Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kingston Central

The elevator took about three minutes to reach the ground floor, so I got to breakfast at 10:01, just one minute after the stated 10:00 closing time. The food was already gone, and I could see the kitchen staff had started clearing it before ten. They wouldn’t let me have even a little bread or fruit, and their manner was rude and disrespectful. A bit of patience would have made a big difference. I’d stayed one night, February 15-16 over Family Day weekend, and this treatment soured the end of the visit. The service felt hostile and far below the hospitality I expected. Based on this experience, I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

We picked this Holiday Inn Express for its price and convenient spot while my family was house hunting in Kingston. I figured it would be just a Holiday Inn, but I was wrong. We were there a whole week and had a great time. The beds were comfortable, the room stayed at an ideal temperature, smelled like hazelnut, and had American cable channels and loads of outlets. Housekeeping was careful with our things. I’d left my laptop on the bed, and came back to find it on the desk, charger wrapped up, and the bed neatly made. The staff were kind and greeted us whenever we came through the door. Our flight was delayed, so we arrived 18 hours late and they hadn’t held our room, which made sense given how late we were. Luckily it was still available. They arranged another room without a fuss, upgraded us to queen beds for just $10 extra, and apologized even though the delay was ours and the airline’s fault. Breakfast was included and had a decent selection. A waffle maker and a pancake maker, both! They also served bacon and sausage, although sometimes the bacon was replaced with patties. There were lots of hot drinks, including cider, tea, coffee, espresso, and hot chocolate, which I happily drank. Plenty of outlets too. The pool was actually clean, unlike the one at the Quality Inn next door. Great price, great stay, 5/5.

The breakfast is simple but really good, and staying here saves money compared with downtown hotels. There are lots of shops nearby, and the bus stop across the street makes getting downtown easy if you don’t want to drive. It is a little noisy because it’s so close to Hwy 401. Our room was clean and freshly renovated, and the service was friendly. I’d definitely stay again.

I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. During my one-night stay on December 23rd, traffic on Division Street came straight through the windows, which had almost no sound insulation, and I couldn’t sleep. The air-conditioning was also malfunctioning and only cooled the room, with no heat. The water dispenser didn’t work, and the eggs at breakfast were cold and the food was poor. There were religious symbols throughout the property, which struck me as inappropriate and unprofessional in a commercial hotel.