This past summer my family spent a week on the west coast – Vancouver and Seattle, to be exact – and on 7-night Alaskan Disney cruise. Our flight from Toronto to Vancouver was delayed for unknown reasons, and instead of arriving in Vancouver at 11PM our time, we touched down at 1:30AM EST!

After a long flight, the last thing my husband and I wanted to do was spend another 30 to 60 minutes in a rental vehicle driving to a hotel/resort with two overtired kids. And luggage, and car seats. And… you get the picture 😉

Thankfully, we had a 1 night reservation at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport – I’m not sure if we would have survived had we made reservations for a non-airport hotel.

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport in Richmond, BC is a 392 room and suite luxury hotel located right inside Vancouver Airport – directly above the US departures terminal.

Less than a 10 minute walk from the Domestic Arrivals area (the hotel is only a 5 minute walk from the International Arrivals area) are giant escalators welcoming guests to this well-appointed hotel. Sleep at last!

The Rooms

All rooms and suites at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport have floor-to-ceiling soundproofed windows and face the runways, mountains or ocean.

Our family of four had a 450 square foot Signature Studio with a king pillow top bed, queen size sofa bed, a desk, flat panel TV and a very spacious bathroom and changing area.

The dressing/changing area can store a stroller, 2 large suitcases, and 4 carry-on bags with room to spare for parents and kids to walk to and from the bathroom without bumping into things or each other.

The bathroom features double vanity sinks, a tub and a large walk-in shower.

The charging station near the TV allows guests to charge all their gadgets (tablets, phones, cameras) in one spot without having to scatter everything around the room.

After a long day of travelling, we were all so grateful for comfortable beds, black out curtains and soundproofed windows. It’s the little things.

The Amenities

All rooms and suites at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport offer the following amenities:

Air-Conditioning and personal heat control
Alarm clock-radio
Bathrobes
Coffee/Tea maker
TV with in-room pay movies and video games
Iron and ironing board
Mini-bar
Electronic In-Room Safe
Desk
Computer dataport
2 Telephones (one of which is portable)
Sound-proofed windows
Complimentary in-room high-speed Internet access for Fairmont President’s Club members (Fairmont’s free to join loyalty program)

Amenities available on a first-come first-serve basis:

Crib
Rollaway Bed
Connecting rooms
Electrical Current Adapter
Fan and Humidifier

Fairmont Gold Guests (those staying on the 14^th floor) also have:

Private check-in/check-out
Dedicated concierge services
Complimentary use of Fairmont Gold boardroom (based on availability)
Private lounge
Complimentary deluxe continental breakfast
Evening hors d’oeuvres and honour bar
Touch screen phones with environmental controls (including opening and closing your drapes)

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport has a spa, fitness studio and pool/hot tub area. They also have bikes guests can use on the riding trails nearby.

The Dining Options

Globe@YVR is The Fairmont Vancouver Airport’s award-winning restaurant with a Pacific Northwest Cuisine inspired menu that is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Right next to Globe@YVR is the Jetside Bar – a lounge area offering snacks, appetizers and drinks. Afternoon Tea service is also offered here several times a day.

Fairmont Gold Guests can enjoy a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast buffet, hot and cold canapes during the evening, complimentary after dinner dessert bar and an honour bar that’s stocked with liquor and complimentary water, soft drinks, coffee, tea and espresso in the Fairmont Gold Lounge.

The kids loved seeing planes take off and land as they ate breakfast – the view of the North Shore mountains were an added bonus. It’s not often we get a view like that at an airport hotel.

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport’s guests also have the option of grabbing a bite to eat at one of the airport’s many restaurants or kiosks.

Getting Around Town

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport is located in Richmond, BC and if you’re looking to get to the major tourist attractions in downtown Vancouver, you will need to take a taxi, rent a vehicle or hop on the Skytrain.

Taxi rates are approximately $25 to $30 to downtown Vancouver.

The Canada Line Skytrain allows guests to get to downtown Vancouver in about 25 minutes and downtown Richmond in 10 minutes.

Concierge personnel can make car rental arrangements for guests and several car rental agencies are located on the Arrivals level (we went with this option).

Valet parking is available for $28.50/night, with in-and-out privileges. Self -parking is also available at $15/night.

Overall Impressions of The Fairmont Vancouver Airport

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport is a convenient option for families or travelers who are arriving in Vancouver late at night (or in our case on a delayed flight) or those that have an early morning flight. It is located right inside the airport so getting to your room takes only a few minutes.

The hotel staff are very friendly and helpful. We rented car seats from a baby equipment rental agency and instead of having us lug the two of them to our room, they were able to hold them for us until the morning of our departure.

Being a luxury category hotel and located right inside the airport, the nightly rate at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport reflects that.

If you’re staying for more than one night or plan to visit Vancouver attractions, this may not be a good option as it is approximately a half hour drive to downtown Vancouver.

Day Rooms are available for at a discounted rate for travellers wanting to relax before flying home. Day rooms are available between 8AM to 8PM daily.

After a delayed flight, my family’s 1 night stay at this luxury airport hotel was the perfect way to begin our end of summer vacation. We only spent 8 hours at the hotel and were not able to make use of some of the amenities however it was the most restful and relaxing 8 hours before our weekend road trip to Seattle.

Disclosure: This stay was hosted by The Fairmont Vancouver Airport- all images and opinions are 100% my own.

More About Fairmont Vancouver Airport

Address: 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond, BC V7B 0A6
Price Range: $$$
Hotel Class: 4 stars
Reviews: Over 75% of reviewers rated this hotel Excellent
Availability: Click here for rates and availability

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