Grand Opening of Crowne Plaza Kitchener-Waterloo

It’s been over a year of achieving the near impossible… successfully operating a busy downtown hotel while completing a full renovation. Now, the diligent management and staff at 105 King Street East, Kitchener are set to unveil a new jewel in the upscale Crowne Plaza family of hotels. 

The transformation has been nothing short of stunning. “This has been a project of love,” says Yari Khan, General Manager of Crowne Plaza. “It’s not just a matter of giving a beautiful design, construction, and nice décor; it’s about service at the end of the day”. Mr. Khan believes the customer service experience lives up to the environment and atmosphere that has been created visually.

Walking into the spacious contemporary lobby, you are welcomed by a brightly lit airy space, accented with splashes of green, red, silver and a friendly front reception staff. Comfortable relaxing chairs sit beside an exquisite fireplace set into a white quartz wall.

The refreshing ambiance of the lobby continues into the lounge and restaurant. Formerly tucked away in a corner, the dining area is now a focal point for a meet and greet or impromptu get-together. Rebranded as Aqua Lounge Restaurant, the dining menu focuses on succulent seafood specialties such as arctic char poached in a red grapefruit sauce and molasses glazed Atlantic salmon. With these kinds of offerings as well as a wide choice of superb pastas, steak, casual fare, soups and salads; Aqua Lounge Restaurant is receiving accolades from those who frequent the local dining scene. 

All 201 guest rooms in the Crowne Plaza have been completely refurbished with new carpets, wall coverings, furniture and fixtures. The corporate traveller can conduct business within walking distance of a number of major companies, then retire to a quiet oasis with a king bed in the Executive Tower. For wedding guests and sports teams the Courtyard rooms offer more leisure style rooms with two queen beds as well as kings.

Guests can luxuriate in the city’s largest jacuzzi whirlpool, an oversize sauna, a completely updated pool area, or enjoy the arcade, bowling alley, yoga room and activity areas.

Members of the community are encouraged to check out the rebranded, revitalized ACTIVE Fitness and Squash Club featuring remodeled courts, plus all new exercise equipment. This boutique style club offers group classes, free towel service, as well as access to personal trainers, nutritionists and restaurant discounts. 

One of the goals of the renovation was to enhance the experience at business conferences and weddings. Over 15,000 square feet of meeting space can be configured to best meet any event needed. Each room is equipped with drop down screens with ceiling projectors, saving time and money for the organizer.

The completely revamped grand ballroom seats close to 400 guests with state of the art lighting and audiovisual systems. Whether it’s soft filtered light on every table or a dazzling light show, streaming video or teleconferencing, the Grand Ballroom can present your event in spectacular style. A second dedicated kitchen enables even more flexibility with event menu choices, food presentation and timing.

There has been a significant amount of time, resources and capital to bring the hotel up to the superior standards of Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts. The team of leaders at Crowne Plaza as well as Jolanta Lukus of Royal Design Inc., Project Manager Rashid Parek of Quest Hospitality Inc. and our ownership Vista Hospitality, which is our Canadian Division is located here in Kitchener, look forward to sharing their accomplishment with the community. “It truly is everybody coming together and being able to achieve what we did and to celebrate on the 19th of June all of our efforts”, concludes Yari Khan.