I want to start off this review saying that the two stars was because of how nice, kind and helpful all the staff at this location was. If it wasn’t for them, this review would have been 1 star.
My husband and I booked this hotel (direct on their website) for a couple nights, and we cut our stay to one single night. We selected this hotel for the pool and that’s this hotel offered a breakfast buffet instead of a continental breakfast, so we splurged a little (our mistake).
Upon checking in, the amount we had to pay was a lot more than what was on my confirmation. This was even outside of the incidental hold, which is never a problem. Why? Because this brand of hotels does not disclose all the fees, and their website has incorrect information. In addition, we paid for the breakfast buffet, but we were told it was a la cart upon arrival. Now, being picky eaters, we would have never paid for breakfast until we saw a menu. So after seeing the menu while dining at the onsite restaurant, we both decided we wouldn’t be able to enjoy a meal there. Speaking of the onsite restaurant, we don’t typically eat onsite, but after driving for hours we decided to stay in. So we ordered the potato skins, and both flatbread options. They had no flavour and was extremely bland, and my husband said the caramelized onions had no taste. Our server was amazing though, he was extremely kind and thoughtful while we were there. We didn’t want to bother him with our complaints as we were just too tired from our day. Oh, the kitchen is also slow because it’s not a full kitchen, so also be prepared to wait. But for our food, waters, and tip it was close to $70 and honestly, I wished we just ordered in Little Caesar’s… at least that food has flavour, and we would have saved some money.
We also did use the pool/ hot tub, which was good. The pool had 5’ at the deepest point, and was large for everyone to enjoy. The hot tub could have had a bit more water for the jets to run properly, but that’s minor. I did enjoy the pool, so that was positive.
Now for the room. It was large, but just ok.
The towels were extremely scratchy, and the tub was weird. Like there was a narrow spot down the middle that collected water, and you couldn’t stand like normal to shower. It was uncomfortable, but the shower had good pressure and can get really hot. In the night my husband and I started fighting over the covers on the bed, and we decided to split them, with him taking the top “blanket.” It was weird, scratchy, and looked almost like a mattress cover after he separated it. So we both didn’t have a great sleep (which is partially us, and partially the covers). Also, the toilet paper felt like 1ply, but I thought the hand soap + shower gel was decent. They didn’t dry out our skin, but the toilet paper was terrible. Gas station bathrooms have better quality toilet paper, and you don’t even have to pay to access it. At the cost per night here, you’d expect better toilet paper and linens.
This had probably been the worst hotel stay I’ve ever had, and I refuse to book here again. Inaccurate information + things being uncomfortable, wasn’t exactly how we planned things. To anyone reading this thinking you’ll have a better experience compared to other hotels, try the holiday inn or best western. I always recommend those chains, and I’m forever going to stick to what I know is better.
So needless to say, while we were eating dinner, I asked the front desk to modify our reservation to check out in the morning. We were going to book elsewhere, but after going to the room, and getting frustrated there too, we cancelled the rest of our vacation.
This morning we were going to enjoy the breakfast buffet, and drive to Banff to celebrate my 40th birthday. Instead we checked out before 7:30am and drove back home to Edmonton. Paying $310 for a stay we didn’t enjoy is a lesson we will remember. Expensive doesn’t mean better, and to stick to Best Westerns or Holiday Inns. We will save money, and have a guaranteed better stay.