Overall Impression
This is a great place to stay at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. While I’m not a big fan of tourist traps, it’s easy enough to escape the area on foot or by taxi for less than $10 each way. The advantage to staying in an area where tons of tourists congregate is an abundance of late night stores to grab supplies, or a bite to eat. The Argonaut itself was great. The rooms are the typical San Fran nautical theme. Nice beds, Aveda toiletries (if you care about that kind of stuff—I don’t, but it’s a nice touch), and very friendly and helpful staff. The proximity to everything is good, and typically cheaper than staying downtown around Union Square. Continue Reading
It’s about high time that Vancouver got a cool boutique hotel. Sure Vancouver has some nice boutique hotels like The Opus Hotel, or The St. Regis Hotel, but we haven’t found that grunge meets approachable chic thing that has been done so well in Toronto with Queen Street West’s Drake or Gladstone Hotels.
While The Waldorf is no Ritz, it is not intended to be. This is a fun community space that is part cafe, part restaurant, part live music joint, part lounge, and part hotel.
Walking into the Waldorf feels like entering 60′s California. Light pastel colours, teak furniture, wood panelling, and palm trees.
The new owners of The Waldorf have renovated in a way that has left many parts of the original hotel intact. I was a little concerned when I heard about the Tiki theme, but upon seeing the finished product it is fun and not over the top in most areas. The restaurant and cafe are mildly Tiki with a tropical ocean-side inspired menu. The wine list is adorned with a range of interesting South American and Spanish wines like Tannat and Tempranillo.
The hotel rooms are retro-cool and a little reminiscent of the Ace Hotel boutique chain. They feature massive 80′s stereo tape decks with mix tapes rather than CD players, and Native plastic shoes instead of slippers. Room rates are to start around $89 and will offer an alternative place to stay for those looking for someplace affordable and an alternative to the big chain hotels. The location is a little off the beaten path, but close enough to Downtown by cab, or 20-30min walk. Commercial Drive is also very close. It is central enough to use for business given that you allow a few extra minutes to get to work.
Downstairs is the Cabaret area and bar for live music performances and larger events, and upstairs, in a previously boarded up part of the hotel, there is the Waldorf Tiki Bar, which has been preserved in its original state with only a few touch-ups. This is perhaps the only part of the hotel that is over-the-top, but it is authentic in its tackiness.
Overall I like the Waldorf. It’s a refreshing change to the Sheratons and the Deltas that are prevalent in Downtown Vancouver. While it may not be for everyone it would certainly make a fun place to spend the night on a personal or business visit to Vancouver.
The Waldorf Hotel
604.253.7141
info@waldorfhotel.com
1489 East Hastings Vancouver, BC, Canada V5L 1S4.
The Gladstone Hotel is the original Queen Street West boutique hotel. Set on the corner of Gladstone and Queen Street West near Dufferin, the hotel is in the midst of a neighbourhood undergoing rapid gentrification.
This area of Queen Street West once home to junkies, crappy diners, laundromats, and other old school shops, is now the home to some of Toronto’s hippest bars and boutiques.
The Gladstone was first on the scene of the hip retro-conversion hotel, and remains the most authentic to date. The nearby Drake Hotel has mimicked the Gladstone in it’s approach, and has perhaps executed it even better, but is still lacking in the street cred that the Gladstone eschews.
The hotel itself is an old building complete with super old elevator requiring an operator. The rooms are all individually personalized with different art and decor, and each is a unique spot unto itself.
At times the hotel can be a bit noisy due to the hipster/scenester crowd that tends to hang out here, but if you’re looking for a fun and eclectic place to stay here in the 416, the Gladstone is a good choice.
The rooms are comfortable and the hotel oozes personality. There is also a live-in artist in residence.
While it’s a little far from the business districts to walk, if you can spare the time the Gladstone is an interesting choice and a welcome change from the typical business class fare.
This is probably a boutique hotel in the truest sense. The Lovely Celebrities Hotel on St. Denis in the Latin Quarter of Montreal is an old four story building that has been brought somewhat up to date with new decor.
Overall I enjoyed my stay here. The staff were reasonably friendly and the hotel was kind of cool.
The Latin Quarter is a fun place to be and is within walking distance of the Plateau, Boulevard St. Laurent, and St. Catharines Street. The area has enough to do on its own though, and is populated mostly by students and a younger crowd. There is also a BIXI bike stand nearby for quick bicycle jaunts to another neighbourhood.
As far as my room goes it wasn’t the greatest but it was decent for what I paid ($89 per night) and at least there was some energy put into the decor. The bed was a little spongy, and the room smelled like it had once been home to a man with a smoking jacket, but overall it was not too bad. The walls here are quite thin and the building itself is creaky, but that’s to be expected in an older building.
This hotel is a little charmer and a good spot to crash if you’re on a budget. If you don’t like stairs you may want to request a room on the second floor as there is no elevator and the stairs are long and steep.
I would stay here again for the neighbourhood and for the price. It’s a neat budget traveller spot with some personal charm in a fun up and coming neighbourhood.
Every now and again I have to stay somewhere on a tight budget. On a recent trip to Montreal I decided to test the bottom of the Travelocity hotel list and stay somewhere frugal — enter the Hotel St. Malo.
The pictures on the internet made the place look alright (of course) and at $65 a night it was well in the price range. My expectations were fairly low, but I can’t say that I would stay here again.
The service wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really pleasant. In fact it was just very curt and to the point. Perhaps there was some cultural misunderstanding between the owner and I, but he didn’t strike me as the friendly type.
On check in, there was no record of my reservation which had been made a couple of days prior via Travelocity. When he finally found the record of my reservation the rate I received was a shock to him, and thus I was given a room in the dungeon…er, uh…basement and told that there was no other rooms available. A quick check online would reveal that there were in fact rooms available, and that I was just getting jerked around.
Anyway, I sucked it up. What can you expect for $65 per night? Honestly the place wasn’t that bad, but the sheets weren’t perfectly clean, and neither was the room. The walls are like paper, but thankfully I didn’t have to deal with any riffraff.
The location of the St. Malo was fine, and it was a short walk to the main part of St. Catherines Street and it’s tourist shopping. The hotel is located in the Concordia student ghetto and is close to a BIXI bike stand and the university. I actually didn’t mind the area at all, but don’t stay here if you’re looking to dine at steakhouses.
All-in-all it wasn’t bad, but I certainly wouldn’t stay here again if I had the choice. If you’re on a budget it’s not a bad place. I would equate it to having a private room at a hostel…only slightly more expensive. I give it one star out of 5, and say, stay at your own risk.
Overall Impression
Every now and again you get saddled with a limited work travel budget, and while it might sound like I’m whining, I really tried to make the best of this one.
On my recent business trip to Vancouver I had limited funds for hotels and needed a place to stay. I’ve seen the HoJo on Kingsway near Main Street on Travelocity before and it’s always extremely affordable. I like the neighbourhood around 12th and Main (also known as South Main, Mount Pleasant, or SoMa), and have always wanted to stay there, but the accommodation choices are limited to fairly low-rent motels and the HoJo, so for this trip it was the perfect excuse.
I’ll say that compared to a typical business hotel like a Delta or Sheraton the HoJo doesn’t really stand a chance. The beds aren’t particularly comfortable, the rooms are dingy, and the decor severely outdated, but what I did like about the HoJo was the local colour.
The hotel was formerly The Biltmore, and is now home to a couple of different bars, one of which is the namesake of the old hotel. The Biltmore Cabaret is a favourite watering hole of the Main Street hipster crowd and is a fun place to spend a night out and on some nights (Sunday I believe) even catch a classic burlesque show. The noise on Friday and Saturday night could keep you up all night if you enjoy silence, but I didn’t mind the rowdies out on the street below my hotel room.
While I hope to never stay at this particular HoJo again, I would have to say it was an adequate place to stay and I enjoyed the odd mix of people I kept running into in the lobby and the hallways. In that sense it was certainly more interesting than staying at a higher end business hotel where everyone is kind of drab and boring. So if you have the chance stay at the HoJo for the culture, not for the beds.
My Rating: 2 stars
How much would I pay: <$100 USD per night
My Recommendation: On the fence. Not bad as long as you know what you’re getting into.
Location
While there is very little immediately around the hotel other than the Biltmore Cabaret, there are plenty of great coffee shops, lounges, and eateries over on Main Street which is a few minutes away on foot. Downtown Vancouver is a short bus or cab ride away, and about 20-30 minutes on foot. The airport is about 20-25 minutes by car depending on traffic.
Amenities
Not much, but there was an ice machine at the end of the 4th floor hallway.
Service
Not bad for this level of hotel. It was neither here nor there for me.
Elevator Speed
Painfully slow old elevator, but it had those old school huge buttons which I like.
Atmosphere
Low-rent hotel with casino carpets
Bed Comfort
The bed was adequate, but nothing great. They had the crappy coverlet/fleece blanket combo which I loathe.
Internet
Free wireless internet. That is a bonus.
Room Cleanliness
Average.
Toiletries
Suave. No high end stuff here!
Family Friendly
Sort of. This isn’t really the best neighbourhood in which to entertain your kids, but there are interesting family activities close by. Also, the bar-centric nature of this hotel may not be great for all families.
Rates
I wouldn’t pay more than $110 US for this place and that would have to be in peak season.
Other Notes
It wasn’t that bad, but know what you’re getting into beforehand. Website pictures can be deceiving.
Number of Stays
1
When
Spring 2010
Frequent Flyer Miles / Hotel Points
Wyndham Rewards
I am a videographer, sometime photographer, ethnographer, world traveller, and all around student of life. I make pictures for a living and have worked with some of the worlds most recognizeable brands to communicate ideas and stories within their companies.
This blog is part work, part travel, and part whatever I happen to be interested in at the moment. I like bicycles, wine, food, and people — mostly in that order. I live to learn and share as much about this world as possible. Simply put, I love a good story!
