Balmer Hotel

Really good food and a great place. One question about the annex rooms: what kind of mattress do they use? It was the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in.

The food was a real bright spot. We had tasty burgers, wings, and salads, and the service was quick. The waiter was also great and didn’t charge me for the two beers, which I appreciated. The draft beer, though, was awful. My Budweiser came in their biggest glass, nearly flat and tasting watered down, with no carbonation. The glass also had a sour, dishwasher-like smell, maybe from a damp wiping cloth. I could smell it while drinking. A Canadian beer had the same issue, so I asked for a can instead. Once I had canned beer, those problems disappeared. The waiter tried to help right away but seemed just as puzzled as I was. People come here to relax after a hard day, and the glasses should be clean and smell like fresh beer. I’ve never encountered anything this bad. I’d skip the beer here and go elsewhere for alcohol, even though the restaurant’s food and timing were good.

There were ant traps in every corner, and I found a cockroach in the room. I killed it and showed the hotel manager. He seemed surprised and said he’d spray with Raid, but he already knew exactly where to spray before I’d told him where I found it. We didn’t get any discount. I’ll never stay there again.

I was working night shifts, 8 to 12 am, and trying to sleep during the day while the hotel had renovation work going on for several days. I had to ask repeatedly for the noise to stop, but the power tools, painting, and demolition kept going around 8:30 am. It was the worst place, and I won’t stay there again. The restaurant food was bad too. They were unprofessional and ignored our need for proper rest, putting workers’ lives at risk.