Red Lion Inn & Suites Victoria — Hotel in Saanich

I regret ever having stayed at the Red Lion Inn Victoria. I am now on strong antibiotics after bed bug bites turned into a bacterial infection, and the hotel's response was beyond negligent.

WHAT HAPPENED? ✔ First Impression: When we first arrived, I actually liked the hotel - the staff was friendly and the room layout was nice. The front desk also tried to get us an early check-in.

Friday 14 March 2025: Checked in and felt fine before going to bed. Saturday morning 15 March: Woke up with red bumps on my fingers and few on my arm. My first thought was bedbugs, but since my husband and daughter hadn't been bitten, I hesitated to blame the hotel and assumed it was an allergic reaction. In my head, I thought bed bugs bite everyone. Sunday 16 March: Checked out, but the bites continued to spread. ✔ Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 March: The itching, swelling, and new bumps got worse, and I noticed a dark spot in the middle of the first-morning bites, so I suspected it wasn't an allergic reaction and called my doctor. ✔ Wednesday 19 March 2025: Saw my doctor and he immediately confirmed that it was a bed bug bite that had turned into an infection and put me on a high dose of antibiotics. Now I'm on antibiotics, suffering from constant itching and swelling, having an upset stomach from the antibiotics, and feeling miserable.

HOW DID THE HOTEL HANDLE IT? 19 March 2025 Once my doctor confirmed it was not an allergy but bedbug bites with a bacterial infection, I immediately called my husband who immediately contacted the hotel. Their response was shockingly dismissive: 👉 "Hmm, okay, we'll look into it." (No urgency, no concern.) 👉 "You didn't report it at the time of your stay and it's been 3 days since you checked out." To which my husband explained: "At first we thought it was an allergic reaction, but now it's been medically confirmed as bed bug bites. In many cases, bed bug bites don't show up for days. It's ridiculous to pretend that they only count if you report them immediately.

Here's the truth they ignored: I suspected bed bugs on Saturday15 March morning, but didn't say anything because I thought bed bugs bite everyone the same way. I now know that's incorrect. Doctor explained that some people don't react at all, or delay reacting, while others (like me) get severe reactions immediately. The infestation is real. When I was bitten the first night, the bugs were already there. Their reaction proves they don't care. If they actually took this seriously, they'd be inspecting and higher management should be reaching out to address my concern and pain caused staying at this hotel.

FINAL WARNING: It's unfortunate because I actually liked this hotel at first, but none of that matters when they ignore a serious health issue. The hotel has shown ZERO care and responsibility. Sad to say that people should Avoid this place at all costs. The pictures and video are taken on Wednesday after medically confirmed. By this day, it spread on my leg, my foot and down on my shoulder...

ZERO STARS - ABYSMAL EXPERIENCE AT RED LION HOTEL VICTORIA

My stay at the Red Lion Hotel in Victoria was nothing short of disastrous. The service was appalling, and I'm shocked by the hotel's blatant disregard for customer satisfaction. The room's plumbing issues were catastrophic - slow-draining water and a clogged sink overflowing with feces onto the floor. The front desk's response was infuriatingly careless and unprofessional.

When I requested a room change, the staff seemed put off, questioning the scope of the change instead of offering a solution. I had to repeatedly advocate for a full room change, which took far too long to resolve. The "manager" at the front desk demonstrated woeful incompetence in communication, English comprehension, and stress management.

After moving to a new room, I was given an unreasonably short deadline to vacate, and extending my stay required significant persistence. When staff came to fix the original room, they shamelessly denied any issues despite overwhelming evidence. This hotel clearly prioritizes protecting its reputation over addressing legitimate customer complaints.

RED FLAGS:

Untrained and careless staff Poor communication and stress management Lack of accountability and transparency Unwillingness to take responsibility for mistakes Subpar maintenance and cleanliness

ADVICE TO POTENTIAL GUESTS:

Look elsewhere for a comfortable and respectful stay Don't expect prompt or effective issue resolution Be prepared for poor communication and potential conflict

HOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT

Despite my horrific experience, I hope the Red Lion Hotel Victoria will take genuine steps to address these issues and prioritize customer satisfaction. Until then, I will share my experience with anyone who will listen.

AVOID THIS HOTEL AT ALL COSTS. The Red Lion Hotel Victoria's service is a perfect example of how not to treat guests. Until significant changes are made, potential guests should consider alternative accommodations.

FINAL VERDICT

The Red Lion Hotel Victoria gets a well-deserved zero stars from me. If you value your sanity and a clean, comfortable place to stay, stay far, far away from this hotel. Trust me, you...

... Update 2018: 3 or 4 years later and many emails and phone calls to Red Lion, promises by them to make it right, sending them pictures of their disgusting hotel and nothing. Nobody ever followed up even though they promised to (we've sent your email straight to the VP of something or other. I don't even remember now). Additionally our credit card was skimmed during this trip and this hotel was the only place our card was ever out of our site during a transaction.

Wasn't much to like about this place. Where to begin? First thiing you notice is how dirty the floor in the lobby is. Old chewing gum stains everywhere. Front desk staff were indifferent at best, but efficient. Walk down to the room, push the door bar into the stair well and a piece actually fell off. The stairwell smelled like old food and gasoline. The hallway to our room smelled like stale cigarettes, old Chinese food and car exhaust. There were carpenter ants on the ceiling. In front of our door there was a 15 inch square hole in the ceiling where a leak had been fixed. The whole area smelled like mildew. Our room door shut but was very loose. You could have opened it with a credit card. The room smelled of mildew and sewage. Sewage smell was because the toilet wasn't actually bolted to the floor. It rocked back and forth and you could actually see water running where the bolts should have been when you flushed. The bathroom was really dirty. We were afraid to walk barefoot. The ceiling in the bathroom was full of old yellow water spots and dried on dead gnats. The shower barely drained. The floor in the main room was cheap Pergo style laminate that was worn through and peeling up. The freezer worked but the fridge did not. Housekeeping started their rounds at 8am. I've stayed at one hotel that was worse than this. At best this is a $20 per night hotel. The fact they charge as much as they do is a tragedy. Unfortunately it was what we could aford at the time and they had availability while other mid range hotels were booked. Stay at...