Established on March 15th, 1913, The St. Regis Hotel is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Vancouver. During its colourful history, it sponsored a local professional hockey team during World War II and the hotel’s bar and grill featured exotic dancers during the 1980s. But what does the hotel have in store for its visitors in 2024? LLM travel writer Baldwin Ho checks in to find out.
Hotel
Due to the historical nature of this property, the St. Regis chain, owned by Marriott, cannot use the brand name in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, as the legal name is owned by this independent St. Regis Hotel.
During the hospitality shutdown in 2020, the hotel underwent nearly $2 million worth of renovations. Much of the money was spent on renovating the St. Regis Room, where guests can enjoy breakfast, and also on improving the staterooms. You will notice up to twenty-two pieces of abstract artwork dotted throughout the building, which add a sense of colour and modernity to the heritage building.
The lift is relatively small even for a boutique hotel of 65 rooms, so I would aim to not use it during rush hour, say at noon when it is check-out time. Having said that, the front desk is very efficient at dealing with guests, so waiting time is kept to a minimum.
Room
The St. Regis has six categories of rooms ranging from smart queen guest rooms to executive suites. All their accommodation includes a free full breakfast for two, which is a rarity in North America. Bottled FUJI water is replenished daily and you are also offered complimentary local and worldwide long-distance phone calls. Microwaves and fridges are available on request for those who prefer to dine in-room; although that is unlikely given the plethora of dining options nearby.
The suites are particularly spacious with a separate living room with a double sofa bed and a large working area. They offer 4K Chromecast-enabled TVs with over 200 channels and more than 40 digital HD channels, including free movies, and guests will also find a Nespresso coffee machine and luxury bathroom amenities from L’Occitane en Provence. The St. Regis is offering all of your expected five-star hotel room amenities at very affordable prices.
Food and drink
Breakfast at the hotel is offered in the form of a continental breakfast, a traditional English-style breakfast or an omelette breakfast. It is a hearty affair with generous portion sizes.
For dinner or lunch, I would highly recommend a stroll to ARC restaurant near Canada Place. The restaurant offers captivating views of the harbour and mountain. You can also observe the hustle and bustle from the cruise terminal as passengers board and disembark from their cruise experiences.
The food is all about hyper-local ingredients and delivering on seasonality, and they have a rooftop herb garden and beehive. In particular, I would recommend their province-to-plate menu, which highlights the very best produce from British Columbia, for example, from the current menu, there’s a halibut cheeks risotto, which is from the coast of Haida Gwaii. The quail egg from their starter asparagus comes from Rabbit River Farms in Richmond, while the rhubarb from their dessert comes from Hannah Brook Farms in Burnaby. They also have a famous weekend bottomless brunch which is always hugely popular with the locals.
To do
The hotel’s central location is a key selling point: Going on an Alaskan cruise and need to head to the cruise terminal at Canada Place? It is a short walking distance away. Need to go shopping downtown at Hudson’s Bay or Holt Renfrew? That is a short stroll away. Getting a train from the airport? Vancouver City Centre Station is only a stone’s throw away from the hotel.
There are numerous neighbourhoods to discover in Vancouver. A 13-minute walk away is Chinatown, the third biggest Chinatown in North America, after San Francisco and New York. It is traditionally one of the poorest areas in Vancouver but is currently being slowly gentrified into an up-and-coming district of the city.
Another area to visit is Granville Island with a dazzling array of boutique shops and food stalls along with a theatre and brewery. The various artisan shops will easily tempt you to part with your Canadian dollars. In particular, check out the Northern Bars stand, where you can purchase the local delicacy, the Nanaimo Bar. It consists of three layers: a crunchy biscuit base, a creamy custard middle and a chocolate ganache topping.
In a nutshell
If you want to be at the heart of the action when visiting Vancouver, the hotel to stay at is The St. Regis Hotel.
Factbox
The St. Regis Hotel offers rooms from $239 per night.
Address: 602 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1Y6, Canada
Phone: +1 604-681-1135
Email: info@stregishotel.com
Website: stregishotel.com
