I am writing this post via the complimentary high speed Internet access that was included with my room at the West Bear Mountain in Victoria, Canada. ^ Free Internet being such a foreign concept to me, I actually had to ask the check-in agent to repeat herself when she informed me of it.

At check-in, the staff knew me by name and were refreshingly friendly, I received a great upgrade, my points amenity, and when the rate was explained to me, she said "ok Mr. tjk1976, your room rate is x and we have waived the $15 per day Resort Fee because you are a Platinum guest <nice surprise since I didn't even know there was a Resort fee>. Also, you will receive complimentary local phone calls, complimentary high speed Internet in your room and in the business centre, complimentary secure parking, and complimentary bottles of water. Is there anything else we can offer you to make your stay more comfortable?" I was speechless; a Starwood property that actually offers Plats meaningful amenities. This really makes me wonder why other *woods don't take a similarly progressive approach. Are the fees collected for such things as Internet access and parking really worth more to them than the great impression made by comping these things to Plats? Anyway, kudos to the Westin Bear Mountain for doing it right!

I have been meaning to check out this property since it opened and, so far, it is truly outstanding. I wish I hadn't waited so long. My take is that it is a highly underrated gem compared to most of the other better known Westins in North America.