Fairmont Waterfront

We always felt the Fairmont “got it right the first time “, especially important given their price point & for short, busy vacations or important business meetings. This last trip was both. Very impersonal hotel, larger rooms than the Pan Pacific with classic almost boring decor. Floor to ceiling windows. Good location near Waterfront Skytrain stop, harbour across street, many restaurants & shops, can walk straight into underground stores & avoid bad weather by going thru Concourse level. Very clean. 4* reduced to 3* from a cost to performance perspective. All issues are only “1st world” problems that you’d expect from a lesser hotel. Had a mix-up & was told by Rosie N. that we wouldn’t get Accor member credit for the stay since it was a Corporate conference rate booking (but it was a personal booking requesting the best rate possible). Our reservation never showed up on the Accor app. We trusted they’d offer us the best rate we would qualify for. Discovered there were better rates available. No price match offered. They wouldn’t apply the Accor member 10% discount combinable with other promotional rates (states this on Accor website). We didn’t get an upgrade from what we booked as we felt it was not really an upgrade to have a view of the glass building next door from our bed. We regret not staying at the Westin Bayshore from a “value for money “ perspective, Stanley Park views, substantial Marriott BonVoy advantages & given Rosie N.’s unhelpful stance. The other Guest Relations Manager (Austin B.) saved the day with his attitude & attempt to rescue the situation. Issues with Room: very low water pressure made showers take longer than necessary. 1 sink. Not ideal for 2 ppl. trying to get out the door quickly. Weak coffee. In-room tea bags supplies are not healthy for you — the tea leaves are in a vinyl tea bag which leaches plastics in your drink since it’s brewed in very hot water. Food: chicken sausage at breakfast buffet was lacking in flavour. Pls include pork sausage in the buffet. Also need tomatoes & lettuce to go with smoked salmon, capers & red onions. In-room coffee & restaurant coffee too weak. Request that cappuccinos be included with the breakfast buffet. They’re the same posted price as regular weak coffee on the menu. Our server Katie C. was excellent! Also was transparent & told us that our breakfast vouchers included a 15% gratuity. Valet/Bell Men: excellent!! Friendly & helpful. Efficient. Bar: we weren’t told that a 15% gratuity is included with the Accor member free drink vouchers. We tipped for the full value of our drinks. We appreciated receiving late checkout — needed to work & prep for evening Corp. meeting /presentation held in Fairmont Waterfront. My company’s meeting on the Monday went smoothly (as expected of a Fairmont). We’d return but only at discounted rates. Read less

We stayed in a harbor view king suite. The suite was spacious and we loved having two bathrooms, especially as a family with two tweens. The view of the harbor and stanley park was beautiful. The staff kept the room spotless and we appreciated having carafes of water at night and the nescafe machine in the room. The location is perfect for being close to the harbor and picking up various shuttle and tour buses. However, the walk to robson st is about 20+ minutes to some of the restaurants, something to keep in mind if you want to go there. The streets definitely get kind of sketchy at night - especially granville. And when walking back in the evening, we had some unpleasant encounters with the area homeless. I would recommend taking transportation in the evenings. Read less