I've stayed here before and decided to try it once more. I was not disappointed.

Room:

Got upgraded to a loft room (5th floor) again! Nice perk when you're not expecting it! Again, super clean rooms. Yes, the bathroom needs updating but you barely notice it when it is so spotless! The rooms smell, look and are clean. Very spacious. Bed area upstairs with an armoire with tv, nightstand, clock radio and nightlight. King bed is very comfy. Bathrobes and extra pillows/ blankets. Downstairs has the bathroom, sitting area with a sofa, writing desk, flat screen tv, counter with sink, fridge, microwave and coffee maker. Closet with ironing board an iron.

Location:

This hotel is a 3 minute drive from the airport. It's a 15-20 minute drive down Granville to downtown Vancouver and about 25 minutes to the North Shore. There is a restaurant, Moxies, attached to the hotel. A Tim hortons is across the street and a few blocks from several fast food joints, Subway etc. as well as Starbucks. The Riverrock casino is a few minutes away. IKEA is 5 minutes down Sea Island Way.

I haven't found an ATM in the building but there is an airport check in booth in the lobby. There is some restoration going on in the hotel but I haven't heard anything from my room.

I was traveling on business and the government rate was outrageously cheap! I will not hesitate to stay here over and over!

Pros:
- cheap
- convenient location. near airport
- free shuttle bus
Cons:
- small rooms
- no free breakfast (even though it was advertised as included !)
- business center located in a room, with two printers none of them working
Overall Experience:
- Good if you get it cheap, otherwise not worth it.

We went to the Sandman Hotel for a one night stopover before our trip to Hawaii. I got a good rate which included 14 nights parking, it cost a bit more than parking at Park n' Fly or the airport long-term parking but we wanted to be close to the airport and decided to splurge for one night.
Checkin was fast, they showed us where to park for long term. It was a bit far away and not gated or secured but I was assured that a guard did patrol the area. We had a room on the freeway side of the hotel, but the street noise was not bad. The room itself was a bit small, the TV was an old 27" CRT, but the bed was comfortable.
We then went to Moxie's for dinner. The drink specials were good but the both of our dinners were overly salty. We told the waitress this, she asked if we wanted a replacement, but we both decided not to. However, it would have been nice to have an adjustment on the bill.
We then used the hottub and the pool, The hottub was nice but the pool was small, we checked out the fitness room and it was small also with two bikes and a few dumbbells.
We had to get up at 4 am to catch our 6 am flight so we requested a wakeup call and shuttle service to the airport, both of which were ok. When we got back from Hawaii, we got the shuttle again with no problems.

(Demographics of reviewer: 55-year-old, male, health professional; inter-continental travel monthly for business/pleasure). My wife and I stayed 2 nights at this airport hotel so as to visit our son who studies in Vancouver. We have been to Vancouver almost 2 dozen times. We flew in from Asia, and were headed to our home in Winnipeg. The Sandman has 2 hotels within the airport vicinity: the higher-end Sandman Signature, and the older Sandman which is where we stayed. This is a 5-storey building, moderate-sized, nondescript, and a 15-min shuttle ride from the terminals courtesy of the hotel. The shuttle drivers were efficient, courteous, and knowldegeable. Front desk and check-in procedure was smooth and trouble-free, even if they had just processed 60 unannounced passengers from a cancelled Air Canada international flight. We stayed in a room on the third floor. The room itself was disappointingly small, and was just a bit larger than a standard European hotel room. Bathroom was of fair size, clean, and reasonably-stocked with usual amenities. There was no fridge nor safe. The room and beddings were clean. The heating/cooling system was a noisy, window-type unit with the controls transferred to an improvised Honeywell thermostat mounted on the opposite wall. Beside the thermostat was a light switch marked AC and HEAT which obviously gives you the choice of what you prefer. I've never seen anything like this. I'll leave it to other clients whether to call it innovative or cheap. But the unit cooled well, albeit at a higher decibel level. There is a small indoor pool better suited for soaking rather than doing laps. Adjacent to it is a small fitness center where they managed to cram 2 treadmills, a stationary bike, and a rowing machine. This is the coziest fitness center I have seen. Parking seemed ample, and the covered driveway is wide enough for a shuttle bus or 2 mid-sized cars side-by-side. The upside of this hotel is a branch of Moxie's on the ground floor. Moxie's is Moxie's --- not gourmet, but predictably good. To summarize, it was our first stay at a Sandman, and I conclude that it is of average quality. The hotel is due for an upgrade. Bigger rooms would be at the top of my list, but I am not sure how they could do this and still maintain decent rates. What about combining 2 rooms into one unit and calling the hotel Sandman Suites?