The design team had a good time with this boutique hotel, creating fictitious characters and designing rooms for each. Billy's room is fun and offbeat, with pop art and lime-green accents. Dede's room boasts leopard skin, velveteen, and faux-fur accents, while Bob and Carol's place has softer edges and golden tones. Amenities are fun, too: look for mini-oxygen canisters in the bathrooms—a whiff'll clear your head if you have a hangover, and it'll stimulate blood flow for other pursuits. Most rooms have a full wall of windows, lots of natural light, and views of the city or the Japanese garden in the courtyard. Two rooms have private access to the garden; seventh-floor rooms have balconies. Other perks include dog walking if you've brought Fido along, personal shopping, and free car service anywhere downtown. Pros: The central Yaletown location; the hotel is funky and hip; the lobby bar is a fashionable meeting spot. Cons: Renovated heritage building has no views; surrounding neighborhood is mostly high-rises; trendy nightspots nearby can be noisy at night.
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