The story:
We arrived at the hotel around midnight. Room 303. Grab stuff, including bikes, up to the room, and the key cards don't work. Certainly not a big issue; one common to hotels of all stars and strips.
The front desk makes us new keys. Back up to the room, keys still don't work. At first they don't register in the lock and then the lock is returning a red "negative" light. However, we hear the click of the lock and the door can be opened. So we do.
We open the door to a couple asleep in their room. Panic-striken (as I would be) they rush up to close the door. We apologize and head back to the front desk.
Now, if you ask me, and since I'm reviewing here (and you're reading) we'll pretend you have asked, I firmly believe that giving guests the keys to a room that's already occupied and the current occupants are asleep in said room is one of the worst mistakes a hotel can make. I mean, sleep and security; too much to ask?
We write a note to the occupants and agree that the next morning we'd speak to the management to get that couple a free a night; I would expect nothing less if someone walked in on me.
This is why they're being rated poorly; the manager on duty indicated (very rudely) that it was "a computer glitch" and that since no one got hurt it didn't really matter. The poor front desk concierge was clearly horrified by this attitude but not in a position to do anything about it; we weren't asking for anything on our behalf but clearly such a grave offence mattered little and that, my fellow tripadvisees, is why you should avoid this hotel. Check out Quatre Temps down the road.
Oh, and the room was, as others have noted, dark and painted to cover up the age, bathrooms were well overdue for a touch-up (very old and dingy) and in the room we eventually stayed in (310) it was noisy and loud all morning we could hear chairs and doors and people and it was generally unpleasant when it came to quiet sleep time.
There are very good rooms in the hotel, and probably some better service on certain days but it all adds up to that one moment you get to do things right. In this case a bit of responsibility for their mistake would be what mattered. A major failure and not worth the chance of it happening to you.
- Manoir St Castin Beauport
