Review: Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver

@Lucky, fantastic hotel review - probably one of your best! Sometimes the reviews just write themselves, eh?

I have the Fairmont visa, and have enjoyed the free night at the Fairmont in Durban, South Africa. Loved it. Am curious to hear your thoughts on the Fairmont President's Club hotel guest program!

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@ Ace -- Thanks!

This is one review I read as I am very interested to add to my collection of Fairmont hotel visits. Well, let's just say a visit to Vancouver is going to enter the planning stages pronto!

I manage 3 free Fairmont hotels each year (1 with my lifetime Platinum status and two from our Visa cards after spending $12k each year and paying the annual fee).

Maybe we do this over Thanksgiving in 2015 as we just came back from the Fairmont Kea Lani (and Andaz) in Maui.

As always, great reviews and pictures. BUT you can guarantee your affiliate links that you would not forget to add the Fairmont credit cards if there were affiliate links. Since the Fairmont Visa cards do not offer affiliate versions...it was just not that big of a concern and you neglected/forgot to do it? Am I correct or just off?

And this is why I still like your blog but not enough to add it to my world famous "Blogs I Like" list 🙂

Those are some amazing views of Stanley Park in the distance. I hope you've had the opportunity to stroll around there on one of your visits.

Stayed here two years ago for 10th anniversary on the tail end of a trip to Whistler. Completely agree with you about the hotel being beautiful (pictures don't really do it justice) and the service being phenomenal. It is a lot of consistent small touches with a genuine attitude like the people working there really care. As an example, when we checked in (around the standard posted time for check-in) the room wasn't quite ready so they offered us complimentary drinks at the bar. It was all handled extremely professionally so as not to make me feel like a mooch. At checkout, we called bell (wo)man who helped us down with bags. I asked her directions to the train serving the airport which I thought was only a block or two away, and she insisted on driving us.

The Fairmont Pacific Rim is my family's favourite weekend-getaway hotel. We venture into the "cig city" a couple times a year and love staying here. You've captured the essence of the hotel exceptionally well.

And thanks for spelling "harbour" and "honour" correctly for those of up north. 😉

Do you realize how many times you used the word "stunning" in this review? Your other favorite word is "excited," as in "....so I was excited to try the Dragonair hard product." Perhaps a thesaurus, or a vocabulary enhancement game, for your next transocean flight?

In your Fairmont writeup, could you mention some of the notable properties that are good redemption values?

This is the haunting hotel where Glee star Cory Monteith . Rally freaky me out. I won't live there, Just imagine his ghost may remain exist.

Great review. Stayed at the hotel for 5 nights last year. You forgot to mention the live music everyday in the lobby lounge, the free BMW bikes for hotel guests to use, the complimentary BMW car and driver to take you anywhere in the downtown area. I spent 5 months in the private residences at the Fairmont Pacific Rim last year and getting ready to do it again starting the first week of May. Love having access to the hotel facilities, gym, spa, driver and as you said, can't beat the views and the terrific staff. Vancouver is a great walking city and when you come back I will be happy to give you the Stanley Park and city walking tour. For me, it's perfect for May thru September 30. Otherwise too cold and too much rain for this transplanted Floridian. I've also stayed at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver which is a few blocks away and very centrally located but an older, elegant hotel with a much different vibe than the new and modern Pacific Rim. The 3 downtown Fairmont hotels are only blocks apart and another at the airport.

Now that was a "stunning" report! 😉

With all the extra services and add-ons, one wonders if they actually make a profit on the rate you paid!

Thanks again for the informative and "stunning" review! 🙂

Glad to hear you had a good stay. I will say, you can get this kind of service at other North American hotels, though it is certainly rare. This review overall reminds me of the better North American Ritz-Carltons (not all of which are so expensive), and of course all Mandarin Orientals meet this standard.

Odd you say that the BC liquor board doesn't allow free liquor in a lounge as the Maple Leaf Lounge at Yvr has free alcohol.

@ Simon -- I don't know what exactly the law was, I'm sure it's more specific than I stated. But apparently it did involve their liquor laws.

One of the top hotels in YVR. Totally modern and comfortable vibe. I love the Gold floors since you pretty well don't even need to eat anywhere else! Also love to watch the float planes and helicopters taking off nearby. Just an awesome hotel, but you need to convince Fairmont to offer their CC in Canada!

BTW besides the Shangri-La you should also try the Rosewood Georgia and the Hermitage - exceptional as well.

Stayed there last year on a certificate. it was a very good experience but not as spectacular as you wrote about. I think your experience was definitely colored by your upgrade to the Lounge level.

For how much it cost me, though, (zero) it was well worth it.

A "stunning" write-up! 😉

P.S. Happy belated birthday!!!

The Gold Floor is stunning, but really expensive without the certificate. I think you missed out on my favourite Gold Floor benefit: Wake-up call with coffee, tea or fresh juice. Amazing!

The honour bar has a very good selection of wines. And, while it looks expensive, nobody cares if you fill the glass up to the top.

I would characterize the pacific rim service as "empowered".

Those honor bar prices are steep! The Hyatt Regency Club Vancouver's honor bar prices are only $4-$6. Did not know they had to charge because of BC's liquor laws, but it does explain why the Vancouver Regency Club is the only one I have been in where you had to pay for the adult beverages.

We stayed there in late August 2014, Gold Floor. We loved it, but when we were there the lounge did not have the truffle popcorn and not much between the feeding times. One of the nicest things about the Gold floor is that if you know you are going to miss the afternoon snack, you can ask them to give you samples in your room. One night we missed the dessert and they were able to give us a few desserts in our room. They also drew a bath for our daughter (19) complete with nice salts and some salt water taffy. The one thing missing in the room however were drawers for clothes.

Your first photo there is of the Shaw Tower...not the Fairmont. Both built/owned by Westbank and designed by James Cheng. The FPR has the same owner as the Shangri-La hotels in Vancouver and Toronto, so curious what you think of those in comparison?

You're right about free booze, it's not allowed under Vancouver's liquor by-laws. YVR isn't in Vancouver, so that might be why the Maple Leaf Lounge can pull it off. Clearly FPR saw that as an opportunity to rip Gold for guests off, as there's plenty of amazing restaurants/bars in the immediate area that charge far less.