Holiday Inn Laval Montréal by IHG

The front desk employee was very nice and understood that I’d lost my credit card two days before arriving. They accepted a $200 deposit instead of the $100 deposit I would have paid with my card, and I was okay with that. The problems came after check-in. There was only one-ply toilet paper, thinner than dental floss. The TV said it supported “SharePlay” through its built-in Chrome Cast, but I couldn’t connect after several tries. When I called the desk, they weren’t willing to help. Then the TV stopped showing a picture for every channel, though sound still played. After I gave up and turned it off, it turned itself back on a minute later and kept doing that. I ended up switching inputs and leaving it on all night. Finally, the hotel apparently forgot to charge me for the room at check-in, when I expected to be charged both the room and the deposit. After I left and got home, the manager called asking me to pay over the phone. I explained again that I’d lost my card, which was why I’d paid the higher deposit and had already told the staff. He said he couldn’t take debit over the phone and asked me to call back once I found or replaced the card. It’s not my job to check that the hotel charged me. The employees should have handled the bill, and the room wasn’t nearly worth what they charged.

The view was very poor because the windows were covered, and the service needs improvement. The room itself was clean and good, which I appreciated. Better service and a proper view would have made the stay much better.

I booked two rooms well in advance, both meant to have two queen beds, but only one room had two queens; the other had a king instead. On both nights of our two-night stay, my one- and two-year-old were coughing and congested because of the strong paint smell and construction dust in our room. The floor was clearly under renovation and the air quality was terrible. I asked the desk whether all floors were like that because I have small children, and was told yes, so I didn’t ask to move. On checkout day I saw that floors 2 and 3 were clean and had no paint smell at all. The difference in cleanliness and air quality was night and day. We were stuck there because it was the weekend and nearby hotels were fully booked. I understand the hotel is being renovated, but I feel let down that I wasn’t told the truth. I’m not seeking compensation, just sharing this so other families know. I did wonder if things might have been handled differently if I spoke French or weren’t a visible minority, though I truly hope that wasn’t the case. I’ve shared photos showing the clear difference between the floors.

It’s very convenient for getting to and from downtown Montreal, with a bus station right across the street. The hotel was undergoing renovations and was pretty empty; I think our room was waiting to be renovated. The restaurant was closed, but they gave us coupons for two restaurants that were described as within walking distance. It was a bit of a walk to get there. Breakfast was available at the hotel, buffet-style, and quite good, with plenty of choices. They brought coffee and juice over. It cost a bit more than I’d normally pay for breakfast.