Jillian Harris of The Bachelorette shares her hometown of Vancouver, BC with 13 bachelors on June 8

June 2, 6:17 PMSeattle Travel ExaminerSue Frause

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Downtown Vancouver looking over False Creek. Photo by Sue Frause.

Vancouver, BC will be the co-star of The Bachelorette when Bachelorette Jillian Harris returns “home” on June 8, 2009 for the next installment of this war of the roses reality show. The 29-year-old Alberta native is a restaurant interior designer in Vancouver with a degree from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She was also a contestant on the most recent installment of The Bachelor. For fans, she was one of their favorites, although she didn’t capture The Bachelor Jason Mesnick’s heart. She placed in the top three, but went on to even bigger fame with her current role in The Bachelorette.

This isn’t Vancouver's debut as a backdrop for a reality show; it hosted The Bachelor in 2004. This time around, Tourism Vancouver and The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver have teamed up to put together a magical evening during the June 8 episode. That’s when Jillian will surprise her suitors with a trip to her hometown. “Dates” with her 13 bachelors include dinner at Grouse Mountain; kayaking in False Creek to Granville Island; a picnic in Stanley Park; and a Vancouver harbor cruise aboard the classic luxury yacht Pacific Yellowfin. The latter includes a Dungeness crab dinner hosted by adventure travel outfitter Exposure. There will also be a competitive match of curling – no surprise there, since the Canadian sport will be one of the featured competitions during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Jillian’s suitors stayed at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, located in the heart of the city. It’s one of my favorite hotels, with its expansive lobby (I call it the Living room of Vancouver) and top-notch service. The 13 bachelors were housed in the 1009 Suite, which features three bathrooms. The hotel housekeeping team provided them with 13 mini bottles of mouthwash each day! On the food side, the Fairmont cuisine team went through nearly 12 dozen eggs and 62 cups of coffee to fuel the bachelors for their dates. The pre-rose ceremony was held in the Morningside Suite, followed by the final rose ceremony in the hotel’s historic Boardroom.

To celebrate Vancouver’s starring role in The Bachelorette, Fairmont and Tourism Vancouver are giving away a romantic getaway to Vancouver. The Art of Romance Vancouver Getaway package includes two nights at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, sparkling wine and strawberries, deluxe breakfast, valet parking and late check out. Enter to win at www.tourismvancouver.com.

In addition, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is inviting locals to cheer for their favorite Vancouver-girl in the 900 West Lounge on the evening of June 8. The Vancouver episode will be aired on the lounge television as millions of people from the United States and Canada watch. A specially prepared Final Rose cocktail ($10) will be available for the festivities.