Anyone looking for a bathroom flush with the most lavish features - sparkling chandeliers, marble countertops and even an adjacent lounge - need look no further than downtown Vancouver's Georgian Court Hotel, according to manager Toshi Fukushima.

In fact, he's confident patrons will make the mezzanine-level ladies lavatory their No. 1 choice in Cintas' Canada's Best Restroom Contest, which opened voting to the public last week.

"It's definitely something where you would walk in and say, 'OK, this is not your regular bathroom.'"

The Georgian Court Hotel restroom is one of five finalists in the third annual contest, along with the Langley Street Loo public toilet in Victoria, restrooms at This Is London nightclub and an Earls in Toronto, and a vocational school bathroom in Repentigny, Quebec.

Fukushima said the Vancouver washroom, featuring pendent lighting and plush velvet seating, is meant to mix luxury with comfort, describing it as "one of the little gems in our hotel."

But contest spokeswoman Sabrina Zimring said the key to winning is the context of the bathroom, not the content, which is why four-star hotels don't run away with the votes every year.

To illustrate, she pointed to the Victoria finalist. The public toilet was nominated on the strength of its eco-friendly design that includes solar power LED lights and anti-graffiti coating.

But she stressed a bathroom must be clean to have any shot at winning.

"People are not going to come back to your restaurant or hotel if they have an awful experience. If the restrooms are disgusting, they're not going to want to eat your food."

Metro Vancouver has already had success. A Burnaby Cactus Club Cafe won the title in 2010.

People can vote at bestrestroom.com/Canada. Winners will be announced late October.