Saint John Harbourfront Hotel

The rebrand feels like a joke. We were handed a paper saying leaving Hilton would give them more flexibility to serve customers, but I didn’t experience any flexibility. When I checked out, I reported that the bedding had dried blood on the inside. It wasn’t just stains, and some was at the comforter’s edge, right by my face all night. I’m 100% certain it wasn’t my blood, and I hope I haven’t caught a disease from the previous guest. The desk employee glared and asked, “is there something you want me to do about that..?” He was so apathetic I didn’t know what to say, and he just handed me the receipt. The smoke alarm was dangling from the ceiling when we returned around 9pm. We wanted to relax, so we didn’t ask anyone to come in and fix it then. The next morning the front desk said maintenance already knew. Why wasn’t it fixed before check-in? It only needed to be slotted back into the ceiling with a small ladder. My father used to work here in maintenance, and minor fixes like that used to be handled quickly. He’d have been up there in 5 minutes. Why was nobody available between 12pm and 3pm? It wasn’t a one man department either. Parking through the hotel was $28, while the same garage was $18 per night. I only stayed 1 night and didn’t realize the difference until after booking. The front desk lady also seemed judgy. I arrived flustered from travel delays in casual clothes, no makeup, and my hair in a bun. When we came back an hour later dressed for a wedding, she was suddenly friendlier and said, “oh I didn’t recognize you, you look so different”. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt since we got ready fast, but it felt rude, like I hadn’t looked like their ideal customer. There was no information pamphlet. I got ready to check out the bistro and found it closed, and had to go downstairs to find out the pool hours. The only waste bin was in the bathroom. The steam iron didn’t work on my 100% cotton dress, even with the cotton setting and water, and left white marks on my brand new dress. I had to go to a wedding in a wrinkled dress. There were no robes in the room, one reason I chose a hotel over an Airbnb. I thought other Hiltons, including on the last night they were affiliated with Hilton, had pool robes, so maybe my expectations are too high. The room felt outdated and depressing rather than relaxing, with one giant empty corner, a TV stand that stuck way out, short furniture, and a headboard standing 12ft tall. Very disappointing. I would 1000% recommend the Delta instead, the prices are comparable, and I’ll stay there next time I visit home.

The staff were fabulous, but the rest was a disappointment. I paid extra for a view, yet my first room had no visibility at all because the windows were completely covered in dirt and outside condensation, and it smelled strongly musty. They offered free breakfast, which I declined. The second room was better, though maintenance had to fix a broken toilet. Wallpaper was peeling, as was the vinyl coating on the headboard. The hotel site had no laundry despite the website saying it did. Laundry could be sent out in the morning for $ per pound, plus $20 delivery to return it later that night, which is expensive for one load. The hotel charged a $75 security deposit PER NIGHT, $450 in my case. The TV guide button didn’t work. When I called the desk for help with the remote, they said they didn’t have a TV package with guide use. The website also advertised Pay Per View and Movies on Demand, but I was told they didn’t have those either. Parking was $25 per nite and not at the hotel. I booked for specific amenities for a month long trip in the Maritimes. Very disappointed, and I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

The location was great and the staff were very nice, but the room was a letdown. It smelled musty, almost like sewer, and clearly needed maintenance. A large patch of material was missing from the vinyl headboard, and there were lots of little dark spots where grout should have been in the bathroom, as well as on the wallpaper around the vents. We asked at the desk on our way to dinner if they had air freshener, and they said they’d send someone up. We don’t know whether anyone came, but the smell was still there when we returned. We travel often and have been disappointed by the last few Hilton and Hampton properties. Managers should inspect the rooms they rent and get repairs done. We’re at a Marriott tonight and plan to stay with them for the rest of our trip. Hotel rooms aren’t cheap, so I expect a reasonable level of upkeep and cleanliness.

The view was great, but the rooms need updating, and the towels are rough and should be replaced. The front desk woman wasn’t very friendly. I had to ask for my 2 bottles of water, and she never acknowledged that we were gold hilton honors members. The man at the desk was very nice and made up for her attitude.