S J.
Yelp
We stayed here on the August long weekend for three nights, specifically to go to a concert. I booked the hotel in late December or early January to make sure we would get a nice room. I selected a "lake front" room at the time of booking - $250/night, prepaid. For that price, I was expecting a little more than what we got.
After months of anticipation, we drove from Vancouver to Penticton. Check in is at 4pm, which seems a bit late to me, but that's their policy. We arrived at 2pm, but thought we'd check to see if our room was ready. The clerk told me very bluntly that our room would "NOT" be ready until at least 4pm. Ok, calm down. I was just asking.
They said that someone would call us when our room was ready. I never received a call so we went back to the desk at 4:15pm. In a nice way of course, I mentioned this to the clerk. She said, and I quote, "You didn't answer the phone". Hmm. Well, my phone was on the entire time, and there are no missed calls...maybe no one called! Even if I didn't answer, it would be common sense to leave a message.
We were given the key to our room, and off we went. We were on the 4th floor, I believe. We entered our room and were immediately disappointed. We had a clear view of the parking lot and roof of the conference centre (attached to the hotel). It was only if we stood on the balcony that the lake could be seen. There was a great view of the Rotary park across the street, and the hills in the distance, but I paid extra for, and expected a lake front room.
I immediately went back down to the lobby to ask if we could switch to another room. Different clerk this time, but she was no more helpful. I told her that we weren't quite happy with our room, and she said "Rooms are pre-assigned, so you'll just have to deal with it". Just have to deal with it? What kind of customer service is THAT? I paid $250/night for lake front, I would at least like to TRY and get close to that - I even would have accepted "lake view". As long as I could actually see the lake from the room (without walking outside), I would be happy!
Our conversation goes as follows:
Me: "Surely not everyone has checked in yet. Couldn't I just switch rooms with them?"
Clerk: "No, they were pre-assigned last week, and I have no way of changing them. Only my manager has clearance to do that."
Me: "Ok awesome, can I please speak to your manager?"
Clerk: "Fine." (no joke, she was literally that blunt).
I explained my situation to the manager, and he basically told me to deal with it. He said that I shouldn't have booked last minute, but I informed him that I in fact booked 8 months prior. He said that there was no way to change my room. No one even offered an apology, or some kind of consolation (discounted dinner, free parking...anything would have helped). I just decided to deal with it and try to have a good time.
The room its self was quite nice. Not worth $250/night, but still nice. The air conditioning was fantastic. It was 30+ degrees outside, and you almost had to wear a jacket if the AC was on full blast. AC unit was built in, with a thermostat on the wall. Much nicer than those window units. Wifi was always fast and very strong. Mini fridge in room! Tasteful decor. Every room has a generous balcony. The location is the whole reason I chose this hotel over others. It's a couple blocks from downtown, right on the lake (private beach), minutes from the highway and the Events Centre (where my concert was).
The rooms need an overhaul in the near future. There were some noticeable signs of wear on the rugs, walls, and curtains. This is apparent in all areas of the hotel, including the lobby and hallways.
The biggest flaw with the actual building is the door-closing mechanism on all rooms. It is literally impossible to close the door quietly. 6 inches from the door jam, the mechanism lets go, and the door slams shut. It's so loud that neighbouring doors closing jolted me awake every night, and it takes a LOT to wake me up. Other than that, the room was silent - no traffic noise, no sounds from neighbouring rooms.
I never used the pool. Honestly, it looks like the kind of pool you'd find at a Quality Inn in Moose Jaw, not a supposed 5-star hotel that charges $250/night. The restaurant in the lobby (Barking Parrot?) never seemed to be open. We liked the menu, and tried to go several times, but it has very strange hours. I'm guessing that's so people will go to the more expensive Hooded Merganser instead (see my review for that).
Overall, I was not impressed with my stay at the Lakeside Resort. The hotel really isn't that bad, it's just that they are far, FAR overcharging for the rooms. At this price point, I expect a certain standard. That standard was not met at the Lakeside Resort, and therefore I won't be back.
Bottom line:
- Rude/unhelpful staff who just don't give a damn
- 3-star rooms, 5-star prices
- LOUD! doors keep you up at night
- $5/day parking
+ Excellent location
+ Private beach