The adage: "You only get once chance to make a first impression," rings loudly in my mind regarding my first stay in Chilliwack's Royal Hotel. I spent the last week of November/2022 there, and checked in after having a day that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy, and I'll leave it at that. A young, pleasant, patient, empathetic woman named Abigail was at the front desk, greeted me with a warm smile, almost as though she knew it was exactly what I needed, checked me in promptly, gave me a room on the first floor (I am disabled and they have no elevator - it is an old, but charming hotel), a very fair rate (I had no reservation), and even helped me carry my luggage up the staircase to the first floor. The hotel is in the midst of a major renovation, and whoever is on at night, in addition to manning the front desk, has been doing everything from painting to grouting! That impressed me doubly, because of her team approach, and because she listened to me recant my day, when truly, she did not have the time for that. But she acted as though she had all of the time I needed. The fact that I found out a day or two later that she is actually the GM of the hotel just blew me away - talk about leading by example! The hotel has century old photos in its glorious lobby, and I learned that it was Chilliwack's very first hotel. It looked palatial, and any prominent guest would have been quite pleased with its elegance. You could have conducted a wedding ceremony in the front lobby. Of course, it is somewhat dated now, and the rooms are smaller than ideal, but the excellent service I received from every staffer I ran into, more than made up for those minor matters. Les was another midnight-oil burner, and he gave me similar service to Abigail's, and when he learned that I had all of my earthly belongings in the rental vehicle that I parked out front, he insisted that we bring it all inside, and store it in the hotel. He came outside and helped me like I was his brother. I can't wait to see the reno project completed, because, given what it once was, and given the staff they have in there now, that give you a Pettycoat Junction-type experience, I'm sure anybody will enjoy it as much or more than I did. Thank you Abigail, for your kindness, softness, and genuine friendship, and Les, and the rest of people here and there who just couldn't do enough for me! If you wish to reach me, I stand by this and my cell is 519.703.4088, and my email is coachtomvalcke@gmail.com…
This Hotel is largely un-staffed, we arrived late at night after 36 hours of travelling to find the security entrance code would not work, and no-one would answer the Hotel Emergency out of hours service. We eventually tracked someone down after a stressful 1/2 hour of thinking we would be sleeping on the street. The room itself was dated, varnish worn off the table top etc but functional, and clean... but read on. We stayed 7 nights and despite asking for the room to be refreshed twice, Les the manager never bothered to arrange it, so we spent the whole week with the same towels and bedding, very Lazy!! It has the look of a place inherited by a next generation who don't have the skills or interest their parents had On a positive note we had comfortable sleeps, on a good bed. So if you are looking for a basic budget no frills stay this could be for you…
Was quaint and classic but no on site staff really lacked for me big time. Was quite loud overall and no fan to draw out noise and the heat came on and off and on and off all night long! Barely slept! Soaker tub upgrade cause of a screw up on my original ask had jets barley working to help fix back. Just a big tub! NO cable tv, NO SPORTS to please note! Worst was that the internet really lacked big time as was super slow! Barely got any emails done!
My fiancée and I enjoyed the hotel, but Loved the bar! Excellent staff and very well kept. Enjoyable to pop in for a drink! It’s located right downtown Chilliwack, on Wellington street. Highly recommended!
I stayed with my husband, it’s a beautiful hotel in a convenient location. We only had to go right downstairs to find a cute little bar where we went for drinks and music. I definitely recommend going here with friends or your spouse for some much needed time out!
Love the pub friendly staff. Had a great time in st Patrick’s day celebrating with the Irish stout on tap. Good vibes great music love it here. Will come back whenever I’m in town and stay at the hotel
First time staying at the Royal Hotel. My wife and I were doing some things in Chilliwack for our anniversary and stayed here for the night. We did find the check in process a bit strange but it was easy. A step back in time. The antique room with the claw tub was quite charming. My wife loved her bubble bath in it. There was a TV in the room with a Roku attached. Just remember your login details for Netflix, Prime or whatever service you want to view. A nice find in downtown Chilliwack.
I registered my reservation with AIRBNB- given the 3 night price, hit all the buttons, end of story. Get to the hotel- they say they have no reservation. It was only thanks to the head of the onsite sushi restaurant and her kindness that I turned back from walking off the site in disgust originally- back to that later. So there was no staff to welcome guests- very unimpressive, and the owner , Leonard, agreed to come down so I could get a room. The room that I'd though I'd reserved was not available so he offered me another- turned out to be a dismal little, side room with on air conditioning and the deal breaker- NO TV. Leonard defended his position on this by saying "Well, you can go out and do things like hiking" Fat lot of good that does after sunset! I immediately told him that was it and I refused to stay the night. In fact I got a much better hotel nearby as a result. Last year when I came- great stay but now with the owner switching to this AIRBNB nonsense- forget it…
This 111 year old hotel is pretty original though the rooms have been updated. Clean cozy room. My wife loved the bed, I found it a bit on the hard side. Pillows were a good size for sleeping and soft. Right in the heart of old Chilliwack, very nice and helpful staff. The included breakfast, gave several choices. We each had the traditional and could actually have comfortably split one between us. Definitely on the hungry man side. We really enjoyed our stay, took me back to my youth.
The staff was very friendly, the room was cozy and comfortable, and the breakfast was delicious. Would recommend this hotel highly. The historic Royal Hotel. Has a nice atmosphere. Nice place to stay in a good location,
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