Can anyone give me thoughts/recommendations on the Residence Inn Downtown Vancouver?

[Edgewater601]

Three couples are arriving at YVR on 7/2/20 for a one night precruise stay.  Got a refundable rate less than 350 Canadian which includes all taxes/fees/breakfast, which in comparison to other downtown hotels didn’t seem bad.  I have looked at reviews on trip advisor and other sites and am not seeing anything bad.  I know we will have a cab ride from the airport to the hotel and another cab ride from the hotel to the pier.  Is there anything I should be concerned about, construction or late night bar noise,  unsafe area, poor service, cleanliness, etc.?  Has anyone stayed there before who can provide information?  Thank you!

[martincath]

Can't speak to interior room comfort/front desk service, as never stayed, but in terms of location it's fine & dandy. You're close to Davie - which has plenty of shops & restos - but just far enough that the party scene there shouldn't annoy you (Granville, even worse for late night revels, parallels you two blocks away but since Hornby is one way the wrong way for night buses at that point drunk bridge & tunnelers won't be hanging out on your street at 3am). The other side of the street is a construction site right now, but by next July that phase will be long complete (Google 'Burrard Place' and 'Burrard Gateway' - it's basically another giant multi-tower condo & office development taking up an entire city block).

 

A minor concern is that the last building on that block, which will go where 7-Eleven and other low-rises on the Davie end are right now, has now had plans released so it *might* start being built soon after they finish the current buildings - but it's the required 'all rental' building which means low priority and even if they did plan construction to start next summer they have to evict several different businesses with varying lengths of lease. Plus, the typical Vancouver pattern is to wait as long as possible before starting on 'all rentals' in case there's a regime change or something else that allows the developers to weasel out of their commitments and make extra profits with a larger mixed-use building or even another condo tower with rental units built somewhere further away (and cheaper!) instead...

 

I will point out though that you could be in the even-cheaper and slightly-better-located-for-walking YWCA hotel instead (even though they've finally moved to a dynamic pricing model you should still find regular 'double/twin with en suite' hotel rooms for ~$200 at the Y).

 

Personal safety really isn't a concern anywhere in downtown Vancouver - even the skeeviest parts may look icky but it's only property theft that is of comparable concern to large US metro areas up here (cars, and especially shiny things visible inside cars, go missing plenty up here) while any kind of 'crimes against persons' are very low in comparison to US cities.

[Edgewater601]

5 hours ago, martincath said:

Can't speak to interior room comfort/front desk service, as never stayed, but in terms of location it's fine & dandy. You're close to Davie - which has plenty of shops & restos - but just far enough that the party scene there shouldn't annoy you (Granville, even worse for late night revels, parallels you two blocks away but since Hornby is one way the wrong way for night buses at that point drunk bridge & tunnelers won't be hanging out on your street at 3am). The other side of the street is a construction site right now, but by next July that phase will be long complete (Google 'Burrard Place' and 'Burrard Gateway' - it's basically another giant multi-tower condo & office development taking up an entire city block).

 

A minor concern is that the last building on that block, which will go where 7-Eleven and other low-rises on the Davie end are right now, has now had plans released so it *might* start being built soon after they finish the current buildings - but it's the required 'all rental' building which means low priority and even if they did plan construction to start next summer they have to evict several different businesses with varying lengths of lease. Plus, the typical Vancouver pattern is to wait as long as possible before starting on 'all rentals' in case there's a regime change or something else that allows the developers to weasel out of their commitments and make extra profits with a larger mixed-use building or even another condo tower with rental units built somewhere further away (and cheaper!) instead...

 

I will point out though that you could be in the even-cheaper and slightly-better-located-for-walking YWCA hotel instead (even though they've finally moved to a dynamic pricing model you should still find regular 'double/twin with en suite' hotel rooms for ~$200 at the Y).

 

Personal safety really isn't a concern anywhere in downtown Vancouver - even the skeeviest parts may look icky but it's only property theft that is of comparable concern to large US metro areas up here (cars, and especially shiny things visible inside cars, go missing plenty up here) while any kind of 'crimes against persons' are very low in comparison to US cities.

Thank you so much for the info.  I will continue to check around since our rooms can be cancelled up to 48 hours prior to arrival--I am just glad I have something booked for now.  If I find another option, I will certainly compare; but it sounds like this is something that is doable.  I will also be interested if anyone has stayed at the Residence Inn and their opinion.

 

Thanks much!

 

[msjazzymiss]

I plan to stay at the Residence Inn pre-cruise in September 2019.  I’ll be able to provide information on the hotel & vicinities upon my return.

[vozzie]

We also in September....

[Canadianweaselette]

We are booked there for one night pre-cruise in September. I will report back when we return.

[Edgewater601]

Thank you so much to each of you staying there soon.  I would so appreciate the feedback!

[Canadianweaselette]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We stayed here for 1 night pre-cruise earlier this month. The room we had was huge. The included breakfast was varied and pretty decent.

 

The only issue we had was at check in. We had booked online and paid extra for an additional adult in the room. When we arrived they didn't want to rent it to 4 adults but we insisted that we paid the price online and eventually they gave in. They say their rooms are for max 2 adults and 2 children.

 

Location was good. We were going to walk to the port but needed to find a pharmacy first so we ended up walking the 10 minutes to the SkyTrain at Yale-Roundhouse and we were at the port in no time at all.

[Edgewater601]

On 9/29/2019 at 8:16 PM, Canadianweaselette said:

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We stayed here for 1 night pre-cruise earlier this month. The room we had was huge. The included breakfast was varied and pretty decent.

 

The only issue we had was at check in. We had booked online and paid extra for an additional adult in the room. When we arrived they didn't want to rent it to 4 adults but we insisted that we paid the price online and eventually they gave in. They say their rooms are for max 2 adults and 2 children.

 

Location was good. We were going to walk to the port but needed to find a pharmacy first so we ended up walking the 10 minutes to the SkyTrain at Yale-Roundhouse and we were at the port in no time at all.

Thanks for the info.  We only have 2 to a room so we should be fine.  We also had planned to take a cab to the port.  Does that take about 10 to 15 minutes as your best guess?  Were there restaurants close by for dinner or did you eat dinner in the hotel as well?  Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.

[Canadianweaselette]

On 10/3/2019 at 1:59 PM, Edgewater601 said:

Thanks for the info.  We only have 2 to a room so we should be fine.  We also had planned to take a cab to the port.  Does that take about 10 to 15 minutes as your best guess?  Were there restaurants close by for dinner or did you eat dinner in the hotel as well?  Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.

I am honestly not sure how long the cab ride would be but since Google was saying it was a 21 minute walk I can't see a cab ride being any longer than 10 minutes.

 

There wasn't much right along our street but we walked less than 10 minutes to a really delicious restaurant called Burgoo (https://burgoo.ca/). It was on Burrard St. and I would highly recommend it. I am not 100% sure if the hotel had a restaurant or not. They have the breakfast area upstairs but I don't think it was a restaurant at other times.

[Edgewater601]

27 minutes ago, Canadianweaselette said:

I am honestly not sure how long the cab ride would be but since Google was saying it was a 21 minute walk I can't see a cab ride being any longer than 10 minutes.

 

There wasn't much right along our street but we walked less than 10 minutes to a really delicious restaurant called Burgoo (https://burgoo.ca/). It was on Burrard St. and I would highly recommend it. I am not 100% sure if the hotel had a restaurant or not. They have the breakfast area upstairs but I don't think it was a restaurant at other times.

Again, thank you!  I appreciate all your assistance.

[martincath]

On 10/3/2019 at 10:59 AM, Edgewater601 said:

...We also had planned to take a cab to the port.  Does that take about 10 to 15 minutes as your best guess?  Were there restaurants close by for dinner or did you eat dinner in the hotel as well?

Clarification on the surrounding area that CW couldn't confirm for you: drive distance is 1.25miles, barely 5 mins, to the pier (but with typical bottleneck for getting inside to the luggage drop area, that time could double easily - should still be not much over the $10 mark on the meter though even in traffic). Oh, and since there's not a single cab in the city that can handle 6 adults + luggage you will need two from YVR ($32 each fixed fare) and again to the pier - even our Minivan cabs are almost all missing a row of seats to fit wheelchairs inside so only seat 4 pax, while at least 80% of all cab fleets are Prius models which usually only handle 3+ big suitcases due to reduced trunk space with all the batteries.

 

CW is correct that this hotel dining is only breakfast. You have a sea of mostly-mediocre restos available on Granville and Burrard Streets, from 4-10mins walk away, but IMO the only ones good enough to be worth recommending are:

• Banana Leaf on Davie (~300 yards, Malaysian);
• Takis' Taverna the next block up Davie (~400 yards, Greek, very old school and vastly superior to Stepho's just a couple of doors further along);
• Alpha Sushi (the only decent sushi on Granville since Shuraku closed last year, <400 yards; but if you want better sushi though less other stuff, Kaide on Richards is <700 yards and still the best-value sushi in downtown IMO);
• Twisted Fork (mostly known for excellent brekkies, closes after lunch so no good for dinner, <400 yards, in case you don't like the brekkie options at the hotel);

 

If you want to try Poutine, you are perfectly located - the two most well-known local ones, Fritz and La Belle Patate are <700 yards away on Davie (Fritz is just one block east; LBP is west)

 

Looking for somewhat fancier food? Head into Yaletown, not much further at barely half a mile/10mins walk, for a big upgrade in average resto quality including probably the single finest seafood resto in the city, Blue Water Cafe, as well as some much better quality but not much pricier than many Granville options PNW bistros like the Flying Pig (one  of the best value Happy Hours around), Brix & Mortar (their Prix Fixe is a bargain); your nearest Keg is also in Yaletown (v. popular Canadian steakhouse), as is IMO the best Greek in downtown (The Greek by Anatoli), one of the v popular local Nuba chain (Lebanese) and one of our oldest brewpubs, Yaletown Brewing.

 

If you have any specific dining loves/hates and the list above doesn't cut the mustard, give me more details (ballpark $ budget - NB: CAD means ~25% discount! - plus any allergy/special dietary issues etc. Since you're from Kansas City please don't ask for good local BBQ though - your crappiest local is probably better than our best BBQ joint unless you want Chinese style!!!)

Edited October 5, 2019 by martincath

[Edgewater601]

9 hours ago, martincath said:

Clarification on the surrounding area that CW couldn't confirm for you: drive distance is 1.25miles, barely 5 mins, to the pier (but with typical bottleneck for getting inside to the luggage drop area, that time could double easily - should still be not much over the $10 mark on the meter though even in traffic). Oh, and since there's not a single cab in the city that can handle 6 adults + luggage you will need two from YVR ($32 each fixed fare) and again to the pier - even our Minivan cabs are almost all missing a row of seats to fit wheelchairs inside so only seat 4 pax, while at least 80% of all cab fleets are Prius models which usually only handle 3+ big suitcases due to reduced trunk space with all the batteries.

 

CW is correct that this hotel dining is only breakfast. You have a sea of mostly-mediocre restos available on Granville and Burrard Streets, from 4-10mins walk away, but IMO the only ones good enough to be worth recommending are:

• Banana Leaf on Davie (~300 yards, Malaysian);
• Takis' Taverna the next block up Davie (~400 yards, Greek, very old school and vastly superior to Stepho's just a couple of doors further along);
• Alpha Sushi (the only decent sushi on Granville since Shuraku closed last year, <400 yards; but if you want better sushi though less other stuff, Kaide on Richards is <700 yards and still the best-value sushi in downtown IMO);
• Twisted Fork (mostly known for excellent brekkies, closes after lunch so no good for dinner, <400 yards, in case you don't like the brekkie options at the hotel);

 

If you want to try Poutine, you are perfectly located - the two most well-known local ones, Fritz and La Belle Patate are <700 yards away on Davie (Fritz is just one block east; LBP is west)

 

Looking for somewhat fancier food? Head into Yaletown, not much further at barely half a mile/10mins walk, for a big upgrade in average resto quality including probably the single finest seafood resto in the city, Blue Water Cafe, as well as some much better quality but not much pricier than many Granville options PNW bistros like the Flying Pig (one  of the best value Happy Hours around), Brix & Mortar (their Prix Fixe is a bargain); your nearest Keg is also in Yaletown (v. popular Canadian steakhouse), as is IMO the best Greek in downtown (The Greek by Anatoli), one of the v popular local Nuba chain (Lebanese) and one of our oldest brewpubs, Yaletown Brewing.

 

If you have any specific dining loves/hates and the list above doesn't cut the mustard, give me more details (ballpark $ budget - NB: CAD means ~25% discount! - plus any allergy/special dietary issues etc. Since you're from Kansas City please don't ask for good local BBQ though - your crappiest local is probably better than our best BBQ joint unless you want Chinese style!!!)

Thank you so much for all this information.  You have been so helpful!  We can find a dinner place in this broad array of choices.  Plus you made me laugh!  Yes, I think I will stick with our own Kansas City BBQ--will be choosing something else in Canada!  Again, thank you!