Fairmont Hotel Vancouver 80 years of iconic moments by The Collective You

Though it can be said that classics never age, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver celebrates its 80th Anniversary on May 25th, 2019. In homage to its history, the hotel collaborated with international portrait photographer Dennis Gocer to create a captivating photo exhibition that re-imagines eight decades of its iconic moments, offering a contemporary lens on traditional storytelling. Captured throughout the property, the scenes convey a timeless fashion story, complemented by diamond jewellery provided exclusively from De Beers Jewellers, including the Mosaic Necklace which boasts 1,314 diamonds and a total carat weight of 145.65 cts.

The exhibition debuts to the public May 24th, and will be on display in the hotel’s lobby through 2019. Guests can experience a memorable moment of their own with the Signature Gold Portrait Package which includes a one-hour black and white portrait session with The Collective You and a two night stay in a luxurious and newly renovated Fairmont Gold Room. Fairmont Gold, a boutique hotel experience within the grand hotel, was designed for the most discerning guest with private check-in, concierge and exclusive lounge that serves complimentary breakfast, canapés and refreshments throughout the day. For the over-the-top luxury seeker, the 80th Anniversary Iconic Moments Package features a bespoke professional photo shoot based on the hotel’s exhibition with Dennis Gocer, including wardrobe, hair and make-up, a keepsake from De Beers Jewellery, and two nights in the Royal Suite, part of the Fourteenth Floor Heritage Suite Collection, priced at $80,000 CAD.

Iconic moments that inspired the new photographs include Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger sneaking into the hotel’s Panorama Roof restaurant in 1940 for a photo opp, and though the hotel has been frequented by many celebrities, dignitaries and royals over its eight decades, some of the most fascinating stories are about former staff. There’s the craftsman in the 1930’s who placed a newspaper and personal essay inside the gargoyle he was carving, and Ethel Ferguson, the housekeeper who hid over 200 pieces of Chippendale’s furniture around the hotel in the 1960’s during a “modernization” and only came clean after she approved of the hotel’s new restoration plan more than 15 years later.

“We wanted to be able to tell our stories in an innovative way that connects with guests,” says Adam Laker, General Manager of Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. “Any heritage hotel can hand over a history brochure and trust that it’s read, but what we’ve hopefully done is create scenes that are so intriguing you want to stop and figure out what’s going on. We want guests to ask questions like, ‘Why is there a horse in the ballroom?’ and, ‘Who is this woman and why is furniture stacked behind her?’”

Dennis Gocer is an international portrait photographer, born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Founder and Creative Director of The Collective You, Dennis has created portraits for brands such as Burberry, DeBeers, Tesla, and Omega. His work has been published internationally in Vogue, Wallpaper, and Vanity Fair.