Fairmont Presidents Club Free Stuff

I can't tell you how impressed I've been with the way that the Fairmont Presidents Club has handled our lifetime platinum status with them. We really enjoyed our stay at the Fairmont San Francisco, and since then we've been treated exactly as I would expect a platinum member of a hotel program to be, with no mention or notation of the way our status came about. Now our first renewal package has come through, loaded with extra goodies (they call them Passions benefits) that thrilled my daughters and will probably turn me into a walking billboard for the Fairmont Presidents Club for at least the next year.

General rule: If you want to get my attention, send me free stuff! Here's what arrived in the mail today:

Fairmont Presidents Club Hat and Apron:

I have lots of aprons, but this is the very first chef's hat that I've owned. It's probably the only way I was going to get one too, as I was never going to qualify for one based on my own culinary skills. Still, I like the feel of wearing it in the kitchen and talking in a French accent, except my French accent tends to slip into German quite often. I'm probably not well suited to be a UN worker. I'd offend everybody.

Fairmont Presidents Club Robe:

I've spared you a picture of me wearing the robe, but rest assured that it is a very comfy and spacious robe, which is a nice change from what I normally get sent. For some reason, most places assume that I'm a medium size in a robe. I'm not even close. Those robes usually get passed on immediately to my wife or daughters. Fairmont sent me a 2XL robe, and while I love the fit, I can't help wondering if I should be offended by whatever notation is in my file that told them to send me the largest size possible?

Fairmont Authentically Local Food Experience:

While intriguing, this sounds like something that I want to be very careful where I cash it in. Fairmont has hotels all over the world, so while using it at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in Switzerland would probably be amazing (That has to involve chocolate right?), I might have a very different experience taking it to one of the South Africa properties. Maybe I'd just be safer taking it to Montreal for poutine. Mmmm...poutine.

WWF Canada - Adopt a Giant Panda:

This is the favorite item of my daughters, partly because they like the idea of contributing to help save endangered species, but mainly because we get a little stuffy of whatever animal we choose to adopt. Last year we adopted a Polar Bear, and this year it's a Giant Panda. I love that Fairmont makes a donation on our behalf, but I was a little disappointed to see the words "symbolically adopt" on the certificate. I had visions of my newly adopted Panda coming to visit. Guess I've been practicing my Kung Fu for nothing.



Considering how blown away I was with our penthouse suite at the Fairmont San Francisco, I'm already pretty satisfied with my lifetime membership in the Fairmont Presidents Club. The fact that they send me a little box of extras each year on top of the regular platinum benefits, only serves to reinforce that feeling. Now if they could just arrange for my bears to come visit. Not at the same time though. That could get messy.

Written by Steve Pratt