The Civic Hotel, Autograph Collection is a very nice, newer hotel and is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. I’d argue it is the best place to stay in Surrey. While Surrey itself is not exactly a tourist destination, the hotel’s convenient location along the SkyTrain line makes all of Metro Vancouver easily accessible. Not to mention, prices are more affordable than staying in Vancouver’s downtown core.
We had a wedding to attend in Burnaby this past weekend so we needed to book somewhere to stay. When looking at our accommodation options, we ultimately decided on the Civic Hotel as it was much cheaper than staying in downtown Vancouver and the hotel looked much nicer than other nearby options. Also, the lovely rooftop pool and cheap parking sealed the deal.
If you’re looking for a place to stay in the Metro Vancouver area, read on to find out why you should strongly consider the Civic Hotel!
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Civic Hotel, Autograph Collection Review
Location
The Civic Hotel is located in a striking high-rise building, overlooking the Surrey Civic Plaza. Within the same block you’ll find Surrey City Hall, the Surrey City Centre Library, and Surrey Central SkyTrain Station.
I hadn’t been to this area since the mid-2000s, back when it wasn’t known to be a very safe area. It definitely has had a face-lift since those days! I almost didn’t recognize it was the same plaza.
However, outside of this one block where the hotel is situated, there is not much within walking distance. Thankfully, the SkyTrain makes getting to all the major attractions very easy.
Since we weren’t headed downtown on this trip, the location worked very well for us. We visited with friends who live in Burnaby and New Westminster, so the Surrey location was actually more convenient than downtown. Also, Guildford Town Centre Mall is located just three kilometres down the street from the hotel.
Civic Hotel, Autograph Collection Address: 13475 Central Avenue, Surrey, BC V3T 0L8
How to get to Civic Hotel
By skytrain
As mentioned, the Civic Hotel is well-connected to the rest of Metro Vancouver via the SkyTrain.
From downtown Vancouver to the Civic Hotel, it is a straight 40-minute ride on the SkyTrain.
From YVR Vancouver International Airport, you’ll need to switch SkyTrain lines at Vancouver City Centre station. The entire journey will take around one hour and fifteen minutes.
By car
If you are driving, plan on about a 40-minute drive from YVR or Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, 35 minutes from the US-Canada border, and about 50 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Of course, as with any big city, these times can vary greatly depending on traffic.
We drove from the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal straight to the Civic Hotel and it was an easy and straightforward drive. It took us exactly 40 minutes on a Friday afternoon.
Civic Hotel Parking
We were excited to see that the overnight hotel parking fee was very reasonable. Obviously free would be better, but we are used to being charged $40-50/night at downtown hotels, so it was a relief to see that overnight parking is only $15/night at the Civic Hotel.
The hotel has dedicated parking stalls on P3 and they are clearly marked. Just follow directions to the hotel and enter via the underground parking lot for City Hall. Continue all the way down until you reach P3 where there is ample parking right next to the elevator.
You’ll just need to provide your license plate number at check-in and they will register your car for overnight parking. The parking fee just gets added to your room and you are free to enter and exit the parking lot as often as you need during your stay.
The parking lot was brightly lit and felt safe.
Lobby and Check-in
After taking the elevator up from the parking garage, we arrived at the lobby.
We were impressed with the high ceilings and minimalist decor. It felt very calm, clean and airy.
The check-in desks consist of three kiosks, one of which is reserved for Bonvoy Elite members. There was no wait when we arrived and the woman who checked us in was very friendly and welcoming.
We had received a welcome e-mail from the front desk manager prior to our arrival to provide us with dining, pool and parking infromation, as well as to ask if we had any special requests.
Since we were there to attend a wedding, we kindly asked if we could check-in early prior to the afternoon wedding. Thankfully, our request was granted and our room was ready for us when we arrived at 1pm.
- Check-in time: 3:00pm
- Check-out time: 12:00pm
Bonvoy Elite Status Recognition
Thanks to our Platinum Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy, we were told we were being upgraded to a higher floor. We often get upgraded to a suite with our status, but since the Civic Hotel does not have any suites, upgrades are to a higher floor or corner room.
Additionally, we were given two vouchers for complimentary breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant.
We also asked about late check-out since we were going to be up late for the wedding, and they let us know we could checkout as late as 4pm!
The Rooms
There are a total of 144 rooms at the Civic Hotel, with three room types available:
- City Queen (2 queen beds)
- City King (King bed with city views)
- Civic King (King bed corner room)
Room Review: City King Room
We booked the entry level City King room and were upgraded to a High Floor City King room on the 19th floor.
At 360 sq.ft., the room felt noticeably smaller than other hotels, but the way it was designed and laid out made it so that we didn’t feel cramped at all. We loved how bright the room was with the large windows letting in lots of natural light.
The British Columbia-themed decor was also a nice touch.
Entryway
Upon entry, we found the bathroom immediately to our right, and a row of closets along the wall to the left.
There was a full-length mirror, then a closet containing a safe, mini-fridge, iron and ironing board, two bath robes, and an umbrella.
The umbrella is a nice touch considering how rainy Metro Vancouver can be.
Just make sure you don’t keep any of the items as you will have to pay for them. For example, if you want to keep the robe, it will cost you $160.
On the wall is the control for the air conditioning, which cooled the room quite well.
Bathroom
The bathroom is an open-concept design, which we quite liked. There is plenty of counter space and a large mirror. Below the counter, you’ll find a hair dryer and extra towels.
The toilet is enclosed in a separate small room.
Behind the frosted glass door, you’ll find the shower. No rainfall shower head here, nor bathtub, though.
Some nice toiletries are provided, but in Marriott-fashion, they are not individual-size so you can’t take them home as a souvenir.
Bedroom
The bedroom area is separated from the bathroom area by a mirrored wall.
A very comfortable king-sized bed adorned with many pillows faces towards the city view.
The bed is flanked by two bedside tables with lamps, convenient electrical outlets and light switches.
Atop one table is a phone, and on the other, a magazine and a note that a range of holy books can be requested.
In the corner is a small wall-mounted TV.
Along the opposite wall, between the desk and the window, is a padded bench with small table.
Work Space
A decent-sized desk sits against the wall with a swivel chair. There are both USB outlets and regular sockets on top of the desk to plug-in your devices.
Coffee Machine
The room comes with an Illy coffee maker, which you’ll interestingly find in the bathroom (my first time seeing that). Some nice teas, sugar, as well as liquid creamers, are also provided.
There is also complimentary water provided in a reusable glass bottle. Make sure not to take the bottle, though, as there was a sign next to it saying you will be charged $30.
Civic Hotel Restaurants
The hotel has two dining options right within the hotel.
Dominion Bar + Kitchen
This trendy restaurant is located right next to the check-in desks and serves up breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. You can also order up to your room or even to the outdoor pool.
If you are a Platinum Elite Bonvoy member or higher, your free breakfast voucher gives you access to their breakfast buffet.
We were quite pleased with their breakfast offering and found it to be better than most hotel breakfast buffets we’ve experienced in North America.
All the usual staples, such as scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, potatoes, waffles, oatmeal, cereal, deli meats and cheeses, pastries (actually tasty and not stale!) and fruit were on offer. But there were also some additional items that I was pleased to see, such as smoothies, chia pudding, and even chai tea.
The cost for the breakfast buffet is usually $27/person so it was definitely nice to have this included with our stay.
Hours:
- Breakfast Buffet: Mon-Sun 6:30am-10am (note that they are strict about closing down the buffet by 10am and clearing tables)
- Brunch: Sat & Sun 11am-3pm
- Lunch & Dinner:
- Monday: 11:30am-10pm
- Tuesday-Friday: 11:30am-12am
- Saturday: 11am-12am
- Sunday: 11am-10pm
Prado Cafe
This local Vancouver coffee shop has a branch right in the Civic Hotel lobby and is a nice place to sit and enjoy a casual bite. We didn’t try their coffee ourselves, but our friends who met us at the hotel ordered iced lattes and they were quite happy with them.
The pastries and cakes on display also looked very delicious.
Hours:
- Monday-Friday: 7am-5pm
- Saturday & Sunday: 8am-5pm
Civic Hotel Pool
The hotel pool is located on the 4th floor of the building on the outdoor deck. It’s a good-sized heated lap pool with a separate whirlpool hot tub.
We visited both in the morning and afternoon. In the morning, the pool was in the shade of the building so it was a bit chilly, but the water was warm. There were numerous families enjoying the pool at that time so there was only one open lounge chair available.
When we returned in the afternoon, the pool deck was nice and sunny, but there was still some nice shady spots over the pool so we didn’t feel too hot. The afternoon was definitely less busy than the morning.
Change rooms are located next to the elevator and pool towels are freely available by the pool. Note that there are no attendants or life guards stationed at the pool.
Pool Hours: 7am-9pm Daily
Civic Hotel Fitness Centre
The hotel has a very nice fitness centre located on the 4th floor.
It is bright and spacious with lots of windows. You’ll find all the equipment you’ll need for a good workout.
We even got to try out the Lululemon Studio Mirror, a first for us!
When we visited on a Saturday morning, there was no one in the gym at all.
Gym Hours: 24/7
Civic Hotel Video Tour
Final Verdict
All-in-all, our stay at the Civic Hotel, Autograph Collection in Surrey exceeded our expectations and we will definitely return! We felt the value for the nightly price paid was excellent when compared to our other options in Metro Vancouver. The hotel is very modern, new and clean, with a lovely outdoor pool, and great, convenient dining.
Additionally, the service we received from the front desk agents to the restaurant servers was extremely friendly, professional and welcoming.
Booking Civic Hotel
You can search your dates here on Booking.com for the cheapest rates for the Civic Hotel, Autograph Collection.
If you are a Marriott Bonvoy member, you can use your points or Free Night Awards here. Rooms hover around 35,000 points/night so this is a good property to use up a 35K free night award. However, during low season (fall/winter), you can find some dates as low as 21,000 points/night.
Cash prices are usually around $200-$350 per night, depending on the season.
Civic Hotel, Autograph Collection Phone Number: 1-604-951-3331
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