StarwoodGuy: Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre

I just returned from a quick trip to Vancouver where I stayed at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. Sadly I came back to the news that Marriott had agreed to purchase Starwood Hotels and the fate of Starwood and the SPG program is up in there air at this point. Over the next 6 months to 2 years we will likely find out more. It is pretty clear to those of us that love Starwood that the SPG program is a superior program with more benefits for Gold and Platinum members, including Platinum 75, Platinum 100, suite upgrades, Ambassador Service and much more but only time will tell if the programs become integrated or (hopefully) remain separate. In the meantime I am sticking with SPG.

On this stay I used a Suite Upgrade to guarantee a Suite. The hotel is undergoing much needed renovations to the South Tower which houses the Club Lounge, main lobby, and many of the suites. The Club Lounge itself is closed and a ballroom space is being used as the temporary lounge, with plenty of seating areas, a good food selection for breakfast and dinner, and helpful staff. I did not get as large a room as I typically get here, but many of the floors are completely closed down at present with the renovation work ongoing.

I had missed out on getting a congratulation gift for Platinum 100 on my previous trip due to an internal SPG error so I had hoped to see that here but sadly that was not the case. Outside of that everything was perfect. The first day we had quite a bit of rain but the hotel had plenty of umbrellas for us so we did a large walk around the SeaWall, shopped on nearby Robson St., and stopped for lunch. The front desk staff checked in repeatedly to make sure we had everything we needed, and again the Club Lounge offerings were excellent. The next day I had a workout in the good but oddly laid out gym with shared sauna, hot tub, and large indoor pool. The sun happily came out so we did a walk to the Aquarium in beautiful Stanley Park, with dolphins, penguins, seals, beluga whales and much more to see and do. On our way out of town we stopped by Granville Market, a must for foodies with a large selection to choose from.

Another great stay, I eagerly look forward to the hotel's finished product, especially since one of the two downtown Westin hotels, the Bayshore, will be leaving the group. Thanks to the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre for another great stay!