The Westin Bayshore Vancouver
Sleeping Down the Street from 1,001 Acres of Outdoor Fun
As an SPG Gold member, I usually try to stay at a Westin when I travel, especially on these weekend trips when I try to maximize my time in each location. Having the 4 pm checkout is a total plus for those particular scenarios. Walking into this hotel you’ll be amazed at just how beautiful the location is with glorious views of the harbor, majestic mountains and beautiful cherry blossom trees.
The high ceilings and the openness of the lobby itself is also very nice.
Checking In
For those who are thirsty, they switch out the water near the reception desks so feel free to try out the flavor of the day; yesterday’s was a fruit infused water. During check in I was helped by one of the best reception people I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to at a Westin who was genuine with her love for Vancouver and everything the city had to offer.
Something that immediately caught my eye was on her name tag next to her name, Laura, it also said her passion is food! That’s funny ‘cuz it’s mine too!
:)
SPG GOLD
As she was checking me in, even though I booked this stay by using points, she was fantastic and provided all the perks that I would normally get as an SPG Gold member (which I heard can vary depending on the hotel according to the United customer service team).
The Hotel Bedroom
In terms of the room itself, we were upgraded to a harbor view room overlooking the sea planes, yachts, boats, mountains and the Vancouver cityscape. The room itself was very spacious with a king size bed, two couches and a desk space for working. The interesting thing about the bathroom is that while it had a rain shower, it didn’t have a tub, something I’m not used to seeing in Westin’s as most I’ve stayed in usually has both.
However, overall the room was a good size with a fairly nice view. We were on the 6th floor, an SPG preferred floor so yay for the bottles of free water included in the room and the complimentary WiFi for our gold gift, a nice amenity considering I had no data plan.
The Features
In terms of other amenities, this hotel had a fairly decent sized gym with multiple cardio machines and a weight area. There was also an outdoor pool (closed for renovation while we were there) and and indoor pool/hot tub (I only wish the hot tub actually had jets that worked to make it more of an enjoyable experience).
Oddly Enough
On a random note, for this particular hotel, apparently if you have the “do not disturb” sign on the door for a full day, the hotel sends security to check on you! I wonder if this has something to do with the celeb incident at the other hotel in Canada where someone had passed out or worse! Not quite sure but either way it’s policy so expect a knock if you choose to have the sign on your door for the whole day.
Yet, be sure to also put it back on AFTER the security check is done or else housekeeping will come knocking and try using their key to get into your hotel room the following day because you took the sign off so they think you’ve checked out.
End of the Day
Overall, minus the odd security/housekeeping details (for some reason this is the second time it’s happened at a Westin, housekeeping must just be very anxious!), this is a great hotel to stay at! Location wise, it’s right by the Vancouver Seawall and Stanley Park so its a beautiful walk and view from all angles.
It’s a couple of streets away from Robson where there are a lot of great restaurants, but keep in mind you’ll definitely have to walk about 15 minutes or so to get any “real” food. Though a 15 minute walk on the beautiful streets of Vancouver is really nothing when it gives you an opportunity to take in the “soul” of the city.
F8T Tip There’s a Starbucks downstairs down the hall from the lobby.
