Presenting: Christina Zeidler: Hotelier, Social Entrepreneur, Artist And Urban Visionary By Susanne Pacher

For me a city becomes vibrant and exciting when its institutions and facilities become accessible to a diverse audience that cuts across ethnic groups and social classes. Things get even more interesting when foreign travelers become part of this mindset and set out to discover the city through the eyes of a local. When this kind of fruitful cross-pollination occurs, you have achieved a perfect setting for “immersion tourism”, for those travelers who really want to get to know a city from the inside out.

The Gladstone Hotel is a perfect example of this spirit. It is a historic hotel located in Toronto’s Parkdale community and dates back to 1889 when female entrepreneur Susanna Robinson built and managed the property together with her 13 children. The Gladstone Hotel, constructed in the solid Richardsonian Romanesque style, has since been a landmark on Toronto’s West side, originally serving travelers that would come into town on one of the three different railway lines located just steps from the Gladstone. The old train stations are long since gone, and after 40 years of disrepair the Gladstone Hotel has been restored to its deserved role as one of Toronto’s foremost tourism and cultural attractions.

The key person behind this undertaking is Christina Zeidler, daughter of celebrated Canadian architect Eberhard Zeidler, creator of Toronto’s Eaton Centre, Toronto’s Ontario Place and Vancouver’s famous Canada Place. Christina’s older sister Margie turned an old factory building at 401 Richmond Street into a beautifully revitalized space for artists, multi-media companies and non-profit organizations. A concern for urban planning and innovative social entrepreneurship runs in the Zeidler family. The Zeidler partnership restored the hotel along historically accurate lines and turned it into a masterpiece of urban revitalization. Christina refers to her hotel not as an “arts hotel” or a “boutique hotel”, but rather as a “unique hotel”. And unique it is.

The Gladstone Hotel has 37 artist-designed rooms, all uniquely themed and different. I had a chance to see a few of them and not one of the design elements repeats in any of the rooms. The designs range from Victorian revival to stark minimalism that focuses on the basics. I also had a peek at the luxurious third floor Corner Suite, also called “The Best Room”. This suite features a kitchenette, an upscale bath and a gorgeous view. One floor up is the two-level Tower Suite, also referred to as the Rock Star Suite, also with a kitchenette and a sitting area on the lower level and a stunning bedroom located inside a turret on the top level of the hotel, offering a phenomenal 360 degree view of Toronto.

The second floor of the hotel offers multi-use spaces that provide a unique backdrop for receptions, exhibitions and conferences. A beautiful Victorian balcony adds to the uniqueness of this location. Ten rooms are available as meeting spaces with reasonable rental rates and nine of these rooms are available as affordable short-term studio work spaces for artists.

The main floor of the Gladstone houses the Melody Bar which features a late 1940s Deco design and provides nightly entertainment including live music, open mic nights and karaoke. The Gladstone Hotel is also one of the venues for the Toronto Jazz Festival, one of the many music and arts events that are being held at this historic hotel. The Ballroom Café on the west side of the building is a great spot to enjoy coffee or a light lunch sitting at a table in front of the tall picture windows where you can see the world pass by on Queen Street. Weekends also feature a tasty brunch menu. The Ballroom itself is the Gladstone’s largest event space and can be rented for special events. One of the most unique architectural features at the Gladstone Hotel is the hand-operated elevator, one of the last such devices operating in Toronto, which adds a crowning touch to the historic feel of this unique property.

But Christina hasn’t always been involved in the hotel management business. She is actually an artist and film-maker by profession. Christina gave me a DVD with samples of some of her short films and Christina’s off-beat creativity comes to light quickly in the flickering, gritty, often hand-coloured images of her short films. Her film clips reveal a playful, irreverent yet sensitive personality that is underscored by some of her soulful narration in these pieces. A eulogy about her dog Mica reveals a touching sense of vulnerability and affection. As an artist, Christina believes in a hands-on philosophy of “do it yourself” and her love of the arts manifests itself in the heavy focus on artistic offerings at the Gladstone.

The surrounding Parkdale neighbourhood is a key ingredient in the success of the Gladstone Hotel. Traditionally one of Toronto’s poorer neighbourhoods, it has historically faced a variety of problems including drug dealing and prostitution. Today Parkdale is a neighbourhood in transition that is undergoing gentrification and an increasing influx of artists and creative entrepreneurs. At the same time some of the historic problems are still being dealt with. At the Gladstone Hotel this environment is not whitewashed, hidden or swept under the rug. Christina says “Let’s bring in the people. The Gladstone is authentic, we are not trying to be someplace else”.

Christina celebrates this neighbourhood and the Gladstone Hotel today is not only a hip accommodation option for international travelers looking for something different, it is also a hangout for some of the grittier local characters who just like to come by and enjoy an afternoon beer. The Gladstone has managed to integrate artsy types, an upscale clientele interested in the Gladstone’s vibrant cultural offerings, foreign tourists with a penchant for a unique ambience, and residents from the neighbourhood, looking for a comfortable, welcoming place to relax and connect. The concept of community figures large in Christina’s vision and this social experiment of opening your doors to everyone is evident the minute you set foot into the Gladstone.

Although the hotel has been beautifully renovated, I was struck by how relaxed and casual it was. Hoping she wouldn’t take this the wrong way, I told Christina that this easy-going atmosphere reminded me of one of my favourite hostels in Chicago, which is located in a beautiful old building in the historic Lincoln Park neighbourhood and welcomes open-minded travelers from all over the world. These are places where everyone can feel welcome, regardless of where they come from or what they look like. To me the Gladstone Hotel conveys this feeling of inclusiveness and the fact that Christina has successfully integrated regulars from the local Parkdale neighbourhood emphasizes this open-door policy.

Community involvement and activism are familiar concepts to Christina Zeidler. One of her many day jobs prior to being the Gladstone’s Development Manager was to teach film-making at an urban day camp called “Playground” where young at-risk youth could learn to create their own music, make CDs, documentaries, or take still images. The participants in the program were extremely enthusiastic since it is every urban teenage boy’s dream to make his own hip-hop album.

Christina Zeidler’s sensitivities were sharpened by her friendship with Jane Jacobs, an American-born Canadian writer, activist and urban pioneer, who passed away earlier this year. Jane Jacob’s seminal work “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” (published in 1961), criticizes the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States. Jane was a friend of the Zeidler family and obviously left a big impact on Christina whose eyes light up when she talks of her. Christina informs me that Jane was a key participant in saving Greenwich Village in New York City from the wrecking ball when authorities had planned to demolish vast parts of this historic neighbourhood to make way for a new expressway.

Christina also knows a thing or two about travel, having visited places in Africa and South America. She fondly recalls her time in Nairobi when she stayed in a family-owned hotel and got to know many of the locals. She struck up a friendship with a local nurse and through their interactions learned a lot about daily life in Kenya. She explored many of international places on a shoestring and is no stranger to riding on local transportation, one sure way of connecting with the locals. Christina also talked to me about the European concept of the “pension”, small privately-owned accommodation establishments that are informal and welcoming. She has definitely brought this element of coziness and welcoming openness to the Gladstone Hotel.

Christina shares another favourite travel memory with me: she remembers a movie theatre in Oregon where for you can get a movie for $1, a pizza and a beer. The term she uses is for this establishment is “public business”, a business that is connected to street life and brings the community together. In this context she also talks about Queen Street West which is rapidly revitalizing and an example of organically growing positive urban development and revitalization. The Gladstone Hotel is right in the middle, and in many ways at the forefront, of this urban revival.

Strangely enough, my conversation with Christina Zeidler was less an interview than a true meeting of the minds. Many times we kept bantering back and forth about Toronto and the fact that we both love this city. Christina’s eyes light up when she talks about topics dear to her heart. A genuine enthusiasm for her work with the Gladstone Hotel is palpable. She has a variety of unconventional tourism ideas to bring Toronto closer to her guests. For one she is working with the Toronto Transit Commission to sell public transit day passes to her hotel visitors. She is also looking into linking up with a local bicycle rental place to allow Gladstone hotel guests to explore the city on two wheels. It goes without saying that Christina herself is an avid biker. And another innovative idea is to invite local artists for hands-on crafts workshops that hotel guests can participate in.

What a wonderful idea to get tourists involved in the city’s creative culture…

For the entire article including photos please visit
http://www.travelandtransitions.com/interviews/christina.zeidler.htm

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=97599&ca=Culture

A Great New Resource For Travellers To Toronto: The Toronto Greeter Program - 'TAP Into TO' By Susanne Pacher

I am a big proponent of Greeter Programs, i.e. programs that involve local volunteers who are coordinated by the city, then matched up with tourist who are looking for a personal tour of the city. Greeter Programs allow travellers to get to know the city through the eyes of a local resident and they are fabulous.

I have used Greeter Programs in New York City as well as in Chicago, and I recently found out that Toronto launched its own Greeter Program this summer. I had a chance to talk to Jamie Maxwell, Development Officer at the City of Toronto's tourism department, who filled me in on all the new convenient resources for tourists visiting Toronto.

1. The City of Toronto has recently launched a Greeter Program called 'TAP into TO'. Please tell us more about the program. What neighbourhoods are covered, what languages are offered? What is the format of a greeter tour?

TAP into TO! is a greeter program that is offered to visitors to Toronto free of charge. Visitors can either go online at www.toronto.ca/tapto or call us at 416-33-TAP-TO (338-2786) to register. Once they have given us their information (home address, Toronto address, preferred date, etc) we match the visitor with one of our greeters based on interests and neighbourhoods selected.

Our volunteer greeters will meet with the visitor in a public place to lead them on a 2 to 4 hour neighbourhood visit showing them “their” Toronto. The greeters are not commercial tour guides but rather, very enthusiastic individuals that love Toronto and want to show it off. We also want our visitors to feel good about our public transit system, so we provide them with round trip TTC fare while on a TAP into TO! program. People seem to really appreciate it and it does encourage them to use it for the rest of their stay.

We currently offer the program to visit 46 Toronto neighbourhoods in 13 different languages

2. Please tell us a bit about the history of this Greeter Program. How did it come about? Did you collaborate with any of the other existing greeter programs?

A few years ago, I was asked to look into similar programs to see what we could find out them. After a quick search on the internet and a few emails to some of the existing programs, I found that there were greeter programs in New York City, Melbourne, Australia, Chicago, and Adelaide, Australia. It was pretty clear to us that this is a dynamite program and one that we would love to offer to visitors to Toronto. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t any money available to launch such a program and the idea was shelved for a couple of years.

A grant from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation was offered to us in 2004 to establish TAP into TO! along with a mobile information centre and the opportunity to have a Toronto specific staff person at the Province’s Visitor Information Centre.

The other greeter programs were very helpful when it came to answering our many questions. We even had Mike and Rita from Adelaide Greeters stop into our office while they were on their North American vacation! They spent a couple of hours with us giving us a presentation about their program in Australia.

3. What training to the TO Greeters receive?

Well after going through the process of applying, being interviewed on the phone, going through a personal interview and having us check their references, our greeters go through a 4 hour training session that involves their role as a volunteer, effective communication, ensuring a memorable experience and the actual TAP into TO! program itself. It is very interactive and believe me there is never an issue with people not getting involved. Our greeters are the most outgoing group of people that I have ever met. The 61 greeters have been selected from over 200 people who have volunteered. More will be needed as demand grows.

4. The program is very new and has been in place officially since June of this year. Please tell us about your experience so far and the feedback that you have received from international travelers.

We have been delighted with the popularity of the program with both our greeters and visitors. I am also amazed at how many different people from so many different countries have found out about our program from their homes in the U.K., Australia, Peru, Germany, Israel, all over the U.S. and China to name a few.

I have also been very impressed with the feedback that we are getting from our visitors. Most express their disappointment that more cities do not offer this service (I am usually pretty quick to mention to them that including Toronto, they can find greeters willing to show them around in New York City, Chicago, Houston and Fairbanks in the United States, as well as Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia).

Some of the comments include:
“His in-depth knowledge, obvious love of, enthusiasm for, and interest in ‘his’ Toronto made our visit so much the richer….Once again, very many thanks for the wonderful introduction to Toronto, by your most affable ‘Greeter’ Ed.

“I think it’s a superb project. I really do. To meet a local who knows the neighbourhood and enjoy a stroll around downtown seems to me the ideal way to begin a stay in the city.”

“I would certainly recommend this program to anyone visiting for the first time. I was able to get a feel for the different neighborhoods and see places I would most likely not have found or ventured off to on my own.”

Probably the biggest challenge to date has been a request for a greeter from a woman and her 3 year old son. Sounds pretty average, until I discovered that the TAP into TO! experience was for the son, not the mother. Most requests are for the parents and the children get to tag along. Not this time. This time the parent got to tag along visiting some kid centered places off the beaten path. Apparently the three of them had a great time!

5. What makes this Greeter Program unique and different from other programs?

I’m not sure how our program is different than the others since we really learned much from them. I do know that we provide a package of information to the visitor for their use during the rest of their stay. This includes a map of Toronto’s underground PATH, a map of the TTC (our public transit system), a list of events occurring while they are in town, a list of professional tour companies, a general reference guide to Toronto (emergency numbers, tipping guidelines, getting around, etc), a list of attractions in the city, a map of Toronto, etc. I am unsure if the other programs do this.

6. How do I go about booking a Toronto greeter for my vacation?

People generally fill in the on-line application form that is found at our website, www.toronto.ca/tapto . However there have been a couple of people who have called in their request and even one gentleman who made his way to my office at City Hall. I was really pleased when I was able to take his information in the morning only to send him out that afternoon with a greeter. It doesn’t happen like that every time however as we usually need at least a week to find a greeter and the more lead time given, the better.

7. Please tell us about Toronto Mobile Ambassador Program (MAP).

MAP TO is another exciting initiative that we will be launching in the Summer of 2006. During the busier tourist months the MAP TO vehicle will be traveling to large festivals, street corners, special events (anywhere there is a large number of tourists) to provide brochures and other visitor information that is usually only available at tourist information centres in buildings or at Toronto hotels. We are hoping that this will encourage visitors to see what else there is to do while they are already making their way around town.

8. Please tell us more about the tourism resources located at the Atrium on Bay.

The Province of Ontario operates a number of Tourist Information Centres around the province. The Toronto location is located at the Atrium on Bay and is a great resource for all information relating to Ontario. Thanks to the grant provided to us we were able to hire 4 Toronto information staff to be on hand in this office during the summer months. It was a great success and has encouraged us to examine finding additional locations for the future.

9. Toronto also has a new 'wayfinding system' called InfoToGo and the newly developed pocket map. Please tell us more about this new resource for tourists.

InfoTOGo is a great new visitor wayfinding system. The unique design of the InfoTOgo pillar, inspired by the architecture of City Hall, includes wayfinding maps specifically designed for each area of the City that you will find the pillars.. Highlighted on each map are the key sites of interest, historical locations, public transit and area descriptions. A built in, coin operated system dispenses a pocket-sized, fold-out, full colour Toronto map. Many units also provide free information through a push-button audio system. Currently there are 24 information pillars in various Toronto neighbourhoods.

The maps are really handy as well. For $2.00 you get a pocket-sized, fold-out, full colour Toronto Map. One side of the map features an enlargement of the downtown core, while the reverse illustrates the City as a whole. Key attractions, transit routes and other useful information for visitors is also provided.

10. Please tell us about some of the major events coming up over the winter (e.g. Cavalcade of Lights, Winterlicious, etc.).

Beginning at the end of November, the City’s 39th annual Cavalcade of Lights will be launched at Toronto City Hall and throughout the city. At Nathan Phillips Square there will be skating, Saturday night fireworks, Toronto’s Official Christmas Tree, lighting displays, City TV’s traditional New Years Eve bash. Also going on in 14 Toronto neighbourhoods there are energy efficient lighting displays each designed to fit the theme of the neighbourhood. There is also a bus in operation to take you to the various neighbourhoods so you can shop during the day and visit the lights at night.

Of course there are many other events relating to the holidays happening all over the city. A really good source of what’s happening can be found at www.toronto.ca/special_events or by calling 416-338-0338.

And just as you are getting over the Cavalcade of Lights, you will find that at the end of January, you get to celebrate winter all over again with the Toronto WinterCity Festival and Winterlicious. For 14 days starting January 27, 2006, there is a series of world and North American premiere performances by internationally renowned theatre troupes to the streets of Toronto. The WinterCity passport offers discount admissions to over 40 Toronto attractions. Probably everybody’s favourite part to all of this is the Winterlicious culinary offer, where with fine cuisine and great value are offered at 120 of Toronto's top dining establishments. But sign up early since it is a seasonal favourite. Again, going to www.toronto.ca/special_events or by calling 416-338-0338 will tell you all you need to know.

Thank you, Jamie, for sharing this information with us. I am sure out-of-town travellers will find this information very helpful.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=125179&ca=Culture