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Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Signature Harbour View Corner Room
Brad and I just spent a night in a Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Signature Harbour View Corner Room, and while a full review will follow soon, I wanted to take the opportunity to share my initial thoughts along with some photos from the stay. It’s been almost two years since we stayed at this hotel, and thought it was about time to give it another try and write an official review, which also provides a good opportunity to compare with the other 3 Fairmont properties in Vancouver:
We booked this stay since Fairmont recently announced the opportunity to earn a second set of Platinum certificates for two stays between now and July 1, 2018, and chose the Waterfront after having a somewhat disappointing stay at The Fairmont Pacific Rim a couple of weekends ago.
We booked the hotel through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts for $296, which came with a $100USD food and beverage credit, along with other benefits. We also had a $200 travel credit from our American Express Platinum Card, so that combined with the FHR credit meant the stay was essentially free.
We checked in shortly after 2pm and were helped by a very friendly front desk agent. He informed us we had been upgraded to a Signature Harbour View Corner Room (highest category non-suite room) on the 5th floor, and proactively asked if we would need late checkout (a guaranteed benefit of FHR and by having Platinum status in The Fairmont President’s Club).
The Fairmont Waterfront recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, with all guest rooms completely refurbished. I must say they did a really good job, with warm colours and understated finishes. Unlike the Pacific Rim Hotel, this property is more classic and elegant, and I think it will appeal to a large group of travellers. The room featured large floor to ceiling windows on two walls with a large king bed, small seating area, and comfortable office space.
The Fairmont bed is one of my favourites, with high-quality linens and comfortable pillows. I actually had one of my best hotel sleeps ever on this stay.
In the corner of the room was a large desk and office chair, complete with stationary and plenty of power plugs. I suspect this hotel draws more of the business crowd compared to the Pacific Rim and Hotel Vancouver.
Views from the room were nice, but not my favourite. Unfortunately the Stanley Park views were mostly obstructed by the Vancouver Convention Centre, and the other views of the harbour, featuring the Port of Vancouver, just aren’t that pretty in my opinion.
Bathrooms at this hotel vary, with some featuring tub/shower combos, and others featuring large walk-in rainforest showers. While I normally prefer a bath, there was not much to fault with this shower, and I love The Fairmont Le Labo Rose 31 amenities. The bathroom also featured a large floor to ceiling window overlooking the street, with privacy blinds should you not want to be on display. It’s too bad they weren’t able to redesign the space to have a partitioned toilet, which is one of my biggest complaints in luxury hotels.
Turndown is included in the evening and includes light cleaning, bed refresh, drawing the curtains, and other small touches. We also had our Platinum amenity delivered with turndown, which included cheese and crackers, along with locally made chips and sea salt.
Since we booked through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts, breakfast for two was included, with the option of buffet or à la carte at ARC in the lobby. While Brad ordered from the menu, I opted for the buffet, which featured a nice spread of hot and cold items, along with a choice of made-to-order eggs.
One of the highlights of this property has to be the outdoor pool and terrace on the third floor with heated swimming pool. It was cold during our stay, but that didn’t stop me from taking a dip in the nicely heated pool. The views, like the room, are somewhat obstructed by the Convention Centre, but the mountains in the backdrop were looking as nice as ever! Just inside from the pool was a functional fitness centre and indoor jacuzzi tub and change rooms. My one complaint was the steam room, which clearly hasn’t been renovated since the hotel opened and felt kind of grimy.
Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Signature Harbour View Corner Room Bottom Line
I was really impressed with this stay. While not as hip and fun as The Pacific Rim, and definitely lacking the historic charm of the Hotel Vancouver, this is actually a really decent option for luxury accommodations in Vancouver.
The recent renovations have really brought this hotel up to speed with the competition, and I for one appreciate the more understated design. Service at the hotel was great, with a beautiful welcome amenity and proactive staff.
I’ll go into more detail when I publish the full review, but I think this might be our new go-to hotel in Vancouver!
Have you stayed at The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!
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