Upon returning home to Washington after a stay at Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa in British Columbia,
a woman passes her declaration form to a customs officer through the glass.
“Did you leave anything in Canada?” he asks before giving her form the stamp of approval.
“Yes,” the woman replies with a grin. “My stress.”
Ian Maw, director of sales and marketing for Harrison Hot Springs, says that this particular guest’s
testimonial is one of his favourites of all the stories he has heard in his nine-and-a-half years at the
resort. Located two hours east of Vancouver and three hours north of Seattle in the heart of B.C., the
Harrison is a veritable oasis outside of the city: A retreat encased by snow-capped mountains and the
southern shore of Harrison Lake, where both locals and tourists can plan a weekend away that promises to melt
away worries and leave guests feeling rested and revitalized.
“I think two nights here would be an ideal stay,” says Maw. “You’ll want at least a full day. Our main focus
is on stress relief, but during the summer it’s very family-friendly. The kids just love playing in the
pools.”
The resort’s trademark natural mineral pools are rumoured to have healing properties, attracting visitors
from all over North America to soak away their stresses in two indoor and three outdoor pools. Although these
supposed medicinal benefits may just be local folklore, the pools boast one of the highest concentrations of
dissolved mineral solids of any mineral spring (1,300 parts per million), and allow guests to relax and
rejuvenate in a therapeutic bath. Sitting at comfortable temperatures of 30 C to 40 C, the pools are where
guests tend to spend the majority of their stay at the Harrison. The Healing Springs Spa is one of the main
attractions — a gorgeous, sunken two-person soaking tub under a ceiling of twinkling stars in the spa’s main
room.
Though the hot springs are the resort’s namesake and key feature, the Harrison has expanded exponentially
over its 125 years in business. It is now home to new buildings like the East and West Towers, built in
order to accommodate the resort’s steady rise in popularity since the 1950s. The expansion also allowed for
new amenities, such as a luxurious spa featuring world-class treatments and products, golf courses, tennis
courts, kayaks and a ski area. The family-oriented hotel offers a list of seasonal and year-round activities
for kids aged six to 11, like water slides, volleyball and bumper boats on the lake.
“The most dominant demographic is the family, but seniors just love coming here too,” says Maw. “The old
folks find it especially soothing to soak their old bones.”
The hotel, originally the St. Alice Hotel and Bath House opened in 1886, was destroyed by a fire in 1920 and
was rebuilt and renamed the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa in 1926. The existing buildings are rooted in
history, having been a sanitarium for women returning from the war effort during the 1940s, and local
culture, paying homage to the Salish First Nations people who were the first to use the hot springs.The
towering, wooden spa door engraved with the image of a salmon was carved by a local First Nations artisan,
giving the modern spa an earthy, homegrown feel.
“It’s comfortable, updated, but you still have the historical aspect,” says Maw. “People like that about the
Harrison. It has a real West-Coast feel, pairing heritage decor with a modernized hotel that features
conveniences like Wi-Fi in every room.”
Maw attributes the Harrison’s success and devoted clientele to the resort’s three key features that have
couples, families and groups of friends coming back year after year.
“I think it’s the hot pools, it’s the location on the lake, and it’s the staff,” he says.
Indeed, while guests rave about the hotel’s services and activities, the overwhelming majority agree that
what makes a stay at the Harrison so special is the staff. The resort offers packages for every occasion,
from anniversaries and weddings to family vacations and getaways for seniors, and the staff ensures that
every minute at the resort is nothing short of heavenly — be it by warmly greeting guests by name every
morning or leaving tuxedo-robed strawberries as a surprise treat in newlyweds’ rooms.
“Some people even request certain parts of the hotel just for the staff who work there,” continues Maw. “They
know them all so well. There’s such a great relationship between the guests and the staff.”
The Harrison Hot Springs puts at least $2 million annually into renovating its facilities, and will focus on
upgrading the main hotel in 2011. As a proudly eco-friendly resort, they follow a detailed program called
GreenPath in order to protect the stunning natural beauty in the area and are ISO-certified (International
Organization for Standardization), meaning the resort undergoes an annual inspection to ensure it is adhering
to an environmental policy and have implemented an effective environmental management system.
“It’s a huge achievement for us,” says Maw. “It’s a big compliment that we’ve acquired that
certification.”
With a lengthy list of testimonials from longtime Harrison Hot Springs devotees, it’s easy to see why a third
of guests are returning visitors that come and stay at the hotel on a regular basis.
“I can’t say enough good things about this resort and the staff,” writes a guest from Burnaby, B.C. on the
resort’s website. “It’s the little things that everyone did that made it perfect.” •
Photo courtesy Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa
