As you may well know by now, us Pegs love a staycation.
So we were pleased as punch last night to have been one the first guests at the Alt Hotel Winnipeg.
We must say, we felt like cool kids from the moment we checked in -- so cool in fact, we didn't want to say that we were going to the Def Leppard concert across the street at the MTS Centre (because, as you folks know who also went to high school in the 80s, nothing dates you harder than an undying love of glam rock).
But speaking of the MTS Centre, it is seriously a stone's throw away -- or, as the Alt peeps put it, "115 lady steps away."
We were told this by Stacey Masson, the senior director of national marketing and communications at Groupe Germain Hospitality. Masson and her colleagues from Groupe Germain Hospitality were in town for today's grand opening, overseeing this sleek property which now joins Germain's 11 hotels across Canada under the Alt and Le Germain banners. (There are also three more properties in the midst of construction).
And I tell you, these Montreal based folks have a keen eye for detail, as it is evident in the makeup of the hotel.
"We know it is 115 steps because our Montreal general manager Julie Brisebois counted," said Clarah Germain, the social media manager for Groupe Gremain Hospitality. She then continued that Julie is about 5 foot 8, for good measure.
The Alt Winnipeg lobby featuring Bryan Scott's Altexpo mural (Tourism Winnipeg)
But enough about steps, because what you really need to know is that the Alt is walkable to everything downtown, especially the theatres and restaurants of the Exchange District, .
And speaking of restaurants, Alt Winnipeg will also be serviced by The Merchant Kitchen, a stunning new room by those fabulous folks who brought Pizzeria Gusto to River Heights.
I'm already predicting that the Merch' (as I'm already calling it, because Missus Peg is just that cool) will become the new hot spot for drinks and dinner downtown. While Peg City Grub will be covering their opening next week, I can say that the room is gorgeous, that it has an open kitchen and bar, along with long wooden tables that can be converted from communal dinning to smaller tops, and that the menu features globally inspired street food. It also has a giant rooster mural by local artist Pat Lazo that is super rad.
How rad? Well, rad like the Alt's lobby, which features groovy red nest chairs and a giant mural composed of 2600 Winnipeg images by photographer Bryan Scott. They also have a hip feature for the Instagram crowd (which is everybody) whereby if you tag your photo #altexpo it will show up on the screens which are centred inside the mural.
The Peg's friend Sandy enjoying her room featuring works of art by Cliff Eyland (Tourism Winnipeg)
The rooms also feature local art, eight small unique pieces per room by Cliff Eyland to be precise.
The aesthetic of the hotel is minimalist, with exposed cement throughout offset by an incredible amount of natural light as nearly every window -- from the lobby, to the guest rooms and conference rooms -- runs from floor to ceiling. Mister and I were particularly fond of the sleek bathrooms, whose showers feature a wall of semi-transparent glass that faces out into the bedroom area. The purpose of this, aside from adding a spicy little voyeuristic element, is to allow all the natural light to pour through, much like how the water cascades from the stylish rain shower heads.
The bathrooms allow the natural sunlight to pour in (Tourism Winnipeg)
And dear reader, the beds! They are so comfy that on their website Germain gives you the option of purchasing your own, along with the linens, accessories and table art found in the hotel (presumably because once you've lived the Alt life, your home may seem so drab -- not to mention uncomfortable).
The other things you should know is that rooms at the Alt -- be they family rooms with two beds, or singles -- will never be more that $149 CDN per night, no matter what time of year! #bargain
They also have a spiffy gym and a whole floor dedicated to meeting rooms and event spaces, all of which overlook the city and offer massive amounts natural light -- because who wants to promote synergy in a cave?
The event spaces all have their own unique features, like this temporary envelope wall (Tourism Winnipeg)
The property is also eco-friendly, being full of energy-saving features like geothermal heating and cooling, as well as those cool room card holders that ensure that you can't leave the lights on when you exit.
The other bonus is the stunning views of downtown from the rooms. We were merely on the 9th floor and from our north-west facing room we could see across the whole city, with the added bonus of getting a pretty sweet sunset.
Our bonus sunset from our 9th room window (Tourism Winnipeg)
Only in The Peg chronicles the adventures of the Peg family–Missus, Mister and Lil’ Peg–as they discover everything there is to see and do in Winnipeg. Follow them on Twitter at @tourismwpg or visit them on Facebook. For even more info on Winnipeg, visit www.tourismwinnipeg.com. Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter to stay in the loop on the latest information, contests, and upcoming events!
