Seattle98101
Couples · October 20258/10
This is an absolutely iconic property in a prime location, so I’m glad we stayed here for our first visit to Quebec City. However, it is old, it is HUGE and the sheer number of guests, plus all the gu...This is an absolutely iconic property in a prime location, so I’m glad we stayed here for our first visit to Quebec City. However, it is old, it is HUGE and the sheer number of guests, plus all the guided tours and visitors who come to see it, strains the capacity of the staff and the public spaces. Some of this is mitigated by staying in the Fairmont Gold VIP section, which has its own check-in desk on the 14th floor and offers a bit more personalized attention and amenities like the lounge.
Coming from Montreal where we had a stellar experience at the Ritz-Carlton, I had to adjust my expectations here – it is not the same caliber of luxury hotel. Once I got past that, we did enjoy our stay.
The hotel is old, and it shows. We had a river view room, but that was hard to appreciate through the one small window. The bathroom is really TINY. Beyond the inherent physical limitations of the historic building, there are missed opportunities to make the room more comfortable and functional. Things which made a negative first impression:
• Extra hangers and pillows were promised to be in the room when we checked in, per the pre-arrival communications. They were not. Don’t offer a service if you can’t follow through; I would not have been annoyed if they hadn’t asked me in advance and set an expectation.
• One robe provided for two people, had to request a second.
• Bedside tables – one was decent, with a drawer (and a second drawer fully occupied by the safe). The other was stupid nesting tables, with no storage space at all.
• No USB or convenient bedside outlets. (Most older hotels solve this with bedside tables and/or lamps that have outlets.)
• Minimal drawer space; I found out by accident that they do have small 3-drawer chests that they can bring to your room, which was great.
• There is a huge piece of furniture which could provide adequate drawer space and usable refrigerator space, but instead it is primarily a vending machine which we were warned would charge us if we lifted or moved anything. Even the top had bottles of wine and water on electric pads, so we didn’t dare move them out of the way. This kind of cheesy money grab detracts from any sense of “luxury.”
• WiFi would not connect. It is a new system and they are having issues. Staff had to enter each of our device numbers into the system so it would connect.
The Gold lounge is a definite plus, making our stay much more enjoyable. We were able to avoid the long lines downstairs for check-in and check-out, and everything in between. They have a nice "continental" breakfast buffet (really more of a full breakfast, with a different egg dish each morning, bacon, sausage and potatoes, yogurt, fresh fruit, etc. in addition to juice and delicious pastries). So much easier than having to wait in line downstairs. There are light snacks available throughout the day, a 5pm happy hour spread, and dessert bites at 8pm. Most of the time, it wasn't too crowded, but it can fill up at the peak of breakfast service and at 5pm. The staff is very helpful, friendly and professional, though sometimes a bit overwhelmed by the volume.
The main lobby is a zoo, with long lines at the front desk. There’s a Starbucks on the Terrace level, also busy. We did book a reservation for afternoon tea, which was lovely. We did not eat any other meals in the hotel restaurants nor try to get into the bar. When we called to have our car brought up, the valet always was prompt and had it waiting by the time we got downstairs. And the location can't be beat, I loved being able to walk out the door and be in the heart of everything we came to see, with gorgeous views.Show More
