Rocky Mountaineer FAM April 2017-Gene

4/27- Vancouver:

The airport did not have Global Entry. Very busy but everyone got through quickly using machines.

Sutton Place Hotel, April 27 - April 28:

Lovely, 4-star property. Nice lobby and beautiful rooms. All updated and elegant. Very comfortable with plush robes to use and good service. Rooms lovely, nice furnishings, regular but nice bath, one room with one sink. Not too far from the pier. Good location, walking distance to many restaurants and shops and lots of great food trucks. Love this city.

Cocktails and hord'oeuvres at Four Seasons Vancouver. Did not see any of the hotel, just conference room.

4/28, Rocky Mountaineer, GoldLeaf Service:

Beautiful, new train station with fabulous shopping.

The train and the journey was fantastic. Beautiful accommodations on the train, nice, roomy seats, glass domed car, fabulous staff. Storytelling and facts along the way. Had a beautiful, yummy, breakfast and lunch with many choices and something for everyone. Gorgeous scenery.

Arrived to Kamloops. Great, small town with about 99,000 residents. Shops, restaurants and beautiful parks to explore.

No GoldLeaf accommodations in Kamloops, only SilverLeaf. Stayed at the Plaza Hotel. Very old, maybe 3-star, well maintained rooms, but very small, clean, basic, nicely painted, all basic needs. Rooms are different sizes and so are beds. One of the nicer properties in Kamloops. Must prepare guests for this but was ok for only 1 night.

4/29 - 4/30:

Off to Jasper in SilverLeaf service. Car brand new and very nice. Partially domed roof so great view. Seats a bit smaller than GoldLeaf and not cloth but still nice. Meals served at seat on tray instead of at separate dining room. Only two choices for breakfast and lunch but both still very good although not gourmet. Lots of snacks and beverages and still great service. Gorgeous scenery all day. As we were pulling into Jasper saw mother bear and two tiny cubs and another lone bear. Also saw about 6 male elk walking across the road and in a field. More elk in town than people and we were told to keep out eyes out for bears and elk while walking around town. Darling, quaint little town with only 5,000 residents. Cute shops and restaurants and very compact.

Stayed at Marmot Lodge which is a great little SilverLeaf lodge. Was very clean, neat, lovely updated bathroom, fair sized room, nice bedding, free fast WIFI, great location, restaurant next door and a perfectly good place to stay.

Be sure to advise clients train schedules are estimates only due to train traffics, weather, animals, etc. we were to arrive in Jasper 6-630PM and did not arrive until 830P! However, we arrived to Kamloops early the day before!

4/30:

Lovely, scenic drive to Lake Louise on Icefields Parkway. Hey had a LOT of snow the day before And even small avalanches. Upon arrival went on a visit to the Columbia Icefield on an Ice Explorer ride on the Athabasca Glacier. Gorgeous, sunny warm day with no wind. Spectacular sight and very interesting history.

Arrived to the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Due to recent heavy snows the lake was frozen over and scenery was truly a winter wonderland.  Gorgeous grounds, beautiful public areas, many upscale shops, very nice bar, meeting rooms and restaurants. Had virtual tour of the hotel and a wonderful dinner.

I was in a beautiful Fairmont room, very luxurious with high end amenities. WIFI is now complimentary for everyone, finally.

5/1:

Breakfast at the Poppy Brasserie buffet was very good. Highly recommend clients purchase a meal plan at this resort as meals are expensive.

Motor coach to Banff. More amazing scenery and had a tour of YoHo National Park which was beautiful!

Moose Hotel & Suites, Banff:

Brand new property in 2016, SilverLeaf level. Lovely little mountain hotel all spanking new! Normal sized room with all needed amenities. No frills but very cute and in great location. Has all desired amenities and a rooftop indoor and outdoor, pool, and fire pit! Nice restaurant and bar too.

Banff is  lined with shops, galleries, restaurants and breweries, typical mountain town.

Drove by Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, looks amazing!

May 2:

Full day sightseeing tour of Banff which included  Hoodoos rock formation, Surprise Corner and Tunnel Mountain Drive.

In Calgary drove by the Calgary Stampeded area, Chinatown and Eau Claire Market. Also went on Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain.

Brewster Tours provided the transport in and Tour/Driver Guides. They were all outstanding. Very knowledgeable, personable and entertaining. Made all of the tours very interesting and enjoyable.

Hotel Arts, GoldLeaf property:

Gorgeous property with really cool, funky furniture in public areas and rooms and amazing modern artwork. Really fun feel to the property. Rooms were very nice , updated, nice amenities and lovely bathroom. Excellent service from all employees.

Had dinner at Fairmont Palliser. Gorgeous public areas with beautiful dark wood furniture and amazing artwork. Dinner was just ok but we had a great time. And the hotel was a great host.

Also, RM train is a perfect add on for an Alaska cruise pre or post and Rocky Mountaineer are partners with Holland America. Best to book these packages with RM instead of HA, more commission!

This product is designed for higher end travelers who enjoy luxury, fabulous service and amazing scenery and activities.