Opened just in time for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and conveniently located next to the convention center, Canada Place, and Coal Harbour, the ultra-modern Fairmont Pacific Rim is a magnet for luxury-loving gadget fans. The high-tech rooms allow guests to book a spa treatment or order the valet car, as well as control room temperature, lighting, and drapes, at the touch of an iPad screen. Even the bathroom mirror transforms into a TV. The bright lobby gleams with marble and American walnut; infused with the hotel's signature Indian jasmine scent, "Waterfall," it smells absolutely delicious. The arty exterior of the hotel is also a feast for the senses. Acclaimed UK artist Liam Gillick has a million-dollar text installation that wraps floors 5–22 with the phrase “Lying on top of a building the clouds looked no nearer than when I was lying on the street” in his signature Helvetica Bold font. Cordova Street offers the best view of architect James Cheng’s Abstract Forest, a series of perforated stainless-steel screens that conjures up an abstract North Vancouver rain forest.
