Radio Royal York

She has substantial hips, copper highlights and bedroom eyes.

She is Toronto’s Grande Dame – The Fairmont Royal York Hotel – and she turns 80 on June 11, 2009.

Famous across the nation for her iconic silhouette, there are still a few surprises up her sleeve.

This year, she has decided to give a gift on her birthday and offer rates reminiscent of days past, by offering guests their second night’s stay (on all regular leisure rates) at a reduced commemorative Royal York 80th Anniversary Rate of $80 (excluding taxes) from June 4 through to June 11, 2009.

On June 11, 1929, Toronto’s Grande Dame officially opened under her maiden name as The Royal York and quickly set the hospitality standard of the day.

The magnificent hotel was born a Gemini, and it is no wonder that it grew to be a city within a city. It consisted of 28 floors of architectural splendor replete with the mechanical genius of 10 ornate passenger elevators. It had 1048 rooms, each with radios, private showers and bathtubs.

In her thirties, she put on a few extra rooms and now weighs in at a total of 1365 rooms. The original 1.5 acres of public rooms included a 12-bed hospital, 12,000-book library and a glass-enclosed roof garden. Her warm heart held the largest hotel kitchen in Canada with a bakery that could produce over 15,000 French rolls a day, a 66-ft.long switchboard manned by 35 telephone operators, its own bank and a golf course (now known as St. George Golf & Country).

Today, after welcoming more than 40 million guests, The Fairmont Royal York (her name by way of a 1999 corporate marriage with Fairmont) continues to epitomize gracious hospitality.

Over the years she has received a few nips and tucks to retain her classic figure, and many distinguished features remain thanks to several capital injections. The magnificent hand-painted ceilings, the Travertine pillars, ornate furnishings, crystal chandeliers and wall hangings are still some of her greatest assets.

To this very day, The Fairmont Royal York is no wallflower, as she will continue to rub shoulders with the legendary and famous, including celebrities, heads of state, and royalty well into her eightieth year.

The Fairmont’s Royal York 80th Anniversary Rate offer visitors the second consecutive night’s stay at a rate of $80 (excluding taxes) from June 4 through to June 11, 2009. This does not apply to negotiated rates or for reservations that have already been made. For reservations please refer to rate code 2U8ANN and call 1-800-441-1414 or visit http://www.fairmont.com/royalyork.

One of Toronto’s most remote collections of herb and flower beds are ready to be viewed by afternoon teetotallers.

Afternoon tea at EPIC Restaurant can once again be followed by a complimentary tour (weather permitting) of the hotel’s rooftop “herban” oasis at 2 PM and 4 PM each Saturday and Sunday.  Tea & Rooftop Garden Tours are offered at The Fairmont Royal York Hotel beginning Saturday, May 23, 2009 until September 6, 2009.

The herb garden and its neighbouring bee hives, situated 200 feet above ground and 14 stories high is normally closed to the public. This growing season marks its third year of public access to the garden, since its inception in 1997.

With a magnificent view of the CN Tower and the lakefront, the garden is starkly beautiful in contrast to its neighbouring office towers. The herb garden is the only one of its kind in Toronto and serves as an extension of the hotel’s environmental program. This unique garden provides the herbs and honey needed to flavour the dishes served in the hotel’s EPIC Restaurant.

Before the 30-minute rooftop tour, guests can enjoy a pot of tea and a variety of sweet and savory treats.

The teas available at EPIC are produced by The Metropolitan Tea Company Ltd., which is North America’s first member of the Ethical Tea Sourcing Partnership.

Metropolitan visits growers regularly to ensure employee well-being and environmental standards, practices highly respected by Fairmont. Teas available include the Kenmare Ceylon, Maple and Egyptian Chamomile. The tea menu is priced at $27.00 (exclusive of tax and gratuities) and features toasted crumpets with Grand Marnier butter; traditional finger sandwiches, including scones with Devonshire cream and jam; and a selection of pastries and English tea cakes.

Four afternoon garden tours are available each weekend. The meeting point for the half-hour herb garden tour is inside EPIC Restaurant at 2 PM and 4 PM, following the 12:30 p.m. tea service. The complimentary rooftop tours are reached by elevator and by climbing four flights of stairs. Tea and complimentary garden tours may be reserved by contacting EPIC Restaurant at (416) 860-6949 or by email at festive@fairmont.com

TasteTO.com talks sustainable seafood after visiting The Fairmont Royal York’s OceanWise event.

Melanie Coates, Chair of the Green Team at The Fairmont Royal York, made a stop at 98.1 CHFI to chat with Mike Cooper and Erin Davis about Earth Hour. Listen to the interview or download to your desktop.

[podcast]http://radioroyalyork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/earth_hour_royal_york.mp3[/podcast]

Right click and download the MP3: Melanie Coates Chats with Mike Cooper and Erin Davis

Sustainable seafood purchasing practices are now fully implemented across all 56 hotels in the Fairmont chain. In February 2008, The Fairmont Palliser in Calgary was certified by Vancouver’s Ocean Wise program, which aims to eliminate the consumption of endangered fish options.  Here in Toronto, The Fairmont Royal York followed suit with its Ocean Wise certification, in September of 2008.  Sustainable seafood options are now available with the Ocean Wise icon at two Fairmont restaurants in Central Canada: The Fairmont Palliser’s Rimrock restaurant and The Fairmont Royal York’s EPIC restaurant.

From coast to coast, the combined efforts of The Fairmont Palliser’s Executive Chef Greg Van Poppel, originally from B.C.’s Pacific Coast, and The Fairmont Royal York’s Executive Chef David Garcelon, of New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy, are influencing regional purchasing practices, environmental impact and the impact on consumers’ health. “Every seafood item on The Fairmont Palliser’s Rimrock restaurant menu is Ocean Wise certified, from the tuna to the shrimp,” says Chef Van Poppel.

Chef Van Poppel has switched from Ahi Tuna to B.C. Albacore and from Artic sea scallops to diver-harvested sea scallops from Mexico’s Baja.  Chef Garcelon has collaborated with EPIC restaurant chef, Ryan Gustafson to remove endangered fish options, such as Orange Roughey and Shark, from EPIC restaurant’s dining menu.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to ocean sustainability means working with reputable suppliers who purchase fish that are resilient to fishing pressure and harvested in ways that limit damage to marine or aquatic habitats.  Specifically, Fairmont has identified two seafood choices that are most at risk – and has eliminated them from its food service operations. They include: Chilean Sea Bass and Bluefin Tuna.  In addition, by promoting awareness and sustainable alternatives among its guests, Fairmont will play a role in influencing and shaping the tastes and preferences of guests who care about the future of the planet.

Stay tuned for our April podcast, when we talk to Chef Ryan Gustafson from EPIC Restaurant and Mike McDermid of Ocean Wise.