Stayed in this hotel as part of our APT tour of Canada and Alaska.
First class hotel right on the waterfront where the cruise ships dock, close to gas town and shopping and eateries. Our room was a huge corner room with view out over the harbour. The bed was a king size and so comfortable and we could have held a party in the bathroom it was so big. In the basement of the hotel is a shopping arcade with eateries, post office, camera shop, newsagent etc.

Overall: A decent hotel in a good location.
Location: Right on the downtown waterfront near the convention centre.
Check in: No issues
Facility: We used it several days for business and personal so we did not use any facilities such as the pool. The hotel does have a restaurant, pool and exercise room and is connected to an underground shopping and food concourse. It is useful to explore the other food options if you want to get a snack for less money. The views are quite good from the hotel depending on your direction.
Rooms: Rooms were modern and fairly spacious. It is what you would expect in a North American hotel. We had a fairly high city view room and outside noise was not a problem. We did have a loving couple next door one night and you could hear that quite clearly, so the rooms are not completely sound proof.
The other Fairmont: You may be tempted to try the other Fairmont near the museum. My comment is do not do it. The hotel looks grand and it is central to some nice areas but as with most old hotels, it can be very loud. The rooms are smaller and you can hear lots from the other rooms and halls. Want to spend a lot of money and get no sleep? If you really must, the hotel has its own car to take you there.
Dining: There are several options all within walking distance. Explore or ask the hotel for some options.

Being a regular business traveler, and never having stayed in a Fairmont property before, I admit that I was actually quite keen to experience a Fairmont property. Unfortunately it was a very disappointing experience... On arrival at around 22H00 no porter was available to assist with 4 pieces of luggage (I contrast this to a recent stay at another chain where I arrived at 02H00 in the morning I received very rapid assistance). After this first blip, I made my way to my room. On opening my door I was assailed by a foul smell, and my room stank of smoke (was meant to be a non-smoking room). On calling front desk they were hardly helpful. Sending up housekeeping to spray air freshener, if anything made things worse. I took a sleeping pill in order to be able to sleep in the room. On complaining the next day I was finally moved to a new room, which was actually pleasant. The Fairmont Waterfront's rooms are a bit tired and the colour schemes and amenities provided were a little tired and dated. The rest of my stay was uneventful, but nothing memorable. On mentioning on checking-out that I was surprised to be charged for my horrible first night, all the manager offered me was a $50 discount for that that night… If this was the best the hotel could do I found it amazing. Being a regular guest of Starwood, Four Seasons and InterContinental, I must admit my stay in the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver was a sub-standard experience and was not what I expected from Fairmont. I'm really not sure if I'd take a chance on a Fairmont again.

The Fairmont waterfront is a great choice in Vancouver. I was given a complimentary upgrade to a Portside Deluxe room (oceanview) on the 21st floor. The room had a huge cushy king size bed - incredibly comfortable! The room also had an LCD TV and all new furniture.

Herons Restaurant downstairs is excellent, but not cheap. The service and food was both top notch! We ordered breakfast to the room in the morning and it was delicious and came right on time.

Parking is not cheap, but it isn't anywhere in Vancouver. $28/night. Join the Presidents Club for complimentary internet and other great perks!