Hotel du Manoir St-Denis

I was wary because of the surprisingly awful Google Maps reviews, but the place turned out to be clean and comfortable, with perfect air conditioning and no odd smell at all. We used a code for the main entrance and another for the hotel door, much like an Airbnb. Noise wasn’t much of an issue and didn’t affect our sleep. A couple of strange details: our room had no small face towels, and another room had a clothes rack set so high it seemed made for someone seven feet tall.

We couldn’t stay here because the building smelled so bad, like cat urine mixed with garbage. We had to book somewhere else for the rest of the week and spend significantly more. When I asked for a refund, staff demanded photos. I said I couldn’t photograph a smell, and he brushed me off with, “no photo, no proof.” He was dismissive and unhelpful, promised to call back but never did, and sighed when I called again. I got no compensation. The online pictures look nice but are misleading. They advertised AC, but there was none. It was so hot that we had to open the window, which had no mosquito screen and opened onto the emergency stairs. Anyone could have climbed in, and bugs came through too. The hallways were filthy, and the building clearly isn’t maintained. It’s unacceptable to host guests in such unsanitary conditions. I travel a lot, and it saddens me that this happened in my own city. If you’re on a budget, paying a couple of dollars more for somewhere else will be cheaper than having to pay for two places like we did. Save yourself the hassle and book elsewhere.

The location was convenient, but the rest of the experience was the worst hotel stay of my life. Our room was on the third floor, up three flights of steep, slanted stairs. A bad smell filled the hallways on every floor and made its way into our room. The room was too small and had hardly any storage. The bathroom setup was shocking: the washbasin was directly above the toilet, so it couldn’t be used while standing. The sink drained painfully slowly, and there was no hot water on the first day. We complained, but the problem wasn’t fixed. Then, while we were in bed, someone who wasn’t authorized came into our room without knocking. Our agreement said there would be no cleaning during our stay, so this was both a serious privacy breach and a security concern. I strongly advise against booking here for safety and comfort reasons. This is without doubt the worst accommodation option in the city.

The cleaning staff stole my AirPods and won’t give them back. The owner, whoever they are, has been no help either. If you want to have a good time, I’d definitely find somewhere else.