Feb 7

Feb 7 Westin Whistler, Round2

My co-author Richard has already written a review on this hotel (link), but this was during COVID times and during the fall. Also, he managed to finesse his way to a 2 bdr suite, so this review is more representative of what you’re actually going to get at the hotel.

Booking

Having a Whistler hotel must be an incredible investment; the only times Whistler didn’t seem busy would likely be in shoulder seasons (e.g. April or October). The price for today’s weekend stay was $400, although split between several friends it seemed more reasonable. This is likely due to the fact that the hotel has recently been renovated, and that the Westin Whistler is located IN the Olympic village.

Arrival

Out of all the Westin’s I’ve stayed in, this one had the best lobby.

It was a good mix between homely (there were fireplaces) and modern, with plenty of seating all around. Furthermore, the entrance reminded me of the beginnings of a flight, with flavored water and cold towels.

I was swiftly checked in by an associate, who informed me about the complementary breakfast as a Marriott Titanium. I was fortunate enough to get an upgrade to a 1 Queen Bed, 1-Bedroom Suite - the main difference was that the Queen Bed was in it’s own room, as opposed to connecting to the main room in a studio.

There’s several towers in the Westin Whistler, so make sure you go into the right one! As we will see later, this results in a massive common area for the guests to enjoy.

Room

Our 1 Queen Bed, 1-Bedroom Suite was located in the middle of an unassuming hallway.

The Westin notes that it’s rooms as 470 - 600 sqft; this one I felt was on the smaller size, as there was a connecting door to the next room. Thankfully, we couldn’t hear anything from any of the other rooms.

The initial feeling I got was that this room was more of a Residence Inn with a few Westin touches. Not that it’s a bad thing, especially since I feel these rooms are designed to accommodate families / leisure travelers as opposed to businessfolk who can expense all their meals.

It had a full kitchen and cooking utensils, which my friends tried (and failed) to cook bacon. For dinner, we used the outdoor grill at the Hilton Whistler, something the Westin Whistler lacked.

Fear not coffee lovers, there is a (pretty bad) coffee maker; however, if you’re lucky enough to get breakfast, they do have pretty good coffee. There is also a Starbucks in the building that is open from 6:30AM to 7:00PM if you’re in need,

As mentioned earlier, the rest of the room was very much designed in a Residence Inn type: functional rather than stylish (cough the W). One of the cool things was that there was an electric fireplace, as well as a TV - perfect ways to end off a long time hiking or skiing.

But during the daytime, the best thing was to look at the view!

Moving onto the bedroom, there was a comfy Westin Queen bed that took up 80% of the room, along with a TV and closet.

The reason the bedroom was compact is likely because the Westin’s bathroom was so big - consider I had to take 4 pictures of the bathroom as opposed to just 3 for the bedroom.

Overall, I really liked how the room was more functional than form, especially considering the target audience of leisure travelers who would like to lay back and unwind after a hard day’s skiing or hiking. But to that end, the Westin Whistler had a few tricks up it’s sleeves to make sure you spent your money at the hotel.

Amenities

The extended lobby felt as if it was a hotel with in a hotel, and was 3 stories tall.

It’s quite easy to get lost within the hotel, especially since there are quite a few shopping outlets in the store, mostly connected to winter sports or real estate.

But if you indeed have millions of dollars that may or may not have been legally gotten, you too can invest in a nearly $20M property in Whistler!

The hotel features the Grill & Vine for Breakfast and Dinner, along with the FireRock Lounge for afternoon and evening delights.

The free breakfast buffet was, dare I say, one of the top 2 I’ve had in North America (the other was the Delta Toronto). But then again, I am a sucker for anything with smoked salmon. Everything tasted wonderful, and the servers were great as well in asking what we wanted to drink / cleaning stuff up.

There’s also a restaurant called KA-ZE open for dinner; however, given the plethora of good sushi in Vancouver, I would likely pass.

Of course, all this food meant a visit to the gym. In keeping with their fitness themes, Westin gyms in general have been pretty nice, and this one was no exception.

There was also a substantial indoor and outdoor pool which I forgot to capture. So, to make up for it, please see the wonderful view of Whistler village! It’s definitely a treat to go up there during the summertime, and the drive from downtown Vancouver is less than 2 hours.

You can also have a treatment at the Westin Whistler Resort & Spa - just remember that you’ll be paying resort and Whistler prices combined.

The Point

A weekend trip to Whistler is definitely a pleasant way to spend in time in Vancouver. In the wintertime, skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports dominate. In the summertime, a slow, relaxed weekend of bbqing, swimming and lounging in the sun is what’s needed. I feel the Westin Whistler delivers well in all aspects. The physical room was very practical, yet didn’t feel cheap or too small; Westin’s toiletries definitely helped. While I didn’t interact too much with the hotel staff, I felt the service was strong, with everything being swiftly delivered as needed. Elite treatment, both for the upgrade and for the breakfast, was definitely a plus given how stingy some hotels are. Would highly recommend for a trip in Whistler!