Hotel Recommendations

[kuddles14]

Looking for hotel recommendations in Vancouver. Not too far from port but near things to do that we can possibly walk to . 

 

Thank you. 

[martincath]

Literally ANY downtown core hotel fits your criteria. Every single one of them - no kidding. Your budget is the single biggest issue - so unless you're willing to share your exact date(s) and hotel budget the most sensible thing to do is go hit up TripAdvisor so you have a reasonably accurate comparative popularity of hotels rating to look at as well as pricing.

 

There's really only one issue to look out for - we have several hotel chains and other confusingly-similar-named individual hotels, plus three cities in the vicinity called Vancouver (West, North, and regular-no-other-modifier-needed Vancouver) and of course the one in Washington which a few folks each year do mistakenly book trains to and hotels in(!) So make sure that any hotel you are considering is where you think it is by plunking the address into Google Maps - if you search for directions to Canada Place from your potential hotel you'll also be able to see how far you'd need to walk (probably 75% of our downtown hotels are within a mile from the pier, so it's often quicker to walk than take a cab!)

 

If you don't need something fancy though, I'd plump for the YWCA Hotel - it's the best value place in the region, downtown core location, and it's not a hostel like most Ys but a full-service hotel with regular rooms (there are some big family rooms that sleep up to 5, and you can save even more money with a shared bathroom, but there aren't any dorm rooms).

[kuddles14]

50 minutes ago, martincath said:

Literally ANY downtown core hotel fits your criteria. Every single one of them - no kidding. Your budget is the single biggest issue - so unless you're willing to share your exact date(s) and hotel budget the most sensible thing to do is go hit up TripAdvisor so you have a reasonably accurate comparative popularity of hotels rating to look at as well as pricing.

 

There's really only one issue to look out for - we have several hotel chains and other confusingly-similar-named individual hotels, plus three cities in the vicinity called Vancouver (West, North, and regular-no-other-modifier-needed Vancouver) and of course the one in Washington which a few folks each year do mistakenly book trains to and hotels in(!) So make sure that any hotel you are considering is where you think it is by plunking the address into Google Maps - if you search for directions to Canada Place from your potential hotel you'll also be able to see how far you'd need to walk (probably 75% of our downtown hotels are within a mile from the pier, so it's often quicker to walk than take a cab!)

 

If you don't need something fancy though, I'd plump for the YWCA Hotel - it's the best value place in the region, downtown core location, and it's not a hostel like most Ys but a full-service hotel with regular rooms (there are some big family rooms that sleep up to 5, and you can save even more money with a shared bathroom, but there aren't any dorm rooms).

We are not going until next August but I just wanted to get an idea of pricing. We usually try a Marriott property but thought I would ask for suggestions. Can you give me the name of the port we would be leaving from? We are thinking of coming in on a Friday (coming from the East Coast ) and spend two nights just so we can do a little sightseeing that full Saturday that we are there . I always like to go in early and see other places. Thank you for your help . 

[martincath]

6 minutes ago, kuddles14 said:

We are not going until next August but I just wanted to get an idea of pricing. We usually try a Marriott property but thought I would ask for suggestions. Can you give me the name of the port we would be leaving from? We are thinking of coming in on a Friday (coming from the East Coast ) and spend two nights just so we can do a little sightseeing that full Saturday that we are there . I always like to go in early and see other places. Thank you for your help . 

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough above - Canada Place is the name of the pier (it's the only one that's been used for years, and plans for a second one are likely decades in the future). August is peak season (cruising, plus school holidays pretty much everywhere in the northern hemisphere) so hotels would be best described as Not Cheap - stick in your same dates THIS August (but move a day so it's the same days of the week that you'll be coming - weekends are always pricier downtown) to get a ballpark baseline for comparative pricing if you like. Exact rates can vary enormously, especially for the hotels which are very close to the pier on multi-ship days as demand surges.

 

There are several Marriott properties around town - they took over managing the old Delta Suites fairly recently, then there's the Marriott Pinnacle and Residence Inn too which are all downtown. I'd check back in September/October this year (bookings usually open ~11 months ahead in most local hotels) for more accuracy and lock-in a refundable rate as soon as you see one that fits your budget - then keep checking every month or so. If you don't restrict yourself to just your preferred chain you will almost certainly find a bargain somewhere in a decent hotel, but it might be non-refundable or short-notice or both. The good news is, like I said, there's no such thing as a poorly-located hotel in downtown Vancouver - but stick them into Google Maps to ensure you're not booking e.g. the Pinnacle at the Pier over in North Van instead of the Marriott Pinnacle this side of the water 😉

 

[jr8934]

Martincath, I enjoy reading your replies. I tried to book the Pan Pacific Vancouver hotel for a pre-cruise visit in July, 2020. They are all sold out. Is this possible? Should I keep checking prices after July 2019?

[kuddles14]

Thank you for your help . I appreciate your in depth response . I will definitely take your advice . 

[martincath]

9 hours ago, jr8934 said:

Martincath, I enjoy reading your replies. I tried to book the Pan Pacific Vancouver hotel for a pre-cruise visit in July, 2020. They are all sold out. Is this possible? Should I keep checking prices after July 2019?

I'd say there's a well-under-1% chance that the PP has actually sold all of its rooms on any given night in July next year - vastly more likely that you're not into the window when booking directly is possible on their systems. As I mentioned above, it's often about 11 months beforehand that room availability is confirmed - large block bookings certainly get negotiated earlier than that for Conventions; I'd guess all the major cruiselines also have a hold on at least a modest block of rooms for every night before one of their ships is in town too, as the PP is a very popular pre-cruise package hotel; but I wouldn't be at all worried about not being able to get a room for 2020 at this point in time!

 

9 hours ago, kuddles14 said:

Thank you for your help . I appreciate your in depth response . I will definitely take your advice . 

You're welcome.

[jr8934]

Thank you for the sound advice. i guess I'll just sit back and wait it out.

[cruiseryyc]

Kuddles - do not wait too long to book a hotel for this August, the price will keep going up the closer it gets to your date.  Find something now and book it.