Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

This hotel is perfect in every respect--beautiful (and beautifully maintained) Five Star facilities in a spectacular setting. Most importantly, though, the Staff never fail to go out of their way to share their exceptional warmth and kindness with their guests. I am honored to think of visits over the decades to this superb resort and its team as "coming home to friends". Simply the best.

We traveled to Whistler from Houston and spent 5 beautiful days at the FS (2 adults 3 kids 14, 12, 10). From check in to check out our experience was fantastic. Skiing. I read a few reviews before booking that pointed out that this wasn’t a ski in ski out property but honestly they made skiing a breeze so I do not think this is an issue. I would recommend getting your rental through the four seasons. They have a shop on property at the hotel. We were fitted the day before our first day on the slopes. The next day our gear was waiting for us at the Blackcomb base in the four seasons concierge area. They are staffed very well and there were several employees available to get you in your boots and off to the slopes. The hot cocoa and cookies in the afternoon at Blackcomb base were a nice touch. There’s a coffee/latte machine in the ski concierge if you need more caffeine before hitting the slopes or throughout the day. The shuttle runs constantly and it’s a very short ride from the hotel to the slopes. The private ski lesson we booked for the kids was right near the FS concierge area. Easy breezy. If your kiddos are doing ski school at whistler village base there’s a shuttle that goes there as well. Rooms- the rooms were clean, spacious and well appointed with services that you would expect from the FS (daily thorough housekeeping and nightly turndown service). The fireplaces in the rooms were a nice touch. Our housekeeping team was excellent. Everyday they put my daughter’s stuffed animal in as new location- she looked forward to seeing where he would emerge each day. The beds were very comfortable. The view from our room was that of a beautiful winter wonderland. Property- the hotel grounds are gorgeous. The hot tubs (3 total) and heated pool were a family favorite after a long day of skiing. The sauna is outdoors near the hot tubs which we enjoyed. The men’s and women’s spa area have steam rooms and these areas lead out to pool/hot tubs. Access to the spa facilities is included with your resort fee- which I appreciated because many properties these days try to charge additional fees on top of the resort fee for access to the spa/steam areas. There’s a full service bar at the hot tubs with afternoon/evening service. There are warm towels in this area. They thought of everything. Gym- The gym is fully equipped. Not a huge footprint but it was never crowded when I went. I really enjoy working out on vaca so I went daily and loved it. They have several treadmills, 2 peloton bikes, a smith machine, a pulley machine and dumbbells (including heavier ones). They even had my favorite machine- a stair climber,😊 There’s an attached yoga studio with spinning bikes.. There are fitness classes daily- usually 1 yoga class and 1 Pilates class. I took 2 Pilates classes with the instructor Tawny- she was fantastic. Kids activities- the game room is awesome for the kiddos (ping pong table, air hockey, etc). There were also daily s’mores outdoors from 4-6 and we went everyday lol. My kids really bonded with the patient young man (Rudy) that did the s’mores when we were there. Restaurants on site- The main restaurant is very family friendly. They were very accommodating and careful about allergies (we had one person in our party with a gluten allergy and another with a nut allergy). Breakfast is delicious but a little pricey so definitely book the room package that includes breakfast if you can. We never had to wait long for a table. The steakhouse Sidecut is also highly rated and a nice dining option, esp if you want to go without kids. Getting around- we rented a car to drive from Vancouver but didn’t use it at all while in whistler. The shuttle drivers at the hotel were more than willing to take you places close to the property so you may want to consider taking a shuttle from the airport and skipping renting the car. At the property the drivers were happy to take you to places in whistler and you just had to call for them to come and pick you up. You could check the location of the shuttles in the FS app. Hotel activities- we enjoyed the complimentary wine hour everyday after skiing. There are other activities included that you can book (snowshoeing, wood burning craft, etc) but we didn’t do any of these (next time!). Overall the property is stunning and the service was attentive without being intrusive. Hats off to resort manager Josef Weichinger. We are looking forward to our return trip next year.

We mostly enjoyed the Four Seasons in Whistler. We traveled as a couple and stayed in a Deluxe Executive Suite on the 7th floor, overlooking the courtyard and pool/hot tubs. TL;DR: We didn't get the experience we were hoping for when we booked the Four Seasons. I'm not sure we'd stay here again. The suite was quite comfortable and spacious for two of us. The bed and other furnishings were comfortable and in good shape. We were pleasantly surprised by a portable Bose bluetooth speaker in the room which we used every day. The bell desk and ski valet staff were a highlight of our experience. Both teams were always super friendly and ready to help. It was our first time skiing in Whistler and we got great guidance on which runs to start out on, which lifts / gondolas to take for the best views, and where to find the shortest lift lines as the resort gets busy. On the down side, the room was not as sound proof as we expected. From our living room we could hear the children in the room across the hall. We were also surprised at how chaotic breakfasts in the restaurant were. The restaurant only opens about an hour before the slopes do so there's a line at 7 when the restaurant opens. The hotel hosts a lot of families so it can get loud and very busy with little ones running all over the place. For those looking for a relaxing start to the day, you may want to enjoy breakfast in your room vs. in the hotel restaurant (it is unfortunate that guests need to confine themselves in their rooms in order to have a relaxing breakfast). Room service starts taking breakfast orders at 6 but we weren't sure how long an order would take to be delivered. It would be great if the hotel allowed guests to pre-order room service the night before, to be delivered within a specific window of time. We avoided the pool and hot tubs because we could see from our room that the entire pool area was a playground vs. a place to find some relaxing serenity after a day on the slopes. Some adults-only areas would be a big help for those looking for a more relaxing holiday. Overall the hotel is very nice and in a good location but we would probably consider other accommodations next time. Our experience just didn't match our expectations (and past experiences) of a Four Seasons Resort.

Our stay at the Four Seasons Whistler Blackcomb Hotel was a mix of exceptional service and memorable experiences, though there were some notable areas for improvement, particularly regarding breakfast and certain amenities. Here’s a detailed review based on our experience: The Positives 1. Shuttle Service: The shuttle service was outstanding—reliable, timely, and incredibly convenient for getting around Whistler. It made our stay much more enjoyable, especially given the ski resort setting. 2. Staff: The majority of the staff were exceptional—polite, friendly, and highly competent. From the front desk to the concierge, transportation desk, and breakfast staff, everyone went out of their way to ensure a pleasant experience. The Four Seasons App, particularly the Chat feature, was a standout—it worked beautifully and made communication with the hotel seamless. 3. Rooms: We stayed in 2 adjoining suites, both of which were excellent. The restrooms were well-appointed, the sound insulation was effective, the heater worked perfectly, and the beds were incredibly comfortable. The Wi-Fi also performed very well, which is always a plus. 4. Overall Service: The service throughout the hotel was top-notch, living up to the Four Seasons’ reputation for excellence. We felt well taken care of during our entire stay. Things to Improve 1. TVs: The TVs in the rooms were not Smart TVs, which felt outdated. The practice of charging for movies was disappointing, especially since we couldn’t access streaming services like Netflix. This is an area where the hotel could modernize to meet guest expectations. 2. Fridge: The fridge in the room was completely filled with minibar items, leaving no space for guests to chill personal items like a bottle of water. This was inconvenient and something that could easily be addressed. Negatives Breakfast Breakfast was the most disappointing aspect of our stay. Here are the key issues we encountered: 1. Toasters The toasters didn’t work properly. Often, only one side of the toast was heated, and even on the highest setting, the bread sometimes wasn’t toasted at all. With only two toasters for a ski resort full of guests, the setup was clearly insufficient. 2. Eggs Station The eggs station was understaffed, leading to long waits during peak breakfast hours. This was frustrating, especially given the hotel’s luxury status. 3. Coffee Machine The coffee machine was more suited to a 3-star hotel and frequently broke down (it happened every day!). Additionally, we were shocked to learn that regular/espresso coffee was not included in the buffet. This was the first time in all our travels that a hotel charged for breakfast coffee, and it felt incredibly petty. Having a waiter offer coffee only to find out it wasn’t included was an unpleasant experience. 4. Juices The buffet lacked basic options like orange or apple juice, offering only two overly sweet, artificial juice blends that were not enjoyable. 5. Breakfast System The breakfast system was unnecessarily complex and confusing. Charging for the buffet but then saying it wouldn’t be charged felt like a needless complication. Most luxury hotels, including other Four Seasons properties, simply include breakfast in the room rate, which is far more straightforward and guest-friendly. 6. “Large Party” Charge We had two rooms: one with two adults and one child, and the other with two adults. Despite this, we were charged an 18% “Large Party” fee on one occasion, which was unacceptable and should not have happened. 7. Breakfast Manager The breakfast manager was the only staff member who stood out negatively, often displaying a “wise guy” attitude that was off-putting. 8. Food Quality and Variety While the food quality and variety were acceptable, they didn’t meet the high standards we expected from a Four Seasons hotel. The overall breakfast experience fell short of what we’ve come to expect from luxury accommodations. Swimming Pool and Sauna 1. Indoor Pool The lack of an indoor swimming pool was surprising for a luxury ski resort hotel. It felt like a missed opportunity, especially given the cold weather. 2. Sauna The sauna being outdoors was very unpleasant, particularly in a ski resort where guests are likely looking for warmth and comfort after a day on the slopes.

We spent 8 nights in the hotel during February mid-term with 2 children aged 10 and 13. Interconnecting deluxe rooms were spacious and plenty of privacy with the wardrobe space in between the rooms. It was our two boys’ first time skiing and all the staff in the ski concierge made it very easy for us. They were super helpful from booking ski school pre-arrival, explaining everything to us once we were there, helping getting the boys fitted for ski equipment and helping us mornings / afternoons with getting equipment on/off before and after ski school. In particular Rachel, Eddie, William were a joy to deal with, in fact everyone was extremely helpful and apologies for not remembering all the names. Mornings and afternoons before and after ski school were very hectic in the ski concierge but all the staff were super efficient in helping everyone. Hotel in general was nice, if I had one minor criticism or two it would be in relation to breakfast. Mornings between 7 and 8 extremely busy bordering on chaotic. You could be waiting 5 mins in line before getting seated which is unbecoming of a 5 star establishment of this calibre. No one in charge ever seemed to be present at breakfast and whilst the hostess young ladies did their best to seat everyone as quickly as possible they weren’t efficient enough. The other niggle (and I saw other people mentioning it) is the coffee situation. The buffet breakfast only includes coffee from a machine (of dubious quality 😩) and if you want a “decent” coffee it’s at an additional cost of $9 for a latte for example. When you pay a small fortune for B&B, I think you can reasonably expect to get quality coffee with your breakfast. Otherwise breakfast has everything and anything you could possibly want. Braidwood was nice for dinner and afternoon drinks, it does get very busy with the apres ski crowd, in my view they could do with another restaurant/ bar in the hotel. We tried the gym and it’s a decent size with plenty of machines. Pool is outdoor only (we assumed there would be in indoor pool as well but there isn’t) and I’m sure it’s lovely in the summer. Hot tubs were nice to soak in with the snow (or in our case rain 😩) falling on you. One other small disappointment was I asked for a late check out on the day of our departure and was flat out refused one (our room type was in high demand apparently even though when I checked it online the hotel showed availability), no attempt made to give us something (we would have been happy with one of our interconnecting rooms or until 1-2 pm in the afternoon) which was disappointing considering that we spent a small fortune in the hotel. All in all nice resort, would stay again if ever in Whistler but will consider Europe first for our next skiing adventure.