Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury

I travel regularly for work and have stayed here before, so I was disappointed to be told to wait outside until exactly 4:00 PM when I arrived around 3:30. I’d booked through a third-party site, and the staff showed no flexibility about checking in a little early. The customer service fell short, and I wouldn’t recommend booking this way if you need to arrive before 4.

We were in Europe-bound business travelers and had a frustrating time extending our room booking. It required an extra 100 CD, which still hasn’t been returned to our credit card a month later. We left the room as we had found it, and nobody has explained why the money was kept. It seemed they were counting on us not pursuing it once we’d returned to Europe. This left me with a very poor impression of the standard of service in Canada, and I can’t recommend the place.

On our second day, we learned that staff had let another family into our room and hadn’t told us about the mistake. Our valuables were spread across the beds, so I’m very disappointed no one thought to inform us. The night staff were also a concern. A blond woman walked the halls provoking people and intimidating children unnecessarily. When parents said they didn’t like how she approached their kids, she only made matters harder for herself. Our children were 9 and 10 and shouldn’t have been treated that way. Many families at the same event had similar experiences. Check-in was difficult too. The woman helping us was needlessly rude when we asked basic questions about the facilities, though the man working with her was very friendly. I wondered if he was trying to make up for her behavior.

Hockey families, read this before booking. The hotel has potential, and the conference room was an awesome space for the kids to play mini sticks. But the staff could use hospitality management support, and children should never be screamed at. There was no breakfast included, and the pool didn’t seem well maintained, which concerned me from an infection-prevention point of view, especially with five hockey teams booked at once. At check-in, staff rushed us through the terms and conditions and pushed us to sign and hand them back immediately. The room looked “clean enough” at first, but then I saw sticky patches on the floor, debris by the beds, and a pill bug crawling across the floor. We were on the ground floor with an outside door, so I wasn’t shocked. Having that separate entrance was one of the only positives, since we could use it instead of walking past staff and what felt like intimidation tactics. The kids had a conference-room booking, but while they waited outside just minutes before their time, staff said security would stand there and the door would only open at exactly 7:30. As the children headed there with their mini sticks, staff followed and yelled at them for carrying the sticks in the hall. Parents had to escort the sticks to the room, LOL. Staff threatened consequences for playing in the hall but wouldn’t speak to parents directly. Several children were yelled at by adult staff for being in the hallways. They weren’t asked to stop, they were shouted at. Why take five hockey teams at once if the kids can’t enjoy themselves? Our children were well behaved, safe, and respectful, but they’re kids who wanted some fun together. The hotel didn’t seem focused on customer service or a quality stay. We were told nobody could be out of their rooms after 10. Even after our children were asleep, staff kept walking through the group of parents quietly chatting outside our paid rooms. One had an iPad and clearly showed us that staff were watching us on the cameras and counting down to curfew. They gave us “warnings” without explaining what for, and when we asked, said they’d call the police on us. Our group had booked the whole bottom floor, and the kids were all in their rooms. Staff kept walking through and making us uncomfortable, as if we were doing something wrong, even though we had limited time together. Staff also told us that the floor above, booked by our hockey association, was complaining about us, and told them we were complaining about them. Neither we nor they had made any such complaint. At checkout, one staff member was professional; another rolled her eyes and made guests feel unwelcome.