Reviews La Grande Residence at The Sutton Place

Aug 13, 2008
My husband and I stayed here with our two toddlers in a two bedroom unit. I rely faithfully on Tripadvisor but unfortunately there was nothing written when I booked. Our unit was absolutely filthy (the kitchen sink sponge had dirt and food and hair crusted into it; the cabinets had food and dirt stuck to them, the carpets and upholstery were visibly dirty and so greasy and disgusting to touch we could not walk without shoes or sit without putting a sheet over the furniture), the switch plates and some baseboards were broken, the walls in dire need of paint or at least a good hosing down. The bathroom was so small that housekeeping puts the towels in the bedroom as there is neither enough rack or counter space to keep them in the bathroom, the furniture was mismatched and really tacky, the air conditioner and open electrical panel is in the walk in closet (really just a utility closet with two wire racks to hang clothes) and it is so loud that we couldn't stand to have it on while we were in the room, nevermind on the balcony where the exterior portion of the unit sits . We unfortunately had to put our kids down for a nap immediately and could not request another room right away. As soon as possible I went to the front desk and described the room to the clerk; I told her that I assumed this room was an aberration that simply had not been updated when the rest of the hotel was built or renovated. She assured me that all the rooms were identical except that if I wanted I could pay to upgrade to a 2 bedroom penthouse unit. A really nice bellman took me up, and I have to say that it wasn't much better. The appliances were stainless steel and overall the unit had less dirt but I would never describe it as clean. I told him I'd talk it over with my husband, and while doing so I received a call from the front desk manager who said she'd been told about my concerns and we accepted her offer to upgrade us to the penthouse unit free of charge. I have to say this was extremely good service as I'd never even asked to speak with management. At 1:00 a.m. there was a huge crowd of people yelling and smoking in the hallway for so long we finally called the front desk, and we were told that we were not the first people to call and complain and they would have security attend. A while later security showed up and asked them to quiet down a bit, but the crowd noise and smoke continued in the hall until we phoned a second and third time. In all, we lost about 2 hours sleep and our children were half scared out of their minds. The hotel dealt with this very, very poorly.

Feb 21, 2008
Stayed one week in a deluxe 2-bedroom at La Grande Residence (with extra sofa bed which is very decent). Clean, nice bed/bedding (it was actually to hot in the room to sleep in the luxurious quilt), good kitchen but not for cooking. Why was there only one bath? Daily housekeeping and turndown service. Towels could be newer and fluffier. Wi-fi never worked for us. Great Hotel Location downtown (expensive but expansive supermarket next door). Staff nice. Even have a recycling bin in the room but not sure they actually recycle what we put in there. Nice selection of magazines to help you decide what to do in Vancouver.

$26 for overnight parking.

Requested late checkout as flight was leaving a bit later and we were traveling with 2 young children and car seats and stroller but it was denied. No biggie, they stored our luggage.

We didn't try the swimming pool but went to have a look, strange stairs going down to the pool and the place didn't seem well-lit. The spa seemed to offer lots but it is on the expensive side. Gym looked busy.

Went to the Fleuri restaurant for 1) the Chocolate Buffet (CA$26 pp), nice but not spectacular (being French, I know good pastry) and 2) Brunch (CA$37 pp), we had to rush to get food before it was taken out and the waitress only told us so 10 minutes beforehand so avoid when they offer you the 1pm seating. They do high tea too.

Amazing celebrities spotting place...

I would recommend this hotel, I find it actually quite cheap for its reputation.

La Grande Residence
Vancouver, BC