Which are the Most Extraordinary Hotels in the Fairmont Group?
In my stays at different Fairmont hotels I have found some of their hotels extraordinary with large tall ceilinged classical rooms and suites with stunning views. I would put in this category the Montreux Palace, the Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise, the Savoy, The Plaza
Then there are others while nice --I would subjectively put in totally different tiers. An intermediate tier the Orchid in Hawaii (the weakness of the rooms), the Sonoma Mission Inn, San Francisco, Seattle, etc. And finally a third tier where I would include such hotels as Newport Beach, etc. I am extremely interested in what hotels in the Fairmont group other members feel combine extraordinary architecture, beauty and views well worth the trip? This is an update on this thread to summarize the input from members as well as input from some veteran Fairmont President’s Club representatives. I have restricted it to a top 10 destination/hotel list and will continue to update this list as additional members input comes in. One of the attractive features of the hotels that are proximate by car is that they are conducive to a unique travel experience. In the three that have mentioned below I have anchored the group with what is perceived as the most extraordinary of the hotels. This of course is a very subjective first cut list but I would appreciate commentary on whether the hotels on this list really deserve to be on this list and in what order. 1) Banff Springs with side trip to Chateau Lake Louise and/or Jasper Park 2) London- Savoy Hotel 3) New York- The Plaza 4) Le Chateau Frontenac with side trip to Le Manoir Richelieu 5) The Montreux Palace 6) Vancouver - Pacific Rim and/or Waterfront 7) San Francisco Fairmont (tower) with side trip to Sonoma Mission Inn 8) Seattle - The Olympic 9) Shanghai - Peace Hotel 10) Hawaii - the Orchid |
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Do I really need say more?
http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/medi...-city_6289.jpg |
Banff Springs is one of my favorite. The New Savoy is nice as well. The Orchid used to be a Ritz Carlton.. I personally would rate Orchid and Kea Lani in the first tier.. IMHO. Orchid, Kea Lani, and Seattle (used to be a Four Seasons) while not as architecturally old world refined, are world class hotels.
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Originally Posted by tcook052
(Post 15558490)
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Do I really need say more?
http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/medi...-city_6289.jpg Are there particular times in the year that you would travel? e.g. Fall when the leaves turn, an annual event in the area? |
Originally Posted by point bonita lighthouse
(Post 15563111)
Thanks tcook,
Are there particular times in the year that you would travel? e.g. Fall when the leaves turn, an annual event in the area? PS The historic district of Quebec City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. :) |
The top Fairmont hotels IMO are Banff Springs, Lake Louise, JPL, Fairmont Seattle and the Pacific Rim.
The problem with most historic Fairmont hotels (SFO, Edmonton, Vancouver downtown, Boston Copley Sq.) is that they offer great views and a fantastic location, but the rooms are not that fantastic, to be fair it´s hard to update the bathroom iif the architect allocated 50sq.ft. for it, also some properties are just too large to offer 5* personalized service. The Gold Floors are these properties are fantastic, however. |
Originally Posted by Jasper2009
(Post 15563473)
The top Fairmont hotels IMO are Banff Springs, Lake Louise, JPL, Fairmont Seattle and the Pacific Rim.
The problem with most historic Fairmont hotels (SFO, Edmonton, Vancouver downtown, Boston Copley Sq.) is that they offer great views and a fantastic location, but the rooms are not that fantastic The other two proerties I could nominate but sorry as much as I like the Olympic to me it really belongs in the list of historic hotels you mentioned as having room issues. And I hope that doesn't sidetrack from OP's intent with this thread, just adding my two cents. |
CLL doesn't have the amenities that BSH offers.. when it comes to rooms, BSH definitely has the repertoire compared to other properties such as Le Chateau Frontenac, CLL, JPL, Hotel MacDonald, Paliser, Empress, etc. I like the Mac, Empress, Whistler (should be on the elite list, not to extent of BSH).. once you've tasted BSH, nothing else compares to it, except a different type of scenary i.e. ORC, or KEA. Turnberry is actually pretty nice, and I've heard that the new Mayakoba is a force to contend with as well.
Let's not forget the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, in the shadows of the Pacific Rim. |
Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
(Post 15565763)
Let's not forget the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, in the shadows of the Pacific Rim.
Did you mean the Hotel Vancouver? |
Clearly Lake Louise, Quebec City, Olympic Seattle, but what's missing from the list is the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, although it has it's problems with small rooms and service.
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I stayed at the Savoy recently and it was truly stunning after the major renovation.
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Originally Posted by Shenanigans
(Post 15565819)
That would be one mighty big shadow, AM. ;)
Did you mean the Hotel Vancouver? |
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
(Post 15566074)
Clearly Lake Louise, Quebec City, Olympic Seattle, but what's missing from the list is the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, although it has it's problems with small rooms and service.
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While on the topic, we've got a few gems from Africa as well..
http://www.fairmont.com/EN_FA/Articl...gworldbest.htm Notably.. #3 resort total in the world.. will have to put my reading glasses on a bit later. Top Golf Resorts.. http://www.fairmont.com/EN_FA/Articl...deNast2010.htm Top Fairmont Resorts.. http://www.fairmont.com/en_fa/articl...orldselite.htm My beloved Fairmont Orchid I guess has won many accolades.. http://www.fairmontmeetings.com/orchid/property_03.html My beloved Fairmont Kea Lani.. list of accolades http://www.fairmontmeetings.com/keal...operty_03.html More articles can be found in the Fairmont website.. |
Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro
(Post 15571546)
More articles can be found in the Fairmont website..
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