Hotel patio sends big message with new event tent

A tent helps hotel maximize space and profit.

A tent with a big message, installed on the ninth floor patio of the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, has had immediate benefits for both the hotel and the manufacturer, Ideal Canopy Tent & Structure Ltd., Delta, B.C.

“The client’s goal was to maximize profit on their dead patio space, which could be used for weddings, social business and other occasions,” says Raj Pooni of Ideal. “This tent was up for a month and already had 12 bookings.”

Ideal developed a relationship with the client during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Success with those projects led to the patio installation, a 30-by-30-by-8-foot Mega Frame Canopy Tent with a one-piece top. The walls are keder tracked with full windows and white trim, and are reinforced at the bottom with a 1-inch heavy duty PVC strip and weighed down with aluminum pipe. Three zippers on each wall allow roll-up for open use.

The main installation challenge was getting the tent to the ninth floor, Pooni says. Cranes couldn’t reach this side of the hotel, so all parts were cut to fit the hotel’s 10-by-10-by-10-foot construction elevator. The National Hockey League playoffs provided an additional challenge, as the installation was put on hold during the days guests were staying in the hotel’s Chairman’s Suite.

Pooni says that tents are a cost-effective way for hotels to generate more profit from patio space:

• The tent is temporary, so the space can be restored to its original state if desired.
• A tented patio increases seating capacity for hotel restaurants without having to furnish additional permanent space.
• The tent can be customized or branded for clients, and events can be held rain or shine.

The silkscreened print on the roof also generated some buzz, as it can be seen from other buildings in the vicinity and by passengers flying in and out of Vancouver.

“A CEO of a high-end hotel and winery actually was flying in a small plane into the harbor beside the hotel,” Pooni says. “He was so intrigued that he had to go see this tent himself. Before you know it, he’s calling us.”