Several weeks ago, my spouse and I decided to celebrate our anniversary by taking an overnight getaway; at the time I had arranged for the “Pillar and Post” in Niagara-on-the-Lake where we had stayed previously. While expensive, we felt the pampering and environment were worth it. Unfortunately, due to inclement weather we were forced to cancel a couple of days prior and search for alternatives in closer proximity to our home.My search on the Internet in the London and surrounding area, brought me to the Elmhurst Inn – a place where I and my family have often dined. As well, my company has held several day conferences there and I was very satisfied with the hospitality during those times. As such, I suspected that your overnight packages would be most enjoyable. The fact that you have spa services available sealed the deal for us and I made reservations.We were greeted on Saturday afternoon by the warmth of the fireplace just outside the check-in counter. We were excited about spending a couple of hours in our room soaking up the “luxury” before going to dinner. When I opened the door to our room and stepped inside I could hardly believe my eyes:Decorated in a mottled pink and blue, with cactus trim, the room looked very“tired”. The pink wallpaper was starting to lift at the edges and I must say the last thing I expected in a Victorian Inn was a “southwestern” theme. I know that colour and theme are personal taste, but this was truly unexpected and uninviting. Even if I could forgive the décor, all of the furniture had chips and dents. The television was not much larger than the portable in my SUV.I was tempted to check out but was aware of the cancellation policy and since we had made special arrangements at home for our “romantic getaway” decided to forgive the unattractive environment of our room and make the best of it. Having dined there before, we were hopeful that the food would be better.We arrived for dinner and were provided with a “special” menu for “package” guests; not a lot of choices. We ordered wine and our meals. The soup was the highlight of the evening and was possibly the best soup I’ve ever tasted. While the seafood pasta entrée was adequate, it was comparable to a seafood pasta I’ve often had in London at a Roadhouse – nothing special.We returned to our room with disappointment at the way things had gone so far. We looked forward to the next day to that wonderful Sunday brunch we loved and our spa treatments. I originally booked our spa treatments in the late morning so that we could sleep in (something we rarely get to do), have our treatments and then go to brunch. That changed once I found out that our morning meal was not the Sunday brunch but yet another “special” breakfast for “package” guests. So we changed our spa treatments to allow for breakfast before it was taken down.Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, they did. The set up for breakfast is cafeteria style and is not much more than continental as far as variety of food. I overheard another guest ask for sausage or bacon and they were advised that meat is an “extra” cost. Given your rates, I couldn’t believe my ears!After all this, there was only one more painful thing to undergo – the Bill. One night accommodation in a small unattractive room, a mediocre dinner, a horrible breakfast and two one-hour spa treatments: $600.00+!!!I should mention that I travel quite regularly within Canada and stay in the best hotels and inns. As such, it is normal to compare. The Elmhurst is most definitely not value for dollar. Frankly it’s one of the worst times away we have ever had. It’s too bad because, given the location, we would have booked more packages throughout the year. Someone of influence from The Elmhurst should spend some time at an Inn of comparable cost; (spend a night at the Pillar and Post in Niagara-on-the-Lake) and see what they have to offer.Word of mouth can really impact business, and this mouth is telling (warning) everyone I can about what in our opinion is a real “rip-off”. I plan on posting a review of our stay on the Internet as well as other related sites. The Elmhurst Inn Management should be embarrassed and ashamed.