“Great pool. But the price reflects it.”
Our family (2 adults, 2 small children) stayed in this hotel while in transit during Christmas travels. We paid the CAA/AAA rate of approximately $116 plus tax for a junior suite (about $10 more than the standard room price) for the extra space this afforded.
The pool at the Lamplighter is excellent, and well beyond what one would normally expect from a hotel of any chain, at any price point. It is large, located in an impressive atrium, and includes a water slide for older kids. Indeed, the property is basically built around the pool, with interior rooms overlooking the atrium to benefit from the pleasant -- almost tropical -- feel this creates. As the photos clearly show, many of the interior rooms have balconies that allow you to sit out and "enjoy the view," which is certainly pleasant.
The downside of this hotel is that you pay handsomely for this privilege. Many hotels in the area (adjacent to the 401 on Wellington St.) can be booked for much lower prices, while downtown hotels such as the Hilton and Delta are often available at comparable rates. None of these, of course, offer the pool and atrium of the Lamplighter. So the real decision to be made is how much the pool is worth to you.
Our general assessment of the hotel is that it is starting to get a bit tired. The general decor is late 1980s (plenty of interior brick, lots of dark colors), with some updating apparent where this could be done at reasonable cost. The rooms themselves are similarly dated, which may be a concern for some and a total non-issue for others. In general, the rooms are maintained at a reasonable level, though there was some evidence of wear-and-tear. This is, of course, perfectly normal. But it is undoubtedly not as pleasant as a brand new or thoroughly renovated property.
A few specific notes about the rooms. The bed, while adequate, was not among the most comfortable we have slept in. The pull-out sofabed, meanwhile, made for a positively unpleasant sleeping experience; I would not recommend it for more than one night, or for anyone with even the slightest back issue. It's also worth noting that the patio door that exits onto the atrium cannot be opened with the room key when locked, making it necessary to walk all the way through the hotel when heading to or returning from the pool, even if your room is on the ground floor.
One final note: I understand that this hotel hosts many events (wedding receptions, etc.) that are hosted in or near the atrium. While there were no issues with this during our stay, I imagine noise could be an issue for rooms with an atrium exposure if there were music or other amplified sound. Worth considering when choosing a room, or even when deciding whether this hotel is the right choice for you.
Staff were pleasant, though not exceptionally so. Neither a plus nor a minus for us.
Overall, I think this is a perfectly pleasant hotel at $80 a night. At $120, ask yourself how much the pool is really worth to you. Based on guestroom alone, there are more luxurious and less expensive options available.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
31 January 2012
Dear ed_the_sock,
Thank you for your recent visit to our Hotel and for taking the time to complete a review.
I am glad to hear you enjoyed your experience in the Atrium area. It is certainly a favourite among our guests and is often the reason people travel to our Hotel. It does offer something “unique” compared to other Hotels in London, and Hotels in general.
I am disappointed to hear you felt the Hotel was overpriced. We are priced slightly higher than other Hotels in this area of the city, however we do feel we provide “value” to our guests. We are a full service Hotel offering the convenience of in-room dining, an on-site restaurant and lounge and Conference Centre. The other Hotels off of the 401 are limited service; therefore the level and number of amenities available are less than those of our property. Additional value ads include an on-site games and arcade room, complimentary parking as well as complimentary internet, local and 1-800 calls. Our location is also preferred in that we are midway between the 401 and downtown London, providing convenient access to London’s amenities. For our guests who are in town to visit any of the area Hospitals, we provide a complimentary shuttle service to and from all Hospitals in London. As you mentioned, we also feature the Atrium with a waterslide, waterfalls, hot tub, indoor pool and koi ponds all under a retractable glass roof. Therefore, we feel the value we offer affords a higher room rate.
I am also disappointed to feel you found the Hotel to be “tired”. We are continuously upgrading and renovating the property with our most recent renovations being completed this past summer. We are a Hotel that works hard to ensure all guest rooms and public areas are updated consistently and up to the level our guests expect. Our guestrooms were also recently updated when we changed from a BEST WESTERN to a BEST WESTERN PLUS. All of our guest rooms have upgraded linens, carpeting, flat screen televisions and new furnishings. However, I will certainly pass your comments onto the owner so he may confer with our designer regarding the current aesthetic. I will also forward your comments on regarding the beds in our guest rooms and I apologize you did not find them overly comfortable. All of the beds in our guestrooms have been replaced with new mattresses within the last 2 years and we also have a wing of the Hotel which features exclusively Tempurpedic mattresses so perhaps that is something to consider if you choose to rebook. As for the patio door not allowing access to the guest room, that is in place to protect our guests belongings when they are not in their rooms. As mentioned we do have patio rooms which overlook the pool area therefore it would likely be problematic if the rooms were to be accessible via the patio door.
You are correct in that we host many events throughout the year and occasionally the Atrium area is used. We do however have a strict noise policy in effect and the Atrium is kept free of noise after 11 pm. Also, in light of this issue, our rooms were engineered to be extremely soundproof. The interior brick walls and dense patio doors work well to block out the noise.
Thank you for your comments and for visiting our Hotel. We hope we have the opportunity to welcome you back so that you may experience all we have to offer and take advantage of all of our unique and additional amenities.
Thank you,
BEST WESTERN PLUS Lamplighter Inn and Conference Centre
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
