Canada Winnipeg Holiday Inn & Suites

[mkiwama]

:) Hi I am back and decided to post this review of my stay. If I should have posted this elsewhere, my apologies.

For a three star hotel, this turned out to be a wonderful bargain. I was attending a conference at the Winnipeg convention centre about 4 blocks away and it was an easy, safe walk.

I checked in at 10pm. and I was told that the hotel was getting full with several conventions in town- (perhaps the front desk clerk's way of saying that on a Priceline booking, my chances of getting a decent room were slim. As with some other priceline stays I have had, it was obvious from the staff's demeanor that Priceline guests inhabit a lower tier of status. You can't expect good professional treatment at the 3 star level when the clerks are essentially college students working part-time and haven't had extensive training. This clerk had a fully visible sheet in front of her listing all of the names of Priceline guests, and it seemed obvious that there are certain tacit rules about what rooms are 'released' to Priceline bookings. For example, I asked whether I could have a non-smoking room and was reflexively informed that there were none available. I am not complaining. Like I said, I have come to reconcile this level of treatment with SOME priceline booking receptions. When you are paying half of what the hotel can make off most other customers; from a manager's point of view, it doesn't make sense to lock up a marketable room for 4 nights to a priceline booking.

Having said that, I was lucky this time as the clerk conferred openly, in a loud voice with her Manager in the next room, whether she could "give away the King on the 9th floor to a Priceline". So I was granted a non-smoking room on the 9th floor (hotel has 11 flrs), which turned out to be excellent. It was a corner suite with direct southern views up the boulevard to the Legislature Buildings and the river.

Room was a standard, spacious, and very clean, with lots of big furniture (Chair with ottoman, business desk and ergonomic chair). King size bed, small empty fridge, and the usual 27 inch television with pay per view movies and games.

Spotless bathroom with all of the usual amenities, and with coffee maker.Noisy but efficient heat/cool system situated underneath the window.

Small, white marble lobby with limited sitting/waiting areas with entrance to family-style hotel restaurant. Staff, in addition to what I wrote above, was casually friendly and very helpful with directions. I felt they knew the city very well.

Location was very good, making downtown shopping and the University of Winnipeg (one block West) quite convenient. This hotel is situated in the Western edge of the downtown core. Across the corner is a large Hudson's Bay department store. One block East is the beginning of the Portage Place shopping mall which also has several fastfood options. Guests having business in the downtown core (Portage and Main Street) may find the Sheraton and other properties a bit more convenient. It is only about a 10 minute walk away though so this hotel is really not a bad choice.

Hotel has a postage stamp size pool that would be great for kids to work off several hours cooped up in a car, but I found the nearby YMCA (one block) an excellent facility with indoor pool, gymnasium, extensive exercise areas and an indoor track. First timers get a complimentary pass.

The hotel is located right next to the greyhound bus depot which has its plusses and minusses. I found that the downtown core was not the nicest amongst Canadian cities- I got the sense that it wasn't a good place for children to stay. IMHO Winnipeg has a problem with pan-handlers and they are everywhere downtown. Stores close early and there just isn't a lot to bring people into town in the evenings and weekends.

Despite being initially reminded (with the front desk clerk's assistance) that I was Priceline Trash, I have no complaints as the rate I paid was truly a bargain. The Holiday Inn & Suites delivered all that you could ask for in a 3* booking.

[MJRBIM]

Winnipeg downtown - Holiday Inn & Suites 3*

Had two PL stays here in the last week...it's a mid-range 3* hotel on the corner of Portage and Colony next to the Bus Station. It's a pretty noisy corner, and the sound isn't buffered very well in the rooms.

Good staff, decent beds, and bathroom features. Valet parking is $9.00 CDN per day.

The only problem I had is with the High-Speed internet access. It is ONLY available in the Suites - not in the regular PL rooms, so on my first 3-night stay I had to pay a $60 CDN per night upgrage fee (since I was working from the hotel).

On my second stay (a one-nighter), I just went with a regular room because I was only at the hotel for about 6 hours before my early AM flight.

The front desk staff said that they expected to have High-Speed internet access in all the rooms sometime this fall, which would make a big difference to my review.

All in all - not the best PL 3* that has come up in Winnipeg, but OK for a short stay. I have stayed at the Sheraton hotels (DT and Airport) in my pre-PL days - and they are better hotels.