Delta Hotels and Resorts share Vancouver's best kept hidden gems

Iona Beach Regional Park named the gem of Vancouver by Delta Recommends

VANCOUVER , Sept. 30 /CNW/ - Employees at Delta Vancouver Suites and Delta Vancouver Airport chose Iona Beach Regional Park as one of Vancouver's best kept secrets. Over the past year, Delta Vancouver employees have compiled their personal recommendations on the best places to eat, browse, work out, relax and more, as part of Delta Recommends.

Delta Recommends is an employee-driven initiative that enables staff to share their diverse interests, tastes and experiences with guests.

Today's travelers look for a more authentic travel experience. Delta Recommends goes beyond the standard tourist destinations to show guests the lesser known special places in our communities. The Delta Recommends database houses thousands of hidden gems in Vancouver and in communities across Canada .

Iona Beach Regional Park allows visitors to walk out on to BC's wind-swept Georgia Strait , view the west coast's oceanic birds and watch planes take off and land from Vancouver's International Airport. This unique park takes visitors off the beaten track to explore, relax and experience a different view of the Greater Vancouver area.

" Iona Beach is one of our smaller regional parks, but its location at the mouth of the Fraser River makes the park a magnet for visitors who enjoy big open views and stunning sunsets," said Metro Vancouver Parks Committee Chair Gayle Martin , a City of Langley Councillor. "People love to walk along its sandy shoreline and the long, man-made jetty. More than 300 species of birds feed and rest at the park, so it's a destination for wildlife too."

Nat's New York Pizzeria and The Eatery were also selected as hidden gems in Vancouver .

"Delta Recommends is a great way to welcome guests into our community by providing them with the chance to experience the best of Vancouver through the eyes of those who live, work and play there," said Gordon Johnson , Regional Vice President, Delta Hotels and Resorts, B.C. Region. "Our employees have a wealth of knowledge about their communities and this is our way of sharing it with our guests."

Employees at all 44 Delta Hotels and Resorts submitted their favourite local destinations as the must-see hidden gems in their community. Guests can find detailed information on local gems and other hidden hot spots in the city they are visiting during their stay with Delta. A list of Vancouver's gems along with gems from communities across Canada can be viewed at www.deltahotels.com/recommends.

About Delta Hotels and Resorts

A leading Canadian hotel management company, Delta Hotels and Resorts operates and franchises a diversified portfolio with 44 full-service, city centre and airport hotels and resorts under the Delta brand. Widely regarded as Canada's "brand of choice" by guests and owners, Delta also distinguishes itself as an exemplary employer. It is the only hotel company to have been recognized for its sustained focus on business excellence by the prestigious National Quality Institute with three Canada Awards for Excellence, including the award program's highest honour, the Order of Excellence (2007). The company also consistently ranks as one of the country's best employers in The Globe and Mail's Report on Business annual "50 Best Employers" list (2001-2003, 2005-2009). As well, its Corporate Social Responsibility platform, Delta Helps, includes a chain-wide commitment to the communities it serves through a national partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada , participation in the Hotel Association of Canada's Green Key Eco-Rating program, and work with various other charitable groups.

For more information, visit www.deltahotels.com.

For further information: Rachel Thexton, Media Profile, Office: [phone], Cell: [phone], [email protected]; Sandy Indig, Delta Hotels and Resorts, Office: [phone], Cell: [phone], [email protected]