OverviewLocated on Blanshard Street at Courtney Street, within a 7 minute walk from Victoria's Inner Harbour, this 63 room, pet friendly hotel offers on-site amenities including a heated indoor pool, a fitness centre and a business centre.
Travellers can choose from several different room options, including Traditional rooms, Deluxe Traditional Rooms with kitchenette, or more spacious Executive One Bedroom or Jacuzzi Suites. In all rooms, guests can expect free Wi Fi, a hair dryer, a coffeemaker, an iron and an ironing board, a 27-inch TV, a refrigerator and voicemail. Some rooms have balconies as well. There is limited on-site parking available at a cost of $6/night.
Guests have a few options for on-site dining. The Green Room is open daily for breakfast and dinner (7:00am-10:30am and 5:00pm-8:30pm). Smiths Pub serves drinks and most days lunch and dinner (Sunday 3:00pm-1:00am; Monday-Thursday 11:00am-1:00am; Friday 11:00am-2:00am; Saturday 3:00pm-2:00am (hours may vary seasonally).
While visiting some of Victoria's main attractions require a car, there are plenty of shops and restaurants located within a few blocks of the hotel. The popular Inner Harbour is approximately a 7 minute walk away, while the BC Maritime Museum, BC Whale Tours and the downtown Victoria area are all within walkable distance, (9 minutes,10 minutes and 11 minutes respectively). Beacon Hill Park is slightly further at 1.6km, which is about a 4 minute drive or an 18 minute walk. Guests travelling by air should budget for about a 27 minute drive to travel the 26.1km between Victoria International Airport (YYJ) and the hotel (distances and driving time estimates: Google Maps).
Check-in is at 3:00pm, while check-out is at 11:00am.
Confirmed with a front desk agent: Wi Fi, parking, restaurant hours (Call date: April 24, 2012)
The GoodGuests of this hotel generally enjoyed their stay. Many appreciated having reasonably priced, clean accommodations conveniently located to tourist attractions, shops and restaurants.
Guests used phrases like "affordable comfort" to describe their impressions. One guest said the hotel was a "hidden gem in downtown Victoria", referring to location, and that other similarly situated hotels were much more expensive. Other guests uses phrases like "good value". Many guests liked being within walking distance of various attractions, shops and restaurants.
Guests received excellent service from staff here, according to several reviews. Guests used words like "eager" and "friendly" to describe them.
Other positive comments focused on things like comfy beds and pillows, cleanliness of the rooms and property, and having windows in the rooms that open.
The Bad
While the guest impressions of this hotel were generally favourable, there were a few specific items that were common amongst guest complaints. They centred around the parking lot, and a few other items in the hotel.
The on-site parking lot was small and tight, according to several guests, and there were not enough spots to accomodate all the hotel guests. Guests frequently had to seek parking elsewhere, which many guests found inconvenient.
A few guests who required ramp access to the hotel from the parking lot were disappointed that there were stairs only. One guest was disabled; another was a parent with small children and strollers; both noted that the absence of a ramp made access difficult and inconvenient.
There were a few other complaints about the property itself, with several guests suggesting that renovations were in order. Phrases like "old and tired" surfaced several times.
There were a handful of other complaints about noise from the street and discomfort because of no A/C. A couple of guests said that the pool was very small.
Confirmed with a front desk agent: Wi Fi, parking, restaurant hours (Call date: April 24, 2012)
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked this hotel #33 of 69 Victoria hotels.
Booking.com guest reviews rated this hotel 8 out of 10 or "very good", based on 48 reviews.
Hotels.com rated this hotel 4 out of 5 or "excellent", based on 42 reviews.
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Analyzed by Heather W.
Driven by the sense that every person, place or thing has a story to tell and a skill for being in the wrong place at the right time, Heather is a well-traveled writer.
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