The Fairmont Vancouver Airport
Jun 26, 2006, 6:41 pm
#46
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Originally Posted by Altaflyer
I suspect that the devious devils snuck in the Vancouver one. It is certainly new and probably not mentioned on the certificates themselves.
Re: YVR I just saw a rate of $129 which was unheard of in years past.
Jul 29, 2007, 12:42 pm
#47
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 747
Fairmont Vancouver Airport
I have stayed at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport many times in the past few years.
I am always pleased with the accommodations and service. Our family's stay a few months was overwhelmingly good.
One child in our family has life-threatening food allergies. Normally he can not eat meals in restaurants and we have to stay in suite hotels and cook all his meals.
Our family had lunch at this hotel. The waiter noted the food allergies. The chef came out to discuss the situation with me and customized a meal for him. Two other children in our family got free meals because they were under five years old.
We have never had this kind of service before. It is the kind of thing that makes lifelong customers.
I am always pleased with the accommodations and service. Our family's stay a few months was overwhelmingly good.
One child in our family has life-threatening food allergies. Normally he can not eat meals in restaurants and we have to stay in suite hotels and cook all his meals.
Our family had lunch at this hotel. The waiter noted the food allergies. The chef came out to discuss the situation with me and customized a meal for him. Two other children in our family got free meals because they were under five years old.
We have never had this kind of service before. It is the kind of thing that makes lifelong customers.
Jan 18, 2008, 12:35 am
#48
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Fairmont Vancouver Airport places highly in Tripadvisor awards
It was with interest I noted in a recent email how well the wonderful Fairmont Vancouver Airport placed in a tripadvisor ranking of the top luxury hotels in the world. While not perhaps as prestigious as Conde Naste or Zagat, the tripadvisor polls are more like the People Choice awards as they are voted on by travellers and so winding up #17 on the top 100 Luxury list and #1 Luxury hotel in Canada should be acknowledged and applauded. ^ The entire list and other categories can be found here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/pdfs/tca/...Awards2008.pdf
I should further note that this list was for all luxury hotels regardless of location and for an airport hotel to place so highly it reflects how high a quality that location is. Every time I get the chance, which isn't nearly often enough for my liking, I always enjoy an overnight at this gem and luckily there are no signs that the top notch standards are slipping. ^
http://www.tripadvisor.com/pdfs/tca/...Awards2008.pdf
I should further note that this list was for all luxury hotels regardless of location and for an airport hotel to place so highly it reflects how high a quality that location is. Every time I get the chance, which isn't nearly often enough for my liking, I always enjoy an overnight at this gem and luckily there are no signs that the top notch standards are slipping. ^
Jan 25, 2008, 11:00 pm
#51
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http://www.fairmont.com/vancouverair...seDiscount.htm
Advance Purchase Discount
The Fairmont Vancouver Airport, located directly within the US / International Terminal of Vancouver International Airport is pleased to offer a special Fairmont.com Internet special.
Rates starting from $259 on weekends.
Deposit at time of booking - non refundable.
Package Includes:
Room accommodation
Availability:
This offer is valid from year round, based upon availability.
Rates:
For detailed rate information, please click on the ''Reserve this Package'' link.
Please Note:
This offer is not eligible for Airline Miles.
Jan 26, 2008, 5:41 pm
#53
Join Date: Apr 2003
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Fairmont Vancouver Airport is a gem...we sometimes stay there even when we're not transiting...Globe@YVR has a great breakfast buffet and we've had a few nice Christmas Eve dinners there too (when we are transiting !)
Feb 21, 2008, 7:33 pm
#54
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NYT article on airport hotels; Fairmont YVR Airport figures prominently
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/bu...l?ref=business
At some airport hotels, travelers can rent more than just a table. At the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel, for example, travelers can check into a guest room at a day rate that starts at one-quarter of the property’s standard $399 overnight rate. The hotel’s general manager, Dan McGowan, says some travelers use the time and the space to nap, while others conduct impromptu meetings or use the space as a private workstation.
Revenue generated by these daytime room occupancies has gone up by 5 percent in the last year, Mr. McGowan said.
<snip>
Aside from eating, working and sleeping, some travelers use their delay time to sneak in a workout or a spa treatment. At the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel, the spa area includes treatment rooms, a sauna, pool and fitness area. In the last year alone, use of the spa by day visitors was up 15 percent, according to Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, president of the Absolute Spa Group, which manages the Fairmont spa.
“It’s definitely a trend,” Ms. Lisogar-Cocchia said.
At some airport hotels, travelers can rent more than just a table. At the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel, for example, travelers can check into a guest room at a day rate that starts at one-quarter of the property’s standard $399 overnight rate. The hotel’s general manager, Dan McGowan, says some travelers use the time and the space to nap, while others conduct impromptu meetings or use the space as a private workstation.
Revenue generated by these daytime room occupancies has gone up by 5 percent in the last year, Mr. McGowan said.
<snip>
Aside from eating, working and sleeping, some travelers use their delay time to sneak in a workout or a spa treatment. At the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel, the spa area includes treatment rooms, a sauna, pool and fitness area. In the last year alone, use of the spa by day visitors was up 15 percent, according to Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, president of the Absolute Spa Group, which manages the Fairmont spa.
“It’s definitely a trend,” Ms. Lisogar-Cocchia said.
Aug 31, 2008, 3:26 pm
#55
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 2
Fairmont Vancouver
I found this hotel through a great review on the Airport Hotel Guru . . .
http://airporthotelguru.com/vancouver-yvr/
. . . but found that the Fairmont was much more than your typical airport hotel. My wife & I decided to stay there for several nights on our last trip to Vancouver because the rooms and service were so fantastic. Highly recomended.
http://airporthotelguru.com/vancouver-yvr/
. . . but found that the Fairmont was much more than your typical airport hotel. My wife & I decided to stay there for several nights on our last trip to Vancouver because the rooms and service were so fantastic. Highly recomended.
Sep 5, 2008, 6:36 am
#56
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Sept. Fairmont Great Rates, Great Dates; $139 for YVR Airport Fairmont noteworthy
While you have to be a Fairmont President's Club member to access these special rates enrolling can't take that long and could be worth it to save some dollars, especially at this wonderful airport hotels, easily one of the best in the world, which is normally +$300/night. Here the whole list:
THESE RATES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FOR 7 DAYS.
Call 1 888 741 0411 or click on the destination of your choice to book online by September 10, 2008.
Charlevoix from $99* CAD
San Jose from $119* USD
Dubai from $159* USD
Southampton, Bermuda from $149* USD
Hamburg, Germany from €139* EUR
Tremblant from $139* CAD
Hamilton, Bermuda from $149* USD
Vancouver Airport from $139* CAD
Jasper from $149* CAD
Whistler from $139* CAD
Miami from $119* USD
Zimbali from $119* USD
Montebello from $169* CAD
Zanzibar from $119* USD
Montreux, Switzerland from 169* CHF
THESE RATES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FOR 7 DAYS.
Call 1 888 741 0411 or click on the destination of your choice to book online by September 10, 2008.
Charlevoix from $99* CAD
San Jose from $119* USD
Dubai from $159* USD
Southampton, Bermuda from $149* USD
Hamburg, Germany from €139* EUR
Tremblant from $139* CAD
Hamilton, Bermuda from $149* USD
Vancouver Airport from $139* CAD
Jasper from $149* CAD
Whistler from $139* CAD
Miami from $119* USD
Zimbali from $119* USD
Montebello from $169* CAD
Zanzibar from $119* USD
Montreux, Switzerland from 169* CHF
Sep 29, 2011, 4:37 pm
#57
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,740
Kind of a old thread here, but none of the others on point seem too recent either.
Stayed at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport a few days ago. Gold Floor. Room 1401. It faces the runways (North, I believe), and it at the very end of the hotel, towards the water and air traffic control tower.
Room is quite large (probably around 300 to 400 sq. feet). Two sinks in the bathroom, somewhat narrow glass-door shower, large bathtub with air jets on the bottom of the tub. Shower head is quite small. Looks to be a rainfall shower head, but it isn't. Water pressure was poor for the shower and sink faucets, and it took a long time to get hot water.
Room is well maintained. Beige carpeting. Three large windows (essentially floor to ceiling) to look out over the runways. Power blinds and lighting/temperature/etc controlled by phone handset by the bed. Room had a king sized bed, a side chair and ottoman, a desk with two chairs (one office type), two closets for clothing, and a small niche for make-up applying (I assume that is its intended purpose...) with a little tufted stool to sit on.
Room was reasonably quiet. You could still hear some of the planes (or the tugs) backing out of the gate, but it wasn't overbearing by any means. It did wake me up a few times, though.
Very soft bed. Too soft for my liking. It should probably be replaced. The beds at the Waterfront (Gold Floor) are more to my liking.
Lounge was so-so. Evening canapes had an asian theme: sushi, dim sum, spring rolls, and the usual vegetable, bread, cheese, and salmon platters. There were also some bean salad offerings. They looked better than they tasted.
Breakfast was the usual gold floor offering, which is not to suggest that it was overly expansive. Very tiny bagels (think snack size). Plentiful selection of small pastries. 2 smoothie selections; 3 juice selections. 2 eggs dishes, neither of which were labeled and I didn't want to take my chances. Usual fruit plate. Yogurt parfaits (more granola than yogurt; I ended up adding more yogurt from a container to make it edible) and some muslei bircher (I believe). Usual cereal offerings.
I think it was a light occupancy day/night because the lounge was never too busy or crowded. I shudder to think how it would be if all of the gold floor's rooms were occupied and everyone was in the lounge at the same time. There's just not enough room there. Chairs looked more comfortable than they really were. Lounge looks out over the runway.
What was surprising to me was that the lounge didn't open for breakfast until 6:30 on a weekday and 7:00 on a weekend. For an airport hotel, breakfast should be available by 5:00 am, at least.
When I checked in, I was asked if I would be around for breakfast. I said that I hoped to be, and asked why. I was told that "due to our opening hours, some poeple can't make breakfast," without a hint of concern. Seems odd to me. If someone is paying for the gold floor benefits, the hotel should make an effort to provide those benefits, even if they are at "odd" times (assuming that breakfast before an early morning flight constitutes an "odd" time, which I don't think that it does).
As an aside, an while on the topic of the employees in the gold lounge, when I checked out in the morning I was asked where I live. When I responded, I was told "oh, there's a Fairmont there. I'd like to go see it." I expressed my surprise that there was a Fairmont in my home town, and suggested that perhaps she was wrong in stating that there was one there. The employee was adamant that she was right. Well....I look it up on Fairmont's website and, yep, no Fairmont in the city. Perhaps she confused the town with another, but I was surprised at the lack of awareness of her employer's offerings. Maybe I'm wrong, but shouldn't those working the gold floor be of a higher quality than those manning the "come one, come all" check-in desks that that masses use?
Anyway, I'm not sure that the hotel is really worthy of all the praise that it seems to get. I've not been in many airport hotels, but, in my view, the DFW Grand Hyatt is a lot better than the Fairmont YVR. The rooms at the DFW Grand Hyatt may be smaller, and the bathrooms not as grand, but the breakfast is better and it is a tad more convenient to the rest of the airport. The Fairmont YVR is a bit of a hike to any of the domestic flights (whether check-in or arrival/departure terminals, at least for Air Canada), and it isn't that much better for the international ones.
Would I stay there again? Well, if the rate is decent, I guess, but I wouldn't expect to be "wowed" for my money.
Stayed at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport a few days ago. Gold Floor. Room 1401. It faces the runways (North, I believe), and it at the very end of the hotel, towards the water and air traffic control tower.
Room is quite large (probably around 300 to 400 sq. feet). Two sinks in the bathroom, somewhat narrow glass-door shower, large bathtub with air jets on the bottom of the tub. Shower head is quite small. Looks to be a rainfall shower head, but it isn't. Water pressure was poor for the shower and sink faucets, and it took a long time to get hot water.
Room is well maintained. Beige carpeting. Three large windows (essentially floor to ceiling) to look out over the runways. Power blinds and lighting/temperature/etc controlled by phone handset by the bed. Room had a king sized bed, a side chair and ottoman, a desk with two chairs (one office type), two closets for clothing, and a small niche for make-up applying (I assume that is its intended purpose...) with a little tufted stool to sit on.
Room was reasonably quiet. You could still hear some of the planes (or the tugs) backing out of the gate, but it wasn't overbearing by any means. It did wake me up a few times, though.
Very soft bed. Too soft for my liking. It should probably be replaced. The beds at the Waterfront (Gold Floor) are more to my liking.
Lounge was so-so. Evening canapes had an asian theme: sushi, dim sum, spring rolls, and the usual vegetable, bread, cheese, and salmon platters. There were also some bean salad offerings. They looked better than they tasted.
Breakfast was the usual gold floor offering, which is not to suggest that it was overly expansive. Very tiny bagels (think snack size). Plentiful selection of small pastries. 2 smoothie selections; 3 juice selections. 2 eggs dishes, neither of which were labeled and I didn't want to take my chances. Usual fruit plate. Yogurt parfaits (more granola than yogurt; I ended up adding more yogurt from a container to make it edible) and some muslei bircher (I believe). Usual cereal offerings.
I think it was a light occupancy day/night because the lounge was never too busy or crowded. I shudder to think how it would be if all of the gold floor's rooms were occupied and everyone was in the lounge at the same time. There's just not enough room there. Chairs looked more comfortable than they really were. Lounge looks out over the runway.
What was surprising to me was that the lounge didn't open for breakfast until 6:30 on a weekday and 7:00 on a weekend. For an airport hotel, breakfast should be available by 5:00 am, at least.
When I checked in, I was asked if I would be around for breakfast. I said that I hoped to be, and asked why. I was told that "due to our opening hours, some poeple can't make breakfast," without a hint of concern. Seems odd to me. If someone is paying for the gold floor benefits, the hotel should make an effort to provide those benefits, even if they are at "odd" times (assuming that breakfast before an early morning flight constitutes an "odd" time, which I don't think that it does).
As an aside, an while on the topic of the employees in the gold lounge, when I checked out in the morning I was asked where I live. When I responded, I was told "oh, there's a Fairmont there. I'd like to go see it." I expressed my surprise that there was a Fairmont in my home town, and suggested that perhaps she was wrong in stating that there was one there. The employee was adamant that she was right. Well....I look it up on Fairmont's website and, yep, no Fairmont in the city. Perhaps she confused the town with another, but I was surprised at the lack of awareness of her employer's offerings. Maybe I'm wrong, but shouldn't those working the gold floor be of a higher quality than those manning the "come one, come all" check-in desks that that masses use?
Anyway, I'm not sure that the hotel is really worthy of all the praise that it seems to get. I've not been in many airport hotels, but, in my view, the DFW Grand Hyatt is a lot better than the Fairmont YVR. The rooms at the DFW Grand Hyatt may be smaller, and the bathrooms not as grand, but the breakfast is better and it is a tad more convenient to the rest of the airport. The Fairmont YVR is a bit of a hike to any of the domestic flights (whether check-in or arrival/departure terminals, at least for Air Canada), and it isn't that much better for the international ones.
Would I stay there again? Well, if the rate is decent, I guess, but I wouldn't expect to be "wowed" for my money.
Sep 29, 2011, 8:16 pm
#58
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I stayed there one night recently and felt like gold as I avoided the masses being a President's Club member and walked past the main check in desk right to the PC counter that's off to one side and was welcomed warmly with my check-in package ready to go and was in my Fairmont room within mere minutes.
Thanks for the stay report.
Sep 30, 2011, 5:42 am
#59
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Join Date: Feb 2000
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My stays at YVR airport have been excellent each and every time.I go out of my way to stay there vs the other airport properties.Check-in,lounge,bar,restaurant staff have always been polite and helpful.
I did stay downtown recently at a Fairmont as was completely "wowed" by their service.
I did stay downtown recently at a Fairmont as was completely "wowed" by their service.
Sep 30, 2011, 8:52 pm
#60
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Posts: 18,686
My stays at YVR airport have been excellent each and every time.I go out of my way to stay there vs the other airport properties.Check-in,lounge,bar,restaurant staff have always been polite and helpful.
I did stay downtown recently at a Fairmont as was completely "wowed" by their service.
I did stay downtown recently at a Fairmont as was completely "wowed" by their service.
Glad you liked the Pacific Rim..^