Chateau Nova Yellowknife — Hotel in Yellowknife

The Chateau Nova is one of the newest hotel properties in the Great White North. The stay was a mixed bag. This was a business trip therefore my perspective might be different if I was travelling for pleasure. The Good. The hotel is very attractive on the inside. Wide sweeping hallways, well appointed rooms. Beds are very comfortable. Staff are mostly polite. I really like the historical photo's along the corridors. I spent almost an hour just looking and reading them. They have a convenient shuttle (i had a rental car but it was nice to know in future). There are plenty of outdoor electrical outlets to plug your car in during the really cold times. The bathroom toiletries are very nice. There seems like there is a very large number of handicapped rooms available on the first floor. One of the most important things for me when i travel is access to quality internet so that i can work when i am there, and then be able to unwind with a bit of entertainment before bed. I was happy with the network speed. It also supports VPN which some hotels don't. This makes it hard for me to get work done as many of the tasks i need to do for work require this connection. There is no motion sensor on the HVAC. This drives me NUTS... in some hotels you just get the room to the right temperature (i like it cold) and then you stop moving and the HVAC shuts off. Also the in room air conditioner doesn't sound like a jet engine it was decently quiet. The Challenging. The room while physically attractive has a few missing items. Mostly plugs. I had to unplug lights and alarm clocks to plug in chargers for my laptop / phone / iPad. At first i thought this might just be a business thing, but if i was travelling for pleasure, i would have a camera charger, plus other devices. It would be nice if they added some extra plugs in accessible locations. The check-in experience was quite lengthy. I might just be spoiled dealing with Marriott which takes about 60 seconds to check-in. This was almost 15 min to check in. Not terrible, and the manager that was supervising was very pleasant. The Bad. Food Service (to be clear not the food itself the food was decent). So far have had 1 dinner and 1 breakfast. The service was simply awful. For example i ordered a Mediterranean salad. It came with no dressing. I mentioned this to the server. Never dealt with. Breakfast we literally had to accost servers for coffee or to get our bill. i feel bad saying this because the actual food was good. The breakfast burrito was a novel open sandwich approach to the classic breakfast favorite. The draperies in the room are another issue. In the summer when it is almost 24 hours daylight the curtains will not do much to stop the light. They are also hard to open and close. My last issue is around towels. I have no issue re-using a towel for a few days. Despite hanging they still get taken for washing. This is not just an issue with this hotel it happens in a lot of places i travel to.

My most significant issue however was the noise from the ceiling and the other room. There is VERY little sound control. Thank goodness my next door neighbour likes good music. I can't imagine what it would have been like otherwise. I mean when he sneezed or coughed it sounded like he was in the room with me.

In conclusion this is a new hotel. Of the available options i would still stay here again predominantly due to the comfortable bed and good...

I communicated with the hotel (starting with their website--sent a message--after which we corresponded by email), informing of our late arrival (flights scheduled to arrive just before midnight) and not to consider us "no shows". Since our journey to Yellowknife was 22 hours from first takeoff to landing in Yellowknife, I wanted to make sure everything would be in order. Upon the shuttle bus dropping us off at the hotel, well after 1am, we were told that we had the "last room available", and to get there we had to take the elevator up one floor, then go down a long hallway, then go down to return to the 1st floor . . . But the desk clerk could not convey this message clearly. It was most frustrating to be told to "go down to the suites area" (where is the "suites area" -- I've never been to this property before, and there were no maps!) Then, we dragged our luggage down stairs (to get back down to the first floor -- thump, thump, thump down the steps) as we were not informed that there was another elevator available at the end of that 2nd hall.||2. In the suites, a Keurig coffee maker was available, but there were never enough coffee pods, even though we asked housekeeping every day! (Each request, every day, they offered the packets for drip coffee, which were useless in the Keurig machine!) This was one question I asked when first communicating: where to get provisions; I was told just to ask for extra!||3. Noise level: the people above us (on the 2nd floor) had a toddler who kept running, yelling, crying, screaming, etc., so that I could not concentrate on work I needed to finish, and a zoom session could not be heard! I called the front desk no less than 5 times, and was told only that the room upstairs would not answer their phone! Finally, I told them to send security. This was 6 pm, and this not an unreasonable request. ||4. Housekeeping: Partially due to the almost 1-hr power outage the afternoon of March 16, we did not receive housekeeping services, and only asked for a change of towels; we took the towels to the cart and were given clean towels. The next day, while we were out, housekeeping did come, but the room was not cleaned well, e.g., little debris on the bathroom floor was not swept up. When we arrived, the "coat closet" by the door had only 4 hangers; there were none in the large bedroom closet. Bring hangers!||5. Be prepared for electricity outages! I was very surprised to encounter a power outage during a Zoom call, about 5:12pm on March 16. The hallway was completely dark. Fortunately we had windows which allowed light. The staff said to just iuse our phones, and there were no flashlights available. They said this happens quite regularly, every 1-2 weeks. ||6. There were flyers for Sunday brunch at the reception desk, but when asked what was served, they responded that the restaurant was not part of the hotel, and we had to ask them directly. But the phone number listed for the restaurant is the hotel's main number! The brunch was able to be "room-charged", which was convenient.||7. A full-size clothes washer and dryer are available in the "suite". But one has to go to the grocery store to purchase detergent. It would have been nice to know beforehand, so some powder could be brought from home. Nowhere on the hotel website is the washer/dryer listed as being...

I spent a week here at Chateau Nova. I had some trepidation, but all those concerns quickly faded. Upon arrival my first night, I was met by 2 very friendly front desk clerks. It was quick and very easy. I made my way to my room, and upon entry I was pleasantly surprised. Everything was perfect! Clean bedding, fresh towels (plenty); mini-fridge, microwave oven, toaster, coffee maker/electric kettle. There were coffee packets; sugar (sweeteners), tea as well. Also a small ice bucket. More than what I required, but I was happy to have it. I was also told, that there was a grocery store about 5 minutes away if I needed anything for my personal use. The following morning, I met the housekeeping staff. They were so nice. They asked me how my room was, and I told them that everything was fine. They told me if I needed anything, to let them know. I saw them pretty much everyday, but I did not require much, other than a few extra coffee packets and sugar. Very accommodating! I managed to secure a bicycle the following day, and the front desk people told me that it was OK to leave it with them (secured spot behind the desk). That was so kind of them. The Wi-Fi was strong and very good, never had an issue the entire week I was there. The one key point I think is: treat front desk staff and housekeeping with RESPECT! When you're nice, I can almost guarantee you, you will be met with the same or better! I've seen the behaviour of some fellow guests and it doesn't surprise me that they were met with hesitation. Everything was fine while there. When I required a 'morning wake-up call' they did that for me. Thank you! I am not a television person, so I didn't bother with it, so I have no comment on that. But the clock radio was helpful and the A/C unit, which I did not need. Check out was quick and easy and I received my bill: no issues (credit card statement). So, keep in mind folks whom are visiting from many places down south: you're in the north. This was a positive experience for me. I've stayed in fancy hotels in Europe, U.S., Canada and Asia. This was fine. I felt safe and I also wandered around into Yellowknife city. At the time I visited, there were many evacuees from many remote communities, so many people were struggling, yet any interactions I had with the local and regional First Nations communities was positive and also informative, despite the difficulties that they were facing. Buying someone a coffee or sandwich is a very kind gesture. Do it if it is within your means. If you are visiting Yellowknife for the first time, have an open mind and be humble. You are guest too in their community. But overall the hotel was fine, and I would stay there again. OH, they also have laundry facilities on premises for the guests, which was an added bonus. I used them and the machines worked fine. Overall a positive experience for...