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| - ***This Review is for the Fairmont at CHRISTMAS only*** LONG LIST of MISHAPS!
Let me emphasize that our family is unique, in that we sometimes only get 2 or 3 days together as a family for Christmas, so choosing the right hotel with amenities is very important to us. We don't get weekends or summer vacations, so these small vacations are highly precious.
We had a Gold Room reservation since September, and enrolled in the President's Club.
1. We pulled into Valet, which was super busy (and downpouring rain at the time). We got 3 different explanations on Gold Room check-in, and eventually were told it would be easier to have a bellman in a golf cart escort our vehicle into a "private parking lot." So, instead of unloading all of our luggage and christmas presents and pet carrier under the covered valet rotunda, we unloaded ourselves in the pouring rain onto a golf cart that was not covered. REPEAT: we unloaded all of our stuff in the rain. This is their "valet" service???
2. We checked into the "Gold" lounge, which was uneventful and not very welcoming. Maybe because we were dripping wet with a wet dog. None of the Christmas activities were explained, except that they can make reservations for anything if we need them. Strike 2. Concierge could've made a difference here, but I felt like we were a bother.
3. The rain stopped at 4:30 pm. Several staff did inform us of all the activities (after we had to ask) and got us very excited about what to see first. We spent time planning our evening and headed out of our room about 7:30pm only to find out EVERY EVENT WAS CANCELLED without notice. They even cancelled SANTA CLAUS!!! There was no plan B, no re-scheduling, nothing. Hundreds of people walking around with nothing to see or do. I don't think I need to explain how devastating this is for small children (and parents, too). The magic was gone. And the rain had been gone for hours. HOURS.
4. Christmas brunch. Well, at $95 per person plus gratuity, I expected more. At this price, most hotels or restaurants would include at least champagne (mimosas, anyone?) or even bloody marys. Here, it was 3 drinks for $35 or 5 for $55. Terrible. We'll stick to coffee, thanks. Everything was pretty to look at, but as far as edible: I can't remember one single thing that stood out nor did we go back for seconds.
5. They overcharged their own tip on our bill. Yep.
6. The "VIP" bracelets that was supposed to be a perk to booking early got us into express lanes for all the free stuff. It did not include anything else.
6.5 the S'moreland Nazi lady yelled at me for not having my bracelet on. When i explained that the bracelet did not have a connector on it and asked if she could show me how to get around this, she scoffed and sarcastically said "well merry christmas." UGH! don't yell at me for your own defective products!
7. $25 s'more kits. $22 for 2 roasting sticks. Not included in VIP or anything else.
8. $25 ice skating charge PER HOUR ($20 if you bring your own skates). But they'll take 15 minutes out of your hour to Zamboni the ice, so really it's only 45 minutes to skate.
9. The Bar next to the ice skating rink is RSVP only...or, what they call "fire pits" for $99 to sit down (then you pay $15 for each drink). The idiots who pay for this pleasure are the ones that keep the inflation high. Just say no to robbery, people. Note to hotel: when you have 20 open "pits" and a whole gaggle of parents standing in the bleachers watching their kids skate, you're losing money. Your RSVP-only strategy works when space is a premium. You do not make money when they are empty.
10. After looking at our charges prior to check out, we see that they have not yet deducted our deposit. So far they've overcharged us about $324 more than we should. I'll update if this gets fixed.
11. The DVD player in our room kept switching back to the "Fairmont Guide." Impossible to watch the movies we brought.
12. Housekeeping was....meh. I'm staring at the coffee stains from our first morning as I type this (trash is picked up, bed is made, but nothing is wiped down and we still have a cricket in our room (and hair near the toilet). Gold Room indeed.
Every single one of the staff was professional and pleasant. They never broke this great attitude even at the slightest signs of patron displeasure (except for the kranky lady at S'moreland).
The continental breakfast and appetizers in the Gold Lounge were impressive.
I agree with other reviewers: save your money. There is nothing worse than ridiculous over-charging for every single detail to kill your Christmas spirit. And to cancel Santa (which was supposed to be part of our VIP package/early booking) without a plan B for the kids is inexcusable.
Sadly, we will be looking for another resort next year. This was not worth the 6 hour drive for us, nor for the price we paid for "magic."
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