We had a suite at the penthouse level - we thought we scored a deal during our weekend stay in Richmond/Vancouver. However, we were wrong. When we got to the top floor, we were a bit lost as the first thing we saw was "The Water Club", which was tinted in blue, and had a doorbell that asked its patrons to press in order to enter. Quite frankly, we felt uncomfortable immediately. (we confirmed what our thoughts were after our local Vancouver friends sent us this link: http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111004/bc_ctv_investigates_massage_parlours_1_111004?hub=BritishColumbiaHome)
Our room was spacious; however, there were minimal ammenities (the coffee maker was actually in the washroom, which was also a bit uncomfortable in terms of cleanliness). We slept all right, though we couldn't really feel relaxed and at home. I wanted to return home quicker than usual.
In addition, the hotel lobby smelled like the building next door, which was a office/commercial building with an open concept -- which was awful considering there was a Chinese foodcourt right in it. Unfortunately, we had a rental car, which had to be parked in the commercial building... in order to get to the hotel, you had to walk through the commercial building and therefore, get a whiff of off-hours odour from chlorine cleansing products late at night, or the fresh Chinese BBQ smell during operating hours.
Perhaps if we weren't put on the penthouse level, our stay may have been slightly different, as the Water Club's existence wasn't that evident in the other parts of the hotel. The location is great as it's close to the airport, and right across from the Aberdeen Centre (Chinese mall), however, given the weight of the cons, it's not worth the stay.
- Richmond Radisson
- Radisson President Hotel Vancouver Airport
- Radisson Richmond
