Berry's Motel

We had another place to stay within minutes, and the card caused no trouble there. We also have a booking for the same weekend in another province with that same card, and that one has been fine. Before that, though, this motel was a mess. About four hours before check-in, I got an email from Booking.com saying my card was invalid because I hadn’t supplied the CVC, even though I’d entered it when booking two weeks earlier. I updated it anyway. When we pulled up at 2:54 pm, a man told us rudely, before we’d even got out of the vehicle, that they were full. My partner said we had a booking. The owner replied that check-in was at 3 pm. I said we could just turn around and park until then, but he walked away. After that first interaction, we decided to find somewhere else at the last minute. When I went to cancel through Booking.com, it said the property had already canceled our booking. I assume that was because of the card email. We will never book there again.

I flew from Alberta to Nova Scotia and arrived at 3:15 pm, but my room had already been canceled. I’d never prepaid before check-in and won’t start now. I use one card to book and another to pay, as I always tell places ahead of time. The booking card isn’t fraudulent; it has a limited balance because I keep it for situations involving fraudulent hotels. According to my notifications, the motel tried to charge the full stay at 1:43 pm, even though check-in is listed as 3-9 pm. I’ve never had this happen at another hotel. Who charges the entire stay before someone has checked in? When I got there, I rang the bell and no one answered, so I called. The man asked my name and said the card had been declined and I’d canceled. I explained I was paying with a different card, but he said I had no room because it was canceled. I never got to stay, and I wouldn’t recommend this place. The outside seemed sketchy, and he was rude. To clarify, this wasn’t a preauthorization attempt, it was the full amount of my stay. Booking.com didn’t say anywhere that this would happen. Sometimes a hotel takes one night’s cost or holds a deposit, but that wasn’t the case here.

My husband and I came from Ontario to Nova Scotia for our 10th wedding anniversary, and this place had sounded and looked nice. We got into town early in the morning and called to ask about checking in early. The owner said, “I dont think so,” and hung up. We tried calling again, but he didn’t answer. Then he texted, “Go Away.” I was really upset. I’ve never been treated that way by a motel, and it’s completely unprofessional to speak like that to customers or people from out of town looking for somewhere to stay. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

That bed was so good, we both slept really well. We stayed three nights at Berry's, and the motel was quiet, clean, and had everything we needed. I wish I knew who made the bed. We’ll definitely come back. Thanks.