pancakex

I've stayed on the Gold floor at the Empress a few times and it's my favorite thus far: great service, food and views, historic building, and last I was there, an impressively huge Nespresso machine to keep me caffeinated ^

I've also stayed on the Gold floor at the Fairmont Orchid, which was lovely - I mean... Come on, it's Hawaii! For the price, however, and factoring in the resort fee and parking and all that, you could practically stay at Four Seasons Hualalai for not much more! (Free parking, amazing grounds, and free breakfast with a FHR booking).

I'm currently staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in a Gold room and though the service is amazing, I was disappointed to stop by at 10 PM and see the lounge had closed up shop! Seriously, they'd even rolled down a metal door over the Gold desk. I didn't think it was that late, but clearly Fairmont would beg to differ..

Anyone else had particularly good (or bad??) Gold experiences? I hear that the booze is free in Gold lounges in the Middle East and Asia - no honor bar? ^^

Jasper2009

My experiece with Fairmont hotels in Asia and the Middle East is rather limited, but it´s my understanding that alcoholic beverages are only free/available during certain hours (e.g. free champagne/wine and/or cocktails from 5p.m.-7p.m. daily).

I quite like the executive lounge (not branded as a Gold lounge) at the Fairmont SIN: all guests staying in a suite (incl. those who used an upgrade cert^) get comp. lounge access, breakfast buffet very good, evening buffet not bad and free-flow champagne and wine in the evening (not sure about other drinks).

Fairmont Pacific Rim: one of my favourite Gold lounges due to excellent staff, awesome views from the 20th floor and outside patios

Lake Louise: very nice lounge and a completely different (read much better) atmosphere compared with the hotel in general which is overrun with thousands of tourists. Also, a Fairmont Gold room is 2x the size of a Fairmont room (which is just tiny and quite unimpressive), so this is probably among the hotels where I´d be most tempted to pay for a room on the Gold floor

Overall I haven´stayed on too many Gold floors since I rarely see the value proposition: all certs are excluded from being combined with bookings involving the Gold floor (except the Chase CC Gold upgrade certs) and I don´t see the point in paying $100-$150 more per night for an enhanced continental breakfast and some evening canapes at most Fairmonts. However, it´s a great product for those who want the very best service available and value the more exclusive atmosphere and possibly a place to meet with friends in a casual setting.

CanadaDH

I look at it as more than just breakfast and lounge atmosphere that you're paying for. As you said about the CLL, you're usually getting a better room--sometimes larger but normally it's also got better finishes or more current renovations.

I also don't stay on the gold floors often, but do see the value in some properties. In particular, when I'm at Le Château Frontenac in Quebec, I always book a gold room. I know my gold room will be nicely updated, but as with many older Fairmonts, you never know how much wear the regular rooms will be showing.

I also book gold at Tremblant every winter. It a nice lounge and not normally very busy. The other parts of the hotel can feel rather busy during ski season, so the gold floor provides a bit of an oasis.

I've never had the pleasure of staying on the gold floor in Lake Louise, but you've got me tempted now. I find the CLL gives me excellent value on certificate redemption, so I end up using a suite upgrade as well as a free night there every year, which makes a gold floor booking not possible. Maybe next summer I'll splurge for gold and use the certs elsewhere.

jkc22

Whistler, Whistler, Whistler

Frontenac is truly classy.

Ancien Maestro

Stayed on the Gold Floor at CLL and it is nice. We usually don't stay at CLL, but the Gold Floor has us trying to book lately with no luck.

pancakex

Thanks for the replies. Having stayed in a suite downstairs at the Pacific Rim the night before (using my free night cert) and then moving up to the Gold floor, the room quality seemed to be equivalent, but our room had quite an amazing view - I'm sure they've got all the Gold rooms clustered on that side of the building with views out over Stanley Park and the mountains. The rooms there ALL seem to be very nice, though - marble bathrooms, TV built into the bathroom mirror, separate rainshower. Our Gold room DID have a jetted tub, though. My husband tried it out and wasn't impressed, though

I was happy to see that this lounge has a signature barrel-aged cocktail on offer in addition to the regular booze. Very cool!^

One thing I think could be improved: I was disappointed by the hair dryer in our suite, and a bit surprised to see the same underpowered thing in our Gold room as well. I'm sure their demographic skews male, so most of their customers probably don't have a lot of hair they need to dry, but I DO usually see plenty of women in the lounges, so we're obviously using the rooms. It would be great to have a more powerful blow dryer in the Gold rooms to differentiate them as well. Just one less thing to haul along when you're trying to pack light, without having to stand there for 10 minutes to get your hair dry (and mine is pretty short!)

uncertaintraveler

At several Fairmonts, we have been repeatedly told that Lake Louise has the best gold floor and it is the hotel where being on the gold floor is worth it.

I've never not stayed on the gold floor at Lake Louise, so I have no idea if that statement has any merit. At the same time, I have no interest in changing my routine.

Ancien Maestro

CLL has been one of my only gold floor experiences, and the rooms are markedly upgraded compared to regular rooms. The food quality was good, and the selection is ok.

We liked the games offered, and the staff seems to provide personalized outstanding service. Gregor Resch (GM) has done a fantastic job to transform the Chateau Lake Louise, especially the Gold Floor.

CanadaDH

Now you've really got me wanting to stay on the CLL gold floor. Each time I've stayed there in a non-gold room, I've found it to be renovated quite nicely, especially for a hotel of this age. If gold there is even better, then I'm really looking forward to trying it out.

Below are some images from this past summer when I stayed in a non-gold suite. It was a beautifully renovated bathroom. The salon was charming, had nice hardwood flooring, and the furniture seemed quite new. We stayed in room #819.

TravelGuy1965

I'll be there in about 2 weeks from now

But I don't see how it can exceed the Scottsdale Princess. The Oatmeal Creme Brulee was just wonderful...

Ancien Maestro

The Gold Floor Suite One Bedroom we stayed in.. The bathroom looks similar to your pictures, but the Bedroom itself was markedly upgraded compared to your picture. For example, there was cornice and wainscoting. The furniture and drapery seemed to be better as well. In addition, there was an additional half bath in the Gold Floor One Bedroom Suite.

Antonio8069

My vote is for Hamilton Princess in Bermuda. Enormous open space, full afternoon tea service, butlers wear formal attire, and visiting privileges on the Gold Floor at the sister property, the Southampton. (You can travel between the two properties on Fairmont's own water taxi!).

uncertaintraveler

There are, as I recall, two One Bedroom Suites on the Gold Floor. I've stayed in one of them (the one nearest to the Gold Lounge), and your statements are accurate (although the shower was a steam-type one, and was off to the left of the tub, which was on its own against the wall opposite the shower, and which was jetted). The living area of the Suite was also slightly larger than that depicted in the photos, with a round dining table (with four seats), a chaise lounge, and a few stuffy chairs, along with a gas fireplace.

That said, the room that is better, in my opinion, than the 1 bedroom suite is the Gold Floor Lakeview Junior Suite that is in the second "tower", slightly farther down the hallway from the lounge. Although it isn't as big as the 1 bedroom suite and lacks the defined and separated living area, the views from that room are much better than from the 1 bedroom suite, since the room takes up just about the entirety of the tower (and thus has, as I recall, 8 windows: 4 facing head-on to the lake, and two on each side facing diagonal-type views of the lake).

Ancien Maestro

The Gold Floor one bedroom lakeview suite by the lounge is where we stayed in, and I prefer this room to the other ones on the floor. There is a signature one bedroom lakeview suite that is literally furthest down the hall away, with a central fire place backing on the lake. This suite sells for more than the Gold Floor one bedroom suite, but I much prefer the suite by the lounge for convenience especially with my two kids.

IIRC there is a one bedroom Gold Floor mountain view suite as well. I really can't comment on the Gold Floor Junior Suites as we've never seen one.

pancakex

Wow, sounds amazing! I'm going to have to check that out...