Vancouver: Shangri-La and other hotels (consolidated)
Jul 29, 2019, 4:34 pm
#166
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Posts: 3,222
Eh, but the View! And watching float planes take off and land — priceless
Fairmont Pacific Rim
1038 Canada Place Vancouver, BC CA V6C0B9
RecommendedLiked: LocationServiceFoodAmenitiesRoom
Eh, but the View! And watching float planes take off and land — priceless (8 Photos)
Fairmont Pacific Rim
Check In
Smooth and swift enough but no special checkin which we should have received due to gold service. Escort to suite and intro to room features very pro forma, disterested.
Room
Gold floor one bedroom suite was fine, minimalist style, comfortable furniture. Lovely bathroom. You want to be on highest floor possible with harbor view. View is what makes the over-priced stay here worthwhile. Our suite was $2,000CDN with tax, etc. Be sure to get suite with balcony. We were given a high-quality zippered tote bag which actually is useful.
Service
Was good, sometimes very good. But, given our spend, nothing special and not real benefit to the gold floor.
Dining
We used room service. Service was very good, food decent, overpriced, and too ornate. Communication was not easy.
Location
Superb. The views here make the stay.
Overall
Overall it is a meh / eh for me.
Lobby
The lobby here is highly regarded. I was emphatically underwhelmed.
Jul 30, 2019, 1:31 am
#167
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,522
Jul 30, 2019, 7:05 am
#168
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC 50k 1MM, Marriott LT Titanium Elite
Posts: 3,402
And you can get the same/better view for less than 1/4 the price at the Westin a few blocks over. I am sure the F&B is much better, as is the quality of the decor at the Pacific Rim. But Vancouver has lots of great restaurants and $2k a night for that room is pretty poor value I think.
Jul 30, 2019, 7:56 am
#170
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC 50k 1MM, Marriott LT Titanium Elite
Posts: 3,402
Aug 3, 2019, 7:20 pm
#171
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Thanks @KatW, for taking one for the team. I’ll now remove the Fairmont Pacific Rim off any list of Vancouver options. The decor looks absolutely drab and dull.
A view is nice, but it doesn’t feed me, cool me, make me comfy in bed, or entertain me for more than 10-15 minutes.
A view is nice, but it doesn’t feed me, cool me, make me comfy in bed, or entertain me for more than 10-15 minutes.
Aug 4, 2019, 12:20 am
#172
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Virtuoso, Marriott Stars/Luminous, Hilton Impresario, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle, Hyatt Prive etc
Posts: 2,004
Thanks @KatW, for taking one for the team. I’ll now remove the Fairmont Pacific Rim off any list of Vancouver options. The decor looks absolutely drab and dull.
A view is nice, but it doesn’t feed me, cool me, make me comfy in bed, or entertain me for more than 10-15 minutes.
A view is nice, but it doesn’t feed me, cool me, make me comfy in bed, or entertain me for more than 10-15 minutes.
Aug 4, 2019, 1:16 am
#173
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Posts: 3,222
We stayed at Pac Rim earlier this year in one of their newer Owner's Suites and enjoyed the stay greatly (and much, much better than the Westin!). The suite was spacious, we liked the facilities (chaise long, record player) and I think the decor is improved over the Gold Suite so might be worth a look. We ate all meals on the Gold floor (we were only there one night) - there was plenty for dinner, a reasonable choice of wines, service was good and we were grateful to have somewhere to sit after check-out before our late flight home.
Aug 4, 2019, 1:58 am
#174
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Virtuoso, Marriott Stars/Luminous, Hilton Impresario, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle, Hyatt Prive etc
Posts: 2,004
Aug 10, 2019, 4:03 pm
#175
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: United global services, BA gold,
Posts: 839
We are currently staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver following our Seabourn Alaska cruise. Thanks to Kat W. for her comments. Mine are much the same. We had originally booked a gold level harbor view owners suite, but when I looked at the price I just couldn’t do it. So we changed to
a gold level harbor view deluxe corner room - slightly larger than than the deluxe harbor views. Views are terrific. Being on a high floor is important so booking gold ( Concierge) level worth the added cost just to guarantee the high floor views. ( we are water view people).
The views are outstanding from our room and the lounge. The room is decent sized at 500 sq feet and includes a Japanese style jetted tub with beautiful views of the water. In our three nights here though we have only used once - maybe after dinner tonight.
The goldlounge is ok - very nice views, but given we booked through virtuoso which includes room service breakfast we eat breakfast in our room. They have several food presentations but we have gone out for lunch and dinner every meal as we enjoy sampling the local restaurants some of which have been very good. We tend to have before dinner drinks in the gold lounge but they are paid for drinks ( their concierge floor does not include any alcohol,wine or beer) It’s an honor bar system where you sign a slip writing down what you have poured. The lobby of the hotel is very crowded and noisy so despite having to pay for drinks in the gold lounge I like the fact it’s quieter and has beautiful views including a lovely outdoor area.
There is also a private concierge on the floor to help with bookings but we booked all of our meal reservations in advance so didn’t really use.
In my experience the only benefits to paying a higher price for gold level was the guaranteed high floor room, and a quiet place with terrific views to have a drink. For others the meal services might have been a worthwhile investment.
Service - was fine. Room decor nothing special, but nice large bathroom and these great harbor views and we loved being on a corner. I agree with Kat W. the rooms are overpriced for what they are - but if you want great water views watching the seaplanes, etc it is the best waterside option in Vancouver IMHO. And if for no other reason to ensure a high floor and less chaos I do suggest the gold level (Concierge) which I don’t always suggest at all hotels.
a gold level harbor view deluxe corner room - slightly larger than than the deluxe harbor views. Views are terrific. Being on a high floor is important so booking gold ( Concierge) level worth the added cost just to guarantee the high floor views. ( we are water view people).
The views are outstanding from our room and the lounge. The room is decent sized at 500 sq feet and includes a Japanese style jetted tub with beautiful views of the water. In our three nights here though we have only used once - maybe after dinner tonight.
The goldlounge is ok - very nice views, but given we booked through virtuoso which includes room service breakfast we eat breakfast in our room. They have several food presentations but we have gone out for lunch and dinner every meal as we enjoy sampling the local restaurants some of which have been very good. We tend to have before dinner drinks in the gold lounge but they are paid for drinks ( their concierge floor does not include any alcohol,wine or beer) It’s an honor bar system where you sign a slip writing down what you have poured. The lobby of the hotel is very crowded and noisy so despite having to pay for drinks in the gold lounge I like the fact it’s quieter and has beautiful views including a lovely outdoor area.
There is also a private concierge on the floor to help with bookings but we booked all of our meal reservations in advance so didn’t really use.
In my experience the only benefits to paying a higher price for gold level was the guaranteed high floor room, and a quiet place with terrific views to have a drink. For others the meal services might have been a worthwhile investment.
Service - was fine. Room decor nothing special, but nice large bathroom and these great harbor views and we loved being on a corner. I agree with Kat W. the rooms are overpriced for what they are - but if you want great water views watching the seaplanes, etc it is the best waterside option in Vancouver IMHO. And if for no other reason to ensure a high floor and less chaos I do suggest the gold level (Concierge) which I don’t always suggest at all hotels.
Aug 10, 2019, 8:00 pm
#176
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: YVR
Posts: 640
Prices for all downtown Vancouver hotels in the summer can be shocking. When we have a few cruise ships in town and a major conference I've seen 3 star options for over $600 CAD. This coming Friday even the 2.5 star Howard Johnson (3.1/5 rating on Expedia) is going for $440 CAD for a standard queen room and there isn't even a conference happening. Stop by in January and the Shangri-La or Rosewood can be found for under $250 CAD all in with Virtuoso benefits.
Before I moved here I was in Vancouver for work on a monthly basis and spent hundreds of nights at the higher end hotels. Pacific Rim is still my favorite option and it is because of those views which the other top hotels can't offer. The service at the Rosewood, Shangri-La and Pacific Rim is comparable in my experience. Hard product is very similar, actually nearly identical between the SL and PR since they were built at the same time and the buildings have the same owner.
If one needs a suite I would suggest getting the 1200 sq foot option at the Pacific Rim at the minimum. They are on the northwest corner of the building and have a large balcony to enjoy those views. Many (Probably even most) of the Gold suites at the PR weren't even intended to be gold suites when the hotel initially opened in 2010.
Before I moved here I was in Vancouver for work on a monthly basis and spent hundreds of nights at the higher end hotels. Pacific Rim is still my favorite option and it is because of those views which the other top hotels can't offer. The service at the Rosewood, Shangri-La and Pacific Rim is comparable in my experience. Hard product is very similar, actually nearly identical between the SL and PR since they were built at the same time and the buildings have the same owner.
If one needs a suite I would suggest getting the 1200 sq foot option at the Pacific Rim at the minimum. They are on the northwest corner of the building and have a large balcony to enjoy those views. Many (Probably even most) of the Gold suites at the PR weren't even intended to be gold suites when the hotel initially opened in 2010.
Aug 17, 2019, 9:43 am
#180
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Asheville, NC
Programs: Virtuoso, FSPP, STARS, MO FAN Club, PEN Club, Bellini Club, Dorchester Diamond Club, Travel Leaders
Posts: 1,854