Grand Park Hotel Vancouver Airport, Ascend Hotel Collection — Hotel in Richmond

I travel for both business and pleasure and often need a place to stay while I am in Richmond. I usually switch between the Four Points and Westin properties. In the past two months, I’ve stayed at the Four Points in Richmond for over a combined 10 nights, and probably over 20 in total (including prior to when they did their renovation a while back). SPG upgrades are 70/30.

I have a pretty good knowledge of the different floors, facilities, restaurant and room service. Overall, I have enjoyed my experiences staying at this hotel. The restaurant team overseeing the breakfast buffet, for example, are always extremely friendly and make me feel like a welcomed guest.

But it only takes one bad experience to my a guest never come back - and that’s what I experienced during my last two nights. The daytime front desk manager as I can easily tell, does not have a great deal of experience in resolving issues and comforting guests. I had two poor experiences in dealing with this staff member that has tainted my memory of this property:

I declined housekeeping on both Monday and Tuesday and called down to the front desk to let them know that I would not need my room cleaned and would like the “Make the Green Choice” points instead. On Wednesday, I noticed that my points hadn’t posted so I inquired with the Alex at the front desk (who happens to be the front desk manager on duty), and received borderline rude treatment. While I was trying to explain how I a) extended my stay, b) called down to the front desk to decline housekeeping, and c) had not received either any vouchers or points posted, he refuted what I was telling him and insisted that if that was the case then my room must have been cleaned.

I’ve never had an experience with a hotel staff at an SPG property insinuate that I was lying (or incredibly dumb) about my room being cleaned and me not knowing about it.

The second problem I had was that on my most recent stay, I was charged a different rate than my usual corporate rate (by +$30). Now keep in mind, I always book the same room at this property and my rate always remains the same. The same staff member refused to work with me to resolve the situation and insisted that it was “hotel policy.” His way of communicating this information to me was also very poor and accusatory. To add fuel to the fire, when I asked to speak to the general manager of the hotel, he was extremely reluctant. It was only after the third or fourth time I had asked that he was willing to write my number down and have the general manager call me back.

The one positive thing I have to say about my latest experience is that once the Assitant General manager, Gary, called me back, he helped put me at ease and worked with me to remedy the above problems. He was professional and open about the hotel, and he did what a good GM should do. Had he been there when I experienced my problems I probably would'nt have left in an angry storm.

In any case, I do not know if I want to give this hotel another chance. When you frequent a hotel this much, you want to feel comfortable with the staff and the people who are supposed to be welcoming you. When you don’t feel welcomed any longer, as I do, you find somewhere else to go.

Pros/Cons/Tips for staying here:

Gym is open 24/hours and fairly well equipped for a Cat 3 hotel.

Room service is quick and priced just about the same as any other hotel - I enjoyed the cheeseburger.

Breakfast buffet costs $19 unless you have a free voucher (as an SPG Plat or if it's included in your corporate rate). It includes coffee, juice, pastries, cooked to order eggs/bacon/sausages, as well as some hot items of the Asian variety (spring rolls, samosas, congee, chow mein). Not too bad overall. Breakfast staff are great.

The hotel has 6 floors. If you are not on the top floor, you will likely hear foot steps from the floor above (especially if they plant their feet to the ground heavily).

Avoid the corner rooms on the East Wing - while being at the end of the hall, the housekeeping/maintenance rooms are right next door to these rooms, and you'll often hear staff going in and out and it can be noisy. The corner rooms on the West wing of the hotel are...

This was written by mother who was unlucky to stay at such an awful hotel.

"Hello, I had the misfortune of staying at your hotel during my quarantine from May 23 to May 26, in room number 517 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Richmond, Canada. During my stay, I encountered numerous problems which led to an unsatisfactory visit. These concerns are something that I think you should know of, and hopefully address, given the circumstances to keep your guests feeling at home while away from home all in a safe environment.

The first issue that became apparent was the immediate rude service I received after I arrived at the hotel. I arrived at around 6pm, tired, to which I was informed that dinner service had concluded earlier and the hotel restaurant was closed. I inquired to an employee what would be available to eat, as I had not had any dinner, I was told there was only leftover stir fry in which I could “take it or leave it.” After asking politely if there were any other possible options, I was told that they had a yogurt parfait served with fruit. Expecting something filling, I agreed and went up to my room to wait for my meal. However, this was no parfait with fruit; this was a small blueberry Activia with two apples on the side. I was tired and did not want to complain, so I left the concern in hopes of clarification the next day.

The next day is when the room presented itself to be the next big issue. As the hotel room was dark the night before, and the dim hotel light was all that was to my avail, I could not see the mess of the room I was in. I looked around to my disgust in the morning to find that the curtains were stained with odd oil like blotches, and there were bugs scattered over the windowsill and floor. I expected that, especially during covid, the hotel would have more thorough and enhanced cleaning protocols implemented. This was not shown and I was extremely unsatisfied with how poorly the cleaning job was done.

I have already been left with a sour taste in my mouth with both issues regarding the cleaning and food, but the worst experience overall came when the water in the room was cut off for an entire day. I called reception immediately after it stopped working and was given a prompt response with “try showering with cold water.” I clarified with the employee that there was no water in my room whatsoever and then was given unclear responses as to why the water was not working. Instead of addressing the concern even further, as I was already done with the situation, I simply asked for a bottle of water to at least brush my teeth. The response I was given took me back as the reception staff proceeded to ask why I needed a simple bottle of water. As I just addressed the fact I had no water in my room, I was continuously questioned for asking for a bottle of water. I’m not sure why the probing from the employee was necessary for this reasonable request?

I hope you agree with me that this type of service is completely unacceptable. It is not the kind of treatment I would have expected from a “pristine” hotel of your state and caliber. I am very disappointed from this bitter experience. I hope to hear your thoughts about my complaint and the steps that you are willing to take to prevent such incidents in...

This hotel used to be the Four Point Sheraton. We stayed a few times before and had great experiences. This recent stay was a huge disappointment. Will Never Come Back! I believe the ownership was changed and everything dropped.

Took the hotel airport shuttle from the Vancouver airport to the hotel. The driver was not in the mood. He did not offer help for our luggage or talk to us the entire time. No eye contact or anything. That’s was weird when you were in the hospitality industry!

The hotel was cheap out on EVERYTHING! I have never seen a hotel room key which is completely white! No hotel name and logo printed on it?! Printing costs money I guess.

Their check in time is 4:00pm ( used to be 3:00pm) so we stored our luggage and went out to eat. The room ( behind the front desk) they stored clients luggage filled with garbage on the floor. It’s not that hard to sweep the floor! Seriously?! I felt embarrassed when I saw this. I can see the management team has a very low standard.

When we checked in finally at 4:00pm we were told housekeeping was offered only by requested. So the front desk clerk put down our request and room number on a note book so we can have our room clean daily. When we entered our room the bed sheet was super wrinkly. Really not sure if the housekeeping staff changed the sheets. Took a shower but the hair conditioner bottle was completely empty.

Next day we left the room in the morning and came back at around 3:00 pm our room was not cleaned. Told the front desk we requested room cleaning when we checked in. Then we left again. Came back at 9:00pm took a shower and still there was NO hair Conditioner. They did not refill the empty bottle. I believe it was empty a while. The housekeeper standard was very poor. Still hair on the bathroom floor and by the sink.

Second day left early and came back again our room was not clean. At around 5:00pm someone knocked our door saying housekeeping. The lady was wearing her own clothes. Not hotel uniform?!! I did not let her come in. I told her it’s too late to clean the room now. We were resting in the room and asked for some new towels. I did not feel safe with my belongings in the room when I saw the housekeeping lady did not even wear uniform? Was she actually a hotel staff? Or a part time? Overall no hair conditioner the entire 3 nights stay. Sure no one will fill it up for weeks.

The only thing I like about this hotel was the location. Nothing else!

100% will...