The Hilton Whistler is located within Whistler Village, near the base of the Whistler Village Gondola. The hotel has several entrances: the main entrance off Mountain Lane and Whistler Way is accessible by vehicle, as is the entrance facing the Westin on Springs Lane. A pedestrian-only entrance is accessible from the Village Stroll. To access the Hilton from the Village Stroll (pedestrian only), guests enter through the small mall of shops, art galleries, and restaurants (three levels) by walking through the basement level (elevator and stair access is available).
Guests can access the Hilton using public transportation. We arrived on Greyhound (booked via Amtrak in conjunction with our train tickets from Seattle to Vancouver) and we departed on Pacific Coach at the same bus stop location, which was a 7-minute, 1/2-mile walk from the Hilton.
An ATM machine and a change machine are located in the long hallway that leads from the mall area to the lobby itself. The lobby contains a seating area in front of a fireplace. Another fireplace, furniture grouping, and a grand piano are located in a public space prior to the entrance to the South Tower. A bellman stand is near the front door.
The Cinnamon Bear Bistro and Bar are the two dining options in the Hilton Whistler. The Bistro is open for breakfast and dinner, and the bar is open continuously. The bar has both indoor seating (including a fireplace) and outdoor seating, although the hotel forbids the consumption of alcoholic beverages on the patio after 10:00 pm because of noise restrictions. This hotel has an enclosed but open-to-the-elements courtyard, with a few places to sit, including around a fire pit. Guests of the Hilton can walk to many stores and restaurants in Whistler Village, Village North, and Blackcomb Village.
The Hilton has two towers / wings: North Tower and South Tower. The South Tower, where we stayed, is smaller and shorter (five floors). Room keys are necessary to access any floor from the elevator except the ground floor. Guests do not need a key to access the fitness center or pool area. The outdoor swimming pool and the indoor and outdoor hot tubs are located behind the Cinnamon Bear. We did not notice handicapped access to the pool or hot tubs. The fitness center has windows that overlook the outdoors, with approximately five machines (two treadmills, two elliptical machines, one bike, some free weights, and a universal gym). The bathroom / locker room contains a few lockers, a shower, and a changing area.
Guests can charge their gondola / lift tickets to their hotel room, although they cannot pay for them directly. A concierge is on-site during regular day and early evening hours. The Taman Sari Javanese spa is accessible from the lobby area as well as from the fitness center area. No store / pantry exists on the premises, but the village grocery store is nearby, along with many other shops and restaurants.
We reserved a 1-bedroom suite, called a Glacier Suite. The bathroom was large and featured a soaking Jacuzzi bathtub (that also had shower capability), stand-up shower, toilet, and double vanity (but with a single sink). The hotel provides Peter Thomas Roth toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body wash, massaging soap bar, and regular soap). The hair dryer was small, but it was not wall-mounted.
The kitchen / dining / living area had high / vaulted ceilings, which gave it the illusion of space. A closet near the door held a safe (not charging), bathrobes, slippers, luggage rack, and boot tray. In the hallway outside the bathroom was a storage bench and hanging rack with pegs. The kitchen area had no oven, but it featured a microwave, two-burner stove, full-size dishwasher (both dish soap and dishwasher soap are provided), and full-size (although small) refrigerator. The hotel provides enough cookware and utensils to prepare a complete meal. One kitchen cabinet contained two trash cans: one can for recyclable items, and the other can for regular trash. Guests can use the kitchen bar / peninsula for food preparation, presentation, and counter eating (although it did not have any dedicated chairs). A small table and four chairs was located nearby. The living area contained a gas fireplace (lit when you flipped a light switch), large windows, sofa, chairs, desk, coffee table, and end table. Although the room contained many lights, it remained dim even when we had them all turned on.
The bedroom area contained a large closet with mirrored doors (and its own light), a king-size bed and two nightstands, flat-screen TV and console, and a vaulted ceiling with skylight window (which had a pleated shade so that the light would not wake you too early). The 1-bedroom Glacier Suite did not have a balcony, although many rooms (even standard rooms) have balconies in this hotel. The hotel provides an evening turn-down, in which we received two bottles of water (although that may have been because we have Hilton HHonors status).
We enjoyed our stay at the Hilton Whistler. We liked its location, and we loved the extra room that we had in our suite. If our room had a balcony, it would have been perfect!
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