Après, Après! Post-Ski indulgences at BC's snowy resorts

It's easy to stoke the fire (a.k.a. work up an appetite) while carving tracks on British Columbia terrain. And when skiers and boarders wrap a day's play, they reward themselves with everything from family festivities to toast-worthy treats. Here are some of the best ways to soak up BC's après atmosphere. Destination BC is on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us at @HelloBC. Family Fun Activity suited for all ages is a tall order, and British Columbia delivers. In Whistler, après activity is an outdoor affair. Set in the Whistler Olympic Plaza, select evenings in the winter months feature Family Après, with everything from live entertainment and snowman-building competitions, to storytelling and tobogganing. Tip: check with a Village Host, as offerings change week to week. At Sun Peaks Resort, Moonlight Snowshoe & S'mores tours explore the winter landscape overlooking the village, a sight illuminated by shimmering lights. The one-kilometre (0.6-mile) trek through the forest ends next to a campfire with freshly made, ooey-gooey treats and hot apple cider. Big White Ski Resort's Happy Valley Adventure Park is home to a 60-metre (197-foot) Ice Climbing Tower, geared for everyone from beginners to advanced ice pickers. To take it up a notch, book a twilight snowmobiling tour, and finish the evening with hot chocolate and marshmallows toasted over a bonfire. A hop, skip, and a schuss further north, SilverStar Mountain Resort offers the ultimate all-in-one experience with My1Pass. A flash of the pass guarantees all-inclusive lift tickets, plus sliding fun at the tube park, spins on the outdoor mountain pond, and snowshoe and cross-country treks through forests of fir. If you still have steam, look beyond pass inclusions, and opt for mini snowmobile rides, sleigh rides, dinner tours, and friendly competition at the only ski-in/ski-out bowling alley on the planet. At Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, near Golden, families hit the newly redesigned Tube Zone. Head to the top, via the Jelly Bean surface lift, and hold on for a shriek-worthy downhill glide. Further south in Fernie, cool kids cruise on the snow in an entirely different way, thanks to mammoth-wheeled fat bikes. What's in store? A low-gear ride easily mastered by first-timers and seasoned cyclists alike.

Dominican Republic attracting increase in tourism investments, cruise passengers and new developments

Multi-million-dollar investments, new developments, and new cruise port lead to great tourism expectations for 2017.

(News Release)

TORONTO – The Dominican Republic, having broken arrivals records in many categories in 2016, is setting aggressive new targets for 2017, underpinned by new developments, increased investment in infrastructure and increased cruise traffic.    Several arrival records were broken in 2016, with a nine per cent increase from 2015. Even more impressive is the 67.5 per cent increase in cruise passenger arrivals, with 580,000 cruise passengers arriving throughout the year. Punta Cana airport arrivals increased 7.1 per cent over 2015, and continues to be the most popular airport in the Caribbean, accepting over 2.4 million arrivals each year. With new hotel developments, US$100 million investments into Las Terrenas, a collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency for sustainable tourism, and the addition of Cap Cana Marina as an international cruise port, plus new and re-invigorated activities and festivals throughout the country this year, all signs are pointing to a strong and profitable tourism industry within the Dominican Republic for 2017.

Game on: W Hotels Worldwide blazes into 'Sin City' with W Las Vegas

Amplifying the Emerging North End of the Las Vegas Strip, W Las Vegas Offers

an Exclusive Experience within SLS Las Vegas

NEW YORK – December 2016 – W Hotels Worldwide, now part of Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR), made its much anticipated Sin City debut with today’s opening of W Las Vegas. W transformed a 289-room tower of SLS Las Vegas, providing guests an elevated hotel-within-a-hotel experience, located on the emerging North End of the Vegas Strip.

“If there are two things in this world that were truly made for each other, it’s W Hotels and Las Vegas,” said Anthony Ingham, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide.

  “After nearly two decades of anticipation, W Las Vegas will show guests a different side of the strip, offering an unexpected and irreverent twist on the typical Sin City experience.”

Built by PENTA Building Group designed by Gensler in collaboration with AvroKO Hospitality Group, guests arrive at the Welcome Desk and are invited into the brand’s signature Living Room to mix and mingle.

Evoking a sense of Vegas glamour, the Living Room bar was inspired by casino gaming tables, while intimate seating nooks nod to the hotel’s original mid-century incarnation as the Sahara. Behind the bar, a neon art “desert garden” by artist Keith Lemley dramatically transforms the space from day to night.