Hot spots: Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Vancouver

Has much of the period interior been kept? The Georgia has long been known as a grand historic hotel and the art deco-tinged Georgian revival lobby has been retained, essentially intact - part of the flooring is the polished original marble. Against wood-panelled walls, decorative cornices and a working fireplace, modern impact is delivered by contemporary art-work - part of a permanent collection of mostly Canadian pieces on display throughout the hotel. Motifs and the overall palette reflect the 1930s.

Are there historic talking points? In honour of Elvis Presley's stay, in 1957, his favourite sandwich - fried peanut butter and banana - appears on the room service menu. In the 40s, actress Marlene Dietrich ordered food from the restaurant to be eaten in her Georgia suite, in the process becoming something of a room-service pioneer. Crooner Nat King Cole, who wasn't welcome in every hotel at the time due to the colour of his skin, visited in 1958 and his reports on the Georgia's friendliness spread quickly in entertainment circles. Overseas entertainers and British royalty have also stayed here.

Tell us about the accommodation: About 80 of the rooms are one-bedroom executive suites of 850 square feet. Each has a living/dining area, a walk-in pantry with coffee machine and well-stocked bar cabinet and a guest washroom. All rooms have underfloor heating in bathrooms and large flat-screen televisions through which free streaming internet channels, including YouTube and Facebook, can be accessed with a wireless keyboard.

And the top suites? With dramatic downtown views from leafy rooftop terraces, complete with plunge pools, the ultra-roomy, tall-ceilinged Lord Stanley and Rosewood suites each have two en-suite bedrooms, among much other fabulousness.

What are the options if I don't want to eat like The King in my room? Expect a queue most nights at Reflections, an outdoor lounge bar specialising in tapas and crafted cocktails, and furnished with comfy sofas and cabanas set around a pond. Weekend tables are booked out weeks in advance at the Hawksworth Restaurant, where European-trained chef-owner David Hawksworth excites with a menu rooted in classic French, driven by local seasonal produce and influenced by the city's wide ethnic mix. More traditional in its food and drinks listings - and presided over by an old-school bartender - is the 1927 bar, just off the main lobby.

What else is special? A house Bentley offers free drop-offs within a five-kilometre radius. Its driver, big on personality and local knowledge, is a retired manager of a prestigious Vancouver club. Service throughout the hotel - mostly very warm, always courteous - is worth noting.

And the leisure options? Guests can swim under a spectrum of changing colours in the small indoor saltwater pool; take yoga classes in the decent-sized gym; or relax in the velvet-wall-clad spa.

What's the bottom line? Room rates start from C$350 (HK$2,780) and suites from C$2,900.

Rosewood Hotel Georgia is at 801 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, tel: 1 604 682 5566; www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/hotelgeorgia