(Vancouver, Canada). The Fairmont Waterfront is what one should expect from an upscale business-oriented hotel - beautiful, clean, comfortable, convenient - all with impeccable service. The entire place feels very polished, civilized and quiet.
I was attending a conference at the hotel so I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy the facilities and the amazing location (right on the waterfront, next to the Vancouver Convention Center), but it was definitely one of the best experiences in a hotel I've had during a business trip mainly because the food/drink service was outstanding not only in the restaurants and bars, but also at the actual meetings.
My room was nice and spacious and the bed was comfortable. The bathroom was updated and modern; toiletries were definitely more high-end (and you get a mini Scope) ... yes, these little touches make me happy ... overall what I expect at any nice Fairmont hotel.
I grabbed a quick drink at the bar with a colleague. It was quite bright and airy - one of the more inviting hotel bars I've been to recently - but what I really remember where the homemade veggie chips. Quite delicious!
I spent most of my 2 days here in the conference rooms .. not much to say about them. However the bathrooms were very nice and the catered breakfasts, lunches and snacks were quite lovely and appealing. I've been to so many of these things and it's a pleasant surprise not to get rubbery chicken, soggy pastas and sad looking fruit and desserts. Everything was fresh and tasty!
There was a well-equipped, albeit small, business center that had several computers, faxes, and printers that you could use. It was also connected to a Fedex center - very convenient.
All in all the Fairmont Waterfront is a great hotel - especially for business travel. It would also please any tourist on pleasure travel since the views are gorgeous. But for me, I'm glad I stayed in a more central area for the first part of my trip in Vancouver because it made exploring on foot much easier. For my personal taste, I generally prefer something with more personality and charm - but for business travel, I just want reliable comfort and the Fairmont definitely delivered!
When I was leaving I decided to forgo a taxi to the airport (which cost about 36 CAD) and take the Skytrain instead. The train station was only a 2 minute walk away and it was only a few dollars to take the Skytrain to the airport. The exit literally has walkways leading you to the airport check-in area so it's super convenient. Sazyrock did a really helpful blog about the Skytrain generally - see here.
I didn't realize this but after you go through security in Canada and do a passport check, you essentially "enter" the U.S. (even though you haven't gotten on the plane yet) so you don't have to go through immigration again after you land. That was a nice surprise. It was my first duty free experience where they hand you the goods in the store, instead of giving it to you as you are boarding or one the airplane.
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