We arrived at the hotel just after 11:00 in the morning with the intention
to drop off our bags and come later when the room would be ready, but one was
available already so we were able to check immediately, which was great.
The Heavenly Beds really are heavenly (although a King instead of a Queen would
have been even better). The room was clean, staff were very friendly and
professional. Can't really think of anything negative to say about my stay.
The hotel is really fantastic, and I have to contradict some previous
reviews. First, we had booked an executive room, on 31st floor. The room was
awesome, very bright, with a separate bedroom. The sitting room was so nice. The
bath room was large with a bath and separate shower. The bed was a Westin bed,
hence excellent. The executive room comes with a breakfast. The latter was not
only excellent, but also the staff was great. They always remembered us from one
day to another and also remembered what we used to drink (coffee and hot
chocolate).
Now, I have to contradict two critics read here. The first one is about
elevators. Yes, there are only two elevators for 32 floors( actually less than
that, as some floors don't exist)... but there are only 9 rooms or so per floor
... so the waiting time was at most 1 or 2 minutes ... Come one, what are two
minutes in life ? The fact is that people like to complain about the elevator
... By comparison, the Omni Washington DC has two small elevators, one per wing,
with less floors, but tens of rooms per floor.
The second thing is the location: it is not unsafe, or full of homeless (and
even then ...) or full of construction. Actually, the location is excellent if
you want to dine out in Yaletown (the hippest and best restaurant in Vancouver).
This hotel really makes you feel you are actually living in Vancouver! The hotel
has actually more charm than the huge Sheraton!
Finally, the resort facilities are great, with an outdoor heated pool,
a sauna, etc, all of this in the middle of downtown.
Shortly speaking, I would return there without any hesitation.
I stayed at the Westin Grand Hotel, Vancouver for 6 nights in early September
2008. I booked the hotel through the Starwood Internet Site and managed to “Stay
6, Pay 4” nights. As a bonus,
for an extra $40CDN per night, we were upgraded to an Deluxe Executive Suite on
a high floor. This upgrade also included continental buffet breakfast for two
people.
As with all hotels, there are positives and negatives. Here is my personal view
of the experience:
Positives:
*massive bathroom with Westin’s signature heavenly shower.
*signature Westin beds.
*separate bath and shower.
*room came with a balcony, so you could get fresh air and enjoy the magnificent
view from the hotel room.
*room had 2 televisions.
*housekeeping was efficient and polite.
*hotel had an excellent gym. Not the biggest around, but with new equipment.
*staff were courteous and helpful.
*a small liquor store is located next door to hotel.
*food in hotel restaurant was great quality, although a little on the pricey
side.
Negatives:
*hotel is not in the best location. It seems to be at the other end of town
compared to the majority of hotels in Downtown Vancouver. There are several
homeless people sitting on sidewalks near and around the hotel. Although, this
did seem to be a common occurrence in Downtown Vancouver.
*hotel only has two elevators for 32 floors. They were particularly slow and you
could end up waiting as long as 5 minutes for one to arrive. So plan ahead and
leave extra waiting time.
*at checkout, our bill was double charged for the upgrade. The front desk staff
were helpful to amend this mistake, but it cautions all to check your hotel bill
before checking out.
*hotel room was looking worn. The couch had notable stains on it. The carpet in
the room was also stained. The curtains had stains. The light shades had stains.
It could have done with a replacement of these items, or a really good steam
clean.
*the day tour company that we chose does not pick up from this hotel. This is
due to the road/driveway of the hotel. We found this a little annoying that we
had to walk to another hotel to pick up our day tours.
Overall, I would definitely stay at this hotel again. Although there were some
negatives to this stay, it provided us with a big enough room for our 6 night
stay and was a comfortable choice.
The staff were exceptionally friendly (perhaps overly so), and were always
helpful when needed. You do pay through the nose for any extras, but there were
some delightful touches-- afternoon fruit bowls and Voss water, complimentary
breakfast buffet (we had a suite on the Executive levels, on the 31st floor, and
breakfast was included), and fast valet service.
I would recommend not staying in a studio suite, and upgrading to at least a
superior (preferably a deluxe) suite. |
