The Great Canadian Tourism Thread! - Page 21

TownGuy · #**401** Posted **Oct 10, 2017, 10:43 PM**

Ste. Anne's Spa just east of Cobourg, one of the top spas in Ontario.

St. Anne's Spa by stacie114, on Flickr

The south side of Ste Anne's Spa by ValerieZinger, on Flickr

Exterior Summer Ste. Anne's Spa by Marijo Corcoran, on Flickr

Looking toward Lake Ontario by ValerieZinger, on Flickr

Pastoral by Gene Mordaunt, on Flickr

* by Chiqui Pineda-Azimi, on Flickr

DrJoe · #**402** Posted **Oct 14, 2017, 5:10 PM**

Been to that wonderful spa. The surrounding vista's are somewhat reminiscent of California.

240glt · #**403** Posted **Oct 14, 2017, 8:10 PM**

Spent some time back in BC this past week, Okanagan and Cariboo. Both regions suffered big time this summer due to floods and fires. Friends with businesses said that tourist traffic was down significantly this past summer

esquire · #**404** Posted **May 9, 2019, 1:01 PM**

I've noticed an absolute explosion in hotel prices for Toronto and Vancouver this summer... they were always kind of high, but it seems that even a super-basic Days Inn level hotel is going to run you at least $250 a night. Anything good is going to be $400 or more, and the sky's the limit.

Toronto in particular has sky-high rates... it's to the point where it seems more expensive than London and New York. Places that I used to snag rooms on Hotwire for under $100 Canadian a night are now hundreds of dollars... it's crazy.

Other Canadian cities are nowhere near these levels. Ottawa and Montreal are reasonable, and Calgary and Edmonton are downright cheap by comparison.

le calmar · #**405** Posted **May 9, 2019, 1:11 PM**

You can find totally fine 3.5 or 4 stars hotel rooms in Montreal that will cost you 125$. That's about what I paid during my last overnight stay in Toronto couple years ago and the place was awful. I would not be surprised they increased the price since then.

esquire · #**406** Posted **May 9, 2019, 1:21 PM**

I checked my e-mail folder and 10 years ago this month, I stayed at the Westin Harbour Castle for CAD $62.64 a night, which is a price I got through Hotwire. Total $250 for 4 nights. I knew it was a great deal at the time, but damn.... now you'd have to double that total amount just to get one night this summer.

kwoldtimer · #**407** Posted **May 9, 2019, 3:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TownGuy

Ste. Anne's Spa just east of Cobourg, one of the top spas in Ontario.

St. Anne's Spa by stacie114, on Flickr

...

Looking toward Lake Ontario by ValerieZinger, on Flickr

Pastoral by Gene Mordaunt, on Flickr

....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7OqzUQRxq4

Airboy · #**408** Posted **May 9, 2019, 3:40 PM**

One reason my wife and I tend to travel during the off season is because of the costs. That and we do not like crowds. We can still find some good deals in Vancouver, you just need to be willing to spend the time and hunt for them. 2 years ago we stayed at the Hotel Vancouver for 180 a night.

megadude · #**409** Posted **May 9, 2019, 4:45 PM**

I don't know how TO got that expensive. Last summer at my old job, an IT guy came in from out of town. He said he was staying at 1 King West, a 10 minute walk away, instead of the couple big hotels one block north of our office, which is where we used to send people. He said the prices of those places were out of control and we could no longer justify it.

I looked up rates way up town for hotels close to the subway line half hour away. Those were like $125 to $150 and I said if it were up to me I'd send you guys there considering the fortune it costs downtown. Even though those aren't business hotels. Of course, some of the guys would get lost and end up in Scarboro!

Two summers ago another IT guy from the other office had to do a project for 1.5 months but not continuously. Would go back from time to time. Previously I think we used to book for a week at the hotels up the street, but for first time any of us were aware of, they rented a condo five minutes away for two months. Was way cheaper. He was a young IT guy so we figured he wouldn't care, but if it were a higher up I suspect they'd still put him in a business hotel no matter the cost.

craneSpotter · #**410** Posted **May 9, 2019, 5:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

I've noticed an absolute explosion in hotel prices for Toronto and Vancouver this summer... they were always kind of high, but it seems that even a super-basic Days Inn level hotel is going to run you at least $250 a night. Anything good is going to be $400 or more, and the sky's the limit.

That's what we've found in Vancouver over the past few years - especially Apr-Oct (tourist season).

In Oct '17 we did get a basic room at the Westin Grand for ~$300/night all-in (incl self-park). However, we have since stopped going DT Vancouver (on our dime) during that time - we can always find good deals at River Rock/YVR area (et al) and take the train.

Was just over for work and stayed at the Hotel Vancouver, was just over ~500/night all in for basic Gallery room (not prepay). Mind you that is at a Fairmont - so ...

craneSpotter · #**411** Posted **May 9, 2019, 5:59 PM**

A new tourist attraction - Malahat Skywalk - is being proposed for the Victoria area (Bamberton) at the Malahat summit/TCH 1.

It's interesting - kinda like our Capilano Suspension Bridge. The popular Goldstream Trestle is also nearby.

Project website: https://malahatskywalk.com

Video: https://vimeo.com/320565210

source: https://www.squamishchief.com/news/d...hat-1.23654933

esquire · #**412** Posted **May 9, 2019, 6:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

That's what we've found in Vancouver over the past few years - especially Apr-Oct (tourist season).

In Oct '17 we did get a basic room at the Westin Grand for ~$300/night all-in (incl self-park). However, we have since stopped going DT Vancouver (on our dime) during that time - we can always find good deals at River Rock/YVR area (et al) and take the train.

Was just over for work and stayed at the Hotel Vancouver, was just over ~500/night all in for basic Gallery room (not prepay). Mind you that is at a Fairmont - so ...

In recent years I've had some short stops in Richmond near YVR in the winter and prices were quite reasonable around then, they were even cheap downtown but I didn't want to venture quite so far into the city. But January and July are apparently two different worlds in terms of prices.

The funny thing is that for someone like me from Winnipeg, Vancouver is probably more appealing in January than in the summer as there is easily a 25 degree or more temperature difference around that time. Any future trips to Vancouver will probably continue to be over the January-March period.

esquire · #**413** Posted **May 9, 2019, 6:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

A new tourist attraction - Malahat Skywalk - is being proposed for the Victoria area (Bamberton) at the Malahat summit/TCH 1.

It's interesting - kinda like our Capilano Suspension Bridge. The popular Goldstream Trestle is also nearby.

Project website: https://malahatskywalk.com

Video: https://vimeo.com/320565210

source: https://www.squamishchief.com/news/d...hat-1.23654933

Looks like a copy of a similar tower that just opened in Denmark

Wpg_Guy · #**414** Posted **May 9, 2019, 6:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

I've noticed an absolute explosion in hotel prices for Toronto and Vancouver this summer... they were always kind of high, but it seems that even a super-basic Days Inn level hotel is going to run you at least $250 a night. Anything good is going to be $400 or more, and the sky's the limit.

Toronto in particular has sky-high rates... it's to the point where it seems more expensive than London and New York. Places that I used to snag rooms on Hotwire for under $100 Canadian a night are now hundreds of dollars... it's crazy.

Other Canadian cities are nowhere near these levels. Ottawa and Montreal are reasonable, and Calgary and Edmonton are downright cheap by comparison.

Time to switch to Air B&B.

esquire · #**415** Posted **May 9, 2019, 6:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Time to switch to Air B&B.

Yeah, I use airbnb a lot, probably about half my stays are through them. The trouble is that I find it pretty hit and miss. However, I do tend to use it if there aren't any good/reasonably priced hotel options available.

With these hotel prices, airbnb operators in Toronto and Vancouver must be making out like bandits...

TorontoDrew · #**416** Posted **May 9, 2019, 6:52 PM**

When I travel to the U.S I use StayAlfred https://www.stayalfred.com/.

It's like a better version of AirBNB. It's run by one company that owns units in new condos across the U.S. We rented a massive 2 bedroom condo in Portland for under $200 a night. Unlike AirBnB which really can feel like you have taken over somebody's home, StayAflred feels more like you are renting a showroom.

esquire · #**417** Posted **May 9, 2019, 7:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

When I travel to the U.S I use StayAlfred https://www.stayalfred.com/.

It's like a better version of AirBNB. It's run by one company that owns units in new condos across the U.S. We rented a massive 2 bedroom condo in Portland for under $200 a night. Unlike AirBnB which really can feel like you have taken over somebody's home, StayAflred feels more like you are renting a showroom.

Thanks for the tip, I will check it out.

I prefer staying in rental suites that are only used for that purpose... I'm not that keen on staying in someone else's home, something about it just doesn't sit well with me. But I'm doing it again this summer in Copenhagen as accommodations suitable for families are very pricy there.

rousseau · #**418** Posted **May 9, 2019, 7:35 PM**

I like the location options you get with AirBnB, but I'm starting to get annoyed by the extra fees that get tacked on when you make the actual reservation.

Like the "cleaning fee." How do they get away with such a sleazy airline-like way of squeezing more money out of people on the back end? How can you justify the de facto claim that the cleaning isn't included as part of the price of the room?

The last short trip my wife and I did we ended up staying in a downtown hotel after considering the various options for locations and prices. I doubt the two of us represent any sort of trend, but we're souring on AirBnB because it doesn't seem to offer much in the way of lower prices anymore.

niwell · #**419** Posted **May 9, 2019, 7:56 PM**

I guess I’m weird in that I prefer the Airbnb’s that seem like they are actually someone’s home? I don’t like the ghost condos at all and they are at least contributing to Toronto’s increased rental unnafordability. Aside from work I honestly can’t remember the last time I used a proper hotel. It’s pretty much always Airbnb - done it at least 30 times and never a negative experience.

giallo · #**420** Posted **May 9, 2019, 10:52 PM**

Canada is such a massively popular destination for East Asian travelers in the summer that it's no surprise to see the hotel industry gouging. Once Chinese tourists became a major factor in Canada's tourism industry a few years ago, the sky was the limit. They can charge astronomical prices, and still fill the hotels up in cities like Vancouver and Toronto.

In 2017, my friend did a last minute booking (like, same day) for the Best Western on Granville St in downtown Vancouver. One night cost him $500.