Photo courtesy Fairmont Vancouver Airport

There used to be a time when airport hotels were convenient but unimpressive place to spend the night. While some properties featured room rates at a significant savings over their “in-town” counterparts, most had little to offer in terms of entertainment, décor and dining.  

But as hotels are welcoming younger, more mobile and more tech-savvy travellers, they are facing increased pressure to stay relevant. “Re-imagination” is the name of the game in the hotel business, and even airport hotels are hotels are feeling the pressure to put more personality into their offerings.

These days, airport hotels even have their own awards category, and the best of the best receive recognition from Skytrax, a globally recognized airport ranking system. Frequently nicknamed the “Passenger’s Choice Awards,” the annual rankings are determined based upon interviews with some 13 million passengers around the world.

So when an airport hotel earns top marks on this survey, travellers can rest assured the property earned those marks from seasoned travellers who know what they’re talking about.

For 2016, the best hotel in North America, according to the Skytrax survey, is the Fairmont Vancouver Airport. What’s more, in the six years since Skytrax introduced its recognition of airport hotels, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport has held the top slot five of the six years.

"It is the most significant award within the airport industry and an important measure of our colleagues hard work," said Ken Flores, general manager of Fairmont Vancouver Airport. "They have proudly created an exceptional service culture, and every one of them contributes to making the hotel stay a memorable part of the travel experience for our guests."

Read more: Big Year for Canadian Airports

Frequent travellers wondering how all this love for the Fairmont stacks up against airport hotels around the world should know that the Fairmont Vancouver Airport also earned itself a name as the ninth-best airport hotel in the entire world on a list that includes such brands as Pullman, Sofitel and Langham.

The 392-room property is located inside the Vancouver Airport, which incidentally earned its own recognition as the top airport in North America. Located just 90 steps from the US Departures Level, the hotel features tremendous runway views that make it a top location in North America for plane spotting. Despite the floor-to-ceiling views of the airport runways, ocean and mountains, each guestroom is fully sound proof so it doesn’t sound like an airport hotel.

There’s even a "Quiet Zone," which includes day-use rooms for passengers with long layovers. Also on-site is an award-winning restaurant, the Jetside Bar, and a full service day spa and health club.

For more information, visit www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport.

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