There are three Fairmont properties in downtown Vancouver, all within a few blocks of each other. I call them the Fairmont sisters. There’s even one in the Fairmont family out at the Vancouver International Airport, but she’s the older redheaded stepsister that is off jet-setting and globetrotting, separate from the pack.
Downtown, you have the Fairmont Vancouver, the grand dame and landmark castle in the city. She’s the eldest, a scholar with classic spectacles, raven haired, with a streak of silver. You have the Fairmont Pacific Rim, modern and high tech, exotic and international and full of perfumed beauties. She’s the polished blond, youngest daughter that drives the Porsche, fast. And then you have the unassuming, intelligent middle sister, a brunette with a braid, eco-focused, packing a young family while running her business on the road. The middle sibling, she gets overshadowed often by her stately, classic older sister, cloaked in grandeur and drama. Or she lingers in the dimmed stage lights behind her modern, chic and luxury-minded younger sister, a star about town. But this middle sibling, the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel quietly, confidently and unassumingly goes about her business in the background. Dependable, friendly, convenient and self-assured…
The Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver could not be better located if you drew out the city around her. Front and center to the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre,this Fairmont is also across the street from the bustling Canada Place Cruise Ship Terminal and next door to the entrance to Waterfront Sky Train Station (including the Canada Line directly to YVR Airport, as well as the Seabus to North Vancouver). The hotel, two blocks away from the Fairmont Pacific Rim (remember the blond one?) is also within walking distance to the central business district, Gastown, Robson Street, Pacific Center shopping mall and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Locals, visitors and tourists all make it a point to walk along the seawall to Stanley Park, a 1,000 acre park in the center of the city and larger than New York City’s Central Park. If you’re a solo traveler or easily lost runner, the hotel provides guided morning runs along the seawall depart the lobby every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30am. If that’s too early, the onsite health club is open 24/7 for your convenience and to whisk away any excuses.
Guest rooms are typical Fairmont indulgence—spacious and comforting, they offer every convenience in a reserved and elegant manner. More than 300 of the 489 guest rooms overlook the harbor, offering spectacular views of Coal Harbour and the North Shore mountains. Remaining rooms satisfy the architectural eye through city skyline views of Vancouver.
The environmental stewardship of the property extends way up to the roof. Over 550,000 resident honeybees call the Fairmont Waterfront’s rooftop garden home. In 2012, the happy hives produced 4,700 pounds of honey, found throughout the hotel in items like the honey lager ale on tap in the Lounge and the honey-inspired afternoon tea. Executive Chef Dana Hauser works alongside the Honeybee Centre to maintain the hives and winter them. Chef Hauser also utilizes the hotel’s third floor, 2,100 square foot herb garden, introduced in 1991 and was one (if not the first) green roof in Vancouver. It also serves as a bird sanctuary, making it home to ten species of local songbirds—not just seagulls.
When I stayed at the property last week, the hotel restaurant was just finishing off the final touches after a complete renovation in concept, design and name. ARC Restaurant and ARC Bar officially opened last weekend, and promises to be a source for simply inspired, handcrafted fare in a relaxed setting. Their tagline: “Life is complicated. Good food shouldn’t be.” And menu items reading like Haida Gwaii Seafood Chowder and Crisp Duck Breast with orange & rooftop honey alongside purée of locally foraged mushrooms sound like a welcome introduction to this oceanfront, mountain buttressing, fertile valley abutting metropolis of a city. Hey, if it’s good enough for four of the Fairmont sisters…
The Fairmont Waterfront || 900 Canada Place Way, Vancouver || fairmont.com/waterfront-vancouver/
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