The Parlour Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection

Stayed July 2025 We recently stayed at The Parlour Inn for a quick getaway and anniversary celebration. There were definitely some positives: the staff were friendly and helpful, and they even surprised us with chocolates and wine to mark the occasion — a thoughtful touch we really appreciated. The location is excellent, with an easy walk to restaurants and the theatres. Also, hot water was abundant, and the included breakfast was a nice convenience. That said, a few things took away from the overall experience. The air conditioning had a strong musty smell that was hard to ignore, and the room felt quite dated, especially considering the rate we paid — we’ve stayed at nicer inns for less. One awkward detail: the couch was placed directly beside one side of the bed, making it difficult to get in and out without squeezing past it. Overall, The Parlour Inn has charm and a great location, but the rooms could use some updating — both in design and layout — to match the price point and experience.

Nice hotel, but it needs some updating. We didn't have a towel rack in the bathroom, and no space even to put down a toothbrush Air conditioning was keeping us up all night. We had dinner at the restaurant, and it was just okay. They were understaffed, and the service was really slow. We had to wait so long for the sugar for coffee that it was cold by the time it arrived, and the ice cream totally melted. We sent it back. The steaks were drowned in sauce that didn't taste that great. Croutons in the Caesar salad were stale, and the dressing was tasteless. Have to find a better place next time.

We came early for lunch and checked in first at the front desk to register our vehicle and asked if it was ok to park early then, and again after we checked out as we were seeing a play at the Avon theatre the next day after check out. We were assured we could leave our vehicle there safely before and after our official checkin/out times. The hotel is very central and walkable to the Stratford downtown and the Avon theatre. There is an LCBO immediately across the street.||The shower was great, as was the bed. Very comfortable and quiet. We had no issue with the room temp, the AC worked perfectly. ||Being a tv streamer at home (Netflix, prime, Disney) we would have preferred the option to be able to stream in the hotel as well rather than watch 18 commercials for every 5 min of tv. ||We ordered room service breakfast which came exactly as ordered, only about 15 min later than we were told. Still came Very hot and delicious. Only caveat- ask for water if you want something to drink, and ask for Salt and pepper if you want them with your eggs, as they do not come automatically.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Parlour Inn. The clerk at the front desk (Kristen) was so friendly and helpful. We also enjoyed lunch and the restaurant downstairs! The room was comfortable and very clean, and it had everything we needed--Nespresso coffee, a fridge for cold drinks, wine glasses, and an ice bucket. The location is perfect, and we really enjoyed walking around downtown Stratford.

Right in the middle of everything. Shuttle service to the Festival Theatre was definitely a bonus! Really appreciated that as the weather wasn't great and we didn't want to drive and find parking. Rooms are great. Ours was spacious and comfortable. Staff were amazing. So helpful and nice. We would definitely stay here again, and as a matter of fact we will the next time we visit Stratford.

We had an awesome experience here. The deluxe rooms are large and we'll furnished. The staff were universally great, very personable and knowledgeable about the local area/attractions. The restaurant was very good. We'll be back! Highly recommended.

Great location if you want to be downtown and a block from the Avon Theatre. A historic inn - part of the Ascend Collection and Vintage Hotels sounds awesome but in so many ways it isn’t. Getting to my room (306) was like traversing a rabbit warren on the third floor. The room had barely enough room to walk around the bed - no loveseat or couch. Nothing special about the furnishings. Shower was just like a cheap insert you buy at Home Depot- no tub.The bed was comfortable and the other guests near me were quiet and staff were excellent- that it for compliments. I realize historic properties may have some tiny rooms, but market them as such with at least a $50 discount/night. Guests should be able to decide if a walk in closet sized room will suffice. I usually stay at the Arden Park which has many more facilities and very large rooms - an easy walk to the Festival Theatre. I can’t think of any reason to choose the Parlour Inn unless you want nearness to the Avon Theatre like I did. Sorry, but the Parlour Inn is well beyond disappointing.

Perfect location for walking to theatre and restaurants. On-site parking, which is a rarity! Excellent breakfast in dining room. Fridges in the rooms.bathroom updated nicely with marvelous toiletries. Carpet in the rooms makes it a bit dated but that's the only let down. Complimentary bottle of wine was a nice touch.

We have been to Stratford, Ontario, a few times, and stayed here at the Parlour Inn. The quality seems to have deteriorated after the pandemic. Our room looked nice: a huge jacuzzi tub in the corner (not in the bathroom). Quaint and beautifully decorated (old school inn vibe). BUT: A lot of things do not work. Air con does not work at all. Room got stuffy. Jacuzzi tub? Water is leaking into it from the faucet. In the bathroom there is no shower gel (they put lots of moisturizer, shampoo, etc). Must be an oversight by housekeeping. No in-room safe either. Windows can only open tiny bit (we needed to open windows for fresh air). Elevator so slow, glacial speed. Staircase was nowhere to be found! Several times we were in a hurry ... and the backlog was just crazy. Breakfast: why open the restaurant only at 8 am!? Too late for conferences. Slow service. Spotty too. They forgot our yoghurt parfait. Everything is slow here. If you stay here, better not be in a hurry. Nothing will get done in time. Breakfast itself is alright (see photos). Restaurant is beautiful with stained glasses. All clients seem to have retired. There's a retirement home vibe ...

This is a review of the Parlour Inn restaurant, not the hotel. We enjoyed a leisurely dinner Monday evening, when many other restaurants were closed. Pub-like atmosphere with dark wood. Nice menu and helpful waitress. She had smoked pork chop with risotto and broccoli. I had a pasta dish. Do not pass up the pavlova - it is much fluffier than the Australian version, and came with raspberry coulis, creme anglaise and whipped cream on top. Outstanding!

After our existing accommodations did not pan out, last August, my husband and I were able to secure a night at The Parlour Inn. The Concierge was very helpful and we stayed in a beautiful room with two Queen sized beds, a large and gorgeous bathroom. The finishes, bedding, and furnishings were lovely! Although the building is quite old it is nicely kept and beautifully decorated. The real treat was the attached restaurant! The food was delicious and beautifully presented. They have an excellent menu and very friendly service. We enjoyed our dinner so much that we went back the following morning for breakfast. It was awesome! The prices may be a little higher than some other places, but it's so worth it! We know exactly where we are going to stay whenever we go to Stratford!

This is a wonderful hotel in n downtown Stratford - close to the lake (or is it a river), the theaters and wonderful restaurants. The staff is wonderful - professional and helpful. The rooms are nice, with very comfortable beds. Basically, you are close to everything that you can do in Stratford and, after a busy day, are able to get a great night's sleep.

The Parlour Inn is a lovely old building with nice, but very small rooms - at least ours was. Adequate for the amount of time we spent there, though. Because there were too many people without masks during a pandemic, we didn't want to use the elevator much, so we asked where the stairs were, and had to be shown. Odd that Fire regulations don't insist that the stairs are well marked. We had planned on having a drink on the patio in the evening only to find it closed. At 8pm! And breakfast didn't start till 8am, too late for us. So we can't report on the restaurant.

Went for dinner there because everything else was booked. Now I know what. Prime rib over cooked. Forgot our water One of our friends has a severe allergy to mushrooms and the waitress said "it likely doesn't have any" Messed up another meal. Waitress couldn't get more wine as she was "underage". Boston pizza would have been a better choice before theatre.

This historic hotel is a lovely place to stay for any occasion including the Stratford Festival. From the moment of check-in yesterday we felt welcomed and very well taken care of for our stay. From the wifi, newspapers, coffee, fruit water, and beautiful roses at turn down time, the Parlour Inn knows how to do things. The business centre access and the shuttle to the Stratford Festival, with an amazing driver named Phillip, have been very pleased. The food last night in the restaurant was varied and excellent as was the service for breakfast this Morning. The desk staff yesterday couldn't have done more for us and helped with our tickets too. Wonderful people and staff. Looking forward to tonight!

I've eaten here numerous times over the years, and this past Monday I stopped with my husband and in-laws after taking in a show. There weren't many options in town on a Monday evening before the season starts rolling, and all of my favorites were closed. So we gave The Parlour a shot. Our server bears most of the blame for the 3 star review, as he was very attentive for about 5 minutes. Then he became the invisible man. More on that later. I do think the kitchen may have to share some of the blame, but it is mostly his. We began with a round of drinks. Two drank pints of cider (very decent), I had a Toronto craft beer called Mill Street Organic, which was very nice, and my FIL drank a martini. They were not served quickly, which seemed odd as few people were there. We ordered the day's special spring roll appetizer. The server only said there were 3 per order. Our experience with spring rolls is that they are rather small, so my FIL placed an order for 2 appetizer plates. They were huge, tasty, full of shrimp and veggies. The exterior was crispy and not greasy. The dipping sauce was nicely spiced with a bit of fire to it. This was starting off well. My BIG complaint is that the server didn't indicate that each roll was the size of Texas, and though they were cut in half, each half was huge. One platter of these would have been very sufficient for 4 of us. It also would have kept our total bill for 4 below $200. The restaurant was hardly packed, yet it took a long time for our dinners to arrive. MIL and I both ordered a seafood dish that was very tasty, with roasted salmon, mussels and shrimp in a very flavorful broth. They kindly provide two crusty bread slices for soaking up the broth, but I could have used a third. My husband had the crispy chicken, which was not traditionally fried, but very moist and flavored as well. The one disappointed with his meal was my FIL, whose steak was tough and bland. The mushrooms served with the order were also chewy, though he did like their flavor. The server didn't come by to check much, but finally showed up and asked about dessert. He brought the menu, and each couple chose to split a dish. I ordered a specialty coffee, but they were steep at $8 each. It took quite a while for the coffee to arrive, we were almost done eating our dessert. I like to have coffee with my ice cream, not after I am finished. The desserts were okay, but nothing spectacular for the price. Spouse and I split a warm cinnamon twist a la mode, and the in-laws shared a lemon creme brulee. We were sitting there for a good 10-15 minutes before the server finally showed up with the bill. My FIL was starting to drift away in his seat. We were all more than ready to leave, as there was a substantial wait between drinks, appetizers, entrees and then dessert. Dining took well over 2 hours, which made no sense. The place really wasn't all that busy. We were seated in a side room, which was nice as the noise level was low until a large group came in about halfway through our meal. They were NOT part of the tables our server was handling. I enjoy not feeling rushed, but when you feel that someone needs to find the server so you can pay up and leave an establishment, you've been ignored way too long.

We stayed here for the family day weekend and the experience was amazing. The rooms are decently sized and beautifully designed. We went for the two bedroom suite which is convienient and economical if you are with two families. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Why was there tomato sauce on my ribs? Other than that, pretty dece. A little hoity-toity, though.

Made a reservation for our 13 year Wedding Anniversary. The hostess scrambled around looking for a table for us. She walked around the entire restaurant looking. A reservation means they have a table with a reserved sign on it. They also knew it was our wedding anniversary. We were seated and waited 20 minutes , weren't even acknowledged. The waitress finally came over and asked if we had been looked after ... we told her no ... then she left. We were finally given a glass of luke warm water. At this point our evening was an utter disappointment and we left. Never again!

My wife and I have stayed and eaten here multiple times. Every experience has been wonderful. The rooms are quite charming with a nostalgic character. Always clean, and the staff is attentive and polite. The restaurant is no different. Great staff and breakfast has always been exactly what we wanted. Not to mention the prices are well within reason. Thanks Parlour! Keep up the great work.

This is my go-to hotel in Stratford. It is a nice, old historic place that used to be under the Best Western banner. I was happy that it turned into a Vintage Hotel. The service was great when we arrived. It is very walkable, 20 minutes to the Festival Theatre and 5 minutes to the Avon. We stayed in a King room that was located directly beside the elevator and above the patio. Thankfully they close the patio at 10pm but during the day we could hear what sounded like the loudest people of all time. More loud people by the elevator in the morning. If you are a light sleeper avoid our room. I do not believe the hotel was full so it would have been nice if they could have put us in a more private and quiet room - take note about Room 302. They offer turn down service and leave a rose on your pillow. The room was spotless and nicely decorated. The bathroom was quite tight and just came with a shower, which was fine but if you are looking for a bath you have to upgrade. The room was a bit musty upon entry but this is something I have experienced at older hotels. We opened the window and then it was fine, The bed was extremely comfortable and our air conditioning unit was powerful! We stay here twice a year and it is a good hotel in a good location.

I ordered their ny steak, was ok. Over priced for the meal but decent overall. Need more options for non alcoholic drinks. Otherwise I like the atmosphere and the vibe of the place. Very classy and nice.

On something of a whim, my Mom and I decided to make a second Stratford run this year. Circumstances were such that we dropped in at the Parlour for dinner again too. As always, the escargot and pavlova were to die for and the service was fantastic. My Mom got a prime rib special that was -amazing-.... the meat was tender and juicy, the potatoes and carrots ridiculously flavorful, and the textures perfect. Oh and it came with a pudding that called to mind the guilty pleasure of well-made fry bread. For me though, this time, I decided to try the grilled beef tenderloin. It... wasn't as good as the duck. Or the prime rib. The beef, a decent portion, was good in and of itself, and the mushrooms as a component were very flavorful. However, something about the dish as a whole really didn't work, at least not for me. My companion wasn't a fan either, but she detests mushrooms in general so probably isn't the best person to ask. For me, I think the main reason was a creamy spinach garlic spread on the beef which seemed to have been put on cool. This, in turn, seemed to cool down the meat so that it was lukewarm under the spread. I'm not a big fan of that. Also, the flavor was so strong that they really overpowered a lot of the other components, and the creamy/sticky texture was too much for the tender beef. The mushroom gnocci were also rather heavy on what seemed like a pepper flavor, and also very soft. Again, as a component, they were fine, but I honestly wasn't a fan of the dish as a whole. Definitely not something I would order again, especially when the prime rib and duck are so amazing. So, a bit of a disappointment there, especially considering the price, and a dock of a point, but it's definitely still on my top 10 list of restaurants to go to when I'm in Stratford and one I would recommend.

The decor is what one would expect of a place called The Parlour. It's wood, stained glass and high-backed chairs. Not much in the way of seating options - it's the chairs or nothing. The menu is not large. There were only two things that I could eat, and they were out of one of them. Although I explained my allergies twice to the server, my meal arrived covered in one of the items that I cannot eat. The prices are not commensurate with the food. For example, at lunch a club sandwich is $12, but that is the à la carte price. Fries, soup or salad is an additional $4. The rest of our party advised that their meals were acceptable, but nothing special. I would say the same about the service. One of our party asked for a drink. When all the other drinks had arrived (perhaps ten minutes later), the guest reminded the server who replied "I said that I was getting it." Not an appropriate reply.

After striking out a few times (note to self: 3 days is not enough time to secure a reservation at many Stratford restaurants), I managed to get us a table (via Open Table) at the Parlour for a Saturday night. When we arrived, I realized we probably would have been okay without the reservation, but I'm a safe-than-sorry kind of girl. Plus, they were one of only two Stratford restaurants available for reservations on Open Table, and I do love me some dining points. The restaurant aesthetic is very British pub. Dark wood, stained glass window room dividers, rich carpeting. The chairs were leather and quite comfy. We were put by a window, which was a little on the chilly side but not unbearable. The menu felt like a combination of fancy British pub grub and Asian fusion. I mean, you can order fish and chips and your date can order a chow mein stir fry. That being said, there were only about 7-8 entree choices. For me, the fewer entrees, the better I feel about how the meal is going to taste. I'd rather know a chef is perfecting a few dishes than hastily cooking dozens of different options and hoping for the best. My fiancé ordered the haddock and fries. I opted for the grilled steak with chimichurri and fries. Both meals came surprisingly quickly (easily less than 5 minutes after ordering) and were delicious and very filling. On a recommendation, we opted to split the traditional pavlova for dessert. Unless you a) have a major sweet tooth or b) a hollow leg, I would say splitting this beast of a treat is a must. It consists of a huge mound of melt-in-your-mouth meringue, topped with whipped cream, almond slivers, and surrounded by a lemon curd and a raspberry sauce. "We don't have to finish it" my fiancé said as it was placed in front of us. Three minutes later we were downing the last of the accompanying sauces. It was light, sweet, and utterly delicious. A must-have if you're enjoying a meal at The Parlour. Everything was a bit pricey, but I discovered this to be true of most places in Stratford. Entrees range from $16-$34, so you can eat well for a reasonable amount of money, depending on your tastes. The service was good, and there was never any worry of us running late and missing our show (the whole reason we were in town anyway). The fiancé has said that next time we're in Stratford, he'd be more than happy to return here for dinner. While I like to try new things, I'd be more than happy to join him, if only for another plate of that light, airy masterpiece of a pavlova dessert.

Amazing food! Excellent service! The wings were great and the service was awesome! Looking forward to our wedding here on New Years Eve!

Love to come and enjoy the amazing rooms and have a special dinner before going to see a show. Sadly, we booked our dinner reservation 32 days prior and specially asked for the club chair area. When we got there, we were told there was only a table. We explained we specifically asked for the club chair areas. Lucky for us there was one table so they could accommodate us. The fine dining experience was disappointing. Our waitress clearly has no training in fine dining. To start we asked for water with lemon and she brought 1 slice of lemon for 3 people. She didn't tell us specials and the menu had recently changed. We came specifically for prime rib and that was no longer on the menu. Knowing she was lacking some skills I asked if it was on the menu . Had it changed and was there still prime rib? She told us yes there was prime rib. We ordered and we never saw her again until a different waitress brought us our dinner but we had no silverware! We waited and waited as they got us some. Silverware should have come before our food as we waited a good 8 minutes for our cutlery arrived. I asked for some water and that took 15 minutes and a reminder to waitress to bring the water. Sadly my upgraded potato was cold and I sent it back to be heated. Food overall tasted good but for the price of food, and the expectation of fine dining, these waitresses belong in a less fancy environment. If I wanted diner food and service, we would have gone the local diner. Which by the way we went to for breakfast and left a 35% tip as the service and food was awesome! Food was 3 star and service was 1 star

Stopped in for a quick bite. The Parlour appears to have read their reviews a few times too many. The servings were way too small for the price, and the Caesar dressing on my salad could have used some garlic... tasted more like mayonnaise.

I made reservations for a birthday celebration dinner for myself and my Mom. The service was wonderful and the atmosphere was very nice for a pre-theatre meal and drinks. They even surprised us with their famous dessert and offered umbrellas since it was raining quite heavily. It was my first visit to the Parlour and I will definitely return.

Always come here for my birthday! Have been here so many times.. always delicious. The menu is constantly changing. Also a great place for wing night or drinks on the patio.

Mediocre coffee, packaged jams, eggs overdone and looked scrambled (should have been overeasy) Nice ambiance, friendly service, Mennonite sausage was what drew me here...and not enough to make me return.

Every time we come here the food and service are fabulous! One of our favourite restaurants.

Excellent breakfast! Not your usual breakfast but oh so good with a yummy twist. I had a poached egg which was similar to Eggs Benedict yet not like them - it had mushrooms, spinach and a basil creme sauce. Definitely worth a try.

Went there on a whim last night and was very well satisfied. I had the special which was salmon with small potatoes and brussels sprouts and it was delicious. It arrived very smartly after I had ordered it and was very hot -- another pleasant surprise on a bitterly cold night. Wasn't able to finish it all, and my wife had the rest today for lunch and also found it fab the second time around. Service was well timed and professional. The only minor complaint I had is that I was seated by a window, a large thermopane that couldn't help but be chilly.

Ate at the supposed Gastro Pub and was extremely disappointed. Ordered a Parlour Burger with bacon and a caesar salad with no croutons. (I assumed when the waiter asked if we wanted bacon on the burger and then either a salad, soup or fries that these were included in the price. NOPE! There was an extra $2 per item on our cheque - the extra fee was not mentioned by the waiter nor was it listed on the menu.) The dish arrived with no bacon on the burger, and with croutons in the salad. Had to send it back twice before the waiter finally intervened and confirmed our order and got it sent out correctly. We were brought ketchup and good thing because the burger meat was so dry I almost choked trying to swallow the first bite. The bun was cold and felt like the top was made of plastic (too much egg wash, perhaps?). Asked for more ketchup from the waiter, he said OK. It never materialized. The caesar salad was overdressed - could taste more dressing in my mouth than I could lettuce. What a shame because I was really hoping it would be my back up to the dreadful burger. One of my fellow guests ordered the carrot cake. The cream icing was in the middle of two triangle pieces of the carrot cake...enough to cover just one of the pieces. You get a bigger portion from METRO (and their portions are nothing to write home about). The cake itself was so dry that my guest could only handle eating one of the two pieces - the first time in his life he has ever not finished a dessert. When the bus boy came to pick up the plate, he asked how the cake was, he was told it was dry and hence why only one piece was eaten. I guess he was too young to figure out what to say to the comment. \he just looked at the plate and walked away. One of my other guests ordered the bangers and mash. She took one bite of the sausage and finished the mash - the sausage was so gamy you could smell it across the table. When I see Gastro Pub, I think medium to high quality food at medium to high prices. At this location, all we got was low quality food with medium to high prices. Will we dine here again? Doubtful!

What a disaster. Service like a snail (escargot). They have in their menu how to ask for your food to be prepared. Doesn't matter it all comes out well done. In my case burnt. My friend had Trout, burnt. A filet order medium rare, burnt. If you find your self eating in this place order the fish and chips, that was the only item out of eight meals that someone liked.

Best wings around, Nachos also tops. Staff is great. We pop in every Friday night for pitchers and fun.

My boyfriend and I ate at the Parlour this evening. We were celebrating and chose the restaurant based on all the great reviews we saw online. It was a disappointment from the beginning. When we arrived we were seated and waited 10 minutes for a waitress who asked whether we had been seen and actually had to go fetch the waitress responsible for our table. We ordered a beer flight and the antipasto platter to start. Well the antipasto platter was described in the menu as follows "Antipasto Platter with Chef's select salamis and cheeses, artichokes, roasted red pepper, olives,and flatbread $18". Unfortunately it ended up being a plate 2/3 full of pickled veggies and there was about 4 slices of plain white cheddar and a few slices of salami, very disappointing. When the beer flight finally arrived we were informed that two of the four we requested weren't available so we were given two random beers and two we had selected. Finally mains arrived, I had the ribeye steak myself which was significantly overcooked, completely charred and dry- it was ordered medium rare. The Boyfriend had the chicken supreme which was a chicken breast topped with a thick paste like gravy which was entirely grey and entirely unappetizing and flavorless. We ordered no dessert. At no point did the waiter visit our table other than to drop off the food. She never asked how our meal was and quickly dropped the bill off at the end of it all which leads me to believe she was just as aware of our disappointment as we were and was avoiding confronting it despite the fact that we were warm and polite the entire time. For the large bill we received at the end- and even if it wasn't a large bill, we were entirely disappointed with the experience. One more thing, we noticed the gentleman at the table next to us complaining he was feeling ill at the end of his meal. When we returned to the car we noticed that he was actually being sick out the door of his vehicle. I wish I could say that I made that up but I can't.