Curious what it feels like to stay at the Executive Hotel Vintage Park in Vancouver? Read my honest review of the place and see if this is the perfect fit for you and your family.
This honest review of the Executive Hotel Vintage Park in Vancouver was written by travel expert Marcie Cheung and contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission that goes back into maintaining this blog.
My family loves to go up to Vancouver, BC. It’s just a 3-hour drive from Seattle and there are fun things to do and super friendly people up there. So, when I saw a deal from Travelzoo for the Executive Hotel Vintage Park Vancouver (now called The Parker Hotel Vancouver), I was happy to have an excuse for our next trip.
We usually stay near downtown Vancouver’s Robson Street, so I was intrigued to stay a bit South of that area.
Arrival at the Executive Hotel Vintage Park in Vancouver
There was a traffic accident, so we ended up arriving about 2 hours later than we had planned, meaning it was past our kids’ bedtime, and we hadn’t had dinner yet.
My husband was able to run into the lobby and check us in before we parked in the hotel garage and unloaded our car. It would have been great if they have a valet parking, as all the logistics of moving our things around with kids in tow made our check in pretty hectic.
Once we got to the lobby, we asked an employee how to get to the condo side since our elevator didn’t go up that high. He told us to go down some stairs to another elevator.
As we had two rolling suitcases, a double stroller, and a toddler with us, we know that wasn’t a viable option. So we hunted around for another employee who told us we’d need to go to the 9th floor and then walk a bit to another set of elevators to get to our room.
We passed the elevators the first time because there was no button on the outside, just a slot to put a hotel key, so we assumed it was for staff only. After walking a bit more, we figured that must be the correct elevator. It was.
The Room’s First Impression
The first thing I noticed about the room was how cold it was. We cranked up the heat, cranked down the air conditioning, and when that didn’t seem to help, we found some open windows (they were hidden behind the shade.)
Then we looked through the hotel guide to figure out how to order room service to get our toddler fed and to bed. We saw that they had a restaurant that said there was a room service menu in our room.
We looked around but couldn’t find one, so we called the front desk. They told us the restaurant didn’t do room service, so we decided to eat at the restaurant and we loaded up the kids and headed down.
When we arrived, we were told it was a pop-up restaurant and they could not accommodate us and had no knowledge of the hotel restaurant or where we could get food. So, we had to go on a different elevator and headed to the lobby to ask the front desk.
They pointed us to another desk that had delivery menus on it. We perused them and ordered Chinese takeout. Forty-five minutes later, we were finally eating dinner.
A Lovely Morning
The next morning, we enjoyed the room before heading down to breakfast. My favorite part of the room was the large shower! It was great not to rub up against a curtain or wall.
It was also lovely to see the street from our bed. My toddler had much room to play with his trains and walk around.
Breakfast at the restaurant was very nice. The dining room is divided into two parts, so we headed to the less-crowded part. There was a large assortment of breakfast items, and we were able to find items for everyone to eat. The staff was the best part of breakfast. They were so friendly and accommodating!
Exploring Downtown Vancouver
We spent the rest of the day exploring holiday festivities (Stanley Park Miniature Railway, Granville Island, Vancouver’s Christmas Market, and the Polar Express Train up in Squamish.) When we returned, the parking garage was full, and we had to park on the street in the rain.
It was a long day, and we arrived back at the hotel in time to give our toddler leftover Chinese food (yay for the fridge), my husband walked to Il Giardino to get us to take-out Italian food.
It was pretty lovely to sit in the dining room and have a sort of date night while the boys slept.
When we woke up the next morning, we discovered two more open windows in different areas (again hidden by shades). They must have been opened when the room was cleaned. We closed them to keep the heat in and headed to breakfast. The staff was again so friendly, and they remembered us!
Checking Out
We packed all our stuff and headed to the lobby to check out. Again, it took two elevators and some finagling to get us all down there.
My husband left us in the lobby while he got our car from the street, and we loaded up. There were four other cars doing the same thing, and the driveway was pretty cramped. Another guest complained to us about the parking lot situation, as we were all freezing trying to load up our cars.
What I Liked about the Executive Hotel Vintage Park
- Size of our Suite. We had booked a one-bedroom suite but were upgraded to a two-bedroom suite upon arrival. We got a lot of use out of the dining area and used the expansive living rooms to store our luggage and double stroller.
- View. I loved the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown Vancouver’s hustle and bustle. My vehicle-obsessed toddler was also entertained by just staring at the cars and trucks driving. It also gave me something to look at during the 3 a.m. nursing session with my baby.
- Shower. I LOVE how big the shower is! I tend to get grossed out in hotel showers that are too tight because I’m not particularly eager to touch anything. This shower was so spacious, and the showerhead was very large.
- Breakfast. Breakfast was included in our hotel stay. They had an assortment of cereals, yogurt, muffins, toast, eggs, bacon, potatoes, sausage, and a waffle bar. They also had orange juice, apple juice, milk, and coffee.
- Breakfast Staff. They were some of the nicest hotel employees we interacted with during our stay. They really got to know our family and we chatted about life in Vancouver and Seattle. They also remembered us the next day, which was nice.
- Proximity to Il Giardino. Our favorite Italian restaurant in Vancouver is Il Giardino, which happens to be a block away. Their food is delicious! Since we were traveling with a baby and a toddler, we opted to get take-out and could quickly walk to and from the restaurant and dine in our suite.
What I Didn’t Like about the Executive Hotel Vintage Park
- Elevators. We had to take two elevators to get to and from our room because they each went to different floors. It was painful when lugging two kids and a double stroller plus our luggage.
- Parking Garage. We were only able to park in the garage on our first night (and that was in a handicap spot we were told to park in by hotel staff.) The second night, it was full, and we had to unload kids in the lobby while my husband parked on the street.
- Hotel location. Besides being close to Il Giardino, this hotel’s location was a bust. We couldn’t really walk anywhere, and we felt a bit removed from the Downtown festivities.
- The Hotel Room was Outdated. Not only were we not able to retrieve a message on our phone, but the hotel guide had handwritten notes eliminating services.
- Restaurant Only Open for Breakfast. We were surprised that the restaurant wasn’t open for dinner and that in-room dining wasn’t an option. Even stranger was there was a pop-up dinner going on the night we arrived at the restaurant and we weren’t able to get food.
What Guests Can Expect at the Executive Hotel Vintage Park Vancouver
Amenities and Services:
- Free WiFi: The hotel provides complimentary WiFi access for guests.
- In Town Location: Situated in the heart of downtown Vancouver, the hotel offers easy access to attractions like Granville Street and Granville Island.
- Valet Parking: Guests can take advantage of the convenient valet parking service.
- Complimentary Bottled Spring Water: Each room includes complimentary bottled spring water.
Amenities and Services That May Vary or Are Not Available:
- Fully Stocked Bar Fridges: Bar fridges may not be fully stocked in all rooms, and this amenity may be limited to certain suites.
- Executive Suites: While the hotel does offer suites, the size and configuration may vary. Not all suites have separate living areas and bedrooms.
- Premium Furnishings: The hotel features modern and comfortable furnishings, but the level of luxury is subjective.
- Customized Bike Tour: The hotel does not offer customized bike tours directly, but they can provide information about local rental options.
Additional Considerations:
- Parking can be challenging, even with valet service, as the garage can fill up quickly.
- The hotel’s location is convenient for exploring downtown Vancouver, but guests with specific amenity needs should verify availability directly with the hotel.
Final Verdict:
