RISE AND FLY
A stress-free alternative to winter holiday travel angst
With the approach of Old Man Winter, many Canadians are planning their escape into the warm embrace of sunny Mother Nature.
Yet the simple task of getting there is riddled with anxiety.
It begins with the seemingly simple task of arriving at the airport on time. Then come the stomachchurning lineups (in order of appearance): checking in, checking bags, clearing security, clearing customs, ordering at Tim’s, and finally, mercifully, lining up in your seat zone. And as flight schedules to points due south from Canadian airports are typically scheduled early morning, this scene often plays out before the sun is up.
But what if I told you there is an alternative to this all-too familiar routine? Get a room at a hotel “in” the airport. There are half-a-dozen so-called “in-terminal hotels” at Canadian gateway airports, from Vancouver to Halifax, and once you’ve stayed in one you’ll wonder why you ever suffered through departures like the one above.
“It’s a no-brainer when you’re coming from the ’burbs and have to make an early flight,” says Gord Scott, a Vancouverite and longtime convert of staying at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel.
“Instead of traffic stress and uncertainty, you roll out of bed to enjoy a nice breakfast and then trundle down the hall to the gate.”
Combine that convenience with the Fairmont’s first-class amenities and service — the hotel is an eighttime winner of the Skytrax award for #1 Airport Hotel in North America — and you’ll quickly regard the stay-over not as a prelude to your holiday, but the start of it.
This summer the YVR hotel upped its game with a complete overhaul of its Fairmont Gold rooms and lounge, with new furnishings and artwork inspired by its aeronautic surroundings.
“For those starting their trip with us, we have a great bar with live music every night, an in-lobby airline check-in kiosk, and breakfast options that can be delivered early and packaged to go,” says hotel general manager Patrick Gosselin. “And our newest offering is our Airport Chauffeur which is a six-passenger golf cart that takes guests to check in. It’s ideal for travellers who have limited mobility — or a lot of luggage.”
The Jetside Lounge is something Scott loves about the YVR Fairmont, but admits it did cause a bit of an issue on one occasion.
“Friends decided to drop us at the airport, then joined us for a drink and dinner in the lounge before deciding to check out our room,” he recalls. “They could have sat watching the planes for hours … and did. It took forever to get them out of there.”
Aircraft watching is one of the great perks of this hotel, particularly from the Gold lounge, with its floor-to-ceiling windows.
In addition to Vancouverites using the hotel as a holiday jumping off point, Gosselin reports an increase in layover stays as YVR continues to expand its international flights’ schedule.
“Some guests arrive at the hotel tired from a long trip so we offer services like jet-lag recovery tea, 24-hour in-room dining options and self-guided bath treatments that aid in sleep and travel fatigue,” he says, adding that the in-house Absolute Sp a offers a variety of jet lag recovery treatments.