Tired holiday shoppers get a well-deserved break at RBC Avion Holiday Boutiques

Free gift wrap, coat check and even valet parking await RBC® Avion® cardholders at RBC Avion Holiday Boutique locations across Canada

TORONTO, Nov. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - The holidays are upon us, which means everyone is looking forward to spending quality time with family and friends. For many, the holidays can also mean hours spent wrapping presents and trying to find the perfect gift - assuming you can find a parking spot at the mall.

For the third consecutive year, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is helping ease some of the stress associated with the holiday season for RBC Avion cardholders (Avioners®) through the RBC Avion Holiday Boutiques. The Boutiques offer a number of complimentary services to Avioners, including valet parking (Toronto only), gift wrapping, coat and parcel check, and a VIP lounge and café with refreshments - all free of charge.

"We know the holidays are a busy, and sometimes stressful, time of year and we want to alleviate some of that stress. The RBC Avion Holiday Boutiques are our way of thanking Avioners and showing our appreciation for their loyalty," says Glenn DeSouza, vice-president, Retail Cards, RBC. "The Boutiques provide an oasis of luxury during a typically hectic time of year. We want Avioners to take advantage of Boutique services so they can spend more time enjoying the season with family and friends."

The RBC Avion Holiday Boutiques officially open tomorrow, Saturday, November 21 in select locations across Canada. The Boutique will be open until December 31 in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, ON and will be coming soon to Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC. RBC will also be offering Avion Holiday Experiences from November 27 - December 24 at the Halifax Shopping Centre in Halifax, NS, and the St. Laurent Shopping Centre in Ottawa, ON.

Canadians who are not RBC Avion cardholders can become Avioners by visiting a Boutique in their community, or their local RBC Royal Bank branch. Those who sign-up will receive a full access pass to the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique.

The Avion Passport App
New this year, the Avion Passport App will allow Avioners to streamline their Boutique experience by improving access to gift wrapping and providing access to RBC Rewards offers. The app is available for download on both iOS and Android by searching for "Avion Passport".

RBC Avion Holiday Boutique locations

• Yorkdale Shopping Centre
  3401 Dufferin Street
  Toronto, ON
  
• Metropolis at Metrotown
  4720 Kingsway #604
  Burnaby, BC
• Halifax Shopping Centre
  7001 Mumford Road
  Halifax, NS
• St. Laurent Shopping Centre
  1200 St Laurent Boulevard
  Ottawa, ON

For more information
RBC Avion Holiday Boutique - www.rbc.com/avionvip
Avion - www.rbc.com/avion
RBC Rewards - www.rbcrewards.com

Share your RBC Avion Holiday experience
Twitter: @RBC_Canada, #AvionVIP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rbc

About the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique
Since 2013, the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique has been our way of thanking Avioners and showing our appreciation for their loyalty. In 2014, the Boutique was honoured with two Canadian Marketing Association Awards - a Gold in the Direct Engagement (Financial) category and a Bronze in the Promotions/Shopper Marketing (Financial) category. The Boutique, which is managed and executed in collaboration with Match Marketing, helps take the stress out of holiday shopping for Avioners by providing a unique and exclusive shopping experience.

The Boutiques will be open until December 31 in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, ON and will be coming soon to Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC. The Avion Holiday Experiences will be open November 27 - December 24 at the Halifax Shopping Centre in Halifax, NS, and the St. Laurent Shopping Centre in Ottawa, ON.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We employ approximately 79,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 38 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2014, we contributed more than $111 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $76 million and $35 million in sponsorships.

SOURCE RBC

Image with caption: "Glenn DeSouza, Vice President, Retail Cards, RBC (L) shares an Avion high five moment at the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique kick-off with Kardinal Offishall (C) and members of Choir! Choir! Choir! (CNW Group/RBC)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151120_C9363_PHOTO_EN_44490.jpg

For further information:

Weber Shandwick
Russell Baker, 416-642-7943, [e-mail]

RBC
Heather Colquhoun, 416-974-3283, [e-mail]