Is a posh L.A. hotel fit for a councillor?

A standard room at the Chateau Marmont starts at $450 (U.S.) a night.

The patio of the Chateau Marmont is a transportingly beautiful spot to enjoy breakfast. The unfussed, note-perfect wait staff. The French bistro esthetic. The pop of pink bougainvillea. The air perfumed by eucalyptus. Where better to wake up to a frosé — frozen rosé, vodka, lemon juice, strawberry puree — and the requisite egg white omelet? It’s like a fairy tale.

I will state my credentials in this matter: I have eaten breakfast at the Chateau Marmont.

But stay there? That’s for rich folk. A standard room starts at $450 (U.S.) a night. And dinner? A side of heirloom carrots will set you back 18 bucks.

Take a stroll from the Chateau down Sunset Boulevard and you arrive at the Best Western Sunset Plaza Hotel, where you can get a room for $209 a night (shave $20 off that if you’re a CAA member).

Having stayed at the Best Western, I can attest that it’s perfectly lovely, with all the amenities a business traveller might need, plus a pool and exercise room.

The hotel served my purpose as it was walking distance to scheduled interviews, thus eliminating any taxi fares. Plus, walking from the hotel to Gene Simmons’ office resulted in a chance encounter with the maker of bespoke KISS boots and a wander through a sea of shoe lasts.

Which brings us, in a strange roundabout way, to Councillor Michael Thompson. As reported by my colleague Samantha Beattie, Thompson spent two nights at the Chateau in January 2017 as part of a city delegation to “strengthen existing relationships with Toronto’s key investment partners in film, television and digital media production and to secure future investment.” Thompson is chair of the city’s Economic Development Committee and had at his side Shaikh Zaib, the actor best known for Little Mosque on the Prairie, who was appointed director of entertainment industries for the city in 2014. According to the agenda for the event, Zaib stayed at the Chateau too.

John Tory was in attendance, staying at the equally “iconic” Sunset Tower Hotel. Looking out to next winter, the art deco Sunset, which bills itself as the “unofficial epicentre of Hollywood,” is offering a base room rate of $395. John Wayne and Howard Hughes had apartments there.

In all, the city footed the bill for six folks who hosted a “showrunner reception” in the Chateau lobby and a “showrunner dinner” for 25 in the garden, a breakfast for 75 in the Chateau’s Bungalow Number 1 and a lunch for 50 in the same bungalow. Oh, and a $60,000 cocktail reception. (John Belushi, for those testing their memories right now, met his maker in Bungalow 3.)

Thompson told Beattie he stayed at the Chateau because it was one “the whole film community” decided on, in collaboration with city staff. If I were a member of the film community, I too would advocate for a party at a mock French palace. (It’s quite dark inside, by the way, in a fantastic children’s book kind of way.)

Beattie’s request for Thompson’s receipts for nine other trips taken on behalf of Economic Development was met with a directive to file freedom of information requests.

I see two problems here. The city clerk’s office last amended its budget policy in 2015. The policy enshrines guiding principles, such as this one under the rubric for accountability: “Since councillors use public funds when they perform their duties, the public expects public funds to be used prudently.” And: “Councillors’ expenses must be reasonable and reflect what the public expects of an elected official.”

In choosing a hotel, the rate “must be the lowest rate category of the selected hotel available at time of booking.”

That’s outdated and vague, and really just guides the booking of a standard room over, say, a suite, with no guidelines as to how the hotel is selected in the first place.

Here’s a contrasting example from the University of Toronto: “The mode of travel considered reasonable is that which provides adequate standards of comfort, convenience, safety and efficiency and is the most economical option under the circumstances.” Or here’s a line from the travel and business expense policy of the Ontario Centres of Excellence: “Claimants should stay at moderately priced hotels in standard category rooms.”

Defenders of Thompson’s $1,838.79 two-night hotel bill might use a version of the you-have-to-spend-money-tomake-money argument. If the city wants to woo Hollywood, it needs to put on a Hollywood show, right? Mayor Tory said as much Tuesday in a scrum with reporters. “We sell the city hard,” the mayor said. Well, let’s see the cost analysis that staff should have done on other options available for the 2 1/2-day event. And if it’s deemed essential to go five-star for a cocktail reception, does it follow that a city-paid politician needs to stay on site?

Which brings me to problem two. There can’t be accountability in the absence of transparency, a point that has been driven home in the business arena for decades. The city may carp about the hours required to meet even the basic rules of disclosure, but that doesn’t wash. And it’s especially ironic that the expenses of Economic Development Committee remain shielded from view. Expenses should be publicly disclosed. Full stop.

We need to be assured that city funds are being spent in a prudent and costeffective manner. Telling Beattie, as a city staffer did, that filing freedom of information requests is the way forward? That’s absurd. The city should be setting the standard, not hiding from it.