The Stay Lounge

We got locked out of our room, and when we tried to get help, nobody answered. We had no idea where to go or what to do, with all our valuables still inside. Terrible experience. Honestly, pay whatever extra it takes to stay somewhere else.

I usually stay in standard hotels, but this was a breath of fresh air. I booked this place just two hours before check-in on my overnight trip to Ottawa, looking for something reasonably priced, and was warmly welcomed. The booking and service went smoothly, and the people responsible for the location were excellent when I needed help. The room was lovely, and even though other guests were staying in the other rooms, I didn’t hear a thing. I slept like a baby on an amazing mattress and didn’t want to get up to continue travelling. I’ll recommend this quiet, beautiful experience to friends and colleagues in the area.

At 10pm, I was left with my family and no way to get into the room I’d paid for. We had to find another place at an overpriced last-minute rate. I’d been told an email with the self check-in code would arrive 24 hours before check-in, but it didn’t. When I called that morning, someone at the guesthouse said it would be sent that afternoon. It never came, including to my junk mail, and nobody answered my repeated calls. Expedia also couldn’t reach the host. They could only send the matter to a team to review and get back to me within 72 hours. I was also told the bathroom was shared with three other rooms, which wasn’t clearly stated in the advertisement. I suggest saving yourself the headache and not booking here. You could end up without access to your room. I should have paid attention to the other reviews with complaints.

The booking site was helpful and said it was sending the owner a cancellation request. Later, it told us that she had declined the refund, even though she had cancelled our stay and sent us to the site to handle the cancellation. She had contacted me after I booked and paid online to say the place was fully booked, despite showing a room available. Mistakes happen, but she said she couldn’t cancel it herself and that we had to contact the booking site. Taking payment for a room that isn’t available seems unethical and, as I understand it, illegal. Don’t risk booking here. You could end up out of pocket whether or not a room is available.