The Super 8 Kelowna

I'm a woman traveling alone. I usually choose Best Western hotels around the $175 price range, but this place had good reviews and I thought I'd save a little. Huge mistake. I hadn't realized it was a motel, not a hotel. My ground-floor room opened straight onto the parking lot, and I felt nervous with all the homeless people around. The walls were paper thin. I heard the guest next door sneeze while I was heading to the shower, and people on the other side talking at 2:30 a.m. Even though it's right off the highway, I could hear every single vehicle go by through those thin walls. There was dark hair on the bathroom floor and stains on its walls. The bed skirt was badly tucked in two spots, like the cleaners hadn't paid attention when making the bed. Extra pillows were way up on a shelf beneath a water-stained ceiling, with a spider in the corner. No way was I using those. The carpet was old and gross too. I had an appointment in Kelowna and wasn't allowed to eat that morning, so I planned to take some food from the breakfast buffet. But there was a big sign saying not to remove food from the breakfast room, and there weren't any takeout containers.

The check-in was great, and the woman who welcomed me was lovely. But the room was small and not very clean. There were yellow streaks on the bathroom door, and with the paper-thin walls I could hear everything from the next room and the parking lot. Breakfast was honestly disgusting. The hard-boiled eggs seemed to have been reheated several times, the hash browns were really dried out and seemed reheated too, and the yogurt was warm. There was no fruit, even though breakfast had only been underway for an hour, so I'd expected things to still be fairly fresh. Checking out was an absolute nightmare. I said I was leaving, and they told me they needed to inspect the room before returning my deposit. After waiting five minutes while someone checked it, the woman said the money would be back in my account in about five hours. I said that wasn't acceptable. I've never had trouble getting a deposit returned while still in the lobby, and I don't live nearby to come sort it out in person if it doesn't show up. She said they don't rent rooms to people without a credit card and didn't know why the previous employee had checked me in with a debit card. Then she fiddled with the computer and made a call, I assume to customer support. I stood there for 35 minutes with no explanation. She asked me to check my bank, and it showed they'd taken an extra dollar, which I didn't understand. Then she gave me a piece of paper saying the balance was zero dollars and that it was now my bank's problem. My deposits have always been refunded immediately through the debit machine after entering my PIN. It's been more than 10 hours, and I still haven't received my $200 deposit. I won't stay here again and definitely don't recommend it.

I had a pleasant stay, and Harneet at reception deserves a special thank you. She was professional, helpful, and welcoming, and made everything go smoothly and comfortably. Thanks for the great support!

The room was good, and the staff helped me in the end, but check-in was stressful. I was traveling solo and hadn't known that the hotel required a credit card for the damage deposit. Expedia hadn't mentioned it either. I only had a debit card, and they told me I'd have to cancel, even though my reservation couldn't be refunded. After I explained what was going on, the front desk kindly agreed to accept a $150 deposit on my debit card instead. I'm grateful they worked with me, but giving guests clearer information in advance would make this much easier.