Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Victoria (North Victoria - Esquimalt - Langford) English Inn Victoria

[VibeGuy]

Worst. Opaque. Booking. Ever.

I admit it, I was lured by the notion of a 3.5 Boutique with:

Boutique Hotel

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Laundry Facilities (self-service)

High-Speed Internet Access

And the text that displayed on the search results:

Free Parking

Free Breakfast

Free Internet

Didn't see any 3.5s for Victoria in the list, figured someone got up-rated. Should have been alerted by the "We Are Still Gathering Reviews For This Property".

After purchase, discover it's the English Inn. Mixed recent reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor. I figure the malcontents don't like small luxury boutiques of historical nature.

We arrived, and the property was deserted. It's got beautiful grounds and public spaces as shown on the website. There are rooms in the "Manor House" and then other houses on the property. Nice landscaping, probably a great place to have a wedding.

Checked in, and were assigned a room on the third floor of the main building. Handed a letter stating that they were closed after 10pm and we could access the manor house by the small key on the ring, through the back door. Breakfast is fresh fruit, fresh-baked croissants and yogurt, and "quantities may be limited" (odd note, I thought). Free internet is available, but make sure you're connected to the strongest access point.

We ask where the elevator is (my travelling companion has a ratty back and bad knees), and we're told there isn't one. We ask about a lower-floor room, and are told they are "full up". OK, so, we venture forth. The stairs to the second floor aren't bad, but the "nice" stops at the top of the stairs - the rest of the property isn't as deeply renovated as the public spaces, the carpet is worn, the floors aren't level, and that flight to the third floor is 22" wide, steep as hell, and not to be attempted while holding luggage.

We go down a narrow hallway with sketchy floors get into the room, and the carpet truly looks like a war zone. There's a fireplace, mini-fridge, two comfy (albeit low) chairs, and the softgoods are attractive and in good shape. However, the door doesn't have a deadbolt (and it's keys, not key cards), the bathroom has a stained fiberglas-type tub/shower, and there are cobwebs.

My travel companion and I traded looks and realized that hiking up and down those narrow stairs was *not* going to work for our weekend plans. I called down to the desk and confirmed that they didn't have any options available to us, and I called Hotwire. My specific concerns were around accessibility, and my concerns were promptly and courteously addressed after they verified with the hotel that this was not going to be workable for our stay.

I would not recommend this property under any circumstances.

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that this property was such a disappointment, but glad HOTWIRE was willing to work with you on the situation.

Thank you for letting us know about this new HOTWIRE property so that we can update the site's Hotwire Hotel List.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.