Royal Scot Hotel & Suites, Trademark Collection by Wyndham

The on-site restaurant isn’t affiliated with the hotel and is only open from 8 to 3, but the portions were generous and the service was amazing. The hotel itself is an older place, but very well maintained, with a fantastic pool and hot tub for unwinding after walking around downtown Victoria. There’s also a games room with shuffleboard, a pool table, jigsaw puzzles, and movies, all available to use. It’s incredible to be one block from the harbor and parliament building, especially at this price with these amenities. I’d absolutely stay again. A few more outlets would help, since families have several devices these days, and a microwave would be nice.

There’s a warm indoor pool and hot tub, and out front stands a bear statue wearing a scarf, which makes for a fun photo. This is a very nice vintage hotel, and it’s quiet. The little extras make it feel complete: umbrellas and bathrobes in the rooms, a games room downstairs with a piano, DVDs, board games, and puzzles, plus another room with a pool table.

WiFi was the one real downside. It was unreliable at its best and missing most of the time, so we made do with downloaded shows and a few TV channels. We had a great stay at the Royal Scot. With two adults and a toddler, we felt comfortable the whole time. The rooms look dated, and the kitchen has only basic items, but the two pans, a few plates, and couple of knives were enough for a holiday. The pool, dry sauna, hot tub, and games room kept us busy. It’s a cosy retreat just steps from everything Victoria offers, with no stuffy or pretentious feel. We’ll come back with a few favourite holiday movies, extra toiletries and small appliances, and lots of love for the Royal Scot.

Room #426 smelled foul as soon as I walked in. The heat was set to 27°C, so I turned it down, opened a window to air the room out, and left for a meeting. When I came back, the smell was still terrible. The bed and the area around it smelled like urine, so I politely asked to move since I was booked for two nights. I was transferred to Room #444, which thankfully didn’t smell like urine, but it was a downgrade from the first room, without a balcony and other amenities. The shower squealed like a dying cat, the sofabed was awful in every way, and there were more problems. I appreciated the effort put into the basement amenities, but the rest of the hotel feels very tired. The hallways smell of mildew and 1980's cigarettes, and the rooms are musty. The lack of care and updates to the building feels borderline insulting as a guest. I regret choosing this hotel for my weekend away, and will keep staying elsewhere when I visit the city.