How do you maintain a superior, four-star level of service with 557 guestrooms? That was the question one half of this writing duo (Larry) posed to Adam Laker, General Manager of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, on his most recent stay during a stopover in the beautiful West Coast city prior to boarding an Alaskan cruise.
First, an introduction: the Fairmont brand holds a special place in the heart of all Canadians because of its roots in the Canadian Pacific Railway hotel chain that helped to unite our vast nation during the late 19th century. To add a bit of historical confusion here, the revivalist Châteauesque-style building that is the current Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was not part of the original batch of grand Canadian Pacific properties erected in the 1880s and 1890s. Rather, it was originally built by this railroad company’s primary competitor – Canadian National Railway – to outshine its rival in the country’s westernmost city.
With construction on the 17-story tower breaking ground in 1928, you can imagine what happened within a year’s time. Struggling for cash as the Great Depression set in, the two railways agreed to jointly finish construction and become co-owners on the glorious new Hotel Vancouver, which finally opened in May 1939. Several ownership changes, PIPs, and reflagging efforts over the decades since, and here we are!
Getting back to the question at hand, without hesitation, the response to our question by Laker was a callout to his team, citing a decentralized management approach that allocates the day-to-day responsibilities to line staff, with supervision through departmental team leaders.
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Laker noted, “Classic GM management centralizes decision-making in their office through to their executive management team. But to ensure a property of this size and stature thrives, you need to diversify and decentralize.
Even though inevitable issues can and do arise, the importance of training, coaching, and eliminating the fear of making the wrong decision are essential. It’s all about growth and learning.”
For a luxury hotel, the data is staggering. Laker quoted an operating occupancy rate of 97% throughout an extended seven-month peak season. This translates to over 1,200 front desk transactions (check-ins, checkouts and service orders) daily. Add to this significant year-round convention and F&B activity, and the property could host four to five thousand guest experiences daily.
Our stay in a deluxe king bedroom reinforced this entry-level-luxury vibe; a small but well-fitted room with all the expected amenities close at hand. Everything worked flawlessly, quite remarkable given that the property has been in operation for over 80 years. This reflects a continuous commitment to high-level maintenance and renovation. We might also add, housekeeping was flawless.
Outside of our guestroom, we were impressed with the spontaneous welcoming from the housekeeping and other service staff we passed on the guest floor. Equally friendly was the restaurant’s waitstaff. Food and beverage presentation was informal and consistent with the outlet’s relaxed-city positioning. To top it all off, the front desk personnel were efficient while remaining highly welcoming.
Our experience reinforced the four-star standard as being what we would call ‘functional luxury’, which is defined as delivering an accommodation standard that meets all expectations in a harmoniously comfortable and experiential manner. On paper, it’s four-star, but in a service comparison, it’s a five-star minus the checking of boxes necessary to make it so. As part of this 4.75-star strata, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver nevertheless accomplishes this at a scale that relies so heavily on a well-oiled ops team.
So, what separates a solid performer such as this property from the five-star crowd? Let’s start with the property’s room count. The sheer size of this property makes personalization and a staff-to-guest ratio befitting five-star luxury all but impossible. The small room size is an immovable barrier, as it is for practically every other historic property around the globe. For most visitors, barring a longer length-of-stay requirement, the property ticks all the boxes for an urban hotel of its size.
Some closing lessons learned from this property:
- Set service expectations based on your property’s size and age
- Support your team with training and a decentralized management approach
- Maintenance priorities protect an aging structure
- A property does not have to show its age if maintenance and renovations keep pace
- Four stars can be just as successful as five!
Together, Adam and Larry Mogelonsky are the principals at Hotel Mogel Consulting Ltd., an asset management and hotel development consultancy. Their experience encompasses properties around the world, both branded and independent in the luxury and boutique categories. Their writing includes eight books: “Total Hotel Mogel” (2024), “In Vino Veritas: A Guide for Hoteliers and Restaurateurs to Sell More Wine” (2022), “More Hotel Mogel” (2020), “The Hotel Mogel” (2018), “The Llama is Inn” (2017), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “Llamas Rule” (2013) and “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012). You can reach them at adam@hotelmogel.com to discuss business challenges or for speaking engagements.
