Radio Royal York

At 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2009 all of Toronto will join over 1000 cities worldwide in darkness for sixty minutes in honour of Earth Hour.  Guests of The Fairmont Royal York hotel will have a chance to “green” it up by checking in by candlelight while enjoying a Greater Toronto Area (GTA) resident’s rate of $99 (exclusive of taxes, based on single or double occupancy).  This great Toronto hotel deal is being offered to any guest with valid GTA identification for all available Fairmont Rooms on Friday, March 27 through to Sunday, March 29,2009.

The Fairmont Royal York has one of the Toronto skyline’s most prominent neon signs. It will be turned off for this global event created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  Inside, members of the hotel’s “Green Team” will dim the lobby lights and light the grand candelabras and tea lights that will be on display throughout the hotel. Hotel guests are also encouraged to visit the candlelit pool and join in by turning the lights out in their guest rooms.

Throughout the Earth Hour evening, The Fairmont Royal York’s Library Bar welcomes lounging guests to candlelight service and a special Earth Hour drink menu created just for this year’s cause: the Polar Cap, a cool drink in a highball glass; the Organic Globe, an icewine martini; and the controversial Carbon Footprint.

On Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., The Fairmont Royal York joins all 56 other Fairmont world-class hotels and resorts from Dallas to Dubai will go dark by turning off their lights for one hour – EARTH HOUR– and in doing so will reinforce the company’s pioneering commitment to operational sustainability and help draw further attention to one of the world’s single largest environmental issues: climate change.

For more information on the GTA resident’s rate call 1 (866) 540-4489.

One of the Toronto skyline’s most prominent neon signs will go dark for sixty minutes on March 29. The occasion will mark the unification of The Fairmont Royal York with an expected 30 million people worldwide as they take a public stand on climate change.  The hour of action entitled Earth Hour, is a global event created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Hotel guests will have the opportunity to be carbon responsible as they check in by candlelight during Earth Hour, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2009.

In 2008, The Fairmont Royal York was the first Toronto hotel to register its Earth Hour participation.  The Library Bar served a capacity crowd of patrons seeking a lounge experience by candlelight.  A year later, the lights out experience continues to be so popular that the lounge has gone on to serve cocktails by candlelight every Saturday night.  The hotel will again demonstrate its leadership and commitment to environmental responsibility through a series of interior and exterior energy saving initiatives.

Hotel engineer Brian Mosher will extinguish power to The Fairmont Royal York’s  signature rooftop sign as the first signal to the team of more than 30 hotel colleagues who will be on duty to ensure that the building’s exterior lights, sconces, display, awning and canopy lights will dim in unison with the other Toronto landmarks participating in Earth Hour.  Inside, members of the hotel’s “Green Team” will dim the lobby lights and quickly light the grand candelabras and tea lights that will be on display throughout the hotel. Hotel guests are also encouraged to join in by turning the lights out in their rooms by way of a book mark accompanying their key cards and at the evening “turn down.”

During Earth Hour, The Fairmont Royal York’s Library Bar welcomes lounging guests to candlelight service and a special Earth Hour drink menu.  On the menu are three new limited-edition cocktails, created just for this year’s cause: the Polar Cap, a cool drink in a birdbath snifter; the Organic Globe, an icewine martini; and the controversial Carbon Footprint.

“Lounging by candlelight is a social way to toast the Earth Hour movement,” says Library Bar Manager, Jeff Steen.

The Fairmont Royal York also invites guests to the hotel’s health club where they may swim lengths of the 15 meter pool or unwind in the whirlpool by candlelight.  The entire pool area will be illuminated by 100 floating candles.  The candlelight swim is offered exclusively to hotel guests from 8:30  p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, 2009.

Instituting the highest possible standards of environmental stewardship is at the heart of the measurable goals The Fairmont Royal York sets for itself. In a company wide challenge the hotel  was recently named runner up to The Fairmont Lake Louise as Environmental Hotel of the Year for 2008. As such, the hotel is continually working to find new ways to reduce their energy consumption.

While most Toronto homes draw approximately 24,000 kwh per year, The Fairmont Royal York measures a draw of nearly 2.5 mwh a day to power all of its 34,000 lights. In an effort to reduce energy consumption the hotel has changed its east entrance canopy lights to 3 watt bulbs.  The bulbs will now last 4000 hours and save 32,236 kwh a year. The hotel has switched over 7000 incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs, saving 712,500 kwh annually. Over 75% of the 1,365 rooms have compact fluorescent bulbs. All of the hotel’s meeting rooms have dimmers and many have motion sensors.  Lighting now accounts for only 5% of the hotel’s energy draw.  Increasing the energy efficiency of hotel lights is just one portion of the hotel’s environmental efforts. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has an ongoing commitment to energy conservation, waste management, water conservation and responsible purchasing.

On Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., all 56 of Fairmont’s world-class hotels and resorts from Dallas to Dubai will go dark by turning off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – and in doing so will reinforce the company’s pioneering commitment to operational sustainability and help draw further attention to one of the world’s single largest environmental issues: climate change.

They say all good “soles” go to heaven, and now shoes from the Fairmont Fit program will get a second life with Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that collects gently worn and new shoes for redistribution to those in need. Starting this fall, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will donate footwear from Fairmont Fit, a program which offers members of Fairmont President’s Club, the brand’s exclusive guest recognition program, access to adidas athletic apparel for use during their stay. Guests and community members are  also invited to drop off gently worn and new shoes at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York, Winnipeg’s Fairmont Winnipeg, Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser, Edmonton’s Fairmont Hotel MacDonald and at other Fairmont hotels across North America from Monday, January 19 to Friday, January 23, 2009.

To launch this new partnership, Fairmont is providing a little incentive to begin the New Year on the right foot and stick with those resolutions to get in shape. In recognition of this support, Fairmont Fit partner adidas will offer each shoe donor an exclusive discount card for 15% off adidas merchandise, to be used online at http://www.shopadidas.com or http://www.shopadidas.ca.

Soles4Souls is an international organization that facilitates the donation and redistribution of shoes to people in need in over 60 countries. Donations from individuals, companies and other organizations help Soles4Souls fulfill its mission to impact lives with the gift of shoes. This simple act helps provide a basic need; quality shoes help protect feet from cuts, scrapes and contaminants that can lead to potentially serious health care issues. Started in 2004 in response to the Tsunami disaster, Soles4Souls has grown rapidly, resulting in over 3.3 million pairs of shoes being given away to date.

Fairmont Fit, which has proven extremely popular in its first year of operation in North American hotels, will be expanding to all international locations later this year. Fairmont President’s Club members can order adidas shorts, t-shirts and athletic shoes, all delivered to their room, for use during their stay.* As shoes slowly become worn in, and as seasonal changes of styles are provided by adidas, hotels are left with items that are suitable for donating. Fairmont, long a leader in environmental stewardship and responsible tourism, continually seeks ways to minimize the footprint of its hotels. In support of these efforts, Fairmont will donate footwear to Soles4Souls, and hotels will also donate the gently used apparel to local charities.

“We’re proud to support Soles4Souls’ efforts. The partnership makes sense; with locations around the world, we can provide sizable quantities of a much needed item, but we also mitigate our impact on the planet,” noted Brian Richardson, Fairmont’s Vice President Brand Marketing and Communications.

“We are very pleased that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and adidas have joined forces with Soles4Souls to make a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people in need,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls, Inc. “This program will not only benefit victims of natural disasters and those living in extreme poverty, but it will help reduce the vast number of shoes that end up in our landfills,” he said.

Fairmont President’s Club is the hotel company’s premier guest recognition program, providing frequent guests with certain benefits and privileges during their stay.  Membership is complimentary and guests can enroll online at http://www.fairmont.com, by calling 1-800-663-7575 or at any Fairmont location worldwide.

*The Fairmont Fit program is complimentary for Premier and Platinum level members of Fairmont President’s Club. A $10 fee per stay will apply for Club level members, for unlimited use of apparel during their stay.
 

The Fairmont Royal York is sharing a luxury travel deal with all Ontario residents seeking to rediscover their home province. The hotel is now offering leisure travelers attractive room rates for the entire winter season. As an added bonus, guests who check in under the Ontario Resident’s Rate, by way of their hybrid car will receive complimentary parking throughout their stay. Ontario residents receive access to the Ontario Resident’s Rate and 15% off of all breakfasts, every Thursday through Sunday for two people, beginning at only $159, until March 31, 2009.

By offering the Ontario Resident’s Rate with free parking to guests with hybrid cars, The Fairmont Royal York joins several of its sister properties in their sustainability efforts. The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, The Fairmont Newport Beach, The Fairmont San Jose, The Fairmont Miramar Santa Monica, The Fairmont San Francisco, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle, The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston, Fairmont Scottsdale, and Fairmont Le Château Frontenac are all proud to offer free parking to overnight guests with hybrid vehicles.

The Fairmont Royal York holds the Four Green Key ECOmmodation award from the Hotel Association of Canada. This designation recognizes hotels and resorts committed to improving their fiscal and environmental performances. The hotel has been honoured for its energy conservation initiatives, waste management, community involvement, and support and its rooftop herb garden. The dedication of the 1,200 employees to the green action plan continues to ensure its success.

For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit the Fairmont Royal York Website.
 

The Toronto Star has posted a Google map, providing a birds-eye view idea of the area the bees cover from their hives atop the Fairmont Royal York. Bees fly four kilometers in all directions, which means that gardens from the Don Valley to the CNE grounds are being visited by our working bees.