Lord Elgin

The hotel is a large and impressive building very conveniently placed for the central tourist attractions. Our room was reasonably spacious, modern and well appointed. Service was good. The restaurant was slightly small for the size of hotel, which can make for a wait for a table, but the food was good.

Walkable access to downtown sights and attractions. King size room is decent size. The shower tiles could use a little freshening up but instantly hot water. The hallway doors don’t fit very tightly and there is a lot of door banging, especially as the hotel has lots of bus tours coming and going early. The restaurant is ok but doesn’t have a good cup of coffee, there is a real coffee shop just around the corner. The front desk staff are helpful if approached but they don’t engage, no eye contact or good mornings, and are aloof. Would stay again and have no hesitation to recommend.

We booked our stay at the Lord Elgin approximately seven months in advance and specifically reserved a park-view room. Given the hotel’s history, location, and the premium paid for this room category, we arrived with fairly high expectations. Unfortunately, our stay has been disappointing in several respects. When we checked in on Tuesday, we were given a third-floor room where the window was covered by scaffolding, mesh, and a large vinyl sign, obstructing approximately 90% of the view. We had received no notification when booking, or at any point during the seven months before our stay, that exterior renovations were taking place. We have also been unable to find any mention of the renovation on the hotel’s website. After we contacted the front desk and explained that we had booked and paid for a park-view room, we were moved to the sixth floor. We appreciated the hotel accommodating that request, and the park is much more visible from this room. Unfortunately, the windows are so dirty that the view is still not what we would expect for the price of the room. Guests considering a park-view room should also know that there is considerable street noise on this side of the hotel. We had mixed experiences with the restaurant. On our first evening, the small lounge area in front of the restaurant was so crowded that we initially assumed the dining room must be full, when in fact it was nearly empty. Once we were seated, however, we had a very nice dinner and our waiter was attentive. Breakfast the following morning was a different experience. The tables are positioned very close together, making the dining room feel congested. While our waiter was speaking with guests at the table next to us and gesturing with a coffee urn in each hand, he accidentally struck my stepmother in the head with one of them. There was barely an apology. Accidents certainly happen, but the very tight table arrangement contributed to the situation and could use some attention. Our main concern, however, is the lack of communication about the exterior renovation. We completely understand that a historic hotel requires ongoing maintenance and renovations. The construction itself is not the problem. What is disappointing is that guests paying a premium for a park-view room are not being told that scaffolding, construction mesh, or signage may significantly interfere with the view they are paying for. After booking seven months in advance and receiving no notification about the work, it was extremely disappointing to arrive and find our “park-view” room with an almost completely obstructed window. This could have been avoided with clear communication before our stay. Future guests, particularly those considering paying extra for a park-view room, should be advised that exterior work is underway on the park side of the hotel and that it may affect the view from their room.