Fairmont Vancouver Airport Review: Where Layover Meets Luxury

If you have followed me for a while you may recall my travel debacle that happened in January when I was en route to San Diego. My 6 am flight from Nanaimo to Vancouver was cancelled the night before due to weather. I found at at 3:30 am when I woke up and was in a panic. I did not think I was going to make my 9 am flight from Vancouver to San Diego. After a lot of stress and phone calls I hopped in my car, drove and parked at BC ferries, ferried to Vancouver, grabbed a cab and booted it to Vancouver Airport. I made my connection and all was well but let me tell you… I learnt a good lesson. Nanaimo airport does not have a long enough runway to deal with fog…this is unfortunate for a foggy city.

Jump forward to April. I wanted to minimize any possible travel related drama. I decided the safest plan was to head to Vancouver a night early and stay at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel. This way I could still take an early flight to San Francisco and not waste an entire day on travel.

** Thank you to the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel for collaborating on this post. As always the review is my own. **

About the hotel

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport is located above the United States departures within Vancouver International Airport. This was convenient for us since we had an early flight the next day to San Francisco.

This was my first time staying at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport and I have always heard great reviews from friends.

Address: Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond, BC V7B 0A6, Canada
Phone Number: 1 (604) 207-5200
Website: Fairmont Vancouver Airport

About the gold floor

As a frequent Fairmonter you know I love a good stay on the gold floor.

The gold floor at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport and its rooms are located on the 14th floor.

The gold floor lounge overlooks the United States departure gates, runway and the North Shore Mountains. I have stayed on many gold floors before and this lounge may be one of my favourites. The decor is warm and inviting while still being elegant. The floor to ceiling windows are the perfect way to take in the views. I loved the variety of seating from proper tables to comfy chairs and couches. The variety of food was one of the best I have had on a gold floor. The food portions were larger than the typical hors d’oeuvre size I have seen in most of the lounges. A personal favourite dish of mine  was the Korean bbq lamb. It was perfection: juicy, tender and flavourful. We originally had planned on having dinner in the hotel restaurant but filled up fast in the lounge.

Breakfast in the lounge was the perfect way to start our day of travel. Caramelized grapefruit might be a new favourite breakfast of mine!

Our room

We had a Fairmont Gold runway view room with two queen beds. The room was spacious with more than enough room for all our luggage.

The airplane cookies with the take home airplane cookie cutter were the perfect touch.

The view from the room was stunning. Our room had a telescope which is a fun feature for plane spotting. The rooms also have a plane guide to help you identify the different types of planes.

The rooms are very well sound proofed. This is the first time I have stayed at a hotel in an airport and was impressed that I wasn’t woken up.

I love the large bathrooms the rooms have. This was perfect for two girls with a lot of cosmetics and skincare. The room has both a tub and shower. Over the tub is a window with you can open to have views of the runway.

Amenities

The hotel has a spa, gym and a pool. Unfortunately since our flight from Nanaimo was delayed we did not have time to check out the gym or pool.

Restaurants

The hotel has a bar called the Jetside lounge and a restaurant called Globe@YVR which are located next to each other on the lobby level.

After having some snacks in the gold floor lounge we decided to try out some of the cocktails the bar had to offer. The bar has an impressive cocktail selection. All the drinks we tried were beautifully presented and delicious.

I can honestly say I would stay at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport again. The convenience, immaculate service, comfortable rooms and delicious food help you start your vacation off right. Next time I’ll give myself more time to enjoy all the hotel has to offer!

Photos: Paige Owen

❤️ Sam