It seems like I’m writing this from a whole new COVID world. It’s only been a few weeks after my trip to Whistler, but it feels like an eternity ago. During my trip, I checked out two hotels from North America’s two biggest chains, the Delta Hotels Whistler Village Suites and the Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa. 

I decided to save some $$ and stay with my friend in Vancouver the Thursday that I landed. After landing, I went to one of the many amazing breweries in Vancouver, which meant that I felt the 5 am wakeup time to get up to Whistler. Although there were a few forgotten items, we managed to get a full day of skiing on Blackcomb Mountain. Around 3:30, I headed down the mountain, tired, hungry and ready to get a drink, but it was time to check into the hotel. 

Booking

I wasn’t quick enough booking my nights at the Hilton and unfortunately, I had to grab another hotel for Friday night. As I frequent Marriott hotels and have Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status with the chain, I wanted to take advantage of that for our other night in Whistler. There are two options in Whistler, the Delta Hotel Whistler Village Suites or the Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler.  

As this was the middle of Winter, at the end of the Australian summer break and during British Half Term, rates were astronomical for both hotels. We ended up choosing the Delta Suites, as the room would give us more space, and we potentially would be upgraded to a two-bedroom suite, perfect for our party of 4. In the end, our room came out to $660 or $170 each, which is a lot more manageable when split by a group. Whistler isn’t a cheap place, and I would consider using 50K Bonvoy points at this price point (if there was availability) or staying in an Airbnb. 

Check-In

The Delta Whistler is close to many of Whistler’s top attractions, as it’s located right in the village. That being said, it’s farther from the chairlifts then the Whistler Hilton or the Whistler Westin. The Delta Whistler is also located close to a cheap bar option in the Whistler Village, Warehouse.

Walking into the lobby, you come into a small, homely feeling room. I was immediately welcomed by the friendly British front desk agent who pulled up my reservation. What’s funny about Whistler is that almost every hospitality worker is either Aussie, a Kiwi or a Brit there for a season (or two…). She quickly found my reservation and thanked me for my loyalty. Even better, we scored a big upgrade to the two-bedroom suite, which was needed as we were 4 people that were staying. Shockingly, they did honour the 4 PM checkout, which was amazing as it would allow us to keep everything in the room and return after skiing to grab our gear.

Unfortunately, and important to note, this location doesn’t have a restaurant at all, which means Marriott Elite’s (Platinum and above) don’t get breakfast and instead I was credited 1,750 points, which isn’t ideal. Instead, the hotel did give us a draw to “win” things and we won two things from the mini bar, which in the end was the fridge with San Pellegrino in it.  We left our ski’s at the ski shop (more on that later) and headed to the room. 

Unfortunately, it seems like they forgot to prepare one half of the room. We walked into the room with a striped bed and the sheets in the corner. (No really a big deal, because it was 4PM and we weren’t planning on going out. Furthermore, our key didn’t work for the adjoining room. A quick phone call sorted this out and the staff apologized for the inconvenience but we weren’t offered anything for our troubles at this busy resort. I decided not to push back because I was really happy with the room upgrade and the late checkout. If this was one of the more luxurious Marriott brands (like the EDITION or JW Marriott), I wouldn’t be pleased at all. 

Regardless, we were given two rooms with pretty standard amenities. The main suite had a large living area, with a kitchen and living area. 

The kitchen was well stocked with room amenities including a fridge, microwave, stove and oven along with seating for 4 people along with cutlery, some knives and plates for everyone. 

The living area had a pull out couch and an armchair. Under the decent sized tv there was an uncomfortable looking desk. 

There was also a gas fireplace, which we didn’t use. And there was a ski-room for your skis. We actually moved our skis to this room, as the Delta Whistler ski shop downstairs only opens at 7:30 AM, not leaving you enough time too get to the mountain for first tracks. 

There was a washer/dryer unit, which is perfect if you’re spending a few days skiing. 

The TV stand did have an HDMI cord and plenty of plugs which made streaming content from my laptop easy. 

The pull out bed was “fine” and we were also able to get a cot at no additional charge. 

The room had an ensuite with two doors (I didn’t take a picture of it). The other bedroom had a very standard four-star bathroom.

The second room was tiny, but worked perfectly for a second couple and even had a microwave and fridge. 

Overall, once the initial issues were worked out, the room worked for us and we all had a good sleep.

Facilities

Realistically, I’m staying at this hotel for two reasons, it’s close to the slopes and the village, and it has a hot tub to cure the post skiing aches. 

Location wise, this is a bit farther from the base then the Hilton, but it’s still right in the village. It was also right across from El Furniture Warehouse’s Whistler restaurant (Spoiler, everything is $5.95) and about an 8 minute walk to the Gondola. On the other hand, the fitness facilities were aging, but realistically even I didn’t need a workout after a day of skiing. 

The pool area didn’t feel like it was cleaned often, there were towels everywhere. That being said, even though there were three hot tubs they were full the whole time that we were down there. 

There was also a sauna, for those who wish to partake after a day on the slopes. 

As mentioned, there is no dedicated restaurant on site, but there is a Hy’s Steakhouse in the same building. (Hy’s Steakhouse Whistler Menu)

Overall Thoughts

Realistically, I needed a place to stay in the village during my ski trip that would fit four of us, and my Marriott Platinum Elite status really came through, giving us a comfortable stay with our upgrade. That being said, now that I’ve stayed at the Westin, I’d rather stay there unless I was with a large group.

Where is your favourite place to stay for skiing in Whistler?