Rooms stayed over the past year:
Sea Island Suite
Signature King
Deluxe
One of the nicest airport hotels. The Fairmont and Deluxe rooms are nicely appointed but small. It is fine for an airport stayover. The Signature King room is quite a bit larger with an air-jetted tub. Excellent room. The Sea Island Suite is the second largest suite with a living area and jade accents in the bathroom.
The food at YVR Restaurant is excellent. The breakfast buffet includes the usual fare with very yummy fruit smoothies ! We have also had the Christmas Eve buffet which is world-class with succulent seafood as well as delicious desserts.
The services at the spa are average although spa services at an airport are always decadent. The gym and locker rooms are in need of an update.
One of my favourite hotels in Vancouver - always try to find an excuse to stay there !
Thought I'd start w/ this one to amuse Altaflyer. Also, I was there last weekend, so it's freshest in my head.
A very very cute hotel. A classic "railway castle" style, but much smaller than Banff Springs or the Empress. When I asked for a map of the hotel, the woman at reception looked at me wryly and said (nicely), "OK, that's the lobby bar there (pointing), and the (fancier restaurant) there (pointing) and downstairs is the health club which has a very nice pool."
Great location downtown, next to the convention center and theatres. Best of all, there's a terrace off the lobby bar that flows nicely into a small parklike setting overlooking the river. Lots of places to sit and chill out in front of the view -- and a great shaded fountain area off to the side. The lobby bar itself is great -- I'm a big fan of lobby bars, so that counts extra with me.
I had a standard Fairmont room on the 4th floor. I was only staying one night, so saw no point in using coupons to upgrade. I suspect that if I had, I would have gotten a view of the river. As it was, however, I was very pleased with the size and furnishings of the room. A desk setup AND a sitting area (in some other Fairmont rooms, I've stayed at, you get one but not the other). Plus, the room was just plain big, for the category. The bathroom was also spacious, with the usual Fairmont toiletries. Very comfortable bed, as always.
A particularly thoughtful touch that I have *not* seen at other Fairmonts (not that I recall, anyway) was a very comprehensive list of what was going on in Edmonton -- I don't mean just the tourist magazines, but a custom made-up printout of what plays were on and which singers were in town. On a down note, I had my usual trouble with the TV remote (either it's my bad luck, or just the state of things, but no matter the hotel, my TV remote usually works only about once every third trip).
I ordered a room service breakfast and it was actually almost reasonably priced for once. I also appreciated the breadth of offerings -- instead of just the standard options, I had Banana Bread French Toast with potatoes and eggs. Great food, great service.
My first trip to Edmonton and the hotel was definitely one of the highlights. A very cozy welcoming place. It almost made me wish I had an excuse to come back more often.
The suite was lovely. The living room furniture was old and in need of being replaced. The chairs and couch were not comfortable to sit on. You kind of sank into places where hundreds of people had sat before.
The gold lounge was top notch.
My only complaint about the gold lounge was one day a waiter came up to me and told me he knew where I worked. I was quite upset as the only way he could have known was to read my "profile/bio" on the computer. I wondered why a waiter was reading my profile.
I called the gold lounge manager and she confirmed waiters have access to the computer profile of guests - name, age, employer, likes and dislikes, etc. In other words, if it is on the computer, all wait staff can read it. I really felt uncomfortable about this. The manager defended the policy by saying the more staff know about us, the more they can meet our needs. I disagree.
The suite was lovely. The living room furniture was old and in need of being replaced. The chairs and couch were not comfortable to sit on. You kind of sank into places where hundreds of people had sat before.
The gold lounge was top notch.
My only complaint about the gold lounge was one day a waiter came up to me and told me he knew where I worked. I was quite upset as the only way he could have known was to read my "profile/bio" on the computer. I wondered why a waiter was reading my profile.
I called the gold lounge manager and she confirmed waiters have access to the computer profile of guests - name, age, employer, likes and dislikes, etc. In other words, if it is on the computer, all wait staff can read it. I really felt uncomfortable about this. The manager defended the policy by saying the more staff know about us, the more they can meet our needs. I disagree.
I agree with Fairmont. The service I receive from Fairmont is getting better all the time as they anticipate my needs more and more.
I agree with Fairmont. The service I receive from Fairmont is getting better all the time as they anticipate my needs more and more.
We were staying at the Fairmont YVR airport last year prior to flying home and invited a Vancouver friend to the restaurant for dinner. After the meal I was surprised when the waiter came over bearing a dessert plate with a candle in it saying that someone had a birthday coming up. I kept trying to tell him that he must have the wrong table. It turned out that the concierge on the Gold floor where we were staying (and who had made the dinner reservation for us) noticed that my birthday was the following day and had phoned down to ask them to do something for me.
I have to admit, I enjoyed that little intrusion into my privacy.
I would be totally enraged if someone brought a birthday cake to my table without requesting it or verbally announcing it was my birthday. How do they know I disclosed that to my guests? How do they know I am comfortable with celebrating birthdays. How do they know I would want it !!!!!!!!!! How dare they.
In the age of high tech and big-brother, the last thing in the world I want is a waiter knowing anything more about me than I chose to tell him.
I was staying on the club floor of InterContinental Hotel Dubai. I stayed there 4 times. I got to know the waiters. On my last stay, one waiter said to me, "Your job is such and such." I said, "Yes, how did you know." He said "I overheard you tell someone on your last stay."
That was not an intrusion into my privacy because I was the one who choose to announce my profession. He merely overheard me as he must have been pouring my tea. God forbid I learned he was reading my online profile.
If you like big brother watching you just to get a free piece of cake, the world is in big trouble. BTW, re-read 1984 by George Orwell. Much of it has come true. I would prefer my computer record be read by the least amount of people possible.
I would be totally enraged if someone brought a birthday cake to my table without requesting it or verbally announcing it was my birthday. How do they know I disclosed that to my guests? How do they know I am comfortable with celebrating birthdays. How do they know I would want it !!!!!!!!!! How dare they.
In the age of high tech and big-brother, the last thing in the world I want is a waiter knowing anything more about me than I chose to tell him.
I was staying on the club floor of InterContinental Hotel Dubai. I stayed there 4 times. I got to know the waiters. On my last stay, one waiter said to me, "Your job is such and such." I said, "Yes, how did you know." He said "I overheard you tell someone on your last stay."
That was not an intrusion into my privacy because I was the one who choose to announce my profession. He merely overheard me as he must have been pouring my tea. God forbid I learned he was reading my online profile.
If you like big brother watching you just to get a free piece of cake, the world is in big trouble. BTW, re-read 1984 by George Orwell. Much of it has come true. I would prefer my computer record be read by the least amount of people possible.
Since we are trying to make one review thread.....Here's a review I posted in Feb. about the Scottsdale Princess:
Trip Report - Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Recently returned from a 3 day conference trip to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Since I could not find a lot of information on this resort on FT prior to my departure, I wanted to fill others in on my experience. Sadly it rained the whole time I was in Scottsdale but this is a review of the property and not the weather.
Arrived 2/16/05 and took a cab from the airport to the resort. Cab fare was $58 with a tip. I will give information later on the correct way to get to and from the airport.
Greeted by the bellman by name which was a very nice touch. I assume he got the information off my luggage which he had gotten out of the trunk of the cab. Check in was quick in the Fairmont Premier line. I had previously called the resort to request a suite upgrade using one of my vouchers and this request was met and I was given a Casita King Suite. FYI, the resort charges a one time $12 luggage handling fee and a $2 a day cleaning fee. I thought this was high but it never actually showed up on the bill when I checked out.
Taken to the Castita by a golf cart, since the Casitas area is all the way at the back of the property. Casita had a living/dining room area with sofa, chair, table, fireplace, dining table with 4 chairs and an entertainment center with tv, mini bar, coffee and tea service. There was also a patio with a table and four chairs overlooking the golf course. Bedroom area was very spacious with a king bed, entertainment center and a bedside Bose like CD player. Great mattress!! Bathroom included a seperate closet, toilet area, double sinks, a huge tub and a wonderful large tiled shower. Amenities included Fairmont bath products, fresh fruit, chocolates and slippers. One nice touch was that there was even bath salt and a natural sponge incase you wanted to take a bath. Casitas area has its own pool and hot tub so you do not have to use the main facilities. The main pool was also very nice and directly behind the main building on the lower level. In my opinion the gym could have used more equipment but this is something common in most hotels and resorts.
Since I was there for a conference and the weather wasn't great, I didn't use the pool or play any golf. I did take advantage of the Willow Stream Spa and had a 1.5 hour massage/treatment. If you schedule a spa service, you get to use the spa area for the whole day. All I can say is WOW!!! What a great facility!! There are seperate men's/women's areas containing locker rooms, private showers, lounging area, steam room, hot tub, cold dip pool, sauna and a massage jet shower area. Common areas include a rooftop pool, a waterfall pool and a seperate gym. Services are not cheap but I would say they are worth every penny!
Departed on 2/19/05 and took a car service to the airport. Evidently this is the way to go in Scottsdale. Cost was $50 plus $10 tip so it was only a little more than the cab on my way in. Evidently you can also call the hotel and they will schedule a car pick-up for you when you arrive. Riding in a Lincoln Town Car is definitely much nicer than riding in a crappy cab.
Overall I would recommend the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess to anyone. The Willow Stream Spa is a must!!! Believe me as a guy I was a little hesitant at first but there were a lot of other men in there having services done. Only negative thing during the stay was that I had asked for a late check out, since I am a Fairmont Premier but they said the resort was full and I thus had to check-out at 12. Hope this review helps others looking at the Fairmont. Oh...the regular rooms looked nice and spacious too. Evidently there are regular rooms in the main buildings and then there are also King Casita Rooms. A co-worker had a King Casita room and it was a very large room with a sitting area, fireplace and a huge bathroom.
Since we are trying to make one review thread.....Here's a review I posted in Feb. about the Scottsdale Princess:
Trip Report - Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Recently returned from a 3 day conference trip to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Since I could not find a lot of information on this resort on FT prior to my departure, I wanted to fill others in on my experience. Sadly it rained the whole time I was in Scottsdale but this is a review of the property and not the weather.
Arrived 2/16/05 and took a cab from the airport to the resort. Cab fare was $58 with a tip. I will give information later on the correct way to get to and from the airport.
Greeted by the bellman by name which was a very nice touch. I assume he got the information off my luggage which he had gotten out of the trunk of the cab. Check in was quick in the Fairmont Premier line. I had previously called the resort to request a suite upgrade using one of my vouchers and this request was met and I was given a Casita King Suite. FYI, the resort charges a one time $12 luggage handling fee and a $2 a day cleaning fee. I thought this was high but it never actually showed up on the bill when I checked out.
Taken to the Castita by a golf cart, since the Casitas area is all the way at the back of the property. Casita had a living/dining room area with sofa, chair, table, fireplace, dining table with 4 chairs and an entertainment center with tv, mini bar, coffee and tea service. There was also a patio with a table and four chairs overlooking the golf course. Bedroom area was very spacious with a king bed, entertainment center and a bedside Bose like CD player. Great mattress!! Bathroom included a seperate closet, toilet area, double sinks, a huge tub and a wonderful large tiled shower. Amenities included Fairmont bath products, fresh fruit, chocolates and slippers. One nice touch was that there was even bath salt and a natural sponge incase you wanted to take a bath. Casitas area has its own pool and hot tub so you do not have to use the main facilities. The main pool was also very nice and directly behind the main building on the lower level. In my opinion the gym could have used more equipment but this is something common in most hotels and resorts.
Since I was there for a conference and the weather wasn't great, I didn't use the pool or play any golf. I did take advantage of the Willow Stream Spa and had a 1.5 hour massage/treatment. If you schedule a spa service, you get to use the spa area for the whole day. All I can say is WOW!!! What a great facility!! There are seperate men's/women's areas containing locker rooms, private showers, lounging area, steam room, hot tub, cold dip pool, sauna and a massage jet shower area. Common areas include a rooftop pool, a waterfall pool and a seperate gym. Services are not cheap but I would say they are worth every penny!
Departed on 2/19/05 and took a car service to the airport. Evidently this is the way to go in Scottsdale. Cost was $50 plus $10 tip so it was only a little more than the cab on my way in. Evidently you can also call the hotel and they will schedule a car pick-up for you when you arrive. Riding in a Lincoln Town Car is definitely much nicer than riding in a crappy cab.
Overall I would recommend the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess to anyone. The Willow Stream Spa is a must!!! Believe me as a guy I was a little hesitant at first but there were a lot of other men in there having services done. Only negative thing during the stay was that I had asked for a late check out, since I am a Fairmont Premier but they said the resort was full and I thus had to check-out at 12. Hope this review helps others looking at the Fairmont. Oh...the regular rooms looked nice and spacious too. Evidently there are regular rooms in the main buildings and then there are also King Casita Rooms. A co-worker had a King Casita room and it was a very large room with a sitting area, fireplace and a huge bathroom.
I just returned from this property recently and they did not charge the $12 luggage fee not the $2 per diem cleaning fee.
This property is spectacular and yes the Willow Stream is amazing.
Programs: AC SE, FPC Plat, DP Plat, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 2,526
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oceanbound222
Watch out for the foolish who think every ounce of freedom and privacy taken away from us is in our best interest.
"I got a piece of cake, so who cares if the entire wait staff knows my private profile info."
You possibly need to chill out a bit. Some Ft's don't mind the staff of fairmont having information on their profile. If you are so against it, you could always request the information be removed. Can't imagine living in and enjoying your paranoid world.
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 4,944
Fairmont SFO
8 nights at Easter 2005.
As a Fairmont Plat I though it was finally time to use some free night / suite upgrade vouchers, and thanks to very hepful and attentive service from the reservations manager, we had 8 nights booked in a Tower Suite (6 nights free and 2 at a knock down rate).
As I understand it the Tower Suites are the best that the hotel has to offer. We arrived and our reservation was properly recorded. We were shown to a fabulously positioned suite on the top (21st ?) floor of the Tower (the Regency Suite) with wonderful Bay views.
Furnishings in the bedroom were pleasant (no more) and the bathroom was small (a single basin) but with separate shower. The very large sitting room was spacious but very dully furnished. Plenty of room for my daughter's rollaway bed which arrived promptly.
After a long transatlantic flight arriving mid-afternoon, we decided to get an hour's sleep. Then the problems started. The bedroom appeared to be very noisy, with a constant sound of machinery and some other machinery that was going on and off intermittently, rather like a lift.
We could not sleep ! The thought of 8 nights of this was too much so I set off to investigate.
It turned out that the bedroom backed on to a large service area with lifts, a/c trunking and the like. This was obviously not going to work and the positon got worse. Whilst out of the suite investigating, a couple had checked into the room next door to our sitting room. There was a connecting door between the two and, although they did not speak loudly, every word that they said could be heard through the inadequate connecting door. This would mean that my daughter would not be able to sleep either.
Down to reception who were very helpful. They offered us a choice of other suites in the main section of the hotel, including the HKG and SIN suites. To describe these as drab, depressing and inadequate would be a gross understatement. In one the windows did not even shut proeprly and there was a holing draught. They were poorly decorated and furnished and oddly configured. We rejected them.
I then suggested the possibility of two inter-connecting Tower rooms in lieu of the suite. Reception were happy to offer this and pointed us to a pair of rooms on the 'wrong' side on the 8th floor of the Tower. The rooms were delightful. Bright, light, newly decoarated and furnished and more than adequate for our needs with great spacious and modern bathrooms. We were very happy in these rooms which turned out also to be very quiet. We experienced no disturbance at all from those around us, although the hotel was full on a couple of nights. Probably the 'quietest' stay anywhere in recent times.
Breakfast was more than adequate. A very fine buffet with friendly attentive and efficient service. The room (hall) in which the breakfast was served was a little dark and gloomy but I think that this is supposed to be part of the charm of the hotel.
We dined once in the Tonga room. what can one say ? It was an experience. Not unpleasant but not to be repeated .....
Generally service was efficient and friendly (save only when I was trying to check-out and was shoo'd away from the FPC line, presumably on the basis that I did not look like a member. The staff member looked slightly shocked when she discovered that I was Plat !).
I should have had complimentary internet access, but try as I might I could not get it to work properly in either of our 2 rooms. I spoke to tech support in Canada who talked me through alll the usual (clear cookies etc) but to no avail. I got intermittent access but it kept freezing up after about 5-10 mins use, which became very frustrating and the problem was never solved.
The hotel had an efficient Hertz desk which organised car pick-up at the hotel, although drop-off was not available there.
For anyone staying there, we discovered a wonderful neighbourhood Italian restaurant around the corner: the Nob Hill Cafe. A great find and a life-saver. We tried breakfast at the top of the Mark Hopkins: Extremely poor and a complete waste of money; not a patch on the Fairmont.
All in all a positive experience, although had I been paying rack rates, I think that I might have been rather less satisfied and would have been happier in the nearby Ritz Carlton or the very snappy new 4 Seasons. They both have a 'cleaner' more cared-for feel. The Fairmont, whilst not exactly shabby, does rather give the impression of trading on its former glory.
Last edited by Frequentflyer99; Jun 16, 05 at 4:00 am.
Fairmont - The Official Fairmont Hotel Review thread
Vancouver (Fairmont Waterfront)
I also appreciated the breadth of offerings -- instead of just the standard options, I had Banana Bread French Toast with potatoes and eggs. Great food, great service.
