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For more than 40 years, the Four Seasons Hotel has been a popular spot for power brokers in Vancouver.
The iconic 370-room hotel opened in 1976, and since then has hosted countless celebrities, politicians and business leaders.
On Monday morning some of the hotel’s 200 staff struggled to hold back tears as they served guests breakfast.
Among them was Yew Seafood and Bar server Jenny Wallisch, who has worked at the Four Seasons for 42 years.
“Kind of strange and kind of sad” was how Wallisch described the closure, noting some of her favorite clients were philanthropist Joe Segal and real estate magnate Bob Rennie.
The decision to close the hotel followed a 2017 lawsuit by Cadillac Fairview alleging the Four Seasons was not keeping the hotel furnished and equipped up to the standard of a typical first-class luxury hotel.
Four Seasons denied the allegations.
Cadillac Fairview, the company that owns downtown’s Pacific Centre, has announced plans to introduce a new luxury hotel that will replace Vancouver’s Four Seasons Hotel when it closes later this month.
The commercial property owner revealed it will be bringing a new luxury hospitality and entertainment offering when the current hotel chain ceases operations after more than four decades.
The name and brand of the new hotel has not been disclosed.
“With today’s announcement we are once again contributing to the fabric of the city by introducing an exciting and vibrant hospitality concept to our landmark property that will solidify it as the destination of choice in downtown Vancouver,” Tom Knoepfel, senior vice president of Cadillac Fairview’s western portfolio, said in a press statement.
“CF Pacific Centre will be home to a leading global hotel and entertainment brand that will be unique not only in Vancouver, but the rest of Canada,” Knoepfel added. “We look forward to providing more details about this exciting project in the near future.”
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Sources: Global News/The Georgia Straight