Where to stay - Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton

You know, when you stay in a 5 star boutique hotel, you do expect the luxury and a full variety of amenities, together with impeccable service. And when you choose a 3 star hotel, you just expect the standard. That was my thoughts before I checked into the Hampton Inn & Suites in Downtown Vancouver.

Then it completely, pleasantly, surprised me.

The hotel lobby is humbly small but because of the intimate space, it offered us direct and fast service right upon our arrival. Our check in was smooth and quick - we picked up our key cards, used that to access the parking garage, and went straight to our room after.

We were lucky enough to get a corner room. It's beautiful and spacious. Two of the walls of the room are covered by floor to ceiling glass windows, which gives the illusion that the room is entirely surrounded by glass ! This is my favorite part, and that it offers a 180 degree view of the city below.

Oh, and did I mention my other favorite part of our stay, was that Hampton Inn is pet friendly ! You definitely do not want to leave your fur babies at home while you are on a staycation. They deserve a change of scenery from time to time too !

Look at my silly puff sitting on the floor all silly : 

The BC place was right outside our window. I was so excited to see its lights at night but I guess it only lights up during game nights so we missed it : (

Our bed sits right by the window facing the stadium and it was very interesting to just relax on the bed while watching the people rushing by and forth below (I live in a house, so I don't get to people watch at home).

The bed was spacious and comfy. I would only wish for more fluffy pillows because that's one of the things I look forward to while staying at a hotel - a million pillows !

Customer service was thoughtful and issues were resolved professionally and quickly. We were greeted by some very sweet welcome gifts, including a bottle of wine and a basket of snacks ! There was also free water ( SUPER IMPORTANT FOR ME) AND free WIFI (SUPER-ER IMPORTANT), AND lots of power outlets to charge your electronics (SUPER IMPORTANT TOO).

We had some issues with our heater not turning on when we first checked in. I called the front desk to let them know, and after that, the issue was immediately fixed and we were contacted numerous times to make sure our air con was running and that we were absolutely comfortable with our stay, which we were ! 

Other in-room amenities were standard, but has everything you need.

The washroom was clean with a huge Jacuzzi with the shower. There were loads of fresh towels and all the toiletries you'll need for day and night.

Another thing I would like to mention is the location of the Inn. It is located in an area that's busy with local hidden gems, popular eateries, pubs, and bars. Many of the famous local restaurants were located within walking distance.

We had dinner at Bogart's Restaurant and Bar, which is right in the lobby of the hotel. I'm a sucker for comfort food / bar food, so I enjoyed everything we ordered there ! Hampton Inn's in-room dining service was also catered by the same restaurant, so even if you wish to have breakfast/lunch/dinner in bed, it can't go wrong !

We woke ourselves up early to check out the complimentary hot breakfast buffet. I also reallyyyy realllyyy love hotel breakfast buffets. Hampton's one has everything you see on a classic breakfast table - toasts, cereals, waffles, eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, bacon, ham, juices, milks, coffee, etc. We were too sleepy to eat there so we packed our food back into our room, ate, and fell asleep again, haha.

Overall, we truly enjoyed our stay and was very impressed by the quality of the Hampton Inn. I think it has well surpassed what people regularly expect from a standard Inn. The friendly staff and the location definitely added to our happy and positive experience.

Below are photos of Coco exploring the room , hahaha.