Howard Johnson Harbourside Hotel - Nanaimo

The hotel is older and has creeky floors but it was nice. The staff was very nice and helpful. It was great being able to walk under the road from the parking lot and having the sidewalk around the bay area with all of the activities there.

Do not stay anywhere in the middle wing of this hotel. The 2nd floor machine makes horrible noises that can be heard 7 rooms away--something is broken with this machine. And loud smokers smoke in the back parking lot and trade poutine recipies until all hours of the night--the smoke will come up from the AC (which you will run to drown out the ice machine […] racket), so you better hope they aren't smoking tobacco. My advice is to pay another dozen bucks and stay a few blocks away at any of the other hotels. Read more

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Hotel in poor repair. Halls were smelly. desk clerks not very helpful. Harborside a misnomer. Not near the harbor.

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I required an inexpensive centrally-located motel room and that's what I got. A spacious clean room, and a bathroom with good lighting and relatively new towels. The bedroom lighting, however, was inadequate and the floor lamp did not work. I plan on returning in August and will recommend that some of my relatives stay there also.

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The staff was really helpful. The hotel was a little outdated but it was clean and the hot breakfast was really good.

The room at the hotel was proper and clean. We were travelling with four adults and the space to leave our luggage was ok. Some remarks however have to be mentioned: - only one chair was available in the room and no fridge was at hand. - Unfortunately no laundry service was available at the hotel, but this could be arranged close (about 1 mile) to the […] location of the hotel. - The breakfast was somewhat limited (English warm breakfast only), and would improve significant when also serial and rolls could be obtained. Despite this, I would stay here again. The price was perfectly aligned with the accomodation. Stayed three days in the hotel. Read more

My expectations going in here were quite low so I was quite happy with the overall hotel experience. The pool was really nice and the Gym attached to the Hotel is actually a local gym so if your into having a good workout this hotel is awesome. The free breakfast was not great but other than that everything was better than I expected. Rooms were big […] and the beds were clean. There were also some unruly people staying there but the staff always treated them with calmness and respect. Everyone working there was very accommodating. Great cheap Hotel, I would stay again Read more

The hotel was nice but the aircondition was so loud and impossible to switch off :(

I stayed here based on the proximity to the ferry. Usually Howard Johnson's are amazing and reliable but this was a terrible experience. The room wasn't very clean, the bed was very uncomfortable and the surrounding neighborhood is sketchy. Pulling in I noticed a lot of vagrant-type people going through the lot so I parked in front of the huge lobby […] window where the front desk is completely visable with the manager's offices too. When I got to the car in the morning it had been broken into and things stolen. When I asked the morning shift desk staff how they couldn't notice a car being broken into 20 feet from them, they responded,"We can't watch all the time". The manager's avoided me completely at this point. My fault for hoping for the best. I'll be picking a better location next time. Read more

A good plac to stay.Price high compared to yuma.

I recently stayed at this hotel with my fiancee, and we didn't have a very good experience at all. First of all, we literally hadn't even been in our room for more than 2 minutes when the toilet flooded all over the bathroom and out to the rest of the room. When we went to the front desk to notify them of this problem, they did apologize and upgraded […] us to a business room at no extra charge, which was larger and nicer than the room we had already booked, however the problems continued. The hotel's fire alarm went off for quite a while right when we were going to bed, the heat wouldn't work properly and was only blowing out colder air, so we were freezing all night, and then in the morning when I thought I could at least take a hot shower to warm up, the water was luke warm at best. I figured I would mention the problems we encountered upon check-out, however the front desk clerk didn't even bother to ask us how our stay was, and since we were in a hurry to catch a ferry, I figured I would just wait and send a complaint directly to head office, which I plan to do right after submitting this review. I realize that you get what you pay for, but I also expected a bit more from the Howard Johnson brand. I would definitely not stay here or at any one of their other hotels again and would certainly not recommend that anyone else does either. Read more

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This hotel is very well maintained. The only drawback was it's small signage. It is sort of down in a depression off the road and very difficult to see. If you miss it you have to travel a distance to come back to it. But it is worth the effort.

Great stay. Its an older hotel but clean and comfortable. Staff friendly and helpful.

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Was not impressed with the maintenance of this place. There was so many gadgets plugged into one socket they had a six way splitter pluged into the wall and it was full of wires going everywhere (fire hazard) The heater was loud & delivered luke warm heat and the bathroom was needing new fixtures and basins (cracked, rusted) Other than the fella upstairs […] banging and stomping about from 12 midnite till 1:30 am it wasn't bad. The whole experience reminded me of Faulty Towers. Lol Read more

This hotel is in dire need of a refresh. The whole hotel had a musty smell, including in the room. The air con was noisy and bed was rather old and springy and therefore not very comfortable. The bathroom was very outdated and the shower head sprayed everywhere but on you. The room was clean though. The staff were pretty helpful and the breakfast […] was great. The wifi was temperamental and only really worked in the lobby. The hotel was close to the harbourside but the surrounding area was not great. We didn't feel comfortable walking around after dark. Wouldn't particularly choose to stay there again. Read more

Enjoyed our stay very much. Staff was very accommodating. Good & convenient location to many amenities. Only one complaint - upon check in was not given a parking pass which resulted in a parking ticket - desk personnel hesitant to "rectify" situation.

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The staff, from the check in clerks to thhe room attendants were pleasant, approchable and courteous. I forgot some clothing when I checked out and met with nothing but help and accomidation when trying to retrive them from 1600 km away. The advertised continental breakfast is anything but. I had a full meal every morning. Keep up the good work and […] see you next trip. Read more

We had a good stay, and were suprised to find the easy access to the harbour and park. The staff were good. The hotel is a bit dated. The resteraunt and staff were great and the food was good and inexpensive. Over all Thumbs up. Seann and Chery. Cochrane Ab.

It is shameful that Howard Johnson's quality name is so ruined. Poor carpet condition, very dirty. Bedding is stained. No one changed my sheets even i indicated i wanted to. Lawn maintenance is poor.

Absolutely incredible, everything wonderful especially the hotel staff and one who took our reservation. We highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a beautiful stay. Thank you so very much

...namely, a family friendly, conveniently located, low-cost place to stay in downtown Nanaimo. I had to admit, as my wife and I drove up to the hotel late on the Friday night we were checking in, we were apprehensive: it's literally attached to the Greyhound bus station, and sports a somewhat seedy looking liquor store in the same parking lot. The […] building looks a little run down (both interior and exterior). But the front desk staff were pretty nice, and when we got to our room, we were pleased with what we found: - The room itself was very clean and well-maintained (if you can forgive the somewhat dated furnishings). - In-room TV, DVD player, coffee maker, refrigerator, and even a microwave. In the morning, the free breakfast was terrific: full table service, and the free meal covered a two-egg breakfast with bacon, toast, and coffee/tea/juice. You also had the option of paying a dollar or two to upgrade to a larger breakfast (pancakes, omelette, etc). Even without hotel vouchers (e.g. if you have guests joining you), the breakfast prices seemed reasonable. And the staff in the breakfast room were an absolute delight as a welcome to the day. The outdoor swimming pool also looked well maintained and was full of families with kids during the day. There's also a walking path immediately adjoining the hotel parking lot which takes you directly to the downtown waterfront (maybe 5 minutes total walk) or the other direction toward some of the parks nearby. If you're looking for a fancy business hotel or anything like that, this is not the place for you, but if want a low-cost place to stay in the downtown area and aren't too concerned about appearances then the Howard Johnson is worth considering. The swimming pool and in-room DVD player seemed particularly great for those with kids. Read more

Have gone here on a number of occasions, close to ocean, walkway to restaurants, park and harbourfront, also great walk around the river. Friendly service and a great pool.

The Harbour side Howard Johnson is a well maintained hotel in the old Nanaimo city center accessible to main highways and also to Tim Horton, seawall etc., For a two star hotel, the service from the employees was excellent. They were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our two day stay there and will recommend to anyone who wants to visit Nanaimo. The […] Iyer family. Read more

This hotel still uses metal keys instead of room keys..warning number one! the room is very dated, tube television, very dated and ugly bed spread, the bed was very uncomfortable, and the location is right behind a beer store so there were many rowdy people around and staying at the hotel. I would not recommend this hotel at all.

Excellent location to take the ferry and also to walk down to the water front! Wi-Fi on my side of the hotel didn't work well. Had to go to the reception area where is was perfect! A problem known by the hotel and hence, easy to solve!

The staff was friendly and the rooms were average. I liked the heated pool! The staff were emmaculate at cleaning. Wifi was broken and the building outside could use some TLC & a coat of paint.

Positives: very friendly hotel staff, continental breakfast was delicious, pool looked like fun but we didn't have time Negatives: Hotel is old and dated, walls are thin, seems like they have the bare minimum. Room looked out into the parking lot, everything about the hotel screamed 1980's.

Even if this were the late 1970s or early1980s, this hotel could be described as dowdy. Dated rugs, drapes, comforters: all great-grandma style. My room was pretty stuffy and had a musty odor. Unfortunately I couldn't open the windows more than about 4 inches, so air flow was pretty much non-existent. I tend to like more modern decor, though, so if […] decor doesn't matter much to you, then you'll likely find this place generally comfortable and reasonable value for the money. If you like good water pressure in the shower, this place should rank high on your list - I felt like I was being blasted with an industrial power washer. I wouldn't seek this place out or recommend it to friends; on the other hand, if I couldn't find anything else, it wouldn't be the worst thing to stay here again. The liquor store being 100 yards away certainly didn't hurt. Read more

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We stayed one night here May 13 2011. We got in late and check in was quick. Our toilet plugged and they were qucik to come and fix it. The breakfast was toast, and cereal, basic. Tim Hortons across the street! Very dated hotel, it had a real key to unlock the door. It was very dated but clean. Slept good.

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we were happy with the room and rates

the walls seemed paper thin,very noisy,beds were rock hard and the room seemed to be slanted towards the window.the windows did'nt have locks on them,they had a lock block further down the window sill to stop it from opening more then 8" .was not happy at all

Stayed for convenience of location near my business meeting - and close to waterfront park, Tim Horton's across the street and downtown area. Lobby/halls older and a bit musty. Room is very basic but clean and functional. When I had problem with some TV reception, staff was willing to allow me to change rooms. Continental breakfast was had all the basics […] (toast, bagels, fruit, juice, coffee, muffins, instant oatmeal/cereals) All I expected for the low room rate I paid! Read more

The room is just as perfect for 5 people. Clean, the receptionist is friendly. We just had a good night stay...keep it up..

Nice and inexpensive. I thought it was good value for the money. If you just need a clean place for the night, it is great.

When we checked in my mother asked a simple question.."where are the malls here exactly?" and the front desk clerk was so snappy and sarcastic with his answer(he was obviously having a bad day!). I work at on the front desk at a hotel and even on my bad days I wouldn't act like this. If you don't want to be in the customer service industry please try […] something new. Other than that the hotel definitely needs some work and the rooms were quite dirty as well. I am never one to complain usually but I just thought I would try to help out others by telling them about this hotel! Read more

Hotel is dated but very clean and quiet. two stories but no elevator.I stayed in winter, restaurant is only open for breakfast 7 till 11. across highway is sea wall to old downtown and marina . quite a few cafes and pubs within easy walking distance

This hotel was actually pretty good. Hotel staff are awesome. Very friendly. Breakfast in the morning was a little small but enough if your in a hurry. Close to a Tim Horton's which was across the street. Liquor store right in front of the hotel. Bars and downtown area in walking distance. Pool was closed due to it being winter but Im sure its nice […] in the summer. Rooms are very clean. House keeping every morning. bathrooms are very clean. The only downside I can say was the vending machines for the pop were almost sold out all the time of the drinks I wanted. But other than that it was a good stay. Read more