Guest Reviews of the La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport
May 15, 2011
Ooooh.... it's nice to be back. 4 months of travel in Mexico and passing through
Vancouver and crashing at the La Quinta. It's good to be almost home.
Two nights ago I stayed at the “other place” in Richmond at this price point
that is currently rated 4th in Richmond by TA. The LQ was full. I've waited
months to try that “other place” as I wanted to check out the competition at
this price level. That “other place” was nice but cramped and lacked the open,
modern, breathable feel of the La Quinta. The “other place” is perfectly
fine...but the La Quinta is fine-er and $10 cheaper...with more stuff.
La Quinta remains the best value out there within a 25 minute transit ride of
downtown Vancouver. And I'm trying to figure out why the La Quinta isn't higher
on the TA ranking.
The front desk staff have sometimes seemed to be a bit indifferent about
service. Neutral might be a better word. But I've seen the same thing flexing my
Starwood Preferred Guest card at Westins and Hiltons. I've never looked for
rewarding social engagement with front desk staff at any hotel and I've always
had efficient check in/out with every stay at LQ.
I don't use the airport shuttle on arrival. As with any shuttle, if your timing
isn't right, you will wait. I catch the Skytrain, transfer at the River Rock
Casino and walk the 8 minutes to the hotel, often picking something up at the
mall on the way there. 20 minutes. Done. A free service does not come with
entitlement to perfect service. What is your time worth? Mine is worth Skytrain
fare. I do use the shuttle for air departures.
I've stayed here with my Black Labrador and family in a lovely room, the
curtains have always kept out the light and I don't wear bathrobes...steady now,
don't dwell on it. I like the coin laundry as I know that I'll get my clothes
back and when. I like aircraft spotting from the top deck. I love the breakfast
waffles but hate the mystery-meat-sausage-things and wish there was more fresh
fruit. And please put some kind of blinds on the pool area windows. I feel like
a sunfish at the Miami aquarium.
And then there is the little stuff that makes a difference like desks with plugs
at the front. No power bars and a tangle of wires under the desk or moving
furniture in search of an outlet or tripping over a stretched power cord...done
that lots at pricier places. A view of tree tops instead of metal recycling lots
or warehouse roofs as at the “other place”. Newspaper at your door in the AM.
Big elevator for big bags. Wide bright hallways. Solid granite bathroom counters
and shower stalls. Fresh paint and clean, unworn carpets...at the lowest rates
you'll find near Vancouver.
The “other place” will remain as my alternative when the LQ is booked. But I
might even change my travel dates so I can stay at the LQ. It's that good.
Guest Reviews of the La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport
May 5, 2011
My overall impression was very good to excellent for a basic hotel. The shuttle
arrived shortly after our call. The room was good sized for 2 queens but
slightly limited for 2 adults & 3 young children - but then we didn't spent much
time in the room except to rest. Breakfast was more than adequate with eggs,
sausages, cereals and bread. The waffle machine was well appreciated. Coffee &
tea available 24/7. The swimming pool was small but all the kids there had a
blast. Free internet & newspaper. The skytrain, a large shopping center, many
restaurants, including a McDo, were within a few minutes walk. The only short
comings were limited parking and only 1 elevator which made me a few minutes
late for the morning shuttle.
Guest Reviews of the La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport
Apr 25, 2011
Airport Convenience
I chose La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport for a one-night layover. Everything was
fine about the place, but travelers should note that you need to call to
schedule the airport shuttle in advance, and that the shuttle only runs until
9pm. Since my flight came in around midnight, I had to get a cab. Not a huge
issue, but one main reason I picked La Quinta was for its free airport shuttle.
Guest Reviews of the La Quinta Inn Vancouver Airport
Apr 18, 2011
We were travelling as a sports group and had originally booked a single night.
Due to a change in our playing schedule, a number of us opted to come in for a
second night. As it was past our group booking date, we were instructed to
contact the hotel directly which we did. We had our reservations confirmed.
Unfortunately, when we arrived, we discovered that they had oversold the hotel
by 4 rooms! It took over an hour for the clerk at the front desk to sort things
out (actually, we did most of the sorting out ourselves and juggled our rooms to
accommodate as many of us as we could). There were still some of us without
rooms and we were sent to another hotel. Getting us another hotel was
appreciated but it was clear that the clerk was struggling with figuring out the
process to get us accommodated and even ended up getting the shuttle driver to
help him out. As we travel to Richmond regularly, we are now having to look for
another hotel for our future stays as we don't have confidence that we won't
have a repeat performance at La Quinta. The rooms were quite comfortable but if
you're on the Alderbridge Way side of the hotel, it's very noisy. The free
parking is nice but the parking lot is small and was often completely full. The
pool (if you could call it that) is extremely small - it's more of an oversized
bathtub than a pool! The fitness room is equally small. The breakfast was just
okay...rubbery eggs, some scary looking sausage-like things and waffles that
even the kids weren't impressed with (and they eat anything!) So, while the rate
offered was pretty good the issues that we had to deal with left a bad taste.
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