British Columbia Canada Blog

Holiday Inn is one of my favourite hotels to stay while traveling across North America and am happy that Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) have finally opened one in Surrey, British Columbia. This brand new 76 room property will be a convenient stop for tourists and visitors in the area.  Situated in the heart of Surrey, the newly built 49,000 sq. ft. hotel is accessible to Vancouver by highway and is close to the USA border, Vancouver International Airport, Abbotsford International Airport, Ferry Terminals and the Trans Canada Highway.  The property is within walking distance of shops, restaurants, Fraser Downs Race Track & Casino and is just minutes from several businesses including Surrey School Board, Telus and International Paper Industries. Tourist attractions such as Downtown Vancouver, Historical Fort Langley and several golf courses are also a short drive from the hotel.
 
Some of the features of Holiday Inn, Surrey include:

-Best-4-Breakfast menu, featuring signature items such as Cinnamon Supreme French Toast™ and Skillet Inspirations™.

  -Kids 12 and younger eat free at Holiday Inn when ordering from the kids’ menu in the hotel restaurant and accompanied by a dining adult.

-Room Service

- Standard Guest rooms with double queen or king-sized beds

- Deluxe suites with a mini kitchenette, a sitting area with a sofa bed and lounge chair, cable television, hairdryer, coffee maker, iron and ironing board. 

- Guestrooms with a work desk and ergonomic chair, data ports and in-room check-out capabilities. 

-Complimentary high speed Internet access and free wireless is also available. 

- An On-site fitness centre, indoor swimming pool and restaurant.
 
 The Holiday Inn & Suites Surrey is owned and managed by Kartar Business Operations Ltd., under a license agreement with the InterContinental Hotels Group and is located at:

 17530 – 64th Ave, Surrey, British Columbia V3S 1Y9.

Telephone: 604-576.8862; Facsimile: 604.576.8892.

For more BC lodging options, visit: BC Travel Guide Accommodations
 

Do you know that the German and Swedish teams that trained at Silver Star Ski resort in British Columbia won 12 medals during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics? Many Olympic teams in the hopes of getting the same results are using the Okanagan  again to do their final pre-Games tune-ups on local cross-country ski trails.

Some of the participating athletes are from the nordic event teams of Norway, the Czech Republic, Russia and Switzerland. In all, eight Olympic teams totalling 100 competitors are training locally, injecting money into the economy and Olympic buzz into the region. One of the most popular venues is the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre in the North Okanagan. The Norwegian biathlon team has been training there and at nearby Silver Star Mountain Resort for the past two weeks.

The region has been a popular training ground for nordic competitors for years. Most teams are staying at Silver Star for 10 to 16 days, resulting in $125,000 in total revenue for the resort. So, next time you ski in BC consider yourself lucky because you might be using the same trails which helped train Olympic athletes.

Other Vancouver 2010 Posts:

Transportation During Olympics 2010

Opening Ceremony Olympics 2010

Meet Vancouver Olympics 2010 Athletes

Tod Mountain Ranch located in Heffley Creek (near Kamloops), BC could be your next getaway especially because now they have reduced their prices for Spring 2010. Have a great horse back riding experience during your next BC vacation.

Tod Mountain Ranch is offering reduced rates on all dates in May & June. These savings represent around 15% off our usual summer rates. Check out their latest reduced summer rates at Tod Mountain Ranch Website.

Another exciting news is that they are offering Free transfers to the guests from Kamloops airport/ Bus station/ Downtown Hotel.  Also, they are advising guests about saving money on their vacation by keeping an eye on taxes. Here’s how:

The BC Government recently announced some tax changes which will affect travellers to BC after 1st July 2010. The current tax rate for ranch stays is 6.2% and this will increase to 12% for all bookings from 1st July. However, if you have already booked, or were planning your ranch vacation after 1st July, there is an opportunity to avoid this increase. Simply book and pay in full prior to 1st May 2010 and you will only be charged the current tax rate of 6.2%.

Some of the best Canadian athletes are competing in Vancouver Olympics 2010 and I am proud to say that many of them are from British Columbia. Watch out for these Okanagan athletes that have bright chances of winning medals in upcoming Vancouver Olympics 2010:

1. Women’s Curling team : Kelly Scott, Jeanna Schraeder and Sasha Carter. This is Kelly’s first experience participating in Olympics. However, she has won World Junior and World Women’s Curling Championship.
2. Para- Alpine: Josh Dueck and Nick Brush
3. Wheelchair Curling: Ina Forrest and Sonja Gaudet
4. Freestyle Skiing Aerials: Steve Omischl Steve Omischl has been ranked no.1 in the world in freestyle skiing aerials since past 4 years.
5. Freestyle Ski-cross: Kelsey SerwaDid you know Kelsey’s grandfather Cliff Serwa founded Big White Ski resort?
6. Bobsleigh: Justin Kripps
7. Luge: Brandon Hauptman
8. Cross-Country skiing: Alysson Cummings
9. Freestyle Skiing Moguls: Kristi Richards These athletes grew up practicing at local ski resorts like Big White, Silver Star Sun Peaks etc. Although Whistler is no different, the challenging part is that their competitors are equally good and win or lose in Olympics is based on fraction of seconds. Nevertheless, our best wishes with these athletes.

Related Vancouver 2010 posts:

Transportation during Vancouver Olympics 2010

Meet Vancouver Olympics 2010 Athletes

Vancouver 2010 Opening ceremony

The 21st Winter Olympics will begin this weekend and Okanagan’s role in these games cannot be ignored. See how Okanagan impacts Vancouver Olympic Games:

1. Kelowna International Airport is one of four 2010 portals along with Calgary, Victoria and Abbotsford.

2. Kelowna RCMP have deployed 18 officers as part of emergency response teams at Whistler and Vancouver. These officers will also take part in red Serge duties at the opening cermonies and medal presentations.

3. Four local firefighters will also take up shifts at Olympic park in Whistler.

4. Do you know who is the official supplier of wine for Olympics 2010? Sumac Ridge Estate winery, one of the leading BC wineries in Summerland is the official supplier of wine to all venues where accredited media will be allowed. Other participating BC wineries include: Jackson Triggs of Oliver, See-Ya-Later Ranch in Okanagan falls, Inniskillin from Oliver and N’Kimp Cellars in Osoyoos.

5. S.W. Audio Visual of Kelowna is providing big screens, stages, lighting and sound equipment to two Olympic fan venues, Canada Hockey Place and the UBC arena.

6. Last but not the least, ASPENWARE of Lumby which is the only manufacturer of wooden cutlery in North America will be featured at media centers and Vancouver Convention center during upcoming Winter Olympics 2010.

Related Vancouver Olympics 2010 posts:

Transportation during Vancouver Olympics 2010

Opening Ceremony Vancouver 2010