Even amidst the pre-Olympic frenzy, few openings have generated as much chatter as the five-star hotel chain’s first expansion into North America and its ability to set the bar for other city hotels on the continent. As you check into the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver, the anticipation crystallizes by what’s not there: namely, street parking in front of the entrance.

Instead, guests are redirected underground, away from the steady hum of West Georgia Street, and into what resembles a parking spa, complete with lightwood lattice, fountains and other Orient-inspired touches from this Hong Kong-based luxury chain.

The game-changer is the charming hostess who leads you up to your room like an old friend, mining you for clues about how to make your stay more enjoyable before you even have to ask. So when the chunky peanut butter cookies arrive for your toddler 10 minutes after check-in (all the paperwork is done in your 450-sq.-ft. room, with the same hostess), don’t be surprised.

Opened eight months ago as the tallest building in Vancouver at 61 stories (the hotel’s 119 rooms are on the first 15; the top 46 floors are luxury residences), the Shangri-La also quickly moved to compete in the city’s crowded hotel restaurant battle by securing three-star Michelin chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his signature restaurant, MARKET.

The weapons of choice are a gourmet two-plate (read: two-meal) weekday lunch with dessert for $28 and plenty of dinner entrées, especially the fresh local seafood specialties, for around $25. There are also four dining options—a café by a fireplace, a raw bar, a heated outdoor terrace with great Vancouver views, and the minimally West Coast fine-dining room designed as if money was no object.