24
Nov
I spent three days in Vancouver November 8-11, 2008. I stayed one night in each of the downtown Vancouver Starwood Hotels: the Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre, Vancouver Westin Bayshore, and Vancouver Westin Grand.
There are significant differences between the three Starwood hotels in Vancouver and I will highlight some features of each Starwood hotel in these hotel reports.
Any of the three Starwood hotels in downtown Vancouver are a good choice of lodging for a stay. I spent three nights in Vancouver and wished I had stayed a fourth night. There is plenty to see and do and four nights is a good length of stay to have reasonable time to see shops, eat, visit sites and museums, go to GasTown, Yaletown, Granville Island, False Creek, Chinatown, Robson Street, and Stanley Park, exercise and swim in the hotels, not to mention trying to squeeze a trip over to Grouse Mountain, a day trip to Victoria, or a city stadium sporting event. I never pack too much into a stay and we only did a few of these things. I maintain the philosophy of just being anywhere and what I don’t get around to this trip, perhaps I’ll do next time.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre is a major city center hotel with over 700 guest rooms in two glass exterior skyscraper towers. The architectural beauty of the Sheraton Wall Centre complex makes this my favorite hotel of the three Starwood Hotels in downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel, South Tower
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel, North Tower
Complimentary food and beverages (alcohol costs money in evening social) is another reason I favor the Sheraton Wall Centre.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre Club Lounge Breakfast, Floor 25, South Tower
Sheraton Wall Centre Club Lounge access through Club lounge doors on Floor 25 is coded into key card for platinums and is door for stairway to business center in the room on Floor 26. Floor 27 is a separate room and entry. The lounge rooms can be accessed throughout the day for TV, newspapers, chilled non-alcohol beverages, wireless internet access, and the lounge computer.
Spiral Stairway leads to Floor 26 SPG Business Lounge
Platinum members receive complimentary passes for wireless internet on the Club Floors 25-27. Ask at front desk or concierge in lounge for complimentary pass codes for internet access.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre SPG Business Center in 26th Floor Lounge, South Tower
A nice feature of our room location on Floor 27, South Tower was easy access to the SPG Club Floor TV room on Floor 27. The SPG Club Floor TV lounge has a large screen TV, board games and magazines, and iced drinks (sodas, juice drinks, and sparking water) and coffee throughout the day.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre, SPG Club Floor TV room, Floor 27, South Tower
North Tower is said to have nicer rooms, but that is all relative to your view and whether you are upgraded to a suite or possibly have a balcony room in the South Tower. My reservation was changed from the North Tower to a Club floor one-bedroom suite on the 27th floor South Tower. All of my hotel stays have been in the South Tower. This stay was a Best Rate Guarantee that lowered the room rate from $169 CAD to $129 CAD and garnered a 2,000 Starpoint bonus for a successful Best Rate Guarantee claim.
Sheraton Wall Centre patio table and chairs in suite
The Sheraton Wall Centre 27th floor guest suite itself had minimal furnishings. The couch was the least comfortable of the three Vancouver Starwood Hotel suites. Westin Bayshore had the nicest furniture of the three hotels. The highlight of a stay at the Wall Centre are the high floor views from the floor to ceiling windows. And there really isn’t a bad direction to be facing in Vancouver. The view from up high is all good.
View to the north along Burrard Street, Vancouver
There is a 3rd floor interior walkway between the South and North Towers, however, you must walk by the conference center rooms which could be crowded at times. The workout room, spa, sauna, and indoor pool area are located at the base of the North Tower. Large changing rooms are available at the gym/pool area.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre North Tower pool
An attendant manages the door entry for the gym/pool and swimming hours are 5am to 11pm daily. Facilities include a large workout room stocked with a variety of machines and weights, a steam room, and a sauna room.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre workout room, North Tower
Starbucks at North Tower entrance and reception and bar up escalator to main lobby
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre is in the geographic center of downtown Vancouver. All the downtown districts are within easy walking distance from Granville Island, Yaletown, Downtown hotels and restaurants and Robson Street shops, Gastown, and even the Coal Harbour waterfront is only a 20 to 30-minute walk.
The architecture of Sheraton Wall Centre is striking and looking out the hotel floor to ceiling windows from the 27th floor is the kind of experience I find invigorating as a small town resident where very few buildings are more than four stories tall.
Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre, North Tower
The Sheraton Wall Centre takes up a city block and has two hotel towers, South and North with Convention Center rooms between the towers. A third tower is a residential unit. A parking garage is below ground. Parking is $26CAD per day.
The South Tower is the older building and has 35 floors. The SPG lounge floors are 25, 26, and 27.
South Tower on left and Residential Building at Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre
The North Tower is a striking piece of architecture prominent in the Vancouver skyline as it stands higher than most surrounding buildings.
Sheraton Wall Centre North Tower (tallest building in center) as seen from Westin Grand
