Fairmont Vancouver

Hey everyone!

Hope you and your families are doing well and staying healthy. Today I’m sharing my experience staying at the Fairmont Vancouver. It’s important to note that there are actually three Fairmont hotels in Vancouver. The one I stayed at on this occasion was the original Fairmont Vancouver located Downtown. The other two Fairmonts, both of which are newer and seem more renovated, are the Fairmont Pacific Rim and Fairmont Waterfront. My family and I arrived in the late afternoon after a United flight into YVR from Denver. The flight was pretty uneventful, and not really any different from the typical domestic economy flight on United. My first impressions of the Fairmont were fairly good; the building has beautiful architecture, but was noticeably a bit aged. The lobby was updated and very tasteful, although the line for check-in was less than ideal. The service was decent, but nowhere near stellar, like the service I experienced at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo.

Arriving at the Fairmont Downtown.

Lobby of the Fairmont Downtown (This was taken after the line had cleared).

My family and I got to our two rooms relatively quickly. The design of the hotel was gorgeous, it must have been renovated recently. The hotel was a bit crowded, more so than I’m used to. That must simply be because of the size and capacity of the hotel itself. Despite the clean look of the lobby and ground floor, the design shifted to outdated as we reached the 5th floor, where our rooms were. The floor wasn’t poorly done, just old compared to how new the lobby seemed. It seems Fairmont must be putting most of their assets into their two newest Vancouver hotels, as the shift in modernity was quite noticeable. This could also be due to the shops on the first floor; the hotel may have invested more into the part of the building which would be the first impression of shoppers and guests. This is just speculation, though.

5th floor elevator entrance–noticeably outdated compared to the lobby.

The room was quite nice and had decent furnishings. Again, it was just a bit surprising to see how outdated our room was compared to the expectations set by the new lobby. To many, I’m sure this wouldn’t be a big deal. I’m just someone who focuses on the details and appreciates cohesion. Regardless, the room had all the amenities one could expect from a room at a 4-star hotel. The toiletries provided in the bathroom were of high quality. As of the time of writing this report, it seems that the hotel has been working on renovations of guest floors, at least from the pictures on their website. We stayed in one of the ‘Deluxe’ rooms.

The view from the room was rather good! There was a park of some sort directly across the street and some of the many skyscrapers of the Vancouver skyline. Is it the best in Vancouver? Maybe not, but it’s a view nonetheless.

View from the Fairmont Downtown at night.

The true gem of this hotel was its location. The Fairmont Downtown is located among a vibrant district of Vancouver, with plenty of good shopping and an abundance of delicious restaurants. The restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel was quite good, and had an impressive spread for breakfast.

Breakfast spread at the restaurant of the Fairmont Downtown.

Another highlight of the Downtown location is its history. The building dates back to the early 20th century, and had been occupied in many different capacities. Our server at breakfast one morning told us the hotel had a notorious history of paranormal activity and ghost sightings. The stories she shared were fascinating, and built on my perception of the hotel’s charm. Overall, I would recommend the Fairmont Downtown, should rates be cheaper or there be more occupancy compared to the Waterfront and Pacific Rim locations. However, I’ve never stayed at either of those locations, only visited the areas they’re in. Nonetheless, I had a positive experience staying at the Fairmont Downtown, and wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again! Stay safe, and thanks for reading! – Sam