Rodd Charlottetown

A really charming, classy older hotel.
Travelling to Charlottetown on business I was taken aback at the Delta’s $ 189 price, and opted for the Rodd’s $ 99 business rate instead. What an absolutely charming hotel! I feel like I’m in a European place, with the gorgeous woodwork and older finishes and styling. It feels far more relaxing than a standard modern business type place, yet it’s as clean and comfortable as can be. Make sure you check out the 5^th floor roof patio for an amazing view of the harbour past the streetscape.

Nice hotel if you like older hotels. I found it very dirty and a lot of issues in the hotel. No hot water, very thin walls and service was mediocre.
I will stay at the delta next time

First impression of this hotel? Very little, crowded parking. In fact, you have to go around the block to the back of the building to park (as in, you can’t drive from the front to the back, you have to go back out into traffic). Second impression? Dangerously slippery front walk. They had cleared the snow, but the stones were still wet and could very easily send someone flying. They absolutely should have salted.
Once inside, the lobby and restaurant are very nice. Front desk staff are friendly and informative. The rooms? Are another story entirely. The problem is that, in their endeavour to capture the «old world charm» of the 30s or whenever, they kind of forgot that rooms are not time capsules.
Tiny rooms. Narrow hallway (into which they threw an «old world charm» chair to make getting my luggage into the room even more challenging). Teeny-​tiny bathroom with an old-​fashioned sink with practically no water pressure and a dirty bathtub from the 60s. Since we were only there one night I didn’t have to touch the tub, but if I had to I would have asked maid service to get in there and scrub it. Yes it was that bad.
My room was FREEZING. The only heat comes from vents in the ceiling. I’m sure the ceiling was nice and warm, but no matter how high I cranked the thermostat the room was still cold. The windows are ooooollld and iced up overnight.
Oh, and the kicker? There is a deadbolt on the inside of the door. But you can’t unlock it from the outside, even though the keyhole placement corresponds with where the lock is. Your key only unlocks the doorknob, not the actual lock. If you are in an adjoining room, beware and do NOT lock the deadbolt or you will be locked out of your room and have to go through the other room. This is where modern conveniences like card swipers come in real handy.
Your best bet? Find the closest Holiday Inn Express and just eat at Chambers (the very good Rodd restaurant).

If you’re used to the service level of top, big city hotels, you may be disappointed here. When I arrived there was no one to help with my bags, and it even took a while for someone to come to the front desk to check me in. There’s no concierge as far as I could tell, and one of my room service orders took over forty minutes because, I was told, there was «a big table» at the restaurant.
The staff members I did encounter were friendly and helpful, though, and the food was very good. The lobby is pleasant and well stocked with free newspapers and even free apples. The pool area is nice too, though you have to make a special call to be admitted.
My room was small and a bit shabby in a few places. The curtains needed to be replaced, the ironing board was inadequate, and the hair dryer burnt out in a matter of seconds. Worst of all, there is almost no room to put anything in the bathroom. I found my room too warm and turning down the thermostat did nothing to help, though with a little work, I got the window open.
All that said, the room was attractive, clean, and well appointed. There was a nice love seat, writing desk, table, and fridge The free wifi was a bit unsteady but easy to access – no web forms like so many places have. The bed was comfortable and the TV modern.
In short, a good, if not great, hotel with plenty of character.

I had high expectations for this hotel and looking forward to a stay in an older Victorian hotel. I was quite disappointed in the staff, I wouldn’t say they were very helpful. When I asked for information about tours around PEI, I was directed to the Visitor Centre which was closed at the time. I wasn’t expecting the staff would know all the details but even an idea of what tours are offered would be helpful. The room was NOT worth the price we paid, one of the highest rates I’ve ever paid. There were no face cloths, what kind of hotel doesn’t provide face cloths? The water pressure and temperature in the shower was terrible, it took me 10 min. just to get a comfortable temperature. At least the bed was comfortable. I was able to hear dogs people, people talking, doors knocking while trying to sleep. I was pretty happy with just having 2 nights in the hotel.
The only reason I’m giving it 2 stars instead of 1 is the breakfast in the hotel was a highlight, good food and reasonably priced. But don’t expect much for tea selection as they didn’t have mint as I wanted. Another positive is the location of the hotel, very close to walk to the boardwalk and downtown district. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to make me stay at this hotel again. It’s one of the worse hotels I’ve ever stayed in.

Here we go… another hotel that would rather try to impress people with their history as opposed to providing modern comfort and convenience.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip stayed here 38 years ago and evidently Rodd Hotels and Resorts feel that they never have to upgrade the place again. Why bother, when you can ride the momentum of the Queen’s stay, right?
The worst feature of our room was the bathroom. Rodd has done a great job at preserving the 1973 décor but the functionality leaves a lot to be desired. Apparently there haven’t been any plumbers allowed in the building since 1973 either. There was very minimal water pressure coming from the shower. It felt like somebody was pouring water on me from a flowerpot. Now imagine that flowerpot dispensing water at varying temperatures changing by the second. If you’re a shower person you’ll be cranky. The bathroom door wouldn’t close properly either. It required around 50 pounds of force to close it at all. I’m sure our neighbours appreciated the noise.
After getting settled in our room, my wife and I squeezed into the elevator (which I suspect is a converted supply closet judging by its small size) to go back to the lobby.
We asked the desk clerk about what tours of the island were available — timings, locations, that sort of thing. She confirmed with us that there were indeed tours… she just didn’t know anything about them. The hotel has no concierge so if you want to know anything about the city or what sorts of activities to partake in, you’re on your own. Hey, if Queen Elizabeth II didn’t need one 38 years ago, you don’t need one today.
On the plus side, the hotel is in a great location. Downtown Charlottetown is minutes away and there is a lot of waterfront scenery to take in nearby (if you’re into that sort of thing.) Somebody should let the front desk staff know too.
The hotel actually does have free wi-​fi and flatscreen TVs (unlike the Lord Elgin in Ottawa, another relic in need of an upgrade to the 21^st Century.) The rooms have an ethernet connection too but we didn’t use that feature.
I’m giving 2 stars based on the hotel’s location, wi-​fi, flatscreen TVs, and the perfectly adequate restaurant called Wally’s Restaurant & Lounge (that’s really what it’s called.)
This place needs to release the pause button that they pressed in the early ‘70s and fast forward to the present if they want to stay competitive in their industry. The Queen won’t mind!

On a whim we set off for PEI one afternoon. We arrived in Charlottetown and headed for the Rodd. Why? I’m not really sure. It sounded nice.
And it was! We got a delightful King suite (for a reasonable price) that we really wished we’d been able to spend more time in. The staff were very pleasant, and everything went quite well.
The only downside is that our suite was adjacent to the rooftop patio, so we had to keep all the curtains shut if we wanted privacy. But that’s a minor grip.

This hotel has beautiful architechture, and is pristinely decorated. A relic from the past, it was built by Canadian National Railway, and therefore bears a striking resemblance to the other CN hotels, now owned by Fairmont. The location is great — next to Charlottetown’s main road with shops, and within walking distance to the pier. The rooms are comfortable and service was good, but the hotel is in need of updating.
As with many of these older hotels, the walls are extremely thin. Early Sunday morning, I was awoken to the sounds of activity from all directions. The lobby personnel had previously moved me from a room adjoining a family with a baby, but I still heard televisions, average volume conversations, footsteps and flushing toilets.
The bathrooms are also in need of updating, but are functional. The hotel provides free wireless service, but my wifi signal was quite poor and the wired ethernet offered in the room didn’t function.
Overall, this hotel is beautiful but doesn’t make for a great sleep. I will probably choose a more modern hotel next time.

I thought this hotel was nice, but over priced. It looks quite impressive from the outside, but my room was small and very loud. I was on floor 1, right above the lobby and could hear people coming up and down the stairs, the man next door snoring, and music from the band playing at an event below me. I’m a pretty heavy sleeper, but I found all of this to be a bit much. The hotel has free wifi which is nice, and a business center with free Internet access. There’s also a small gym and pool in the basement. Location is great — nice central spot — close to the university and 10 minutes from the water. Friendly staff, fast breakfast service (but breakfast not included in room fees).

If I could, I would rate the place a three-​and-​a-​half, but there are no half stars. :(I didn’t think that this hotel was that great, but it wasn’t terrible, it was just… average. The building’s façade is not all that attractive, but I did like the inside lobby. The staff seemed friendly and our room was alright. The beds were really hard and just double beds; I don’t want to give tmi here, but it was our honeymoon. Another :). Anyway, there were plenty of channels on the telly and we watched a few episodes of «The Trailer Park Boys,» which we were addicted to for a while. There was something weird with the bathroom, too. Oh, I think a lot of water got on the floor when you took a shower. Otherwise, it was definitely fine.
One morning, we tried to have breakfast in the dining room, but it took so long to be waited on that we left for Cora’s. Much better food, I think. Also, they don’t really have adequate parking. However, it is in a great location in the downtown area and you can walk to shops, restaurants, and the harbor quite easily.