[HOTEL REVIEW] Holiday Inn Kingston Waterfront (Kingston, Ontario)

I recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Waterfront in Kingston, Ontario. This was a “Mattress Run” for me because I wanted to maintain my Gold status with IHG Rewards Club, and I wanted to cash in on The Big Win promotion.

In terms of my stay, I booked a “floating rate” night, so I was not guaranteed the room that I wanted. I wanted a King size bed with a waterfront view. I ended up getting the waterfront view, but they moved me into a room with 2 double beds, which was not a big deal, but I was with my girlfriend. The staff was very warm. In terms of IHG Gold Member perks, they offered me a bottle of cold juice (Tropicana). I told them I was two people so they gave me two. They also gave me a one person voucher for a free buffet breakfast. The buffet breakfast is worth $12.95 per person.

The room was very comfortable and the view was great, only problem was that there was a bird on the balcony. Somehow the bird managed to build a bird’s nest as well so it was pretty much permanently parked on the balcony. I told the reception about it and they told me they would send someone right up. We wait about 15 minutes but no one came. We didn’t want to sit in the room all day, we wanted to walk around town, so I told them that they could go into the room without us there. It’s probably a better idea anyway.

I didn’t want to be a difficult customer and ask them to change rooms. Though I did inquire about why I had two double beds instead of the King room that I asked for, but the hotel was already full. Plus I was only staying the one night, so we let it go. We went out for dinner and came back only to see the pigeon still there. The pigeon didn’t bother us enough to call reception again so we let it go.

The next morning we went down for breakfast. The breakfast was fairly basic, very similar to what the Holiday Inn Express usually provides. At Holiday Inn Expresses they usually rotate a few items, but this buffet breakfast had all of it available. The drinks (juice, coffee, milk) was free, so that was a definite plus. The only downside to the buffet was that the staff was just too busy, and they were not attentive enough. It took us a while before we could be seated, even though there were a few tables available and this is when there were 10 more people behind us in the line-up. We ended up paying the $12.95 (before tax) for the two of us because of my voucher. I think the $12.95 for two people was worth it, but I wouldn’t go there without at least one voucher. There are enough good brunch places around that area to try instead.

At check-out, I told the staff about the pigeon again. I hope they fixed that problem, but aside from that, I found my stay very comfortable and enjoyable. I even received a 2:00 pm late checkout, which I found very generous. The view is probably one of the best views in the city. It also really makes a difference when the staff is very friendly, so I do recommend this hotel if you can get it for a good price that meets your budget.

Here’s a picture of the room: