Absolutely Horrible. I made a reservation at the Carmana Plaza Through Hotwire.Com. When I arrived in Vancouver and called to confirm, Carmana Plaza Reservations claimed that they didn't have me listed as a guest. However, that didn't stop them from charging me $200 for the room that I had reserved. Completely horrible service, and I would strongly suggest against staying there if you can afford it. Carmana Plaza will try to cheat you out of your money however possible.

This hotel was great. It had all the services of a hotel but with all the freedom of self-catering. We had a 1-bedroom suite that had plenty of room for the 6 people it was capable of sleeping (2 double beds in the bedroom and a sofa-bed) which I've generally found very rare in suite/apart- hotels - usually when they say 6 they mean 4 etc.

The kitchen was very well equipped with a fridge/freezer, full-size cooker, microwave, kettle, coffee maker and all cutlery and crockery anyone could ever want. Plenty of room to make a full meal here. There was even a (small) separate dinning room. The whole place was light and airy and very clean. It even had a storage room for cases.

There were only 3 tiny details that annoyed me and even they weren't really a problem. Our in-room safe didn't work, the place could have used a bit more surface space for the size place it was and there wasn't enough light in the bedroom to be able to use the mirror for make-up etc (3 girls all fighting for 1 bathroom mirror while a guy is trying to shower because there isn't enough light in the bedroom to use that 1 got less and less funny the more he demanded we leave - it's a good thing we're all friends, I wouldn't recommend trying this with business associates...)

The reception staff were all very helpful and the concierge were very friendly and always smiling. The location was BRILLIANT! This is the end of Robson Street you need to be on!

The only thing that became a problem was the key. The room had an actual key rather than a key-card that you can have more than 1 of and the keyring was also how you used the lift (great for security). Only having 1 key for all 4 of us got annoying when we wanted to go off separately and having to race up and down lifts if one got back before the other and the other couldn't use the lift without the key.

Apart from this the hotel was great and we had a brilliant stay. I'd definitely come back here and recommend it to others - friends, families, business people - this place is a good bet.

My family and I (wife and 2 teenage boys) stayed at the Carmana Plaza for 2 nights at the start of our 3 week tour of BC and Alberta. After a long flight from London, the hotel was a welcome relief and the check-in went smoothly. The location of the hotel couldn't have been improved, just a short walk from Robson Street and all amenities.

Our room (appartment!) on the 24th Floor was a delight with 2 bedrooms, a put-you-up in the lounge area, well-equipped kitchen and 2 bathrooms. It was spotlessly clean and the beds were comfortable. Internet access was available for a reasonable price.

On our first full day we had a problem with one of the locks to a bathroom which we reported and which was sorted out quickly and efficiently. All in all a great experience, until ...

On the last day I had to pick up our hire car which I planned to do just before we checked out. I spoke to the receptionist and asked her if I might park it in the hotel car park just until we'd loaded it up and checked out. She looked at me like I had suggested committing an unnatural act with a moose, and told me that the hotel car park was available on a day-rate basis. I told her I understood but I just needed to put the car there for 10 minutes while we brought the luggage downstairs. Well, I'd now invited the moose's sister to form a menage a trois. Speaking slowly, as though to one with learning dificulties, she told me that the day rate for the hotel car park was $15 per day. I gave up and parked the car in the street.

It would have made all the difference if the Carmana Plaza had trained its staff in more than just the mechanics of taking people's money. However I tried not to let this incident cloud what would otherwise have been an excellent stay in a fine hotel.

Excellent location in downtown Vancouver, clean and large rooms. Pricey but I suppose unless you want to stay in a dump on East Hastings you don't have much choice.
However, I am a little disappointed in the service: the price I was quoted from the front desk initially did not match what I see on my credit card bill. I spoke to two clerks before agreeing to the price, too, so II am still trying to work this out with the manager.