Commons Inn

A decent affordable place if you mainly need somewhere to sleep, and it’s close to downtown. The room was clean, and the staff were helpful and friendly. Neither the AC nor the TV worked, but luckily we’d brought a laptop to watch movies on.

We felt dirty, disgusted, and exploited by this stay. Mice were going through our things, and we left in the middle of the night. I have pictures. The walls were paper thin, and some of what was happening in the building felt questionable enough to make us worry about our safety. The place was filthy and in serious disrepair, nothing like the pictures, which looked decades old. At check-in the desk mentioned “renovations,” but the common areas had been demolished and covered in dirt, as if they’d been that way for a long time. There was a business license on the wall that expired in 2019. When I complained, the front desk refused both a refund and the manager’s contact information. Expedia contacted Commons Inn, but they still wouldn’t refund us. I appreciate Expedia taking responsibility and issuing a full refund on their behalf. I hope The Commons Inn is removed as a supplier from Expedia so others aren’t misled by what I see as false advertising. The price was grossly high for the service and safety issues. I believe there were several violations of consumer rights under the Nova Scotia Consumer Protection Act: a description should match what’s provided, a product should match the quality of a sample, goods should be good quality unless defects are disclosed, and services should be performed skillfully and in a workmanlike way. I plan to file a complaint with the Nova Scotia Business Commission. This establishment should be shut down.

The service was so friendly, and there’s a 24-hour front desk. They lent me a phone charger because my European one didn’t fit, and brought a kettle when I wanted to make tea in my room. Everything was tidy, the bathroom was fine, and the mattress was in good shape. It’s a low-cost hotel with modern rooms in a calm part of downtown Halifax. Café Byron is next door, a lovely, cozy spot for coffee and breakfast from 7am. I’d definitely recommend it and come back.

Just awful. There were bed bugs, a mattress stained with blood or makeup, no real cleaning, and the shower smelled of body odour. When I asked for a refund and receipt, the strange guy at the front desk wouldn’t give me proper receipts for the refund. Absolutely brutal, I’ve stayed in nicer hostels. I suspect they try to deny refunds to people who are less assertive. Please avoid it if you can. The low price isn’t worth it, and I feel like I have lice after being in the building.