Waterloo Hotel

Stayed over 20 nights here on various business trips to Waterloo, and am so glad that someone tipped me off to how much more pleasant the Waterloo Hotel Inn is than the drastically different and generic Waterloo Inn Hotel at King and Conestoga.
For one, it’s adorably quaint. Large rooms with tall ceilings, plenty of beautiful detailing, gorgeous furniture, and a fireplace (!!) in every room. The rooms also have different themes, so if you’ve got friends staying in another room it’s always fun to play a game of «i’ll show you mine if you show me yours» (rooms, of course).
It’s also in the absolute best location for a trip out to Waterloo — downtown (a.k.a uptown). It’s a 5 min drive to the university, or a 15 min stroll through a park. Next door to plenty of restaurants to go out to for dinner, and many more bars to stumble back from.
Last but not least, the staff are very friendly and sometimes even remember repeat patrons :) A nice touch.
Like with anything, there are some things to watch out for as well.
1) It is in fact a little noisy: the restaurant downstairs playing loud music during clean-​up, older fridges in the rooms, and the AC system when it’s on. Pack some earplugs, and you should be fine.
2) Sometimes you need to ask the person at the front desk to reset the wi-​fi.
3) Not a huge fan of the shower-​heads.
4 stars well deserved. Keep on rocking that charm, Waterloo Hotel.
PS: do not forget to get your parking pass and your morning breakfast voucher!
PPS: I’m the Duke. Oh. Yeah.

I dig this place quite a bit. Each room is unique – the Music Room, the Library, the Boat Room, etc. – and the attention they paid to detail when putting the rooms together is noticeable.
The staff was very friendly and helpful – always quick with asking if they could help, to providing another bar of soap, to pointing us in the right direction.
Couple of protips: there is indeed air conditioning. We arrived on a day when it was 29 out, so it was key to know it existed.
Also, there are breakfast vouchers at the front desk that apply to some local businesses, so don’t forget to stop by and grab yours.
Finally, when you go to bed, make sure the blinds are drawn. That sweet Canadian sun is _​bright_​in the morning.
The good: great little hotel close to everything.
The bad: one minor gripe: it being an old building, the outlets are hard to come by for charging devices, to prepare to get creative, or unplug a lamp or two.

We have stayed here three or four times and do like it very much, but have some misgivings as well.
First, the good: the rooms are lovely and quaint with gas fireplaces, high ceilings, and Victorian-​style furnishings. The beds are insanely comfortable as well.
The negatives are that there is almost no staff, and if you have a room on the top floor, you have to lug your own luggage up several flights of stairs because there is no elevator. They also have no restaurant or room service. They used to have a deal with the restaurant next door so you could at least have your breakfast there. Now, they give you coupons for a restaurant a block away (which is kind of like a Starbucks – not a restaurant at all).
Considering it’s quite a bit pricier than, say, the Best Western, you’d think you’d be accommodated more in terms of staff and restaurant service.
For all its quaintness, I’m afraid I’m too old to drag my luggage up flights of stairs. I’m also too old to be giving a coupon to a guy in a coffee shop for my breakfast – that part is just embarrassing (and, frankly, we just ended up tossing the coupons after the first day and having a nice hot breakfast in the restaurant next door).
Oh, and the worst part: the internet is very spotty if you stay above the second floor! Good internet is essential for our work, but we kept losing the connection. When we complained, we were told that the internet isn’t that great above the second floor. WTH?!!

The only reason we gave it 3 stars was because we did not get solid sleep due to the noise.
We loved the Waterloo Hotel!!! It was «crazy adorable» to quote my chicka. She puts up with me, she truly does. We came up here for a business meeting and I didn’t find too much in the way of reviews, so I decided we would wing it. We constantly travel and finding a hotel off the highway normally not an issue.
What up Canada??? We drove up the 401 and could not believe that there was not more than a hotel or two between Windsor & Waterloo. FYI — don’t drive too long and get sleepy, you might find yourself snoozing in your car for lack of accommodations en-​route.
So we drove around Windsor and found the cuteness that is King st. My chicka was getting annoyed, & finally made me go into the Waterloo hotel and look around. Apparently I had made the mistake so many others have… I saw reviews for another hotel with a similar name in the area that were not so hot & thought it was this hotel.
I was wrong!
First off the desk clerk could not have been nicer. She was incredibly nice and welcoming.
Our room was the music suite. It was beautiful, and had a gas fireplace which we enjoyed. The décor was beautiful.
The bed was very comfortable, there were nice touches like chocolates on the pillows, free wifi and an in room refrigerator with a couple of bottles of water. The owners also had documented the story of the hotel and press releases in a interesting book on the desk which definitely answered all our questions.
As business travelers we needed a few things. Ironing board and iron — not in the room but the front desk lady (who I wish I remembered her name, because she was awesome!) brought it up to our room
Restaurant recommendation. Again our awesome front desk lady took care of us. She recommended a restaurant and even followed up by calling to make sure it was open because it was the holiday «Family Day».
The con’s…
The attached restaurant does not allow a glass or two of wine to leave in order to enjoy the wonderful, romantic room by the fireplace… much to my chicka’s annoyance. She thought she was gonna get a romantic moment or two savoring a glass of wine toasting our toes in Victorian elegance. Sorry babe… didn’t happen.
Blow dryer… it needs upgrading. Not enough power.
Counter space… my chicka is a beautiful woman but somehow requires loads of product which she managed to squish onto a tiny wicker table in the bathroom. There was a huge mirror on the beautiful antique dresser in the main room, but not enough light.
Game changer…
Holy freaking NOISE!!!
We are from downtown Chicago, IL USA 60 654… there is honking, EL train, sirens, bar & restaurant, neighbor, dogs, whatever, etc noise constantly.
For us to find something noisy, it is LOUD! First off, the music room is above the attached bar. Not an issue till closing, and the employee’s bang and slam everything they can for an hour or so.
Drunk yodelers… this is a collage town… you have been warned.
Random trucks backing up all night, unfortunately they have backup beeping or drunk yodelers would be taken out. Dang.
We would definitely request a room on the other side because we got zero solid sleep after a full day of driving from Chicago to go to a long business meeting & then drive back to Chicago on no sleep.
Other than the noise, we would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone. The service and accommodations are excellent.

Don’t make me leave!
I refuse to leave my room. This is nearly heaven.
Big, comfortable, extra-​long Queen bed with carved wooden headboard? Check!
Large standard room with sitting area, flatscreen TV, well-​appointed but not stuffy furnishings? Check!
Gas fireplace that quickly heats the room? Check!
Spacious bathroom with lots of counter space and a powerful shower head that gushes a warm waterfall? Check!
Free breakfast at the restaurant next door? Check!
Other perks: Good location downtown, parking lots for guests, friendly and accommodating staff, reasonable rates.
Really, don’t make me leave.