OverviewThe Hilton Garden Inn Niagara-on-the-Lake is located at 500 York Road, across from Glendale Avenue which connects to the Queen Elizabeth Way highway (QEW). It is approximately a 21 minute drive to the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and a 12 minute drive to St. Catharines (approximate driving times: Google Maps).
The five storey hotel features 118 guest rooms and suites with two elevators, plus 3500 square feet of event space and banquet halls that can accommodate from 30 to 200 persons. There are 4 smoking rooms available on the main floor.
Hotel amenities include a 24-hour free business centre, free self-parking, a fitness centre, indoor swimming pool (no waterslide as shown on some sites), steam room, and whirlpool.
Food services and amenities feature an on-site restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, that is open Sunday through Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., plus Friday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The hotel has a 24-hour Pavilion Pantry Market that sells sundries, beverages and ready-to-cook meals (mini-fridge and microwaves are in all guest rooms). There is an on-site lounge that is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to about 11:00 p.m., plus the hotel provides room service to guests for dinner only from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Local area transportation is offered to hotel guests with both drop-off and pick-up available. There is an automated teller (ATM) on site, a coin laundry/valet service and an all-day free hot beverage area which serves freshly baked cookies.
All guestrooms feature free wired and wireless Internet, work desk with chair, two dual-line speakerphones with data port and voicemail, free remote printing to the business centre, mini-fridge, microwave, coffee maker, seating area with 26" high definition TV, individual climate control, iron, ironing board, hairdryer, and alarm clock radio with jack for MP3 Players. All King guestrooms additionally feature the new "Garden Sleep System" beds which continually conform to your body while you sleep.
Check-in time is 3:00 p.m. and check-out time is at 12:00 noon.
The hotel is located within a half hour's drive of the following entertainment and attractions:
Niagara Falls tourist area (21.4 km- approximately a 23 minute drive)
The Shaw Festival Theatre (17.4 km- approximately a 23 minute drive)
The Butterfly Conservatory (11.2 km- approximately a 15 minute drive)
Fallsview Casino (13.4 km- approximately a 16 minute drive)
Marineland (16.7 km- approximately a 21 minute drive)
Oaklands Golf Course (20.1 km-approximately a 21 minute drive)
(Google Maps is referenced for all distances and driving times.)
Verified with a Front Desk Agent May 23, 2012: There are only 4 smoking rooms available on the main level. Although some websites say that passports are needed for identification purposes, the hotel accepts picture ID and Driver's License (with photo). The price of breakfast and other discounts can be obtained through the Hilton Honors (free) membership card. Some pre-booked packages also include the buffet breakfast.
The GoodThis hotel was well reviewed and received glowing approval from most of their guests who not only highly recommended the hotel, but said they would "certainly stay there again"!
The hotel's staff received raving reviews as most guests were highly impressed with the professional level of service, help, attentiveness to detail and genuine hospitality given by the staff. One reviewer said the service was "faultless" and others said the staff were "wonderful", "very professional and friendly" and even "extremely friendly and helpful".
Most guests liked the location and thought that this contributed to it also being more reasonably priced (although it was not within walking distance of the nearby sites and entertainment; it was a short drive away). It was praised for being "close to major vacation spots without having to pay the vacation spot prices for lodging". Another reviewer said it was "easy to get to", and the "price was amazing for all it offers". Yet another said that it was "close to all the local attractions without being in the middle of the noise" and "convenient to the highway".
A number of guests praised the hotel for being peaceful and quiet and said that they felt rested there. One mentioned the "green space out back with patio seating" contributing to their peaceful enjoyment of the hotel. Others claimed it was "very quiet", "relaxed", and "peaceful with a nice view".
The beds and linens were well-reviewed by most guests. The beds were called "comfortable with classy linens" and one reviewer claimed to have had "the best sleep ever with the new beds", although there were also a couple of complaints about the beds "not working" and aching backs.
The room decor and amenities were also well liked. A cross section of reviewers seemed to agree that the hotel rooms were "clean and beautiful" and "spotless".
Although the hotel's food prices received mixed reviews, some thinking it was too expensive and opting out for the fast food across the street, most reviewers seemed to think it was "reasonably priced" and enjoyed the food at the hotel, calling it "excellent", "good for the price", "excellent quality" and even "superb".
Extra attention and hospitality was shown to the guests by offering hot beverages and cookies around the clock, daily. Many reviewers commented very favourably about this little extra and welcoming gesture on behalf of the hotel.
The Bad
Although the overwhelming majority of reviewers spoke in favour of the hotel and service, there were some complaints and weak spots noted by reviewers as well.
The most common complaint was from reviewers who felt the breakfast was too expensive.
Another reviewer was disappointed that the restaurant and lounge closed "too early" at 10:00 p.m.
More than one reviewer noted that the hotel's address cites Niagara-on-the-Lake, however they are "further out than expected", "not in Niagara-on-the-Lake" and "are actually closer to St. Catherine's". This did cause confusion to some hotel guests who did not know that the hotel is actually not located in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
A couple of reviewers thought that the "surrounding location of the hotel" is "not the greatest" due to the fact that it is "next to a highway" and "big roads".
There were also some complaints from reviewers which seemed to express isolated experiences such as "the tiles near the pool were slippery", some of the staff were "very uppity", and some of the "items on the menu" were "not available", but all-in-all, this hotel seemed to greatly please the majority of guests.
TripAdvisor.com ranked the hotel #10 out of 13 Niagara-on-the-Lake hotels and the site had 161 reviews.
Expedia.com guest ratings averaged 4.6 points out of 5, with 99% of guests recommending this property from 109 reviews.
Hotels.com guest ratings averaged 4.5 points out of 5 from 187 reviews.
Booking.com guest ratings averaged 8.8 points out of 10 from 111 reviews.
Verified with a Front Desk Agent May 23, 2012: There are only 4 smoking rooms available on the main level. Although some websites say that passports are needed for identification purposes, the hotel accepts picture ID cards and Driver's License (with photo). The price of breakfast and other discounts can be obtained through the Hilton Honors (free) membership card. Some pre-booked packages also include the buffet breakfast.
