HOTEL MONSERRAT — Hotel in Kanata

I have only reviewed one hotel prior to this one. Lonely Planet had positive things to say about Monserrat; also many of the reviews seemed positive with only a few dissenters. But after our experience here yesterday I feel compelled to warn off those who are not so easily taken in. For us, quiet rooms are probably the most important thing next to security and location. Location doesn't seem to be a problem at Monserrat but I could easily have burglarized another's room if I had been so inclined. But the central echo-chamber courtyard that channels TWO floors of noise to your ear is absolutely unacceptable from the noise standpoint. The doors are paper thin! There is no attempt ANYWHERE to soundproof the halls, rooms, lobby. The rooms in the front (slightly larger)||are right on the street; worst street noise I've heard (and I've been in over 60 countries). When we checked in we were promised a room in the back the next day. They failed to provide this; thank God, we would have had a terrible month at the Monserrat (we are here that long with a volunteer organization). All the rooms except the very front two ON THE STREET are quite small. The condition of the towels is atrocious; it took them an hour to figure out that wifi would not work with my Mac laptop (??) and they dug up a cable for a USB connection...still very slow connections. The breakfast was adequate at best; the personnel are indifferent when they're not being downright incompetent.||And so we went across the street to the Hotel Ambassador; 4 start accommodations for the same 3 star price I was paying at Monserrat. AND Monserrat tried to charge me for another day when it was their failure to keep a promise to change us to a quieter room...actually there is no such thing as a quiet room...

Let's not be too harsh about Hotel Monserrat. It's not a luxury hotel, but unless you're very particular, it's a decent value for the price. We stayed here on two separate occasions and left satisfied. The cons? 1) Depending on how crowded the hotel is and your room's location, it can be noisy at night. (Rooms towards the back are quieter) 2) Most of the rooms have a window that opens onto an enclosed courtyard. As a result, there isn't much of a breeze and the rooms can be stuffy; this window can also theoreteically make it easier for a very determined burglar to enter (However, we had no problems.) 3) The free breakfast is bleh. The pros? 1) The rooms are squeaky clean and modern-ish 2) hot showers with good water pressure, 3) centrally located 4) we spoke some spanish, and found that our interactions with the staff were great. They were super friendly and polite. In summary, there are probably better hotels out there, but there are certainly lots of hotels that are far worse. We were satisfied with our stay and would recommend the...

The staff at Hotel Monserrat was very friendly and the price is very reasonable. The bedrooms are spacious and the bathrooms were descently clean. Our bed sheets had stains, which was a bit disturbing. The bed itself was very old, stiff, and uncomfortable. We had to switch rooms for the second night we were there, because the street-facing rooms are terribly noisy.||||The decorations in the rooms were minimal, with a television, a wooden table and chair, and maybe a piece of artwork or two. The hotel has a cozy lobby with a tv and open-aired hallways between rooms. Also, there is the makings of a flower garden at the back of the hotel, but it's pretty run-down now. Breakfast is included in the rate and isn't bad. The best thing about this hotel was the little flower market down the block (out the lobby to the left, then on the right-hand side at the next...