Whenever I travel and plan on staying in a hotel I've never experienced, I do some research on what to expect. My expectation of the Fairmont and my experience were two different things.
After a long flight from the east coast, I simply wanted to check-in and rest. Here's a tip to all hotels: the check-in process is oftentimes the singular event that will be the basis for a travelers assessment of that property. Get it right and you'll probably have a happy guest. Get it wrong...
Prior to arrival, it was recommended that I join their President's Club to get free wi-fi and express check-in. So I did. When I arrived at the hotel, I saw a separate line for President's Club members so I stood there...and stood there...and stood there. There was one person waiting on a man that took 15 minutes all the while there were a number of us in their 'esteemed President's Club' line.
Upon reaching the young lady to check-in, she informed me that I was being given a newly remodeled room. If this was newly remodeled, I would not want to see the others. It was some sort of retro 70's look with lots of gold colors and fabric. It just felt dirty to me. The shower stall was also not the cleanest I've seen. The supplied soaps and shampoos were some sort of Rose product. Not how a guy wants to smell. Provide some alternatives.
If you plan to eat while at this property, plan to leave the property otherwise you'll be paying exorbitant prices. First of all, I understand that room service is typically more pricy than dining out but $16 for chips and salsa? Really?
The location of the property is quite nice, if you can get past the homeless people. I'm not kidding, it was unbelievable. I would walk in the evenings and the number of homeless was astounding. In addition, they thought nothing about approaching you and asking for handouts. It was bad enough to detract from the very pleasant and scenic surroundings.
Luxury comes in many forms. Many people, businesses, hotels believe that simply charging more will cause the customer to look at their offering as luxury. It doesn't work that way anymore. Luxury is more than the cost of an item or hotel room. It has to involve the entire experience. Everything, and I mean everything must tie together in creating a truly unique and luxury experience. This is where the Fairmont fails. It tries but the individual elements do not sync up with each other. Everything felt disconnected. As such, my visit was frustrating because I expected more.
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