There is no other hotel like the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. It was one of the first hotels built in the city and it is certainly one of the most recognizable buildings in the city skyline. Originally constructed in the late 1880's for the CPR to attract tourists arriving by train, the Hotel Vancouver is the top vintage hotel in the city, in my opinion. No other hotel in Vancouver has the history, architecture, and old world class than the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
I've always admired this hotel as a local resident. The architecture alone brings out the cameras. While I had attended a Christmas party here once and have had drinks in its luxurious lobby, I had never stayed here before. That was, until a Friday night in April 2005.
My boyfriend's company was throwing a corporate party at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver's "Roof" lounge on a Friday night. As a treat, he decided to book a room for us at the hotel for one night, even though we live a few blocks away! The Hotel Vancouver has always been fairy-tale like to me... and it was a dream come true to stay there!
We first checked in in the early evening. We stayed in a smoking suite on the 3rd floor facing the courtyard. As soon as we walked in, we realized this suite was larger than our apartment! We appreciated the old world beauty of the room quickly, and then went down to the main floor for dinner.
The lobby of the Hotel Vancouver has several choices. There's the 900 West Lounge, which is pretty upscale and adult-oriented. It has a full menu, a tapas menu, and a lengthy drink list. We had been there before, so I suggested checking out Griffins, their full menu sit-down restaurant.
Unique Qualities: The staff at the Hotel Vancouver provide excellent customer service! Their customer service is better than most hotels I've stayed at in my past. Everyone I spoke to was warm, friendly, and offered help if we needed it. . Even housekeeping in the morning, when she realized that we were still in our room, welcomed us with a "good morning!", and then offered to get us more coffee for our insuite coffee maker!
Inside the suite was decored with an old English style. There was dark wood furniture, luxrious armchairs, armoires, cabinets and tables. There was a large dresser with many drawers - ideal if you were staying longer.
The weekend newspaper (Globe & Mail) was hung on our door in a nice black cloth bag on Friday night so that on Saturday morning, we'd have something to read. There was a large, spacious, swing-door closet by the front door with hangers, an iron, and an ironing board.
In the bathroom were terry-cloth robes, with an assortment of good-quality bath products.
A nice touch was the French doors dividing the bedroom from the living room - it was quite spatious!
All people staying in the hotel have access to the gym and the rooftop swimming pool and courtyard. Our suite had two windows looking out to this swimming pool, and it looked quite nice!
For people on business, they actually provide quiet office spaces for those that want to work outside of their hotel suites.
Our room also had 2 TV's, a mini fridge with wet bar, and a tempting basket of snacks. Room service also had a tempting menu!
If you're looking to splurge a little on a vintage hotel in the most central location of downtown Vancouver where you can walk to most of the city's attractions, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver would be my choice!
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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: more expensive than average
Address: 900 West Georgia Street, Vancouver BC
Directions: In the heart of downtown Vancouver on the south side of Georgia Street between Burrard and Hornby.
Website: http://www.fairmont.com/
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on Jan 12, 2008
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