Vancouver Event Photographer explores the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Having an Event at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver?

For out of town conventions or meetings, this location is perfect for moderate sized groups looking for central gala space as well as breakout rooms. The 63,000 square feet of event space inclusive of 2 Grand Ballrooms that can accommodate 1000 person conference is perfect to provide an elegant backdrop and give an opulent feeling to your event. Having a large number of rooms also means that your delegates and attendees can stay right at the conference location.

The architecture in the ballroom is breathtaking. It has a victorian opulence to it and as with many Fairmont establishments has a serene luxuriousness to it. The colour palette is neutral which is great especially if you are adding decorations or wanting to add splashes of colour in the visual design of your space. The neutral colour helps keep your palette clean with no real clashing of colours.

Typically we have included photo booths in various parts of the conference space as well as portrait booths for attendees to get that red carpet experience.

What is nice is that there is a foyer for large group photos and in their grand ballroom there is an elevated stage area where we can stand to photograph large groups of people. You would just have to plan the space accordingly.

The food and quality of service is in my opinion top notch. The staff has always been flexible with changes to room arrangements and catering to dietary needs. From sit-down dinners to standing cocktail hours, as an event photographer covering a wide variety of events in the city, it is always a delight to work at the Hotel Vancouver. Some of our favourites include their seafood bar. I personally recommend that to our out of town clients because I feel that West Coast seafood is very hard to beat. So it is definitely a treat for people especially if you are a conference coming up from the mid west of the United States where seafood is really not as fresh or as common. If charcuterie is your thing, the Fairmont doesn’t disappoint. They have a wonderful array of cured meats, cheeses and pickled vegetables. Not commonly done well in a hotel environment is dim sum or chinese dumplings. However, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver does quite a good job of this and perhaps is some of the best amongst hotels.

Bar service at the Fairmont may not be the cheapest amongst hotel chains, however they do have an impeccable array of spirits and their displays and bartenders really help create a great atmosphere. In addition to their traditional wines, beers and highballs they do have cocktail service as well.

Loading into the facility is safe and I love that it is street level. There are many hotels in the downtown core that have underground loading areas, but I personally feel kind of unsafe and a little uneasy generally. So having the loading zone at street level just beyond valet is great.

Parking is adjacent to the hotel and it is paid parking. A typical day will cost about $40 and their pay stations take credit and Apple Pay. 

Audio visuals are typically handled by their in-house associates from PSAV. From wireless microphones to sound and lighting they are able to help accommodate the various needs you have for your conference. We love how they are very accommodating to our video team and ensuring that we get good sound quality for our recordings. This is super important especially if you are recording breakout sessions for a knowledge library or capturing key sound bites from panel discussions and keynotes.

The surrounding areas offer a great many things for your attendees to do during downtime. A bustling shopping district on the famous Robson St can be found just minutes away by foot. A few blocks down reaches the waterfront harbour of Vancouver where there are beautiful views of mountains and water.

Luxury shopping is also an option for your guests as the hotel is the home to Louis Vuitton, Prada and Christian Dior. Down the block there is Hermes, Tory Burch, Gucci and Burberry.

The Absolute Spa located within the facility is a highly reviewed spa. A spacious 3000 Sqft. space is co-ed and is home to the first men’s concept spa. Also included is a eucalyptus steam shower and a relaxation lounge within the spa. This great for you as a planner of the event because not only can you get a massage after long days, but if you need you can get in and get some simple things like hair or nails done before the evening gala.