Westin Bear Mountain (Victoria/Langford, BC) [Master Thread]
Jun 18, 2008, 9:06 pm
#31
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Tucson, AZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott LT Titanium, AA LT Gold, Radisson Gold, Hertz PC, HP Masters emeritus (sigh)
Posts: 445
Thanks for the recent reports. I am considering a stay there next month with kids, because of the value in C&P and the kitchens...Does anyone know how many suites they have and are you likely to get one as a Plat (even on a C&P stay) or is it hit and miss?
Jun 18, 2008, 9:40 pm
#32
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: MKE
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA Plat Pro, MR LTP, others from cards
Posts: 890
The floor plan for the second floor suggested a high ratio of suites to rooms. That's the floor with the big patio so it may be different on other levels. Previous reports in this thread suggested reliable upgrades even when multiple rooms are booked in one reservation. You could also use the logic that availablility of cash and points equals low projected occupancy and therefore good upgrade potential.
Jul 10, 2008, 2:38 pm
#33
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1
The floor plan for the second floor suggested a high ratio of suites to rooms. That's the floor with the big patio so it may be different on other levels. Previous reports in this thread suggested reliable upgrades even when multiple rooms are booked in one reservation. You could also use the logic that availablility of cash and points equals low projected occupancy and therefore good upgrade potential.
Aug 26, 2009, 10:55 pm
#34
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: new jersey
Posts: 57
Any recent experiences at Bear Westin, BC
hi! all,
we are planning to visit victoria BC and have scheduled a 2 night stay at this location. Can anyone share their recent experiences at this location.
One of the issues we have is that 2 nights are 2 different reservations due to separate awards and points which meant separate rooms. SPG customer service said on phone, that they cannot combine to give the same room, but can try on check in.
Is there any chance that at checkin , they would combine these two? Is there any other request I could make to get the same room for 2 nights.
Any tips appreciated.
Regards
honr
we are planning to visit victoria BC and have scheduled a 2 night stay at this location. Can anyone share their recent experiences at this location.
One of the issues we have is that 2 nights are 2 different reservations due to separate awards and points which meant separate rooms. SPG customer service said on phone, that they cannot combine to give the same room, but can try on check in.
Is there any chance that at checkin , they would combine these two? Is there any other request I could make to get the same room for 2 nights.
Any tips appreciated.
Regards
honr
Oct 26, 2009, 5:32 pm
#35
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Canada
Programs: AC SE 2MM, HH Dd, SPG; IC Pl/A; AA; DL
Posts: 14,321
Just to add my 2 cents that this is an excellent property if location is OK for you (ie not downtown and close to nature not buildings, restaurants etc).
Despite (or maybe because of) location, we enjoyed our stay and the staff was accommodating, helpful and knowledgeable; room (upgraded to suite overlooking Bear Mountain in Clubhouse) was great including a full kitchen with dishes, knives etc; quiet and serene and the weather even cooperated. Went to see the salmon spawning at Goldstream Park nearby and even went to Victoria which is only about 15-20 minutes if you can avoid some traffic jams on entering Highway 1 at certain times of day.
Food in Panache restaurant was limited selection but very good, well presented and prepared. Extensive wine list, accommodating service (smaller orders, split plates whatever you wanted).
We will go back.
Despite (or maybe because of) location, we enjoyed our stay and the staff was accommodating, helpful and knowledgeable; room (upgraded to suite overlooking Bear Mountain in Clubhouse) was great including a full kitchen with dishes, knives etc; quiet and serene and the weather even cooperated. Went to see the salmon spawning at Goldstream Park nearby and even went to Victoria which is only about 15-20 minutes if you can avoid some traffic jams on entering Highway 1 at certain times of day.
Food in Panache restaurant was limited selection but very good, well presented and prepared. Extensive wine list, accommodating service (smaller orders, split plates whatever you wanted).
We will go back.
Dec 3, 2009, 7:00 pm
#36
Join Date: May 2009
Location: YVR
Programs: AC-E, SPG-Plat, GP-P, HH-G
Posts: 163
Recent 1 nite stay
Stayed for one nite this month. Booked the lowest rate (prepaid). Arrived and was upgraded to a very nice one bedroom suite (corner unit) in the main building. Had a nice view of one of the golf courses. The room was the size of a nice one bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms.
Ordered room service and the food was well prepared.
Was offered the points as Plat amenity.
Free parking is available close to the entrance of the hotel. The hotel is a bit of a drive from downtown Victoria. It takes about 20 minutes in late morning to get to the harbour area.
When I have more time, I will definitely return with friends and family as the rooms were excellent and the golf course looked great.
Ordered room service and the food was well prepared.
Was offered the points as Plat amenity.
Free parking is available close to the entrance of the hotel. The hotel is a bit of a drive from downtown Victoria. It takes about 20 minutes in late morning to get to the harbour area.
When I have more time, I will definitely return with friends and family as the rooms were excellent and the golf course looked great.
Jun 30, 2010, 3:03 pm
#37
Join Date: May 2001
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 1,602
Just returned from two nights with my wife at this property and it was exactly as others had indicated. The hotel, although it has a Victoria address that cannot be found on Garmin or Yahoo Driving directions, is a 20 minute drive from Victoria. We followed the directions on the web and had an easy time finding the hotel, as Westin signs were frequent and well-placed. In front of the hotel stands a 10 foot bear standing on his hind feet and dressed to the Nines-a symbol of the location and a treat for kids who come to stay at the property. We stayed in the main building and were upgraded from a suite to a larger corner suite (room 331) which had a kitchen, an outside balcony, a fireplace, and two showers. The bedroom was seperated from the living room by a door. Panache was closed so we had a superb dinner in another room that also served as the breakfast room, and the breakfast was tasty as well.
Parking is free, as there is extensive grounds that someday will be converted into a golf resort with perhaps 2000 condos spread around the 2 18 hole Jack Nicklaus designed courses.
We saw very little ongoing construction, although there was a model in the hotel lobby of the future resort. Behind and off to the right of the hotel was a partially-built six story condo with an attached unused crane, as the construction stopped 4 years ago when cash got tight. There were also a number of other buildings that were planned but it appeared that construction did not get started because of a lack of buyers. During the past week, we were told that the hotel and nearby condos were packed with golfers who arrived to enter into one of the major Canadian golf tournaments. Other guests included a bus load guests from Israel, who were stopping off after visiting Alaska and now were working their way eastward through Canada.
One of the problems with the room we were assigned was that it had no temperature controls for the bedroom and despite having the window wide open at night, it still was too warm for us to sleep well. The Heavenly shower certainly was Heavenly, as it was one of the best we had used.
Some have commented about the drive to Victoria, but this was not a problem for us as we arrived by ferry and toured downtown and the Empress Hotel on our arrival. The hotel offered easy access to the airport, the Butterfly exhibition, and Butchart Gardens, where we spent 6 hours looking at flowers and having a lovely dinner.
The hotel staff was helpful and did a good job looking after us. Nor did we have to prompt the front desk staff for our 500 point ammenity. There also is free computer acess around the corner from the front desk. Although we brought our bathing suites, the heated pool was outside, and the temperature a tad too cold for us to venture out at night or early in the AM.
Overall, an interesting new property that has a country flavor.
Parking is free, as there is extensive grounds that someday will be converted into a golf resort with perhaps 2000 condos spread around the 2 18 hole Jack Nicklaus designed courses.
We saw very little ongoing construction, although there was a model in the hotel lobby of the future resort. Behind and off to the right of the hotel was a partially-built six story condo with an attached unused crane, as the construction stopped 4 years ago when cash got tight. There were also a number of other buildings that were planned but it appeared that construction did not get started because of a lack of buyers. During the past week, we were told that the hotel and nearby condos were packed with golfers who arrived to enter into one of the major Canadian golf tournaments. Other guests included a bus load guests from Israel, who were stopping off after visiting Alaska and now were working their way eastward through Canada.
One of the problems with the room we were assigned was that it had no temperature controls for the bedroom and despite having the window wide open at night, it still was too warm for us to sleep well. The Heavenly shower certainly was Heavenly, as it was one of the best we had used.
Some have commented about the drive to Victoria, but this was not a problem for us as we arrived by ferry and toured downtown and the Empress Hotel on our arrival. The hotel offered easy access to the airport, the Butterfly exhibition, and Butchart Gardens, where we spent 6 hours looking at flowers and having a lovely dinner.
The hotel staff was helpful and did a good job looking after us. Nor did we have to prompt the front desk staff for our 500 point ammenity. There also is free computer acess around the corner from the front desk. Although we brought our bathing suites, the heated pool was outside, and the temperature a tad too cold for us to venture out at night or early in the AM.
Overall, an interesting new property that has a country flavor.
Jul 1, 2010, 7:25 am
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
The hotel is in Langford- not Victoria.
Jul 1, 2010, 8:11 pm
#39
Join Date: May 2001
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 1,602
You are indeed correct, but if you check the hotel's Starwood website, it is listed as Victoria. See below which I copied. This caused Garmin;s GPS and Yahoo driving directions to not find it.
1999 Country Club Way • Victoria, BC • Canada • Map
Phone: (250) 391-7160 • Fax: (250) 391-3792
Contact Us • Special Offers Reservations: 866-716-8101 Visit the Bear Mountain Resort website
1999 Country Club Way • Victoria, BC • Canada • Map
Phone: (250) 391-7160 • Fax: (250) 391-3792
Contact Us • Special Offers Reservations: 866-716-8101 Visit the Bear Mountain Resort website
Jul 1, 2010, 8:38 pm
#40
formerly known as 2lovelife
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: ORF : UA_Premier_Gold4Life, Bonvoy_titanium, Accor_Plat
Posts: 6,952
You are indeed correct, but if you check the hotel's Starwood website, it is listed as Victoria. See below which I copied. This caused Garmin;s GPS and Yahoo driving directions to not find it.
1999 Country Club Way • Victoria, BC • Canada • Map
Phone: (250) 391-7160 • Fax: (250) 391-3792
1999 Country Club Way • Victoria, BC • Canada • Map
Phone: (250) 391-7160 • Fax: (250) 391-3792
Jul 1, 2010, 9:13 pm
#41
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
Posts: 12,396
Am in house now and enjoying a similar experience as Life_Platinum. Upgraded to a corner, 4th Fl. 1 BR. suite w/ 2 bathrooms and full kitchen, clubhouse golf-course/mountain view. This is a beautiful setting with lovely views of forest, mountains and inlets in the distance.
A very nice feature here is that the $15 resort fee is waived for Plats. ^^, as almost all benefits covered by it are offered free as Platinum benefits, such as free high-speed internet -- and this one is high-speed.
Although 20 mins. from downtown, we consider it a good base to explore the West. (Sooke and beyond) and up Island (Sidney, Nanaimo) -- a lot less crowded than the Inner Harbor, Victoria area.
Although today was only 58 - 62F., with brief sprinkles in the p.m., the outdoor pool was 83 and, though we passed on a swim, we're planning on it for future days. The surrounding workout areas are as well equipped as any Westin I can remember.
A very nice feature here is that the $15 resort fee is waived for Plats. ^^, as almost all benefits covered by it are offered free as Platinum benefits, such as free high-speed internet -- and this one is high-speed.
Although 20 mins. from downtown, we consider it a good base to explore the West. (Sooke and beyond) and up Island (Sidney, Nanaimo) -- a lot less crowded than the Inner Harbor, Victoria area.
Although today was only 58 - 62F., with brief sprinkles in the p.m., the outdoor pool was 83 and, though we passed on a swim, we're planning on it for future days. The surrounding workout areas are as well equipped as any Westin I can remember.
Jul 2, 2010, 5:20 am
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
Jul 3, 2010, 9:28 am
#44
formerly known as 2lovelife
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: ORF : UA_Premier_Gold4Life, Bonvoy_titanium, Accor_Plat
Posts: 6,952
Am in house now and enjoying a similar experience as Life_Platinum. Upgraded to a corner, 4th Fl. 1 BR. suite w/ 2 bathrooms and full kitchen, clubhouse golf-course/mountain view. This is a beautiful setting with lovely views of forest, mountains and inlets in the distance.
A very nice feature here is that the $15 resort fee is waived for Plats. ^^, as almost all benefits covered by it are offered free as Platinum benefits, such as free high-speed internet -- and this one is high-speed.
A very nice feature here is that the $15 resort fee is waived for Plats. ^^, as almost all benefits covered by it are offered free as Platinum benefits, such as free high-speed internet -- and this one is high-speed.
I've stayed at this hotel twice. Once with no upgrade, and once with the corner, one bedroom suite (sounds like the same one). Having the upgrade sure makes a difference.
Also the Clubhouse pub, across the parking lot has a great little menu that I've enjoyed a few times.
Oct 3, 2010, 9:17 am
#45
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: San Francisco (Marin County), CA
Programs: UA Global Services, AA Lifetime ExecPlat, LH HON Circle, SQ PPS Solitaire, Hyatt Courtesy Card
Posts: 3,002
Stayed here this weekend as platinum with large family group in a suite in the fairways building, with connector and another adjacent room.
I was a little nervous after reading the Trip Advisor reports, some of which seem to be strongly negative and some of which seem to be strongly positive.
The hotel actually far exceeded my expectations. We ate at every restaurant; had a couples massage at the spa; swam every day (beautiful weekend...). So we really took advantage of everything here. There has not been one small service issue with anything at any point in the stay. Great stay and a great staff. In fact little small things have gone above and beyond what we would have expected (example: we had massages on Saturday but wanted to use the thermal mineral pool on Friday night, we were prepared to pay the $15 each admission charge but they recognized that we had massages booked for the next day and waived it; etc.).
I think the negative reviews on TA are mostly people who didn't realize this hotel is not in Victoria. If you realize what you're getting into (and its BEAUTIFUL up here on this mountain, and there's plenty to keep busy with, at least for us) - then - you'll love the place. We would stay here again in a heartbeat and it was WAY better for us than a downtown hotel.
I was a little nervous after reading the Trip Advisor reports, some of which seem to be strongly negative and some of which seem to be strongly positive.
The hotel actually far exceeded my expectations. We ate at every restaurant; had a couples massage at the spa; swam every day (beautiful weekend...). So we really took advantage of everything here. There has not been one small service issue with anything at any point in the stay. Great stay and a great staff. In fact little small things have gone above and beyond what we would have expected (example: we had massages on Saturday but wanted to use the thermal mineral pool on Friday night, we were prepared to pay the $15 each admission charge but they recognized that we had massages booked for the next day and waived it; etc.).
I think the negative reviews on TA are mostly people who didn't realize this hotel is not in Victoria. If you realize what you're getting into (and its BEAUTIFUL up here on this mountain, and there's plenty to keep busy with, at least for us) - then - you'll love the place. We would stay here again in a heartbeat and it was WAY better for us than a downtown hotel.