quank

General reservations will give you the Junior Suite which looks pretty nice already. Had to do the latter and was a bit challenging but I assume they are doing it in the early going as they get ramped up and develop a following.

On a different note, there is inconsistency in where the courtesy car will take you - many people told me it was 'downtown only with Robson and Granville Island being the max distance' but I have seen reports on FT of people being driven out to the airport without fee. Some people at the hotel were saying it's an insurance issue but in the end, all my rides were in the downtown core. Overall ability to get rides was 2-for-4 if I exclude my requests to get picked up and driven to the airport. The rides I did have were very comfortable though!

KSA_USA

in my experience, they do provide airport transfer. is it without fee? NO.
did i pay for the service? I was willing too, but hotel management were very kind to provide this service at no charge due to receiving misleading information.

Jasper2009

Just left the Pacific Rim and inquired about transportation to the airport.
Concierge told me there is a fee for the use of the courtesy car, but as my flight was leaving early in the morning the courtesy car wasn't ready yet so I booked the limo service. Cost me about $50 versus $38 I had paid for a taxi to get to the hotel, IMO not a bad deal.

KSA_USA

you can always use the vancouver airport Limo service. it is a flat rate of $39.

when i excited YVR an employee asked me where i am heading to. told her Pacific Rim Hotel. she told me you have two options. to the right metered Taxi and to the left is YVR private Limo Service ( $39 fixed fee) black Lincoln Navigator. i took the Limo service. the driver gave me his card and asked me to call or text him for a pick up from the Hotel to the Airport again $39 fixed fee.

tcook052

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle1529263/

A new degree of chic on the Pacific rim

THE ROOMS

Guest rooms – with floor-to-ceiling windows offering city or water views – come fully loaded with technology, including hidden televisions that double as mirrors in the bathrooms, iPod docks, wireless Internet, surround sound and Nespresso machines. Luxury extends to the crisp Mascioni linens and fabulous Stearns & Foster beds. Several rooms feature Japanese ofuro tubs: cube-shaped, jetted soakers with a bench seat and room for two. Room service is 24 hours. In the style-over-substance category, the sleek touch screen lighting controls look good, but are tricky to get the hang of.

SERVICE

Service is slick and discreet, as befits a five-star property looking to position itself as an urban retreat. Perhaps opening its doors the day before the Olympics and being forced to hit the ground running, brought things up to speed quickly. Pay for the Fairmont Gold level and not only will your rate include continental breakfast, afternoon tea and early-evening hors d'oeuvre served in the Gold lounge (with its patio overlooking Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains), you will also receive full butler service. The only wrong note on our visit was a bartender who clearly hadn't learned the cocktail list and didn't know how to make a signature drink.

VERDICT

Elegant surroundings with the emphasis on relaxation and retreat.

sharppencil

Heading to Vancouver Early July for vacation.

Wifey told me she wanted to stay at a Fairmont property.

So I'll hopefully get a discounted rate at the Pacific Rim.

Looking forward to the stay and the hotel.

quank

My wife and I visited the Fairmont Pacific Rim for 2 nights in April 2010. We were celebrating a recent achievement in her studies and had let the hotel know in advance. We had a wonderful stay from the moment we checked-in to the when we left Vancouver. The service was personal – staff did many little things to acknowledge our travel preferences – and rooms were extremely comfortable. This will become the only hotel I stay at in Vancouver when I visit as I believe they have something special going here. I apologize for the length in advance but I really liked it here and want you all to know it! -- quank

Service (5/5):

• Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived at 8am but the staff gladly stored our bags and the agent who checked us in said she’d call me when the room was ready (which she did a few hours later). I ran into the same agent the following afternoon and she asked me how my stay was going and referred to me by my name. A small touch but made me feel like a personal guest at the hotel.
• Concierge at the hotel was EXCEPTIONAL. I worked with one person in particular before the trip, who asked great questions and followed-up on a timely basis and exceeded our expectations on every level. This concierge added various personal touches throughout our stay including ensuring the room was prepared to accommodate my wife’s allergies, booking bikes for us to travel around Stanley Park, printing off the addresses of local shops that sold merchandise my wife liked, writing us a hand-written note to welcome us to the hotel, etc. For his service alone, I would rate VPR as 5/5.
• The availability of the courtesy vehicles was inconsistent. Of the 4 times I requested the vehicle, I was able to secure a ride 2 times. I’m not sure if they only have 1 car or if there is a shortage of drivers. One of the times that I was unable to secure a ride, the agent told me they were shuttling people to the airport. However, when I asked to be taken outside of the downtown area, I was told this was not possible due to insurance reasons. On another occasion I was told there would be a fee. I have seen other people post experiences that they were able to secure a ride to the airport without charge so the hotel should firm-up their policy and provide a more consistent service in this area.
• It might be a result of being a new hotel, but all servers, hosts and staff were very friendly and made us feel welcome as well – particularly the greeter at Oru, our server at Oru, staff at Giovane, etc.

Rooms (5/5):

• We stayed in one of the ‘signature suites’ which was extremely comfortable and spacious. Room was warm which was great considering we had two blustery days while in Vancouver. As noted above, my wife has allergies to certain scents and cleaners so the staff prepared the room accordingly. Staff cleaned room on both days and also turned down the room in the evening. Overall very clean and well-maintained throughout our stay.
• Platinum amenity was available when we arrived in the room and included a standard note from the GM.
• The common area was huge and could easily host a party for 10 people and included both a sitting area with large flat screen TV, a dining area and two large closets. The balcony had a table and 4 chairs and a great view of Canada place, the harbour, Convention Centre, Olympic Cauldron, and the eastern side of Stanley Park. Also very interesting is the Chairman’s Suite which is still being built. It has two levels of floor-to-ceiling windows and I was told the roof of the suite would become an entertaining area for the suite. Very cool ‘cube look’ and I would love to stay there once it’s finished.
• The main bathroom had a TV in the mirror which was a great feature that you could use while in the shower or in the tub. Very high-tech and it will get a lot of ‘talk’ when I tell my travel stories. Shower had one of those rainfall showerheads which I love. Second bathroom was very large and also had a shower.
• Bedroom had a view of the habour and Stanley Park. Bed was very comfortable. Room also has a large flat screen TV, a ‘Nespresso’ machine that makes decent espresso.
• All of the lights were activated by touch pad and had preprogrammed themes although I’m not sure if they were functioning appropriately as the ‘relax’ and ‘entertain’ theme seemed to either dim the lights so low you couldn’t see anything or made the room really bright – I’d recommend they review the lights and rename the themes to match a bright room, dim lighting and low lighting.

Restaurants (4/5):

• Giovane (Café) – Enjoyed their fresh pastries, savory scones and well-made coffees. Really nice area to sit in with lots of windows. A bit pricier than local cafes which is typical for hotel cafes.
• Oru (Pan-Asian) – Overall thought it was an authentic Asian restaurant with excellent service. They had a tasting menu with various land animals but they were able to accommodate all of our dietary restrictions. Our favorite dish was the Sake Kasu Sablefish (perfectly cooked) which had a miso glaze (not salty and comforting). Their homemade tofu with mushroom truffle sauce was earthy and light although a bit difficult to eat with a plate and chopsticks – I’d recommend they serve it with a serving spoon and small bowls so you can ‘shovel’ the tofu out with your chopsticks. The steamed rainbow trout with ginger/scallions tasted great and was a very generous portion that could easily have fed 4-5 adults. My wife particularly liked the ‘tanryoku’ cocktail with chili infused vodka, saké, giffard ginger, lime, fresh cilantro.

Location (5/5):

• Ideal location downtown and just a few blocks from the Canada Line and Skytrain stations
• Across the street from Canada Place and the Convention Centre (where the Olympic Cauldron stood and where you can see the Olympic rings that turned gold when Canada won a gold medal during the Olympics)
• Short walk to water and a few minutes by bike to Stanley Park

kokinos

Great review quank! I had a panini and salad at the cafe and it tasted great. Look forward to trying the sablefish at Oru on my next stay.

300rwhp

Visiting Vancouver for my Grandmas 90th birthday. Was originally to stay with relatives but they have both come down with pneumonia. So thought this would be a chance to visit the pacific rim and use a suite upgrade. But they show no availability for suites this weekend.

Do you think they have a few suites that are not shown online or via general reservations? Any tips, i mean i could try the waterfront or hotel vancouver but have read so many good things in this thread about the pacific rim.

Thanks,

quank

If you can't even book one online for the full rate, I'd be surprised if there are some sitting around vacant. Probably best to hang onto that suite upgrade and you could still check out the regular room.

I'm fortunate to be headed there again on next week. I'm booked in a fairmont cityview room which I'd expect to be pretty nice still for a business trip.

kokinos

300rwhp after I got my Sig suite I checked the online for the room and it was still available so you may be out of luck. But you should ask for the Chairmans Suite instead, if that fails go with a Skydeck? or Poolside if the pool is open.

300rwhp PM me and I will tell you who to talk too. I've sent quite a few guests to the pacific rim and they've all been taken care of.

Here is a floor plan of the tower rooms:

llbean

ANyone know of any good deals for a single night stay at PAcific Rim Hotel right now? Looking to stay in MAy...

Thanks guys and gals..

Ancien Maestro

Beauty Sleep Package works.. Seems like the Bed and Breakfast Package is ok too. Try CAA rate. Looks like the deals may be over for this hotel unless you know someone at Fairmont to book F&F. Good Luck!^

300rwhp

My partner and I visited the Fairmont Pacific Rim for 2 nights this weekend. Originally we had planned to stay with relatives but they both became very ill, so we switched to the Pacific Rim. After reading all of the glowing reviews above and looking at he beautiful pictures we decided to use a suite upgrade. However no suites were available for friday evening. Corina at FPC did her best with very little notice to get us something special (Booking was made at 2300MST day before arrival). Corina was so pleasant and made our change in plans seem seemless even though a suite was only available for saturday evening. When I called friday morning to commend Corina, i was informed that a suite had been found for us for the whole stay.

Service (2/5):
Our room was ready when we arrived at 6pm. Our welcome amenity was as previously shown the popcorn almonds and grapes but it was a nice touch as was the note from Shayne the Director of Front of House. Shoes were shined very quickly. We were going for Ramen about 12 blocks away and so I called down at 8pm for a ride in the BMW, not available. The BMW was coincidently never available for our use even though I saw it parked out front often when I requested it. The availability of umbrellas was handy as it rained often. It was raining hard saturday morning at 9am when i went to collect my sister from the Waterfront station, I thought a quick ride in the BMW would be straightforward, no luck.

Friday evening we returned after midnight and decided to have a drink in the lobby and listening to Ancien Meastro's Fazioli. The room was definately popular but not full, we asked if we could sit in two empty seats next to the fire place. The server for that section could not be found for 10 minutes so the host was uncertain if these seats were occupied. Eventually another server told us to take the seats and told us our server would be with us shortly. Eventually this same server walked by and saw we had not be attended to so she took our drinks order. 30 mins after arriving at the lobby our drinks had not been arrived but some nuts for us to snack on had. Our drinks did arrive about 10 mins after the nuts from our server first we had seen of her. Then we did not see her until my partner went and got her for our bill. Horrid service to say the least as she still took her time getting the bill to us.

We did not experience turn down service ( I am FPC Plat). The lighting system is controlled by wall mounted switches which also control the privacy notification. I accidently left this on for most of saturday. So I called the hotel from my Grandmother's birthday dinner and asked it to be cleaned and to have the pull out bed made up. The pull out was made up, but the room was not and I had guests. Sunday morning requested late check out and was given 4pm which was great, but i did not make the privacy sign mistake this time. When we returned with family to sit at the table with my relatives the room was so messy and the pullout not made up. As we were checking out this might have been acceptable, but when we went into our room the Master Bed had been made. But a bunch of napkins had been scattered about the floor and a pillow case was left on the floor as well. So all in all horrid room cleaning service. Our bill which as is customary was slid under the door but it was not our bill.


Rooms (5/5):
We stayed in a suite for both nights and i believe it was harbour Mountain View room. It had a nice little patio. As previous reviews have noted the room was excellent. The TV's both have a surround sound speaker system below the TV. Neither worked upon check in but were quickly fixed while we were out.

Food and Drinks (4/5):
Giovane (Café) – Enjoyed their breakfast panini, pastries, savory scones and well-made coffees. Really enjoyed popping down and picking up a nice breakfast. Very good quality.

Location (5/5):
Excellent location as has been noted previously.

Had we not received the poor cleaning service I would be very happy with this hotel. Lets see if they up their game as I am back with my partners parents from Japan in June.

A note on the BMW service I have been to three Fairmont's in the last three months and have yet to receive a courtesy ride. I have asked at all a few times. This service seems more like a pay for access car service for hotel
VIP's.

Here is my photo album for the trip
http://picasaweb.google.com/matthew....eat=directlink

Ancien Maestro

Below package is a bit pricey but does include airport transfer.. but you got to be booked on Gold Floor.^

http://www.fairmont.com/pacificrim/H...thPleasure.htm
__________________________________________________ __________
Business with Pleasure Package
When only the best will do, think of gold – Fairmont Gold.

Package Includes:
•Luxurious accommodations in a Fairmont Gold room or suite
•Exclusive airport transfer to & from YVR (Vancouver Intl Airport) in luxurious BMW with personal driver
•Arrival cocktails in lobby lounge (one per registered guest)
•Private check-in desk on Fairmont Gold Floor
•Evening Hors D'oeuvres in Fairmont Gold Lounge
•Breakfast in Fairmont Gold Lounge
•Complimentary local calls and HSIA
•Exclusive Fairmont Gold Concierge assistance
Enjoy a luxurious life with private pickup from the airport in a BMW sedan and accommodation in our hotel-within-a hotel. Fairmont Gold offers a private check-in, exclusive lounge and concierge and butler services making it ideal for anyone who wants to travel in the best of style


Availability
Beginning March 5th 2010, this package is offered year round, based upon availability.


Rates:
Rates from $379 CAD per night, based on double occupancy.
Package rate is based on double occupancy, upon availability and exclusive of tax & gratuity. This offer is not applicable to group bookings of ten or more and cannot be combined with any other special offer. For detailed rate information or to book your reservation, please call 604-695-5350 or book on-line by clicking on the link below.