Renovations fit for a queen
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s 14th floor gets a royal restoration
With the world’s attention focused on today’s royal nuptials between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle, a stunning restoration at an iconic Vancouver hotel is all the more relevant.
That’s because Harry’s great grandparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, stayed at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver during its grand opening in 1939, taking up residence on the 14th floor that had been specifically designed for the royal couple.
This spring, in anticipation of its 80th anniversary next year, the hotel completed a four-year renovation project that included a new lobby and restaurant, 507 new guest rooms, 8,000 additional square feet of function space and, most impressively, a complete restoration of the 14th floor to return it to the glory of that royal visit.
“We wanted to capture the romanticism surrounding the luxury of travel and royal visits,” said Adele Rankin, principal and design lead of CHIL Interior Design, the firm tasked with the challenging restoration. “The design language is rich, ornate, layered and highly detailed — a one-of-a-kind experience that honours the hotel’s history and reputation.”
Careful attention was paid to preserve the floor’s extensive list of heirlooms, including: guest room doors made in 1939 of English harewood with bronze inset doorplates; elaborate bronze hallway doors; the African Sapele woodpanelled walls of the elevator lobby accented with solid bronze inlay strips; and the English black walnut veneer-panelled walls of the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite originating from a single walnut tree and so skilfully matched that the same markings may be traced symmetrically around the entire room. The floor’s two main master suites — the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite and the Royal Suite — are each distinct in their design. The Lieutenant Governor’s Suite features design influences from art deco stylings, while the Royal Suite’s esthetic is lighter, regal, and classically contemporary.
Expert craftsmen from Quebec lived at the property while they restored the rooms, which included recreating such heritage architectural elements as the crown mouldings in the Royal Suite bedroom.
“The 14th floor is the foundation of Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s identity, and holds great historical significance both for the hotel and the city of Vancouver,” said the hotel’s sales and marketing director Brent Iverson. “CHIL Interior Design was able to retain the character of the suites while infusing modern amenities, giving the feeling of travelling between past and present.”
With speculation rampant about Harry and Meg’s honeymoon location, one wonders if a night’s stay on the 14th floor in honour of great granddad and grandma is in the offing.