General Manager, Robert D’Orazio, chats with CSL
1) Who are the guests of The Residences at TELUS Sky?
The Residences at TELUS Sky are designed to accommodate a range of needs, offering fully furnished short term and extended stay as well as long-term rental apartments. We have designed our homes to respond to each guest, whether they are visiting for a day, month or year. Our tenants are from diverse backgrounds – ranging from corporate stay clients, students, young and established professionals, down-sizers and couples. Currently, occupancy is evenly split between corporate/short-term stay guests and long-term 1-year leaseholders.
The Residences at TELUS Sky are part of the future of living in Calgary – creative living space designed for millennials, creative-economy workers and those in the creative industries who are looking for a complete offering and the ultimate flexibility.
2) How does a guest book a stay at The Residences at TELUS Sky?
The Residences at TELUS Sky have different options for length of stay.
Our short-term and extended stay furnished suites can be reserved directly through Premiere Suites online: https://premieresuites.com/furnished-apartments/calgary/the-residences-at-telus-sky/ or by phone: 1‑888‑575‑7808
Inquiries for our long-term unfurnished leased rentals can be made directly on the website or through our leasing agents. https://living.westbankcorp.com/property/telus-sky
Any inquiries can be made directly with our concierge team at skyconcierge@westbankliving.ca or by phone: 1-888-811-3777
3) Can you tell us a bit about Northern Lights?
The idea for the public art came about through a dialogue between Bjarke, Doug Coupland and the teams at Allied, TELUS and Westbank. The team was attempting to create something that would reflect Calgary’s emergence and its transformation towards a creative economy, while creating a moment of celebration for the city and the country. Together, the building’s design and Northern Lights
form part of a story where the message is bigger than one building: TELUS Sky represents the future of Calgary.
The result of our collaboration is Northern Lights by Douglas Coupland, a 160,000 square foot, dynamic LED-based art installation running the full length of the north and south facades. The largest public art piece in the city, Northern Lights adds a work of global significance to Calgary’s vibrant public art scape. Nothing less than a landmark art piece for Calgary and all of Canada, this work will add a further layer to a project that forms a symbol of Calgary’s transformation.
4) What are some of the in-room features we may not be aware of?
High-Speed Internet by TELUS: As part of TELUS’ Alberta head office, The Residences at TELUS Sky has a dedicated Fiber Optic Cable running into the building, with high speed and close-to-complete redundancy. Internet users within the building will experience uninterrupted service and internet uptime.
In-Suite Smart Home Technology: In addition to the integrated building technologies, The Residences at TELUS Sky enjoy the latest smart home technologies, allowing residents touchless access to the building and their suite and the ability to create customized environments with climate control and indoor air quality control.
In-Room Digital Directory & Concierge Service: The In-Room directory offers features and benefits of The Residences at TELUS Sky, key property contacts including the residential concierge and services, as well as a local travel guide, highlighting neighbourhood amenities are accessible through the TV.
5) How has the economic atmosphere and pandemic affected the offering?
At the same time as we are all facing the challenges of a global pandemic, Calgary is in the midst of the greatest disruption in its history, undergoing a shift towards a creative economy and pushing to support creative and technology industry firms.
The nature of work and industry is changing and has been disrupted by of the work force becoming increasingly dynamic and mobile, by workers changing jobs more frequently, and no longer commuting to work and spending 8 hours the office. Telus Sky embraces this changing environment, by shifting our focus to flexibility, services and amenities and a focus on wellness. As an example, The Residences at TELUS Sky offers housing for the teams of commercial tenants and the perfect environment to work from home. Residents can sit at an ergonomic and functional workstation, with access to high-speed internet, or use the building’s shared workspace areas or conference amenities.
The lobby of TELUS Sky features an 11-storey living green wall and atrium, enhancing air quality and creating a unique arrival experience for the building. The building itself has been designed to contribute to the overall physical wellness of its occupants, promoting clean air circulation and reducing indoor air pollution. Triple pane glazing, operable windows and balconies offer improved air flow and day lighting, as well as increased ventilation that enhances air quality without allowing air pollutants to concentrate in a particular area.
Residents will also enjoy direct access to transit, an on-site secure bicycle storage facility as well as access to electric vehicle charging stations and a fitness centre with the latest state-of-the-art equipment from Technogy.
6) What services does the concierge provide?
The residential concierge team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering restaurant and event bookings, sedan services, flower arrangements, healthy pre-made meal ordering and special deliveries. They also arrange housekeeping, grocery deliveries, dog walking, cat sitting and plant care. Dry-cleaning, packages and mail are also accepted and delivered directly to our residents by the concierge.
7) Can you tell us about the specific in-room design features?
Interiors by BIG
Custom Designed Kitchens
- Full kitchen appliance packages with Miele appliances
- Matte black Kohler fixtures
- Quartz countertops
Kohler bathroom fixtures
Sheer blinds throughout and blackout blinds in master bedrooms.
Custom Italian furnishings by B&B Italia for the furnished short-term and extended stay homes
In-Suite Laundry- Blomberg washer and dryers
Home Technology powered by TELUS including Optic TV, Wi-Fi and Smart Homes Technology
Spectacular views
Pet-Friendly
8) Can you relate a favourite memory from the team at The Residences at Telus Sky?
The concierge team goes above and beyond for all of our guests – many of whom have pets as we are 100% pet friendly. Our team takes great pride in offering all our guests (and their furry friends) an exceptional experience. We particularly enjoy pet sitting Leo and Scrim, two very shy cats who have since become great pals with the whole team.
THE SPECS
THE LOWDOWN Visit living.westbankcorp.com/property/telus-sky Inquiries can be made directly with the concierge team at skyconcierge@westbankliving.ca or by phone: 1-888-811-3777
A CLOSER LOOK A look at Northern Lights by Douglas Coupland, a 160,000 square foot, dynamic LED-based art installation running the full length of the north and south facades of TELUS Sky and the largest public art piece in Calgary.
DID YOU KNOW? In-room features include: In-Suite Smart Home Technology with touchless access to the building and suite; High-Speed Internet by TELUS; and In-Room Digital Directory & Concierge Service that includes a local travel guide, highlighting neighbourhood amenities, accessible through the TV.
IN THE CITY “Together, the building’s design and Northern Lights form part of a story where the message is bigger than one building: TELUS Sky represents the future of Calgary.”
DESIGN Luxurious and modern interiors by BIG enhance the living experience. Custom Italian furnishings by B&B Italia for the furnished short-term and extended stay homes. Home Technology powered by TELUS including Optic TV, Wi-Fi and Smart Homes Technology. Custom Designed Kitchens featuring Miele appliances, Matte black Kohler fixtures and Quartz countertops. Kohler bathroom fixtures and In-Suite Laundry featuring Blomberg washer and dryers.
This original hotel article first appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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