The Roaming BoomersPresidential Treatment at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver ~ Vancouver, British Columbia – The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is one of those iconic city-center hotels that has a distinct feeling of history from the moment you enter the lobby.
This is the third hotel to be named ‘Hotel Vancouver’. The first was a five-story, brick structure that looked and functioned much like a farmhouse.
The second, built from 1912-1916, and opened in 1916, became the meeting place for Vancouver society. The second Hotel Vancouver was turned into a government administration building during World War II and torn down in 1949.
Canada’s present Hotel Vancouver took 11 years to build because construction was halted for five years during the Great Depression. It was started by the Canadian National Railway but was finally completed under a joint operating agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway. Hotel Vancouver in British Columbia was opened in May of 1939, in time for the Royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at a final cost of $12 million.
A $70 million restoration in the mid 1990s has ensured that The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver remains at the very forefront of Vancouver’s best hotels.
Our visit to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was brought about by our attendance at TBEX11 (a gathering of travel writers, bloggers, and industry professionals) as well as this iconic hotel would become the fifth member of a collection of Fairmont hotels that we would be visiting during our two-week swing through western Canada.
Also, during our visit, the town was abuzz and the hotel was at 100% occupancy as our stay coincided with game number five of the Canadian Canuck’s bid to win the 2011 NHL Championship.
One of the great advantages in staying with the Fairmont Hotels is their free President’s Club.
As members of this free benefits club we have enjoyed free Internet access, complimentary health club access, complimentary shoes shines, complimentary use of TaylorMade golf clubs at selected hotels, taken advantage of the Fairmont Fit Program (in-room delivery of Adidas shoes and apparel, yoga mats, stretch bands and the use of an MP3 player), and even complimentary access to BMW bikes at select hotels.
Providing even more value, all the Canadian properties have on-site BMW automobiles available, on a first come first served basis, to shuttle you to locations within close proximity of the hotel.
Here’s Carol hoping into a brand new BMW 5 Series as they whisked us away to the Granville Island Farmers’ Market.
There is a significant list of additional benefits to this free benefits club, and we have been enjoying these perks since we joined in 2005. Further, the more nights you spend with Fairmont Hotels, the sweeter the benefits get.
We enjoyed our four-night stay at the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. If historic hotels aren’t your cup of tea, then Fairmont Hotels has a two more offerings for you down on the waterfront with the the Fairmont Waterfront and the brand new Fairmont Pacific Rim.
In any case, we are certain that Fairmont has a property ready to offer you a presidential pampered stay.
Disclosure: a portion of our experience was provided by the kind folks at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Thanks!
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