Shangri-La Vancouver, Canada

The hotel is the starting and finishing point for a burgeoning luxury shopping row that is lined with the world's premier designers - Hermes, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry - to name a few. The superior rooms average 450 square feet in space and have either one king or two double beds. All rooms blend modern technology with distant Asian touches to create luxurious setting. There is a restaurant on site with outdoor seasonal dining. The lobby lounge with bar will serve light meals Rising 646 feet to punctuate the city's skyline, the hotel will occupy the first 15 floors of a new 61-story landmark building, the tallest in Vancouver. Its angled forms offer city and mountain views and opens the landscaped lower level to sunlight. A towering 3-story lobby with floor to ceilings windows offers natural lighting and a perfect place to meet with business associates or friends. The floor and walls have been covered in light limestone to give a natural and open feeling to this experience and impressive setting. (0908/CH)