Century Plaza Hotel & Spa

Expect to see many international travelers at Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, including those attending conferences or families and couples enjoying pre- or post-cruise stays. It’s a classy traditional-looking hotel, with grand details such as polished marble floors and columns framed by gold benches. The lobby's modern chandeliers are striking, and while the low-ceiling space is a bit dark, the neon cobalt-blue wall behind the reception desk is a colorful focal point. It’s a busy place, with people coming and going throughout the day. The CPrime restaurant offers upscale dining in attractive surroundings, with white marble tables, an exhibition kitchen, and a large, black granite bar. It, along with the comedy club, attracts many visitors to the hotel who aren’t staying overnight. 

The Century Plaza is centrally located in downtown Vancouver, surrounded by a plethora of shops, restaurants, bars, and other hotels. The heavy concentrations of shopping and dining options along Robson and Davie Streets are both about one block away (about a five-minute walk). It’s a 16-minute walk to Sunset Beach Park, and about 19 minutes on foot (10 by public transit) to the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Canada Place building, and cruise ship terminal. BC Place Stadium is an eight-minute drive or 20 minutes by public transit, and it takes approximately 38 minutes to drive to Vancouver International Airport (43 minutes by public transit). 

The guest rooms in this older hotel can vary in size, decor, and furnishings, and some appear more dated than others. Generally, all have a traditional look, with muted earth tones and dark wood furniture that doesn’t always match. The lack of vibrant colors could make these rooms dark and lifeless, but the large windows in most keep them bright and comfortable. 

Units come in several categories, including Studio and One-Bedroom Suites. The rooms and suites are tidy and spacious, and many feature sleeper sofas and fully equipped kitchenettes. Units without kitchenettes have microwaves, mini-fridges, and coffeemakers. All have flat-screen TVs, robes, safes, and free Wi-Fi. 

Bathrooms also vary widely. The Deluxe King we saw, for example, had salmon marble tiling, a black granite vanity, and glass doors on the shower/tub combo, while the Studio King had a black acrylic vanity and ho-hum beige tiling. The views of the city and even harbor from many of the rooms in this high-rise are the star attraction, and some have small balconies. Units facing St. Paul’s Hospital (south) can get noise from sirens at times, and rooms on lower floors tend to hear more overall ambient street noise. 

This full-service, high-rise hotel has a lengthy list of attractive amenities, including CPrime, a fine-dining steakhouse that serves breakfast (fee), lunch, and dinner, and has an extensive wine selection. The aptly named Beyond Coffee serves baked goods, sandwiches, and other to-go items for breakfast and lunch. Room service is also available. 

Other highlights include the full-service Absolute Spa, an on-site hair salon, and a large, 24-hour fitness center that's equipped like a commercial gym, with eight weight-training machines and 10 cardio machines. There's also an indoor pool with a steam room and showers, but they're located in a rather dingy basement with no natural light. 

Those traveling for work will find a business center located in an innovative guest comfort room that includes coin laundry facilities, TVs, free coffee, and even a photo booth. The hotel’s 10,000 square feet of meeting space can host groups of 250 people, and Wi-Fi throughout is free. There's even on-site entertainment at this hotel -- The Comedy Mix is a classic comedy club that hosts top performers. 

Valet dry cleaning and laundry are among the concierge services, and on-site parking in an underground garage is reasonably priced for a big-city property. Pets are welcome with a surcharge.