River Rapids Inn — Hotel in Niagara Falls

FIVE-STARS!!!!

I’ve read some of the one-star reviews here and they honestly don’t make sense at all. Firstly, this is an inn, not Ritz Carlton. You get what you pay for. I am not sure why some folks expect that much when you book a budget hotel. It is especially not fair to leave bad reviews if you had personally NEVER stayed at this place. I’m giving a five-star because this inn truly deserves it. I’ve stayed at five-star hotels before and I am really picky (obviously I have expectations), also a germ freak and can say, I recommend River Rapids.

I, for one, had an amazing experience.

Location: it’s super close to the Niagara strip, less than a 6 minute drive and you can go to the Ferris Wheel, go karting, Ripley’s, boat tour, casinos and so much more. McDonalds is also less than a 10 minute drive if you have late night cravings. If you’re a climber/hiker, the Glen is a 5 minute drive as well.

SERVICE: Front-desk receptionist was friendly, she gave us clear instructions on where our room was. I just wished that we were provided with two key cards instead of one since there were two of us. Wi-fi was high speed for us as well!!

VIEWS/ROOM REVIEW: We got a room on the 4th floor and had a very nice view of the river. Parking was free and also conveniently in the same location as the building. Only con is that there are no elevators? Only stairs? Would not be ideal if you had luggages to carry. Walking up three floors with light luggage was a bit tough. The wall is not paper thin but could occasionally here some noises from guests staying next to us. Not a biggie because we were already awake when they made noise. The washroom was small but very clean. The bed was also very comfy, thank you to our lovely cleaner Helena!

BONUS: for only $88 a night (through Booking.com), my husband and I seriously did not expect a breakfast. When we checked in, the receptionist told us breakfast is offered between 7-10am and suggested we get to the breakfast room, 2nd level, early as it gets busy. Upon arrival, we were told to sanitize our hands and wear gloves for COVID safety. When we thought breakfast, we only had cereal and muffins in mind. Honestly, our expectations were low. When we saw all the food, omelettes, waffles, sausages, yogurt, etc., we got really excited and was genuinely surprised!

CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK: good idea on the inn for express check-out box! If you’re in a hurry, there is no need to check-out with the receptionist, just drop your key card in the designated “check-out” box and you’re good to go!

Side-note: the swimming pool is closed for now. Not opened to guests until...

I arrived with my wife on May 17, 2025, around 3:00 PM and 10:00 PM, there was no one at the hotel. There were maybe two cars in the parking lot. From the moment we entered the parking lot, we were scared of how bad the weather was.The hotel when we walked to the reception and we were scared because it was in very bad condition, we entered and it was completely dirty, they were fixing the lights full of mosquitoes and flies. My wife asked the lady at the front desk, do I think I'm in the wrong place? She said no, that we were in the right place. They asked for our ID and looked up the information on the computer.Then they asked us for our credit card but we were scared of how dirty it was and they told us they were going to charge us $20 for parking when there was absolutely no one in the parking lot. The moment they said they were going to charge me those $20, my wife said no, that we weren't going to stay there and contacted RBC bank to get her points back. It's a shame that such an important institution as RBC Bank partners with hotels like this, lying to the bank itself and losing face with a bank customer of almost 40 years. They told the bank that the hotel was full and that was why they weren't returning the points when that hotel was empty, maybe there were three rooms occupied, but I 100% don't recommend it.I hope RBC Bank withdraws as a partner of this hotel because there's no need to lie to them about not returning the points.Just the fact that the hotel lied to RBC bank leaves a lot to talk about. Thank God we didn't stop there.And we went to the Hilton which is in front of the casino. It's worth paying a little more and not having a bad experience.And practically they steal your money because that's what they called what they did, lying to the bank saying the hotel was full.It was not necessary if they do not want to give the points it does not matter but it was not necessary to lie to him And RBC bank should send an inspector to check that hotel. The food smelled very strong.And it didn't look like a hotel, it looked like apartments, so my recommendation for RBC bank is to go and investigate.And look at the reviews on Google, the photographs of the sheets, the rooms, the spiders inside the rooms and the partners who are there.But it was not necessary to lie to the bank saying that the hotel was full and that was why they were not returning to the points. Have a nice day and have...

First the good: Room was super clean and beds were comfortable (no pillow top, but good enough for a night or two). Bathroom looked recently renovated and there were plenty of towels. There was no plug for the bathtub so we improvised with a piece of plastic. (concierge said that if the pull-up plug was missing, they could not help me) Loved the single-cup coffee maker. Pool was great! Though water was a bit cool. The breakfast was filling and tasty (though they promote they only have a 'continental breakfast,' they also had eggs and sausage. I liked that they had fresh fruit, yogurt as well as a few pastries.) The check out time is reasonable -- 11 am! They have a small tuck shop and the pricing was reasonable -- $2 for chocolate bars, $3 for HUGE cookies, $1 for coffee pods (they start you off with 4 pods-- totally fair)

The bad: We were on the first floor. It sounded like a horde of elephants were staying in the room above ours. Finally, at 11 pm. I had enough and used a clothes hanger to bang on the ceiling. Immediately the noise stopped... but started up again around 6:30 in the morning. When I mentioned that to the concierge, he said something along the lines that the rooms on the first floor are like that-- it IS a problem-- if kids or somebody with a heavy gait walks on the floor above, then the guests below will be disturbed. He said the second floor does not experience this problem with the floor above THEM. (Oh lucky/stupid us for actually booking a room on the first floor! )

THEN, around midnight 4-5 drunk women walked right by our room yelling and laughing and being discourteous.

Soooooooooo... don't book a room on the first floor. ...