Pillar & Post Inn

We recently spent 4 nights at the pillar and post and were very pleased with our choice. We have never been to niagra-on the lake. We had heard how pretty it is so we decided to visit. We went from picton, prince Edward county which is 31/2 hours, which was not bad. Driving back to Montreal it was 7 hours. It was a. It long, but since we enjoyed our stay in the area we did not mind. The hotel is very well located, walking distance to the Main Street. Staff were very helpful. The rooms are a bit dowdy, but the bed was very comfortable. The spa is great, the pool area nice. My only complaint is the pool on Saturday and Sundaywas very crowded with people who came for the day to the spa and were able to use the pool . There were couples who stayed all day and as a result there were no beds or chairs around the pool. This was the complaint by many of the guests staying at the hotel.

Normally when in Niagara-On-The-Lake, we stay at the Prince of Wales, but since we would be attending a wedding at the Pillar and Post, and since it shares the AAA 4 Diamond rating, as well the distinction of being “Ontario’s only five-star country Inn,” we thought it would offer a similar experience and level of accommodations. We were wrong. First impressions were not great: the hotel is surrounded on all four sides by parking lots, the interior hallways are dark and dingy, the outdoor pool was overcrowded with cheap plastic lounge chairs, and the indoor pool was closed for maintenance. We eventually found our suite, tucked away in an oppressively dark, remote hallway off the spa. Upon unlocking the door we knew it would be a disappointment: despite it being mid afternoon, the room was dark. A foyer led to a large, windowless bathroom with a huge whirlpool tub and a small shower stall with seriously mildewed grout. The baseboards and doors were severely chipped and scuffed, desperately in need of repainting. The living room featured a two seater sofa that converts into a bed, a scuffed wood desk with an inappropriately large and modern chair, and a white wicker arm chair better suited to a porch than a living room. The lone small window offered no view whatsoever. The bedroom had a large four poster bed with what appeared to be new linens. Two more bizarre wicker chairs crowded in front of the other television. The window overlooked a fence. I called the front desk to see about changing to another room—any room—but I was told the hotel was completely sold out. I composed a brief note of complaint about the room to the “Luxury Service Ambassador” who had emailed me two days before our arrival; she responded fairly quickly, promising to forward it to the attention of the manager. At 7:00PM, as we were getting ready to head out to dinner, housekeeping came by to offer turndown service. I asked if it might be possible for her to return at 8:00PM when we would be gone to dinner, and she insisted that would not be a problem. When we returned close to midnight, we discovered she did not come back as promised. The bed was not turned down, the used towels were still on the edge of the tub, the used wineglasses had not been replaced. The next morning, while we were waiting to be seated at the Prince of Wales for breakfast (the Cannery at the Pillar and Post was dark and unappealing), the manager contacted me about my concerns regarding the room. He was professional and apologetic, offering to move us to a better positioned, brighter suite; but with just one night left, we did not want to pack up and move. So, instead, he offered “a credit that will more than cover” the breakfast at Prince of Wales, and a bottle of wine. Breakfast ended up costing us $107; the credit, we discovered upon checking out the next day, was only for $75. And I had to call the front desk to inquire about the bottle of wine and winery passes that were to be included as part of our “Summer Lovin’” package. Turndown service did occur on the second night while we were at the wedding reception but, ironically, it did not include turning down the bed! Blinds were closed, towels were replaced, and a rose was left on the bed—that’s it. Breakfast at the Cannery was included the second morning, so we decided to give it a try. The waiter told us our package included just the buffet— not the menu items. We browsed the sad, artlessly presented offerings: dry French toast, greasy bacon, soggy scrambled eggs, a bowl of hastily chopped fruit chunks, some flavourless pastries... We had a few bites of a few things, turned down the from-concentrate orange juice offered by the harried waiter, and left. It was Hampton Inn quality, not AAA 4 Diamond quality. Overall, our stay at the Pillar and Post was sadly disappointing. The experience did not compare to what we encountered on previous stays at other Vintage Hotels properties: Prince of Wales, Queen’s Landing, and Millcroft Inn. The public areas need a refresh, the breakfast needs upgrading, and the rooms need attention from someone with a critical eye. It was a 3-star experience at 4-star prices. 3 Star Experience at 4 Star Prices