Latest news with #MattDavis
CTV News
22-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
2 Ottawa locations on list of top 50 best hotel restaurants in Canada
Zoe's at Fairmont Chateau Laurier (left) and The Shore Club are pictured in these images. (Source: Two Ottawa restaurants are on a new list of the 50 best hotel restaurants in the country. The Top 50 Hotel Restaurants list was compiled by restaurant booking site OpenTable and its travel search partner site Kayak. It was compiled by reviewing restaurants located in hotels and analyzing more than one million diner reviews and dining metrics, including diner ratings, and reservation demand, OpenTable says. Among the list are the Shore Club, located in Ottawa's Westin Hotel, and Zoe's at Fairmont Chateau Laurier. 'As hotel dining enters a new age with nearly two thirds of hotel restaurant diners being locals, it's a chance to win over locals looking to dine out, not just overnight guests,' said OpenTable Canada executive Matt Davis in a news release. According to OpenTable, a recent survey by Walr found that nearly half (46 per cent) of Canadians said they have spent more on food and drinks at a restaurant than on any other activities during a trip and more than two thirds (68 per cent) of Canadians would book the same hotel again because of a positive dining experience in the restaurant. Toronto topped the list with 10 restaurants. Four restaurants in Montreal were also featured. You can see the full list on OpenTable's website.
Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Hotel Dining Steps Into The Spotlight: OpenTable and KAYAK Debut The Top 50 Hotel Restaurants in Canada
TORONTO, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hotel restaurants are experiencing a revival among diners, evolving from convenient and comfortable options to refined dining destinations, as 61 per cent of Canadians believe hotels have gotten better restaurant offerings in recent years. 1 Canadian search data also shows the use of KAYAK's 'restaurant' hotel filter almost doubled within a year (+99%), highlighting how travel and dining are becoming increasingly connected. 3 To help diners and travellers find their ideal dining destination, OpenTable and KAYAK have joined forces to launch the Top 50 Hotel Restaurants across Canada in 2025. 4 The list is compiled by reviewing restaurants located in hotels and analyzing more than 1 million diner reviews and dining metrics, including diner ratings, reservation demand, among other factors. 'As hotel dining enters a new age with nearly two thirds (61%) of hotel restaurant diners being locals, 2 it's a chance to win over locals looking to dine out, not just overnight guests,' said Matt Davis, Senior Country Director, OpenTable Canada. 'For travellers and locals alike, our new Top 50 Hotel Restaurants list offers great inspiration for elevated meals in standout spots across the country, from Akira Back in Toronto's Bisha Hotel to The Courtney Room in the Magnolia Hotel in Victoria.' 'Travellers aren't just asking 'Where should I go?'—they're asking 'What's on the menu when I get there?'' said Kate Williams, Chief Communications Officer at KAYAK. 'Great dining experiences are an essential part of today's travel itineraries and hotels are rising to the occasion.' New research shows: For travellers hungry for more than just a place to stay, the top hotel restaurants offer innovative menus, top-notch service, and stylish interiors. To explore hotel room rates, average flight prices, and more, explore OpenTable & KAYAK's top hotel restaurant hub. The following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order by Province, comprise the Top 50 Hotel Restaurants . 3 Alberta 1888 Chop House, Banff Braven, Edmonton Castello Italiana, Banff Fonda Fora, Calgary Hawthorn Dining Room and Bar, Calgary Rundle Bar, Banff The Harvest Room - Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, Edmonton The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - Calgary 4th Ave, Calgary The Vermillion Room, Banff The Wilde On 27, Calgary Waldhaus Restaurant, Banff British Columbia ARC Restaurant, Vancouver ATLAS steak + fish - Burnaby, Burnaby Botanist, Vancouver Lakeside Dining Room - Hotel Eldorado, Kelowna Notch8, Vancouver Tea at The Empress, Victoria The Brickworks, Whistler The Courtney Room, Victoria The Victor – Parq Vancouver, Vancouver Manitoba Oval Room Brasserie – Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg Newfoundland and Labrador The Little Sparo, St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Darya, Halifax Salt & Ash - Halifax, Halifax Ontario Akira Back, Toronto Café Boulud, Toronto Cannery Restaurant, Niagara-on-the-Lake CLOCKWORK, Toronto Corso: Endless Family-Style Italian, Niagara Falls Inn on the Twenty, Jordan Isabelle Restaurant + Lounge, Burlington Joni Restaurant, Toronto KŌST, Toronto Langdon Hall Dining Room, Cambridge LOUIX LOUIS, Toronto Masaki, Niagara-on-the-Lake ONE Restaurant, Toronto REIGN, Toronto The Drawing Room - The Prince of Wales Hotel, Niagara-on-the-Lake The Shore Club - Ottawa, Ottawa The Tea Room - Windsor Arms Hotel, Toronto Tiara Restaurant - Queen's Landing Hotel, Niagara-on-the-Lake TOCA - The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, Toronto Zoe's at Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Ottawa Quebec Bar George, Montréal Bistro le SAM - Fairmont Château Frontenac, Québec City Le Champlain Restaurant - Fairmont Château Frontenac, Québec City Llyod, Montréal Maison Boulud, Montréal Marcus, Montréal About OpenTable OpenTable , a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), helps more than 60,000 restaurants worldwide fill 1.8 billion seats a year. OpenTable's world-class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion. About KAYAK KAYAK , part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world's leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package. Trusted by millions of travelers, the KAYAK app makes travel planning seamless on iOS and Android , and we also support business travelers with our corporate travel solution . Notes to Editors
Global News
07-07-2025
- Global News
Remains of 7 people recovered after explosion at California fireworks factory
The remains of seven people reported missing after an explosion at a California fireworks factory have been recovered at the site, officials confirmed. The storage unit, located in Esparto, a town about 40 kilometres northwest of Sacramento, exploded on July 1, causing a blaze that burned for days and leaving seven people unaccounted for, officials said on Wednesday. People were urged to avoid the area for several days following the blast, which led to several other spot fires and the collapse of the warehouse. In a statement on Friday, the Yolo County Sheriff's office said coroners entered the site of the explosion. On Sunday, it confirmed the remains of seven people reported missing had been recovered from the scene. The names of the victims will not be released to the public until family members have been notified. Story continues below advertisement 'Out of respect for the families, the identities of the deceased will be withheld until formal identification is completed and next of kin have been notified. The Coroner's Office continues to communicate directly with the families and will provide further updates as appropriate,' Sunday's statement said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy According to NBC, family members of the missing had expressed frustration about the lack of answers regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones. Authorities had initially reported that it was unclear if there had been any injuries. 'Everything is very preliminary right now,' he said. One man, whose two sons were among the missing, told NBC that he lost hope when he saw footage of the explosion. Matt Davis, undersheriff of the Yolo County Sheriff's Office, told reporters last week that recovery efforts had been slow because fires were still burning and explosives remained on site for days after the initial incident, which hindered the emergency services from moving forward. 'I appreciate and understand how much you want answers,' he said. In an update issued on Wednesday night, state authorities confirmed that seven people were unaccounted for and that a search operation was underway, while evacuation orders remained in place. 0:37 Huge explosion at California fireworks factory caught on camera Experts used unmanned aircraft to scan the fire zone, locate the missing people and assess hazards in the area. Story continues below advertisement The fire was held at nearly 80 acres (33 hectares) by Wednesday morning after scorching surrounding agricultural fields, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The Arson and Bomb Investigation Unit is heading the fire's origin and cause investigation into the explosion and subsequent fire. As of Sunday, crews were continuing to mitigate explosive hazards present at the scene.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Beyoncé-Themed Wedding Weekend With a Sneaker Chic Dress Code, a Sing-Along Ceremony, and a Cowboy Carter After-Party
When Matt Davis and Calvin Gaines first met, they bonded over their shared love of Nike Blazers, a shoe that would one day feature heavily in their wedding. At the time, however, it just seemed like they were kindred spirits—two people who shared a number of overlapping interests, one of which that happened to be a specific style of sneakers. Over time, their relationship grew and became romantic. In August of 2023, Matt proposed to Calvin in a Paris garden, and the two spent the rest of the day shopping for rings. A few months later on November 27, 2023, they were legally married in London, and from that day on, the number 27 felt significant in their relationship. When they chose to have a follow-up celebration attended by all their family and friends, they let their lucky number help them set the date: When the couple toured The Bordone in New York City, a venue they were drawn to due to its modern architecture and city views, they realized there was just one open date available for the fall, and it aligned with their lucky number. Without giving it a second thought, they set the date for September 27, 2024, then got to work planning a wedding weekend no one would forget. Since their wedding would be a destination event for the majority of their 140 guests, Matt and Calvin wanted to host a weekend of activities to keep everyone busy. Still, they wanted to do things their own way, so the flipped the traditional wedding weekend order of events, starting with a wedding on Friday, September 27, followed by a more intimate post-wedding party at The Little Owl Townhouse on September 28; both events were inspired by Calvin's love of Beyoncé, the grooms' shared interest in sneakers, and their desire emphasize "creative, personal, and non-traditional" details. "From the very beginning, we knew we wanted our wedding to be a true reflection of who we are—our style, our love story, and the things that bring us joy,' Matt says. 'Every detail was intentionally designed to feel personal, meaningful, and unapologetically us.' Matt and Calvin knew they needed a visionary wedding planner to help them pull off all of their ideas, so they hired planner Lauren Gordon of Cherish Events to all the custom details. From a custom MTV-inspired logo and a sing-along style wedding ceremony to their "sneaker chic" dress code and "Act II" after-party, you won't want to miss any of the details captured in the photos by Larisa Shorina Photography. Related: Why Couples Are Incorporating Wellness Practices Into Their Wedding Weekends—And 11 of the Most Popular Ones Matt and Calvin designed their wedding attire to be in keeping with the day's color scheme, which was emerald green and champagne with pops of rust, gold, pink, and orange. For the ceremony, Matt wore a custom champagne linen three-piece suit from Savile Road in London. When he couldn't find a tie that matched his look, he had one made from Cad & The Dandy. He accessorized with vintage Gucci cufflinks and leather suspenders. Calvin wore a custom green suits from Cad & The Dandy, which featured a subtle orange plaid pattern made from 100% bamboo fabric. Calvin also bought matching bracelets for him and Matt to wear on the wedding day. Matt worked with MattB Customs to create custom Nike Blazer sneakers, which featured his and Calvin's custom logo and color palette. Their wedding party wore matching sneakers as a nod to the shoes Calvin was wearing when the couple first met. The couple asked their groomsmen to wear rust-colored suits from Indochino. 'From the beginning, we wanted our wedding party's attire to feel cohesive but not overly uniform, reflecting both our carefully curated wedding palette and the personalities of the people standing by our side,' Matt says. The groomsmen paired their suits with white shirts, champagne-colored ties, and their own custom Nike sneakers. The bridesmaids and other female members of the wedding party wore their choice of dress in metallic or rust colors. As guests arrived for Matt and Calvin's wedding, they were served pre-ceremony refreshments and given programs outlining the order of events. The programs also included lyrics to Tina Turner's 'The Best' on the back, which allowed everyone in attendance to join in on a sing-along at the end of the ceremony. "We are both sneakerheads, and our love story started over a pair of Nike Blazers, so it only made sense that sneakers played a major role in our wedding," the grooms explain. A "sneaker chic" dress code emerged, and guests were encouraged to pair their formalwear with fun, unique shoes. Attendees went all out, helping to make Matt and Calvin's vision a reality in the form of brightly colored footwear with unique accessories. Related: 9 Trending Dress Codes You're Bound to See at Modern Weddings Instead of traditional bouquets, Matt and Calvin had their wedding party walk down the aisle with champagne flutes and jello shot syringes, which had been finished with custom ribbons matching their color palette. 'Since we're very social and love hosting, we thought this was the perfect way to make the ceremony interactive while keeping the energy fun and celebratory,' Calvin says. The grooms and their wedding planner chose a semi-circle design for their rooftop ceremony, which helped to create an intimate vow exchange experience in which they were surrounded by their guests as they reaffirmed their commitment to one another. They also chose a circular structure as their altar, which reinforced the day's theme of unity. Matt and Calvin each walked down the aisle solo, which was important to them. They wrote their own vows and exchanged them in front of their guests before celebrating back up the aisle during a sing-along recessional. 'Live musician Najah Moser led all of our guests in an epic sing-along of Tina Turner's 'The Best,'' Matt says. 'This moment was electric—everyone singing, clapping, and celebrating as we exited together, completely surrounded by love and joy.' In keeping with the party vibe they had started at the beginning of their ceremony, the couple also created a tequila shot wall that doubled as their seating chart display. They also served signature pink lemonade cocktails they called the Pink Pony. 'We found 1950s-style Pink Pony Club diner signs on Etsy and incorporated them into the bar design and drink trays,' Calvin says. Matt and Calvin created a custom logo inspired by the 1980s MTV logo incorporating their special number, 27. The logo itself became a focal point of the wedding day's décor, seen on everything from the seating chart display to the menus and even the drink and food trays. At the reception, the couple and their planner incorporated a mix of textures and colors into the evening's designing, including organic floral centerpieces in shades of rust, gold, pink, orange, and green in mixed metallic and tinted glass vessels. Each table was named after a song title as a nod to Beyoncé's Renaissance album. 'The linen selections were just as intentional as every other element, pulling directly from their custom-designed color palette,' Matt says. They chose gold-rimmed chargers and flatware to add a pop of metallic color to each table. Place settings were marked with a personalized menu that matched their invitation suite and featured the couple's custom logo, which was also projected onto the dance floor. Lighting was also important to Matt and Calvin, so they worked with their planner to choose lights that helped enhance the ambience they wanted for the evening. A custom overhead installation of greenery and neon light tubing created a modern and artistic focal point in the space while spotlights and color changing lighting were brought to the dance floor to enhance the party atmosphere. Matt and Calvin changed into their reception outfits, which also featured a sneaker change. Matt wore a deep orange suit and Calvin changed into a bright pink suit, both from The Edit, London. They shared their first dance to 'Lover' by Taylor Swift before dancing with their moms to Beyoncé's 'Protector." The couple hired Electric Boulevard as their band and DJ, which they acknowledge as the easiest choice of the wedding planning process. The festivities continued into the evening, with an after-party that kept the revelry going. Matt and Calvin changed into fun sequined outfits from ASOS. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, they chose to serve passed dessert bites and late-night snacks, including mini bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches (a New York staple) on croissants. The next evening, Matt and Calvin invited their out-of-town guests to join them for a Cowboy Carter-themed post-wedding party at The Little Owl Townhouse in West Village, New York City. They encouraged everyone to come dressed in their best cowboy-inspired or sequined outfits. The grooms dressed the part, too, wearing western-style hats and footwear that nodded to the evening's theme. Instead of another sit-down dinner, Matt and Calvin made the evening's meal a bit more interactive: They chosen an 11-course dining experience served from trays to keep the energy flowing. Guests also enjoyed signature cocktails called 'Jolene' and 'Honey Buckin' Margarita' as a nod to the night's playful country-meets-pop theme. The grooms worked with the venue to create a custom Act II mural to elevate the space and served custom cookies inspired by the theme. Najah Moser returned for another live performance, keeping everyone on the dance floor. 'Guests embraced the themed fashion, making the night feel immersive and unforgettable,' Matt says. 'It was the perfect way to wrap up a weekend full of love, creativity, and celebration!' After their wedding weekend officially wrapped, the couple spent their honeymoon relaxing and reminiscing in Greece. To other pairs current planning a wedding, Matt and Calvin offer this simple but sweet advice: 'Double your budget and hire Lauren.'Wedding Photographer Larisa Shorina Photography Wedding Planning and Design Cherish Events Wedding Ceremony and Reception Venue The Bordone Act II Venue The Little Owl Townhouse Flowers Fern Botanica Music Najah Moser, Electric Boulevard Catering Great Performances Rentals Atlas Party Rentals, Patina Rentals Hair Marci Saucedo Up Next: 30 Wedding Theme Ideas for Every Style of Celebration Read the original article on Brides
CTV News
13-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Canadians love dining outdoors, new data has found. Here are the top 100 restaurants in Canada for al fresco dining in 2025
Dogs on a Kitchener patio Pet-friendly dining is also top of mind for those dining outside, with OpenTable data revealing a 25 per cent uptick year-over-year in reservations at 'pet-friendly' restaurants. Fifty-six per cent of dog owners have reported dining out with their pet at a restaurant/café at least once a month in the summer, while 36 per cent indicated they would 'definitely' dine out more often with their pet if dog-friendly options were easier to locate. 'We are seeing a demand for pet-friendly patios in real time, as dining is growing 11 per cent higher year-over-year at pet friendly restaurants than those that don't allow pets,' said Matt Davis, OpenTable Canada's senior country director, in a news release. (Heather Senoran / CTV News Kitchener)
