Quality Suites Whitby

My earlier stays were good: I’d been here three times this year, recommended it to friends, and liked the comfortable rooms, decent breakfast, and staff, especially Danielle at the front desk. The pancake machine is a win. I’d dock a star for the 401 noise and limited walkability. Then I drove in from Pickering late at night during an unexpected housing emergency, expecting to stay again, and was turned away because I only had a debit card. I had enough money, but check-in required a credit card. I’ve just returned to Canada and don’t yet have enough paycheck history to qualify for one, though I expect to get one soon. Holiday Inn Express, five minutes away, took the same debit card after configuring its system so I could pay the deposit upfront and have the room checked at checkout. Plenty of hotels I’ve stayed at do this. Money is money. It was frustrating as a repeat customer, especially given the late hour and emergency. This policy shuts out people who can pay but don’t have a credit card. Unless they address it, I’m unlikely to come back. Based on this experience, I’d suggest checking the nearby Holiday Inn Express.

The rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the hotel is really clean. They’re doing renovations outside now to make it even better. The front desk staff are so friendly, I can’t say enough about them. I’d definitely stay again.

We paid $505 for three nights, and the service was sadly lacking. At around $90, I might expect the bare minimum, but at this price I did expect service. We won’t be back. The bed was comfortable and the room clean, but the bed squeaked whenever we moved, making it hard to sleep. They didn’t service the room after the first night. We ran out of towels, coffee, sugar, and cups. I asked why they didn’t leave enough for three days, or at least put a notice in the room explaining the schedule. They said rooms are only cleaned on day three and promised to top ours up that day. When we got back, the bathroom had been cleaned, but there was still no coffee. My husband asked reception for some and was told they had none. Breakfast was underwhelming: lukewarm eggs, a two-inch sausage that didn’t taste right, and a fair selection of bread and muffins. The woman bringing out food never smiled and seemed like she didn’t want to be there. Reception staff were pleasant enough. We ended up going to McDonald's.

We stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites for 10 nights this week. The room was clean and nicely laid out for pets, close to an exit, with a fridge and microwave. But none of the three TVs worked properly. I reported the bedroom TV soon after check-in and was told someone would come the next day. We had an early appointment and had been told to go home and rest, but when we got back our cards wouldn’t work, even though we were booked for 2 nights. Reception reloaded them. The toilet was slow to flush, which we also reported early on. By Tuesday afternoon, nobody had come for either issue. Staff apologized and said someone would come the next day, our checkout day. The toilet eventually wouldn’t flush at all, and the sink drained very slowly. They said they’d look for a plunger, then called two hours later to say they had one but we’d need to plunge it ourselves. My husband said that was fine. The living room TV lost signal early Tuesday evening. Again, we were told someone would come the next day, when we were checking out. At check-in, I gave my credit card for a charge of $100.00 plus tax for our two dogs, and was told it went through. Then I was told about a $250.00 room deposit, refundable at checkout, which was news to me. At checkout, I asked for the refund and was told we’d only get $137.00 back because I hadn’t paid for the dogs. I disputed that and asked for an itemized printout, but the supervisor came and we still couldn’t resolve it. The hotel refused to print or email a bill. My husband asked for a copy so we could understand the charges, and said he felt the poor service warranted a reduction. They refused again. We had to leave for a medical appointment. When we got home, I called the bank. It showed $113.00 and $250.00 pending, and the bank advised waiting 5 working days to see if the refund came through. They also said a hotel cannot refuse to provide a copy of all charges. I emailed again for a final invoice and still haven’t received one. If the $137.00 refund comes through, the total will be $500.00 for a room where the TVs didn’t work, the toilet backed up, and the sink drained slowly even when brushing our teeth. We wouldn’t recommend the hotel under these circumstances.