I’ll preface my review by saying that I travel about 4-6 times a year and always stay at top-end properties. Over the years I have become more willing to pay tall prices for exceptional hotels. In return I expect nothing but the best amenities and flawless service. If my review sounds a bit harsh at times, keep in mind that I’m comparing the property to some of the world’s finest.

We arrived at about 2pm on the YVR bus with about 4 other couples. We were last to get off so there was a short wait for check-in. Like other Four Seasons and various 5-star hotels, there was a greeter in the lobby. However, at other properties this person usually offers you refreshments or a hot/cold towel while you wait. At the very least they will offer you a seat in the lobby. The greeter at Whistler merely stood idly by doing nothing.

Thankfully we arrived during the après ski period, so there was plenty of self-serve hot chocolate just steps away from the front desk. Yes, it’s as good as everyone says it is (apparently the secret ingredient is butter).

We booked an Executive Suite through AMEX PTS and I was hoping for an upgrade to a 1-bedroom Premier suite or even a 1-bedroom Penthouse. Sadly, the gentleman helping us at the front desk told us we were only allowed a 1-category upgrade; in this case a Deluxe Executive Suite. After a bit of haggling and 5 minutes of waiting for a manager’s approval, he offered us an upgrade to their 2-bedroom Penthouse (the only larger room available in the main hotel) for $1000 additional per night. While this was a substantial discount off list price, it was more than double what we were paying for the smaller suite we booked. I declined.

We made our way up to suite 719 to discover how the “deluxe” suite was different from the regular suite we booked. As it turns out, it was the exact same room but with a supposedly better view. In reality, the foliage behind the hotel is so dense that all we saw were a bunch of trees – hardly what I would call a breathtaking view of the mountains as described by the website.

The suite had all the amenities one would expect in a Four Seasons room: a small bar, a guest bathroom, a coat closet near the front door, a small walk-in closet in the bedroom, a spacious bathroom with separate tub and shower, a patio, and a fireplace (albeit tiny and operated with an on/off switch).

The room was not without fault however. I found the walls facing the hallway so thin that I could easily hear people walking by and talking. Thankfully the walls between the rooms did not seem to share this problem, as I never heard a peep from either of our neighbors. Additionally, all room categories below Premier Suite have old-fashioned CRT televisions and cookie cutter decorations. Apparently only those willing to shell out $1700+ per night are allowed to have Plasmas and artwork.

Because Whistler is a seasonal resort, many of the employees are seasonal as well (with the bulk from Australia and the UK). Unfortunately, this made for some inconsistent service. My wife and I have a healthy sense of humor and we love to laugh about nearly anything. We tried to carry on light and witty conversation with various employees but we were almost always met with blank smiles and nods. Either the employees were trained to react like robots, or the hotel went out of their way to hire only the most serious people. I can understand this at a metropolitan business hotel, but not in a resort town. We found the best employees were actual Canadians.

Luckily there are some gems at the hotel: Maria Louisa the concierge is particularly jubilant and provided us with service that far exceeded our expectations. She secured us reservations at the greatest restaurants on a moment’s notice; she booked possibly the best ski instructor at Whistler for a private lesson (Jeanie Chisolm); and she gave us countless pointers about what to do and how to do it. Our housekeeper was also quite excellent, stepping up far beyond the call of duty (of course we left a nice tip everyday).

The shuttle service was handy since the resort is a 5 minute walk to Blackcomb and a solid 15 minute walk to Whistler Village Square. The resort has a nice VW Phaeton and an Escalade, but for some reason those never seemed to leave the portico. Instead they always sent out less impressive vans.

Another inconsistency involves what the hotel charges for vs. what it offers as a complimentary amenity. Most conspicuous in this conspiracy is the hotel’s famous hot chocolate. Apparently it’s free in the lobby between 2pm and 4pm. Outside those hours it’s $9 for a single mug at the bar or $12 for a whole pot through room service. However one must simply walk to the resort’s ski concierge at the base of Blackcomb and you will find free hot chocolate all day. Cookies and muffins each cost several dollars from room service, but you can get free S’mores in the courtyard everyday from 5pm-6pm. If you walk up to the bar and ask for a bottle of water, it’ll set you back about $5. However, if you walk up to the doorman and ask for a bottle of water, it’s free. This inconsistency alone was enough to make my head throb. For reference, the Four Seasons George V in Paris gives you free Evian at the bar.

This leads me to the restaurant: Fifty Two 80. Named in nearly every top 10-list in Whistler, the hotel claims to have the finest restaurant in town. We ate breakfast there every morning and utilized a $100 resort credit for lunch one day. While neither breakfast nor lunch offer the greatest way to sample a fine restaurant, one can usually determine the caliber of the dinner food by the quality of its earlier meals. Based on our experience, Fifty Two 80 is perhaps a 7/10, and placed 4th out of the 5 restaurants we tried. The only restaurant that ranked lower was the café at the top of the Whistler ski gondola. The freshness and quality of the breakfast buffet varied day by day. The lunch menu sounds amazing on paper, but the food is on the bland side and several parts of our meal were not brought out correctly. We had three courses and I was left without silverware at the beginning of two of them.

Bottom line: Everyone seems to say the Four Seasons is the best resort in Whistler. Based on our brief observations of the other top resorts and our conversations with various vacationers in Whistler, it appears this is true. However, if you’ve stayed at a “REAL” Four Seasons like Paris, New York, or Hualalai it is safe to say that Whistler is not even in the same league. Based on our room upgrade experience, I would advise AMEX Platinum travelers to book a Premier room so you can be upgraded to an Executive Suite. This offers the best bang for the buck. If you want to guarantee yourself a suite, book a Deluxe Executive and pray they have Premier suites available upon check-in. It is NOT a good value to do what we did and book a regular executive suite only to be upgraded to the deluxe exec suite.

This was my second stay at the hotel, and since the first stay was absolutely flawless, I was expecting the same. Not surprisingly, the Four Seasons didn't disappoint. The staff is extremely well-trained and friendly, and the fact that many are seasonal staff from all over the world adds a fun international flair. We were so impressed with several employees that we found ourselves searching for a pen to write down names for the comment card before we forgot them!

The guest rooms are gorgeous, with a luxuriously rustic feel that is very appropriate for the environment. Bathrooms are amazing, the walk-in closet very convenient with all of the extra ski clothing we had with us, and the fireplace added a touch of romance. We were spoiled by the 'Ski Concierge' concept and enjoyed the easy walk to the base of Blackcomb. Apres-ski cocktails in the cozy lounge with the fabulous singer (Ali Milner) was a highlight and something we looked forward to each evening.

We'll be back!

What is there not to like about 1) a Four Seasons Hotel and 2) Whistler? The answer is nothing, of course. The Four Seasons Hotel in Whistler is the perfect embodiement of what luxe on the slopes should be. The rooms are huge as is the bathroom suite. The service is impeccable and the amenities are superb -- massage, followed by a dip in the hot tub while surrounded by snowy mountains is truly delicious. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

I didn't know a lot about the four seasons hotels when I booked, but it was more money than I normally spend. However you get what you pay for, the service and staff were fantastic always helpfull and polilte. They left us a bottle of champagne and strawberries in our room when they found it was our honeymoon. Not the cheapest hotel you will ever stay at, but if fancy blowing the budget this is a great place to do it!