Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Niagara Falls

We were staying with a sports team, and otherwise wouldn't have chosen this hotel. The staff who checked us in were friendly, and the mattresses felt fairly new and comfortable. The pillows were too small and much too soft for me, though, and the little fridge barely kept our bottled water cold. Our room looked dated. The bathroom and carpet were old, and paint was coming off in places. The room rate seems low at first, but once the fees are added, it feels expensive for what you get. I challenged the parking charge and resort fee, but they wouldn't budge. The hotel is nowhere near the main tourist spots, and I don't see a reason to charge guests to park. The gym is nothing special, the pool is old and worse than pools at many other hotels, and breakfast isn't included. So I don't see what justifies a resort fee.

For a budget minded mom of two traveling to a dance competition, this place worked really well. It was clean and didn't feel sketchy inside or out, with good access to affordable food, Dollarama and Value Village. Even my teenage daughters liked it, which is saying something. The room was clean, and the staff were really friendly and helpful. They even helped when we realized hours later that the kids had left their coats in the room. I'd stay here again. It's a handy distance from things: quiet enough around the hotel, but a short drive gets you to pretty much anything. With only six floors, or seven if you count the basement, you don't get stuck in the elevator forever when kids press all the buttons. The pool and its noise are down in the basement, which is nice, but that room badly needs work. There's water damage high on the walls, possibly from a roof leak, with cracks, peeling and separation. The windows and baseboards have water damage too. They advertise two pools, but we found only one. Maybe the other is in the part under construction. Hopefully they fix that one so this pool can close for repairs. One other thing, the smoking area should be farther from the front entrance. I'm a smoker myself, and it ought to be around the corner or somewhere farther away.

The room was clean and roomy, including the shower and bathroom, and it's close to the falls, attractions and plenty of places to eat. The staff were GREATTT, really nice. My wife especially liked having an outlet right in front. I was nervous after reading other reviews, but we had a good stay. I only wish they'd upgrade the TVs. The resort fee caught me off guard too, since half the place is under construction. They should waive it for now.

We found a bedbug on one of the pillows, so I won't be returning. The price looked like $62 in a Google search for a pet friendly hotel, but don't be fooled. Choosing a pet friendly room and adding HST brought it to $95. Then the pet charge was $40 plus HST and parking was $20 plus HST. A few days before check-in, Expedia sent a message saying there'd also be a 5% media fee plus HST and a $20 resort fee plus HST. What started under $100 came to nearly $200, which really wasn't worth it. Watch out for those fees.