Ramada by Wyndham Niagara Falls/Fallsview

Online booking didn't make it clear that parking wasn't included. At check-in we found out it was another $25 a night, and at checkout there was a $4.99-per-night resort fee or something similar. We thought we'd paid everything online, but still had to pay another $148. Not worth the price, and I'll do my best to remember never to come back. Such a shame for the WYNDHAM name. The lobby was very chaotic and busy. The elevators were very old, and carpets in the hallways, rooms, and elevators were ripped and stained. The bathrooms were worn, and I couldn't bring myself to shower in the old stained tub. For three people, there was one travel shampoo, one other toiletry product, and two Dove travel bar soaps. The TV was tiny, Wi-Fi was awful, and mobile data reception was awful too. There was no fridge or microwave in the room. They offered to rent a fridge for $10 a night, which we had to accept because we had food and snacks. There was just one microwave in the lobby for the whole building.

We don't need anything fancy and are pretty low-maintenance hotel guests. Our room was clean, the beds were comfortable, and it was quiet. The price was great, $84 plus $25 for parking. If you want modern decor, look elsewhere. Everything around the Falls is an easy walk.

Watch out for fees that aren't shown upfront and a last-minute change to the room price. My initial reservation email from the hotel listed rates of 75/99/115, but they charged me 75/99/135. Parking was another $15 a night. With taxes, the weekend should have cost $384, but the total came to $432.92 after hidden taxes, including a $5 municipal accommodation tax and an additional $.65 HST on that accommodation tax. Since when is a tax taxed? Then they charged my credit card twice for $432.92. I stay in hotels for work 10 months out of the year, and I'm not staying at another Wyndham for personal or work trips. What should have been under $400 ended up costing my card $865.84. With over 200 people from our group at the hotel, I figure the hidden charges and extra taxes brought in another $10,000 that weekend, money the government doesn't know about and won't see.

The room was very old, with dirty, worn carpets and a broken closet door. I reported the problems, but nothing was fixed during my two-night stay. Housekeeping took about an hour and a half to bring toiletries after I called. The front desk said they were busy when I told them. The next morning, nobody answered when I called for extra towels. On checkout day, I raised this with a front desk staff member. She said she was there and hadn't received any calls. When I asked her to check the call log, she saw my missed calls, then just said, “Goodbye, have a nice day,” sarcastically. I'm very disappointed with the service. The hotel needs to improve customer service and hire staff with a more professional attitude.