Fairmont President's Club - Hotels that should be Fairmont

The following hotels should be rebranded Fairmont as I think they would fit the profile well:

Lodge at Torrey Pines (La Jolla)

The US Grant (San Diego)

Westin Portland

The Driskill (Austin)

They all capture some of the elements I really enjoy when visiting Fairmonts. I would like to see some more expansion of the brand in North America. Feel free to add to the list.

I definitely agree with the US Grant.

I also think the Union Station (Wyndham Grand Hotel) in Nashville would be a GREAT Fairmont

Delta Grand Okanagan Resort in Kelowna, BC

Ritz Kapulua currently undergoing receivership.. sounds like a possible Fairmont Orchid which used to be a Ritz as well.

I´d be very happy if Fairmont added some hotels in other parts of the world than the Middle East (where I´m very unlikely to travel anytime soon)

IMO Fairmont could expand their network in Asia (Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo etc.) and South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town in addition to the Zimbali Lodge and Resort)

Of course I wouldn´t mind a few additional Fairmont hotels in North America either. :)

Having grown up practically in its shadow I'll plug the Bessborough in Saskatoon which is now branded as a Delta but definately has the cache as a vintage riverfront landmark. It would need some definate upgrading to bring it up to Fairmont standards but I think it would tie in well with the other similiar properties such as Hotel MacDonald here in Edmonton or Calgary's Palliser.

The Westin or Ritz in Philly (hey, I'm not proud, ANYTHING in Philly!!!!)

I'd vote for something in Australia or new Zealand. I'm never going to the Middle East, but I probably will be back to Sydney

The Savoy in London and The Plaza in NYC.

The Savoy in London and The Plaza in NYC.

HAHA

Halekulani, Honolulu

or

The Westin Surfrider Honolulu along with a major property upgrade

The Peninsula Hong Kong would be a great Fairmont. Might as well try and take over all the Peninsulas at the same time. Like they did with Raffles.

The Peninsula Hong Kong would be a great Fairmont. Might as well try and take over all the Peninsulas at the same time. Like they did with Raffles.

Excellent idea! ^ There are some outstanding Peninsula hotels out there, would be great if Fairmont increased their presence in the major Asian cities like ICN, NRT, BKK, HKG etc.

I guess we´ll see another 20 hotels in the UAE before that will happen, unfortunately.

The Peninsula Hong Kong would be a great Fairmont. Might as well try and take over all the Peninsulas at the same time. Like they did with Raffles.

I thought of the Pen also but its roots run too deep I'd bet to pry this gem loose from Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels.

The Peninsula Hong Kong would be a great Fairmont. Might as well try and take over all the Peninsulas at the same time. Like they did with Raffles.
Fairmont is just not a good enough chain to manage these hotels. I would be very disappointed if Pen HKG became a Fairmont.:eek:

Fairmont is just not a good enough chain to manage these hotels. I would be very disappointed if Pen HKG became a Fairmont.:eek:

I disagree. I have stayed at the Pens in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Both could be Fairmonts quite easily. They would be top end Fairmonts similar to the Olympic, Savoy, or Plaza.

Delta Grand Okanagan Resort in Kelowna, BC

Just spent the weekend here. Sorry but I have to disagree. This is not at a Fairmont standard.

Just spent the weekend here. Sorry but I have to disagree. This is not at a Fairmont standard.

Speaking of Delta's.. my brother's wife's dad was the architect/builder for Delta Lodge at Kananaskis..

With renos.. Delta Lodge at Kananaskis could be a nice Fairmont.. wouldn't be like the Banff Springs or anything, but certainly better than say Newport Beach..

Speaking of Delta's.. my brother's wife's dad was the architect/builder for Delta Lodge at Kananaskis..

With renos.. Delta Lodge at Kananaskis could be a nice Fairmont.. wouldn't be like the Banff Springs or anything, but certainly better than say Newport Beach..

Agreed. At one time it was a CP Hotel which is now Fairmont.

Park Hyatt Saigon. Great property with Fairmont attributes.

this is funny

i just came back from new zealand

and was commenting that the grand chateau at tongariro shld be converted to a fairmont while i was there

and i saw this thread.. haa

(we stayed there and was very disappointed with the service)

this is funny

i just came back from new zealand

and was commenting that the grand chateau at tongariro shld be converted to a fairmont while i was there

and i saw this thread.. haa

(we stayed there and was very disappointed with the service)

Funny, I was thinking at this same property exactly when someone suggest to find hotel in Australia / NZ.

Otherwise, in Canada there is the Prince of Wales Hotel (http://glacierparkinc.com/prince_of_wales.php) in Waterton which could be a good candidate (after some renovation I think)

Turnberry hotel should be converted back into a Fairmont.

HAHA AM, Turnberry will never go back. Ownership had issues with FM and it didn't go down well. Kind of like dumping a BF, and spray painting his camero on the way out.

HAHA AM, Turnberry will never go back. Ownership had issues with FM and it didn't go down well. Kind of like dumping a BF, and spray painting his camero on the way out.

Yeah, I know.. one can wish. I liked having a Fairmont in Florida, and wished there was one in Orlando.. and now there is one less hotel in the state.

How's it going with your travels? I guess no need to run up the nights since you're Plat Lifetime.

I'm heading up to Jasper this long weekend coming up.. due for some R&R.:)

I´d be very happy if Fairmont added some hotels in other parts of the world than the Middle East (where I´m very unlikely to travel anytime soon)

Haha, me too. Cheap land, government backed loans, and close to Corporate means we're SOL though.

I back others on an Asian expansion, I sooooo wish Tokyo had one.

What's with everyone thinking Peninsula needs to be Fairmont? They're both of the same quality and in Grand buildings, but Peninsula is about Asian influence and the Fairmont is about local assimilation. Now, if Kingdom should buy Peninsula - thats another story!

Haha, me too. Cheap land, government backed loans, and close to Corporate means we're SOL though.

I back others on an Asian expansion, I sooooo wish Tokyo had one.

What's with everyone thinking Peninsula needs to be Fairmont? They're both of the same quality and in Grand buildings, but Peninsula is about Asian influence and the Fairmont is about local assimilation. Now, if Kingdom should buy Peninsula - thats another story!

As much as I enjoy staying at Fairmont hotels, I´m not sure I´d agree with your statement that Peninsula and Fairmont play in the same league. The Fairmont portfolio is very diverse, but most hotels would have a hard time competing with the Peninsula brand.

Personally I´d like to see Fairmont hotels in Sydney, Cape Town (would be a good addition to the two other Fairmont hotels in South Africa) and some more European cities, but I guess I´ll have to wait a long time to see that happen...

If you look at Peninsula's offerings, http://www.peninsula.com/Peninsula_Hotels/en/About_Us/default.aspx

You will see only Hong Kong and Tokyo are not already served by Fairmont.

(Manilla is coming in 12 months, Paris has a Raffles, and while none in Beverly Hills, they have Santa Monica)

So I don't see any need to combine or buy properties. Hong Kong is a shortcoming, but they seem to be going for a lot of Mainland Chinese destinations (to match Langham and Kempinski)

Chengdu, Sanya, Foshan, Taiyan, Nanjing are coming online in the next 1-3 years.

I do think Australia, Vietnam, and Spain are underserved / lacking FRHI destination hotels. Vietnam especially, considering they way they have targeted Middle East, India, and China. How is it that HCMC or a Nha Trang doesn't deserve a look from their marketing and expansion strategy team?

I agree about Vietnam. The Park Hyatt Saigon very much felt like it could have been a Fairmont.