Fairmont Tremblant
Jan 18, 2014, 9:25 am
It is a nice property. If you're here for the skiing, it's the only one with ski-in/ski-out access to the hills, which is great since I hate walking in ski boots. The outdoor pools are also very nice. The have a large heated pool for swimming, and a hotter pool that seats about 20 people, plus an even hotter tub for about 6 people, and a cold plunge pool for a nice hydrotherapy experience. There are also 2 indoor pools, but the outdoor ones are great.
Here are a few more photos.
This is the access path to the ski hill from the Terrace level of the hotel, right past the pools. The access is good. Take the guest elevators down to the bottom. Right off the elevators is the ski rental and ski valet. Pick up your skis and walk right out the doors and down the hill.
Here are a few pictures of the outdoor pools.
Jan 28, 2018, 5:08 pm
As soon as you enter the hotel, the lobby has been noticeably updated.
Just behind the 3-sided fireplace in the lobby, the old lounge has been updated into an expanded bar area.
The old café off the terrace entrance to the ski-out access, has been replaced with another and more updated café.
The Nansen Lounge has been replaced by the bar shown in the earlier photo. The space formerly occupied by the Nansen Lounge, has been replaced by a new restaurant, called Choux Gras. The food is excellent, and the décor very well done. Tables offer views out to the ski area and over the pools.
I didn't get any photos, but the spa was also renovated nicely, and rebranded as "Moment Spa".
And while not significantly updated, below are some photos of the Fairmont Gold lounge. This is still one of my favourite Gold lounges. The breakfast and kitchen area has been updated with new equipment and furniture, but the main lounge sitting/dining area remains the same. There are rumors of the Fairmont Gold product being offered year-round, instead of just mid-December through March. While ski season remains the busiest time, apparently the hotel has been getting busier in other seasons in recent years. I will say that some of the furniture in the lounge is looking a bit worn. Hopefully, a small update is coming to the Gold floor.
Unfortunately, Matt Blackmore, who took over as General Manager of Fairmont Tremblant a few years ago (previously GM at the Fairmont San Francisco), was just transferred to Chicago as their new GM a few weeks ago. I'm very pleased to see the improvements he made over the past few years. Hopefully, the new GM will pick up where Matt left off, and keep improving things.
May 25, 2018, 7:15 am
I have 2 bookings of 7-days each, for winter 2019. I'm paying $387/night for a Gold room on the CAA/AAA rate. Here's some rate history from my periodic checks. All rates are for the 7 days beginning Jan 27, 2019.
As of Feb 24, rate was $387:
As of Mar 9, rate was $459.
As of May 14, rate was back down to $387. (didn't keep a picture)
As of May 25, rate is now $603.
I've seen other strange things, where the Gold Suite is cheaper than a non-Gold Junior Suite. For a couple of days last week, the Wednesday of the week in question was showing no rooms available in the hotel. Now, all are available again.
I don't know what Revenue Management is doing, or if they know what they're doing, but if you can't find a rate you like, just keep watching!
Feb 3, 2019, 4:53 pm
Below are some photos of the outdoor pools, which are a great place to go after a day on the slopes.
Here are some photos of the ski in-out access, which is a great feature of the property. Please excuse the fisheye lens, as I took this with my GoPro after coming in from skiing.
It was, unfortunately, disappointing to see a fairly high degree of staff turnover in the past year. After years of seeing the same faces, there were not too many remaining. There was also a process change in the lounge, where the foodservice was handled by the main kitchen and not by the lounge staff. This seems to have resulted in a bit of a reduction in freshness of the food, since it was prepped down in the kitchen and carted up to the lounge. I guess they were thinking about efficiency over service with this process change.
I will be back for another week in March for another evaluation.
Still a great spot. And it's pretty tough to beat the price of this hotel for a good ski holiday. I love the Fairmonts in Whistler, Banff and Lake Louise (and will be heading out there in 2 more weeks!), but for a pre-tax price of under $400/night (if you book at the right time), Fairmont Tremblant is awesome value.
Last edited by CanadaDH; Feb 3, 2019 at 5:19 pm
May 3, 2019, 12:19 pm
Fairmont Tremblant
3045 chemin de la Chapelle CP 2670 Mont-Tremblant, QC CA J8E 1E1
Fairmont Mont Tremblant = Almost Inexistent Platinum Benefits, Uninspiring Room (12 Photos)
Fairmont Tremblant
I stayed in the past at Fairmont Mont Tremblant and concluded that Platinum benefits at this property were not good enough relative to the competition so I had not stayed for a couple of years. Under Fairmont Presidents Club it was clear that if I was not using a room upgrade certificate I should not expect an upgrade, but now I wanted to test the waters by returning to this property to see how they would handle upgrades under Accor’s program where an upgrade should be expected under the terms of the program. The key takeaway from my stay: Platinum benefits remain slim and it is a very stingy hotel regarding room upgrades. The value proposition is questionable and I will not rush back.
Room
I booked the entry level room (Fairmont Double / Double room) and from past experience I suspected any room upgrade would not be nearly as nice as what I normally get at Westin but because I was alone on this trip my purpose was more to see how they handle upgrades to steer my future stays in Mont Tremblant when I will care more about upgrades. It was the time of year where the price premium of Fairmont over Westin is at its lowest point, in part because in late April, Mont Tremblant is very quiet – it is the bottom of low season. Hotel occupancy is perhaps a bit better during weekends, but I booked my stay during the week when the hotel was only 10% occupied. It was a good time for me to give Fairmont another chance.
Despite this, I did not receive a room upgrade at check-in which is in stark contrast with the generous treatment I get at Westin and at Homewood Suites nearby. If they do not upgrade a returning Platinum guest when the hotel is 10% full, then they probably do not upgrade anybody under most circumstances except perhaps if they oversold one room type. @CanadaDH has kindly provided several updates about this hotel in the last few years which I always appreciated. He stated in his last review “Fairmont Tremblant is awesome value”. If I may, I should provide a different perspective. If you compare a vacation in Mont Tremblant relative to other Fairmonts in western Canada, yes it’s good value. However in my opinion that is a call on the price level in Mont Tremblant rather than a judgment about the value of the Fairmont property there. I would say if you have dual Platinum status with several hotel chains, Fairmont Tremblant is terrible value relative to local competition and unless stars align it would not make a lot of sense for me to return.
In my room upon arrival I had a printed note from the hotel wishing me a happy honeymoon, which was puzzling because I booked for one adult only so they got their things mixed up for sure, in addition it further strengthened my negative opinion about their upgrades: a return Platinum guest at the bottom of low season who they believe is on honeymoon does not get a room upgrade? Then who does? While I did not mention anything about upgrades at check-in, the next morning out of curiosity I went to front desk to ask them about their Platinum upgrade policy. They gave me a BS answer that it depends on hotel occupancy, and when I pointed out that the hotel was 10% full according to their own staff, they offered me a room upgrade to a Fairmont King room instead of my Fairmont Double / Double room. I politely declined because I was not going to go through the trouble of moving just to have a larger bed. They explained that their suites are privately owned and that they cannot give upgrades to suites. Fair enough, however once again this is partial BS excuse because if they wanted to give an upgrade they still could have upgraded me to a View room or a Deluxe room, if suites were out of bounds. But instead they offered the stingiest upgrade possible, and only when prompted rather than proactively. So my advice is if you stay there, don’t expect any kind of upgrade regardless of circumstances. What a big difference in treatment relative to other Fairmonts such as Istanbul and Amman last year when I was genuinely on honeymoon and got red carpet treatment. I am glad the stinginess did not happen when it really mattered to me because I would have been quite disappointed.
Now a few comments about the entry level room itself. This room type is ok but it’s not a brand new hotel so it will not wow you in any way. It is functional and the bathroom is built to a good standard, better than Westin, however the shower is in the bathtub whereas some rooms at Westin have stand-alone showers which I prefer. Also all Westin rooms have a fireplace, many have a balcony, a cathedral or odd-shaped ceiling, so for a ski resort I personally think Westin rooms are more charming than Fairmont. Similar comment for Homewood Suites as for Westin: all rooms there have a fireplace and have odd features to make it look like a ski resort. Strictly looking at the Fairmont room in isolation, you would not know you are in a ski resort.
Dining
I was disappointed to find out that breakfast buffet was not offered in the restaurant - it was a la carte only. In fairness, I walked over to Westin during the week to chat with front desk and jokingly apologize for committing adultery and booking at Fairmont on this trip, and they told me that they also did not have the breakfast buffet that week due to low occupancy. However Platinum guests at Westin could order whatever they wanted from the a la carte menu as the breakfast benefit. At Fairmont, you get what you pay for (= no breakfast benefit) which was expected but nonetheless I cannot ignore breakfast in my assessment of the value of Fairmont relative to competitors. At least we can say that the restaurant at Fairmont looks great and is a more visually attractive environment to enjoy breakfast than the restaurant at Westin which is ok but not as nice as Fairmont.
I do not like North American hotel breakfasts much, but the Fairmont a la carte breakfast was very good relative to others in this part of the world. Some hotels charge through the nose for breakfast but I thought the prices were reasonable, possibly because they know that if they overcharge, guests will just walk anywhere in the village and eat out. Guests are not captive to hotel dining in Mont Tremblant.
Common Areas
The Fairmont common areas besides the restaurant are also where you will see most clearly that Fairmont is a notch above Westin in terms of quality. These areas were renovated recently and they look great.
Pool
The heated pool at Fairmont is also superior to many other hotels in town. Westin also has a heated pool too, but it is a notch below.
Gym
The gym is somewhat small for a hotel of this size but perhaps not many people going to Mont Tremblant use a gym but on my last morning there was a conference that was about to start and the gym was crowded before 7am. The equipment was in good working condition.
Service
Some Fairmont Mont Tremblant fans will probably say that service at this hotel is excellent. I do not disagree. However it’s not like the service I get at Westin is lacking in any way. They have organized fantastic birthday parties for me before, arranged via my Marriott/Starwood Ambassador. For some random guest without status who has never been to Mont Tremblant before, possibly service at Fairmont is better than at Westin. But as a repeat guest of both hotels the difference is not material.
Gold Lounge
The one key competitive advantage that Fairmont has is the Gold Lounge. For some trips I enjoy having a lounge at my disposal, and while I enjoy a free lounge as a Platinum perk at for example at Sofitel, Banyan Tree, Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott, I am on occasion willing to pay for the lounge access if the lounge is worth it, in hotel brands where lounge access is not an elite benefit (Fairmont, Ritz Carlton). Unfortunately the lounge at Fairmont Mont Tremblant is only open during the winter. While it might be understandable to close it during low season, I think they should consider opening the lounge in the summer because hotels are quite busy during July-August. Not having experienced the lounge myself inherently makes my opinion of this hotel lower than other guests who have tried it.
Overall
Overall my takeaway is that Fairmont does not treat its Platinum guests nearly as well as Westin or Homewood Suites. However I would not necessarily say that I will never return to Fairmont. If I wanted to book a stay during a very busy period for example between Christmas and New Year, all hotels will be full so there won’t be any upgrade anywhere and Fairmont won’t stand out negatively so much. Also at that time of year I could take advantage of the Gold Lounge which nobody else offers in Tremblant. Last but not least the facilities at Fairmont are superior so for some stays where I want more luxury then Fairmont could be the answer, but in that case I would also consider Quintessence Hotel which is an even better hotel in Mont Tremblant. For any time during the year except in peak periods, I would rather save money, pay a lower rate at Westin, get a generous room upgrade, and have free breakfast there, rather than pay more for a cookie-cutter room at Fairmont without breakfast. As far as I am concerned, the only major reason I would pick Fairmont is if I want a lounge and if I am willing to forego a room upgrade. Given that the Gold Lounge at this hotel gets good reviews I should try it some day to have a more complete assessment of this hotel, but it’s clear that I will have to pay full price for that lounge and I won’t get a room upgrade so the value proposition will be a very hard sell. I wish I had something better to report in this review but honestly this hotel is simply not a good fit at least for me. You will get what you paid for, nothing more, nothing less, except for the Platinum amenity which was a handful of chocolate covered strawberries and a drink voucher.
May 3, 2019, 2:21 pm
I have one question for you : what do you mean (or what do they mean) saying “the suites are privately owned” ?
May 3, 2019, 2:37 pm
In Mont Tremblant many (most?) hotels are actually a partnership between a collection of small private owners, and the hotel which is managing the property. I am not sure if they are technically time shares because perhaps one suite = one private owner in some cases, rather than fractional ownership, and perhaps it varies by hotel too. Also probably each hotel has its own conditions about how often owners can stay in their suite, how revenue is shared between the hotel (management fee) and the owners, etc.
In any event, depending on how the contract was written between individual owners and Fairmont, it can indeed be preventing the hotel from upgrading Plats to suites if that is not a situation covered in the contract.
Maybe other FTers have more information about how this works specifically at this property.
May 3, 2019, 2:45 pm
In Mont Tremblant many (most?) hotels are actually a partnership between a collection of small private owners, and the hotel which is managing the property. I am not sure if they are technically time shares because perhaps one suite = one private owner in some cases, rather than fractional ownership, and perhaps it varies by hotel too. Also probably each hotel has its own conditions about how often owners can stay in their suite, how revenue is shared between the hotel (management fee) and the owners, etc.
In any event, depending on how the contract was written between individual owners and Fairmont, it can indeed be preventing the hotel from upgrading Plats to suites if that is not a situation covered in the contract.
Maybe other FTers have more information about how this works specifically at this property.
May 3, 2019, 3:47 pm
The suites/apartments are mostly timeshares / fractional ownerships. There's probably some sort of management contract in place with Fairmont and Fairmont sells any vacant / excess capacity via their distribution system, but I wouldn't be surprised if the contract / revenue split etc. prevented the hotel from freely using the suites.
Even under the now defunct FPC program, suite upgrade certs could not be used at the Fairmont Tremblant.
May 3, 2019, 9:33 pm
As for the hotel being 10% full, I'm surprised it was that full. The ski hill closed a couple of weeks ago, the whole place is in transition mode, maintenance crews are working on equipment everywhere, and you will actually find many stores and restaurants in the village closed completely for a few weeks. Staff of the hotels and restaurants all go south for their vacations at this time, leaving a skeleton crew behind to keep the lights on. I'll bet you got a pretty cheap rate, though! I can't imagine what there would be to do. Late November would be similar. Summer activities over, but no snow for skiing yet. Staff go away and places either close or go on reduced hours.
I have an unlimited ski pass for Tremblant, so have stayed here well over 100 nights, but only ever on the Gold floor and only ever in the winter. If you're a skier (which is their whole reason for existence), it's the best in the village. The only one with ski-in/out access, and they have the best pools. The Westin, while a nice enough hotel, is not a great option for skiers, as the access to the hill is exceptionally poor, especially while wearing ski boots!
Last edited by CanadaDH; May 3, 2019 at 9:38 pm
May 4, 2019, 5:20 am
i want to believe it is not a standard for Fairmont in Canada or USA ...
probably my room at Mercure in the middle of nothing in Italy was better, considering the rate.
May 4, 2019, 6:39 am
Is there a difference in how regional management teams have gone about integrating these brands into Accorhotels and LeClub? I believe that Asian hotels, in general, seem put in more effort with elite member treatment, but the level of recognition for elite loyalty members that I read about at these Fairmont properties is simply unacceptable. More worryingly, this 'standard' seems to be quite widespread.
May 5, 2019, 5:08 am
I have an unlimited ski pass for Tremblant, so have stayed here well over 100 nights, but only ever on the Gold floor and only ever in the winter. If you're a skier (which is their whole reason for existence), it's the best in the village. The only one with ski-in/out access, and they have the best pools. The Westin, while a nice enough hotel, is not a great option for skiers, as the access to the hill is exceptionally poor, especially while wearing ski boots!
Regarding ski-in/out access, I believe Homewood Suites is equally well situated as Fairmont, if not better, although it's splitting hair at this point. As for Westin not being a good choice for skiers, if my estimates are not too far off I would say Fairmont is 50m from the lifts on a flat terrain, and Westin is 150m from the lifts with a small slope. "Exceptionally poor" is a bit overdone in my honest opinion and I don't know how old you are, but if you were my pal (and old), just for the purposes of teasing you I would say something along the lines that when I become an old man like you, perhaps indeed Fairmont will be my choice for ski-in/out but for the moment as a relatively young lad I have no problem handling the extra 100m and the gentle hill while enjoying my suite while you stay in a small non-descript room because your tired legs cannot handle the walk
. All said in good nature of course. Also because you have only been there in the winter, it should be mentioned that lots of travellers nowadays go to Tremblant for the autumn foliage or the numerous summer activities, so the exact location of the hotel in the village is a moot point for more than 65% of the year and it's the other factors that matter more, including Platinum treatment.You are right that we should pay attention to upgrades and differences between geographies and it would be great to hear from other FTers going forward. I would mention that upgrade treatment in the U.S. is more modest with other hotel chains as well for example Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt. Canada treatment is generally better than U.S. so it might be worth differentiating. Asia is the most generous for all chains in my experience and what I read on FT from other folks. So if we end up realizing that Fairmonts are unfortunately not generous with upgrades after February 2019 in North America, it would not necessarily stand out relative to the competition, except perhaps in Canada.
And when Accor Diamond status is rolled out, it will be a new dimension to consider as well.
Last edited by escape4; May 5, 2019 at 5:18 am
May 5, 2019, 10:25 am
Regarding ski-in/out access, I believe Homewood Suites is equally well situated as Fairmont, if not better, although it's splitting hair at this point. As for Westin not being a good choice for skiers, if my estimates are not too far off I would say Fairmont is 50m from the lifts on a flat terrain, and Westin is 150m from the lifts with a small slope. "Exceptionally poor" is a bit overdone in my honest opinion and I don't know how old you are, but if you were my pal (and old), just for the purposes of teasing you I would say something along the lines that when I become an old man like you, perhaps indeed Fairmont will be my choice for ski-in/out but for the moment as a relatively young lad I have no problem handling the extra 100m and the gentle hill while enjoying my suite while you stay in a small non-descript room because your tired legs cannot handle the walk
. All said in good nature of course. Also because you have only been there in the winter, it should be mentioned that lots of travellers nowadays go to Tremblant for the autumn foliage or the numerous summer activities, so the exact location of the hotel in the village is a moot point for more than 65% of the year and it's the other factors that matter more, including Platinum treatment.The other thing I've been told, is that they don't get a lot of Platinum guests. The travellers who go there (at least in the winter, I don't know about corporate conferences in the off-season), generally, are attracted to the hotel and ski hill, rather than Accor members looking specifically for a member hotel. The hotel would probably introduce more new guests to Accor, than the hotel would generate from the current members of the program. Twice this year, when I went to redeem my points balance, the agent remarked that it was her first time she had a customer ask to redeem points. She had no problem completing the transaction, but it's rather telling about the number of guests there who are not Accor regulars. It wasn't any different under the FPC program, when you would ask to redeem a dining certificate. Program just elites don't make up a large piece of business for them. I've never personally had occasion to really test Platinum recognition there. I don't believe there are many benefits of the Accor program, that are not already provided to any guest of the Gold floor. The only thing might be late check-out, and I've never had it denied when I asked. My Accor drink vouchers were always provided at check-in. I can't think of anything else.
I've never booked anywhere but the gold floor.
So, the rest of the hotel rooms may be small or plain, but I have no experience with them; you could be right. Gold rooms are a pretty good size (different floor plan than the lower floors), but they certainly aren't fancy. The Gold lounge there is really nice... my favourite of all the Fairmont's I've been in. The fact that there are only 20 rooms and suites with lounge access, makes it reasonably quiet and comfortable. And it has a nice ski lodge feel to it. But it's the facilities that I go there for. They have the best pools in the village. Chou Gras is probably the best restaurant in the village. It's the best spa in the village (aside from le Scandinave nearby, but it's not in the village). It's the best access to the lifts (you ski down to the lift, not walk to them--no flat terrain at all). Flying Mile is right there. Maybe some flat terrain if you take the gondola, but I stick to the chairs as I don't like removing my skis, but even then, because you start from an elevation, you can actually ski right to the gondola too without any walking. I may not be old, but I can be lazy. I climb mountains in the summer, but in the winter, I work with gravity, not against it! As John Pinette used to say... "I don't do ups. I do downs. Gravity is a law, and I obey the law".
May 5, 2019, 11:00 am
If people want hard product upgrades, they should try visiting in May or November.
