More Traveler Reviews of Sandman Suites On Davie Vancouver
Quite Nice for the Price
from Forest20851 on 2005-01-01
I lodged at the Sandman Suites over the Christmas holidays. My room was a large extended-stay suite with a washer/dryer, dishwasher, and a complete kitchen. My bedroom had a wall of mirrors which made it seem larger. From my 16th floor balcony, I could see up Davie Street clear to False creek. Smaller windows in the kitchen and living room allowed me to see the mountains beyond Hastings Street.
Btw, I've seen a room chart. There are 10 suites on every floor, but each one is configured differently. The larger ones seem to at end of hall, and the smaller ones are near the elevators.
During my visit, in spite of the complaints I had read, all three elevators worked fine. But one of them seemed dedicated to construction crews still updating the upper floors; I rode down with workmen on several occasions.
I had prepaid my stay on another travel web site, so the only thing I needed to cover at check-out was parking. The $8 a day parking fee for safe, undergound parking in West End Vancouver is worth staying here given the parking fees of other downtown hotels.
What - No internet?
from saunderspl on 2004-12-31
The room was fine - despite the stained carpet. The big problem we had was that the website indicated that they had internet in the rooms and there wasn't. Since this was a point of importance in our finding a hotel for this trip, this was very irritating. The location of the hotel was great - near both a drug store and a grocery
Wouldn't go back...
from ChateauCC on 2004-12-22
My husband and I booked a room on the 4th floor (which was the floor advised to us by a local friend) and was given a room on the 5th floor. Much smaller than the room that was previewed to our friend, and not what we were expecting.
The elevators did not work properly, the room was too small to even push the cart carrying our luggage in, and the bed was as hard as a rock. The bathroom was even too small to get in and out of.
We ended up staying one night and then moved over to the Times Square Suite on the corner of Robson and Denmen. Much larger for the same price paid, and a great location.
We will probably end up staying at the Times Square Suites from now on, and don't think we will ever go back to the Sandman Suites on Davie.
Loved the warm service
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-12-02
Excellent service and warm people. We experienced a fire and we stayed for a week there. We loved it!
Awesome
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-11-06
My stay was wonderful. The lobby was beautiful. And the rooms are perfect for a family of 3. The kitchen was great had everything i needed. The bed room is compleatly seperate from the living room so it is good for families. The view from the 20th floor facing the ocean was breathtaking. It was a really great stay for a very good price (Expedia price). The booking staff at the central reservation office was awesome, they went way over and above her job. I would recomend this hotel to anyone. It really was Awesome. Very close to anything, grocery store close by, shopping, beach, attractions, and pubic transportation.
Lacking thoughtfulness
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-10-25
This hotel has all the makings of a great place. But it seems sort of scatterbrained, or unfinished, or just lacking thoughtfulness. The idea is great--an all suites hotel in downtown, with some suites having dishwashers and washer/dryers. The views are great, and I like the amenities. However, the details are all wrong. Like the bathrooms--they're incredibly small, and our bathroom has only one tiny towel rack for the two bath towels, two hand towels, and two wash cloths. So they are all piled on top of each other. Inconvenient.
Also, there is no dishwasher soap available in the hotel, making the dishwasher kind of useless. And for our bed...we have a king-size bed, but the top sheet and blanket are queen-size, so they are too small. As for the ironing board and iron: the board is properly fixed to the wall, but the iron has been placed in one of those holders that you'd see attached to the wall, but it was just placed on the shelf in the closet. So why is it in the iron holder?
Of the three elevators, only two are working, and the elevators are really small. About five adults can fit comfortably in each elevator, which made getting back to our rooms after a false fire alarm a lot of fun.
But for all my negativity here, this hotel is in a nice area, walking distance from downtown. I got a good deal on Expedia, so the price was OK for what I got. This could be a real money-saver for people with kids who want to cook in the room to save on eating out. (And there is a grocery store just down the road.)
One note: If you're a light sleeper, you may want to bring ear plugs, as I did. The hotel is on a busy road, so you can hear outside noise late into the night.
A great Place To Stay
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-10-07
I recently spent four nights here and found it clean, quiet, and comfortable. The view from the balcony was a bonus. The staff were polite, helpful and knowledgable and certainly added to my enjoyment of the area. Very reasonably priced as well. I've paid a lot more for a lot less at other "big" name hotels and apartments.
Situated in the centre of Davie Street, it was only a few minutes walk to anywhere. I will certainly be returning at some time. and would have no problem with recommending a stay here to others.
Love the look of the hotel!
from Syd on 2004-09-21
I love the lobby, very warm and welcoming after a long day of travelling.
First impressions of the hotel were excellent, the lobby looked great and I had no troubles getting to my room by the elevator. I felt that my suite was very well equipped for myself, as a business traveller, I had privacy when I needed it (privacy card for door was beneficial) and enjoyed the benefits of having a suite: a private bedroom, washer and dryer, my own kitchen and living room. I loved having the seperate living room for watching TV and the balcony was nice too. Great view of the city of Vancouver.
The staff exceeded my expectations and were very accommodating with all requests that I had, I would definately reccommend this hotel to coworkers and friends.
Not ready to be open
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-09-18
So much potential but so badly executed. You would think the suites had been open for a couple of days by the lack of 'finishing touches'. Lifts were constantly problematic, with a queue so long to use them that I frequently abandoned the idea of returning to my suite and took refuge in the nearby shops! Whilst the suites were reasonably appointed, the lack of running water in the kitchen and instructions on how to operate the phone/message system became all the more tiresome when faced with the journey down 17 floors to reception in the mal-functioning lifts. No fitness centre or food facilities, and prison-like corridors just finished off a somewhat basic experience. Having said that, I am sure that when they eventually get used to the idea that they are open to the public, and sort themselves out, they could well have an excellent venue on their hands.
Highly Problematic
from A TripAdvisor User on 2004-08-11
The hotel has potential. The lobby and suites are tastefully decorated, and the service was generally friendly and competent. In addition, each room has a balcony, an excellent advantage in Vancouver. But they simply are not prepared for full service currently, and it is shameful that they are charging full price for rooms. When we stayed there, only one elevator (of three) was functioning, and we were forced several times to either wait up to a half hour (!) for an elevator or walk the fifteen floors to our room. One elevator was halted from service when it malfunctioned and trapped guests for about 20 minutes. On another day, the only elevator working was the service elevator, and we rode up and down with very dusty workers carrying construction equipment. Other problems: our room had no privacy card for the door, and the maids twice walked in on us in the morning. We had no service book in our room describing the amenities of the hotel (we were loooking for information about using the telephone). There is no hotel operator and we could not reach anyone to ask for fresh towels (we eventually gave up -- once the phone rang five times without an answer, the phone service would hang up on us). The door to our closet in the living room would not close. The blinds to our balcony would not open, and when we tried to pull them open, they fell down to the ground. The pool area has no furniture at all: if you would like to lie out, bring a towel and lie on the cement. Despite being open since January, neither the fitness center nor the restaurant are yet open (though there is an excellent bakery next door). Maybe in a year this hotel is an option; until then I highly advise you to stay away.
