My experience began with a quote over the phone for a week stay. When I arrived on the day of check-in, the price was $50 higher than the quote. I tried to show the owner my notes made during our telephone conversation but she wasn't interested. I don't have time to look for something better, so I pay the new price. I am told that the price will go down after the fall colours. I'm wondering why they are willing to chance my leaving for a few dollars. My original plan was to stay monthly through the winter.
The female owner showed me a couple of rooms. To her credit she was very patient and accommodating.
The room is small but not bad. It smells odd but many hotel rooms do. The curtains are shoddy, the carpet is stained. There is a mouldy smell in the bath and the caulking around the tub is specked black. Obviously there are some small issues that could be better with some attention. The other guests kept waking me up at 6 a.m. because they aren't quiet when they leave. Nobody seems to be around at that time to improve that situation.
But here is the weird thing. I noticed that sometimes a red light would appear on my phone. The button that is lit up says "front desk". At first I don't mind because I think it's just another maintenance issue. A phone with a wonky button. But I began to notice that sometimes the light was off, while other times it was on. So for a test I began to talk to the "front desk". I said "Comon' you aren't actually listening to me are you?". A moment later, the light went off. It creeped me out.
The next day I noticed the light on again. Once again I said "hey front desk, turn that light off". The light went off. This happened a third time and now I'm convinced they can hear me. I saw the light on a few times and said nothing. It remained on.
It could be an issue with a phone malfunctioning, but if they can hear what I'm saying in my room, that is a clear breech of privacy. That phone should be removed immediately. I did not address the issue with the owners and there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation, but it made me uncomfortable and for that reason, I'm not staying and I won't be returning.
I am a seasoned traveller and this is the first time that I've felt so uneasy about any place I've stayed.
I try to be fair and I'm going to say that this place is reasonably priced for the budget traveller. The rooms are in fair condition. It has a good location close to downtown and walking distance to the water. If you happen to be braver than me, and you see that "front desk" light on the phone - ask them what's up with that? Unplug it if you want to be assured of your privacy.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
3 March 2010
It's hard to put any credibility on a review that thinks she can "talk at the hung up phone" and somehow think that the front desk can hear her. So then when the light goes out, she thinks that confirms her fears of being listened to via a phone that's hung up. It seems other than her unsubstantiated fears, she liked the place. In response to her claim... No, we can not listen to guests in the rooms when the phone is hung up, even if we wanted to. I am not convinced lights were blinking either.
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