enough, the bear even started his own Twitter account – ‘@YVRbear’. (Apparently he ended up in the dumpster after his bachelor party went awry.)

The good news of course, is that Downtown Bear is going to be fine. After being tranquilized, he was escorted away from the city and will be released back into the wild about 100km north of Vancouver this week.