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Holiday Gifting Guide Part 1: Unique Gifts

Holiday Gifting Guide Part 1: Unique Gifts

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are nearly upon us for another year!  As always, gift giving is an important part of the season and to help you plan early, we’re devoting the blogs this week and next week to gifting.  Since none of us needs another mass-produced, plastic gadget or doodad, the places featured carry some combination of local, sustainable, handmade, and high-quality products.  In this blog, we’re focused on where to find unique gifts, so we’ve looked high and low to find lesser-known Edmonton original shops stocked with interesting and thoughtful items for everyone on your list.  Let’s get shopping!

Tix on the Square

Operated by the Edmonton Arts Council, Tix on the Square is a box office and gift shop located on the southwest corner of Churchill Square.  Tickets are available for various concerts and events in Edmonton, but you will also find an extensive selection of gift items.  The website lists clothing, books, music, art, photography, and fine crafts as being available for sale, often made by local artists and artisans.  Follow their Instagram for updates on what’s new, available, and restocked at the store.

Alberta Craft Gallery and Shop

When talking unique, you can’t overlook the pieces available at the Alberta Craft Gallery and Shop which is operated by the Alberta Craft Council. Their array of giftable pieces includes pottery, blown and fused glass, jewellery, woodwork, fibre art, furniture, and home accessories from over 150 emerging, mid-career, and established Alberta-based artists. With a portion of each purchase going to both the artist and the council, you are helping to support the arts and getting a handmade, one-of-a-kind gift as well. For a sampling of what’s available for sale, visit their online store here.

The Artworks

This shop on 100 Street at Rice Howard Way in downtown is a whimsical mix of florist, finer things and curated found objects, and it’s unlike anywhere else.  Everything oozes understated luxury with a hipster edge, and you can never be sure what treasures you will find.  A short list includes tableware, jewelry, pet accessories, throw cushions, incense, tea… A small selection of items is available for online shopping here, but a visit is highly encouraged since there’s nothing like the real thing.

Honourable Mentions

Art Gallery of Alberta Gift Shop

When you imagine gallery gift shops, perhaps the compulsory collection of bland art prints and coffee table books come to mind.  Surely, not the type of place to excitedly visit for holiday shopping, but you’d be wrong.  The AGA Shop is chock full of thousands of artistic and art-inspired pieces like jewelry, pottery, fashion accessories (scarves, purses, watches), and clothing; you’ll certainly need to leave yourself enough time to really take a good look and ponder which things will be going home with you, and which will have to wait until next time.

Royal Alberta Museum Gift Shop

Like the AGA gift shop, the RAM shop is so much more than the dinosaur stuffed animals we all remember from museum trips in childhood.  There is a plethora of fine gift items simply too numerous to mention that includes home décor, cards, tote bags, fashion accessories, puzzles, games, pottery, and lots more.  By the way, they do have those dino stuffies, and they’re just so much better than we remember, that you might want to grab a couple of them.

Ready to make that list and check it twice? You can also get some freebies with your hotel when you book with Edmonton’s Best Hotels!  Our Shopping 1, 2, 3 deal is live and available here.  

Next week, part two of the gifting guide will feature a list of popular holiday markets coming up in November and December.  Be sure to sign up for our Insider emails so that you don’t miss it, or our next contest!

There’s a new deal coming every week, many available for a limited time and in limited quantities. The best way to get first notice is by signing up for our Insider emails below.

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Terms and Conditions

The “1,2, 3 Pick Your Rewards”, Terms and Conditions and Blackout Dates 

Rewards Program campaign dates

Reward package available to book from January 5, 2022 for stays to December 31, 2024 for rewards except for possible blackout dates. At present there are no blackout dates scheduled.

Rewards are subject to while supplies last.  Substitutions of equivalent kind, value may be made as necessary.  Rewards are non-transferable, no cash value, no cash back.

  • Rewards are non-transferable, non-exchangeable, have no cash value, no cash back.
  • Rewards cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion.
  • Reward deal is net non-commissionable.

Blackout dates

At present there are no blackout dates scheduled. 

In the event blackout dates are scheduled, any guest who makes a booking for a hotel stay during the blackout period prior to the blackout period being named will receive the rewards they are booked for. 

Rewards Program offerings

Book one night’s stay with Edmonton’s Best Hotels and receive your choice of one of three $50 rewards excluding blackout dates:

  • $50 Gas Card or
  • $50 Prepaid Mastercard, or
  • $50 Ultimate Dining Card

Book two night’s stay with Edmonton’s Best Hotels and receive your choice of one of five reward packages excluding blackout dates:

  • $150 prepaid MasterCard, or
  • $75 Gas card and $75 MasterCard, or
  • $75 Gas card and $75 Ultimate Dining Card, or

Book three night’s stay with Edmonton’s Best Hotels and receive your choice of one of four reward packages excluding blackout dates:

  • Three Night Reward 1: $225 Prepaid Mastercard
  • Three Night Reward 3: $75 Ultimate Dining Card + $75 Prepaid Mastercard + $75 Gas Card

One choice of reward per stay. 

Guest must be 18 years of age or older at time of redemption. 

Prepaid Mastercard’s can be used for online purchases only. In Canada, prepaid Mastercard’s cannot be used at any retail outlet (including your hotel) with point-of-sale systems.

Rewards distribution

Rewards will be emailed directly to guests within 48 hours of Edmonton’s Best Hotels confirming their check-in.  Rewards are not provided by the hotel’s front desk.   All rewards are sent electronically. 

Reservations

Guest must reserve a minimum of 24 hours prior to arrival.

Rewards are NOT available for reservations made less than 24 hours in advance of arrival.

Reservations made directly with hotels and not through Edmonton’s Best Hotels are not eligible for rewards. No exceptions. Rewards are only provided to guests who book through Edmonton’s Best Hotels online booking platform.  Booking reservation confirmations will have Edmonton’s Best Hotels branding on them. Rewards not provided for hotel reservations during specified blackout dates.

Reservations cannot be extended by hotels for additional rewards.

Guests may add a night to an existing one-night deal reservation and receive additional rewards if the request is made a minimum of 24 hours in advance of arrival.

Booking terms and conditions

Rewards provided for more than one night, must be for consecutive nights under one registration under one name at one property. In addition, no more than up to three consecutive nights will be honoured. If a guest checks in for three days and then checks out and re-checks in for the next day, this is considered a consecutive night booking even if the second booking is made at different hotel.  

There must be a minimum of three days between bookings.

Multiple reservations for the same person for the same night(s) is considered a double booking and only one of those bookings will be eligible for rewards. For example, if a guest books two nights on x and y date and then makes another two-night booking for the same dates at the same hotel or another hotel, EBH considers this a double booking and will honour rewards for only one of those bookings. 

Is there a limit on the number of bookings I make on different dates?  Edmonton Best Hotels welcomes repeat business.  Some of our guests visit Edmonton every month.  Please note as stated earlier there must be a minimum of three days between bookings. Please also note stated blackout dates.

Cancelling and date changes to reservations

If a guest wants to cancel or change the dates of their booking.

What if I want to cancel my booking?  Edmonton Best Hotels must cancel your booking (not the hotel).  If you want to cancel, contact info@edmh.ca and let us know.  We will cancel your booking and send you a cancellation number for your records.  Please do not cancel directly with the hotel.

What if I want to change the dates of my booking?  You must contact Edmonton Best Hotels at info@edmh.ca and let us know you want to make a date change.  Your original booking must be cancelled first.  You will receive a cancellation number for your records.  Then, you must rebook for your new dates.  The hotel nor Edmonton’s Best Hotels cannot make date changes to the original booking.  Please note this does not guarantee you will receive the same hotel rate when you rebook for different dates.

Any questions, please contact Edmonton Best Hotels at info@edmh.ca 

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