Mavis performed her check-in duties beautifully, the epitome of style and professionalism. All the guests who left her presence had a smile on their face. But that wasn’t a surprise. Mavis has been one of the top guest service agents at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for many years. Her reputation is well known.

So are her preferences for long walks, naps, and crunchy treats. Thus is the life of the hotel’s famed labradors.

It’s the little things, the extra touches a hotel can add to an experience that makes a simple stay a special one. A Labrador you can take for walks and pet on your way out in the morning? Priceless. As a AAA travel counselor, I'm often asked to book the least expensive hotel while on the road. “It’s just a bed for the night,” they say, or comment, “Well, you’re not really in the room much” while on a vacation. The AAA Approved One and Two Diamond hotels are often a good fit for them. Depending on the need of the stay, a $75 -or less- per night room at a budget hotel could be fine. You’re just passing through town, need a room for a few hours, and then have to get back on the road.

However, don’t be afraid to step it up when heading out of town, especially if a wonderful deal is available on a higher-rated hotel. A hotel stay can be so much more than location to an off-ramp and four walls. It can rejuvenate the soul. It can make a vacation that much more enjoyable. Or, it can be the destination itself. On a recent stay at the Four Diamond Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, my wife and I experienced what luxury travel is about. (Oh, Mavis helped with that.)

Some customers I have talked with are turned off by luxury hotels, and usually that turnoff comes in the form of either price or style. I will get to price in a moment, but style is a little more difficult to understand. If you are accustomed to economy or moderate properties, with their limited services and understated facilities, a higher-end property might seem a little ... out of place.

When you walk into someplace like a Fairmont or Four Seasons, you immediately know you are in a different world. From floor to ceiling, everything is better. Cleanliness is at the highest level. Service is unmatched. Room amenities are above all others. And that brings me back to my stay at the Hotel Vancouver. I have stayed at several Fairmonts: the Chateau Whistler, Vancouver Airport, and Chateau Lake Louise, with a stay at the Fairmont San Jose (California) coming soon.

Every overnight has teemed with treasures only the finest properties can manage. I have visited the Hotel Vancouver before on previous trips to Vancouver; the lobby lounge and bar is definitely a place to see. Aside from the comfort one would expect from a property with a reputation as high as the Fairmont’s, the food and drink selection is top-notch.

While prices are about what you would expect from a luxury location, the quality matches up nicely. In fact, the sliders my wife and I shared late one evening were among the best burgers either of us have ever had. Fairmonts are known the world over for the highest in service quality, as well as for their unique hotel properties. Many of the Fairmont locations are in historic buildings, or are purpose-built with the Fairmont brand in mind (such as the Vancouver Airport location).

For example, the Hotel Vancouver has been an icon in that city for nearly a century. The first Hotel Vancouver looked and functioned more like a farmhouse than a hotel. It was replaced in 1916 by a more modern structure and quickly became a hot spot for the city’s elite. After being turned into a government office building during World War II, it was torn down in 1949. The current Hotel Vancouver opened in 1939 in a different location and was immediately a top attraction. The Fairmont brand did not grace this hotel during its entire lifetime, but now it has taken this esteemed grand lady of the Pacific Northwest and made it a treasure.

You can’t ask for a better location for the Hotel Vancouver. On the corner of Georgia and Burrard streets, the Hotel Van, as the locals call it, is convenient to a stunning array of shops and restaurants. Also, the Burrard stop on Vancouver’s Sky Train system is just a couple of blocks away, making transfers around the city easier. In fact, on this stay, my wife and I ventured out to the eastern side of Vancouver to meet some friends and try to attend a summer festival (alas, the weather did not cooperate) and the Sky Train made it phenomenally easier than driving and parking.

Returning to one of my previous statements, customers often tell me that they don’t spend too much time in the hotel or room, and that a hotel is just a place to stay while doing other things. The rooms at the Hotel Vancouver are comfortable, clean, and as modern as a multi-decades-old hotel can be. By that, I mean that there are still touches of an older style, most notably the pipes in the bathrooms. You can tell that this is a property that has been very well cared for over the many decades. Right when you walk into the lobby you are hit with the sweet smell of fresh flowers every day. In pure style, the lobby and main halls are spacious.

With Burrard and Hornby streets on two sides, the hotel stretched for the block in between. Enter from either side and you are welcomed with subdued yet warm colors and a cross-hall that stretches the width of the hotel. Shops from such high-end names as Gucci and Louis Vuitton grace the lobby, anchored by the inviting lobby bar. The concierge desk, where Mavis hangs out, is staffed by the best men and women in their trade – and they should be since they hold the prestigious Clefs d’Or ranking, reserved for a concierge who truly exceeds all expectations. Luxury is hard to maintain. With an ever-changing palate, travelers’ expectations adjust to social mores and desires. A true luxury hotel can adjust to these changes and remain relevant. If price is the top concern, these properties would always fail. But too often, travelers confuse “price” with “value.” If one were to stay at a $50 a night hotel, they might think they got a great price. But if that hotel was dirty and they were treated poorly, it would not have been a good value. Consequently, a $200 a night hotel may be high on price, but if a customer is catered to, treated beautifully, and given all they need and want during a stay – and then some – it would be easy to say that they got a great value.

Luxury hotels need not be excluded. Yes, budget-minded travel is on everyone’s minds these days. However, if the quality is spectacular, the service exemplary and the price within reach, why not consider it?