OverviewThis waterfront hotel, with recently renovated guest rooms, is located on Songhees Road, just over a 10 minute walk from the popular Inner Harbour. This 240 room hotel is especially popular with families, who enjoyed a number of the on-site amenities, including an indoor heated pool, a gym, a sauna, a jacuzzi, indoor squash and raquetball courts and outdoor tennis courts, which are open all year long. There is also a spa on site.
There are a variety of room options available, from Standard rooms (some of which offer small kitchens and the option to have connecting rooms) to more spacious Suites. All rooms include pillowtop mattresses, a flat-screen TV, voicemail, WI FI, bathrobes, a coffeemaker, an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. Pets are allowed at this hotel for a charge of $35/pet/stay, up to a maximum charge of $70. On-site parking is available for $16/day.
While there are a number of dining options located nearby the hotel, guests can opt to dine on site for breakfast, lunch or dinner at LURE Restaurant, open daily 6:30am-11:00am, 11:30:am-2:00pm and 5:00pm-10:00pm. Children under 6 eat for free from the children's menu; children aged 7-12 eat for half price from the regular menu. LURE Lounge is open Monday-Saturday from 11:00am-12:00am and Sunday from 11:00am-11:00pm.
The hotel is located within walking distance to shopping and restaurants and a number of Victoria's main tourist attractions, including BC Whale Tours, the BC Maritime Museum and the area of downtown Victoria, all of which are less than a 10 minute walk away. Butchart Gardens is slightly farther away, about a 30 minute drive. Guests travelling by air will need to budget about 32 minutes to travel the 26.7km between the hotel and Victoria International Airport (YYJ) (distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps).
Check-in is at 4:00pm, while check-out is at 12:00pm.
Confirmed with a front desk agent: WI FI, renovation status, parking, pet policy (call date: June 6, 2012).
The GoodLocation was a positive factor for a number of guests, both because many attractions were within walking distance, and because of the harbourfront views provided.
Many guests commented on views from the rooms. One guest, when speaking of the harbour view, said, "a great backdrop in the daytime a stunning view at night." Guests also commented favourably on the views provided while dining in the restaurant. Several guests also liked being able to wander the waterfront by foot.
Staff also received top marks from several guests. Phrases like "always smiling", "friendly" and "committed to excellent customer service" were reflective of guest sentiment. One guest mentioned that all staff addressed her by name.
There were some additional compliments, centring on things like the pillows on the beds. Some guests enjoyed the extra touches and commented on things like the children's story time in the lobby before bed, accompanied by milk and cookies.
The Bad
While most reviews were positive for this hotel, there were some common threads among the complaints, mostly related to the state of the decor and furniture in the rooms. Several guests indicated that furniture and linens were worn and needed to be replaced. One guest said that their sink in the bathroom was cracked.
A few guests were unhappy with the hotel parking. There were limited parking options off site, and guests that complained of parking felt that the $16 fee charged for the hotel parking lot was excessive.
According to a few guests, noise was a factor. One guest was bothered by noise from the loading dock, which was located near his room. Another guest thought the walls were thin, and was disturbed by noise from guests in the adjacent room.
There were a few additional complaints, touching on things like slow, faulty plumbing with the toilets and the on-site food options (food was said to be expensive with limited menu choice).
Confirmed with a front desk agent: WI FI, renovation status, parking, pet policy (call date: June 6, 2012).
TripAdvisor.com guest reviewers ranked this hotel #5 out of 69 Victoria hotels, based on 348 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviewers rated this hotel 4.6 out of 5, or "outstanding", based on 227 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviewers rated this hotel 4.6 out of 5, based on 256 reviews. 96% of guests recommend this hotel.
Booking.com guest reviewers rated this hotel 8.9 out of 10, or "fabulous" based on 92 reviews.
