We believe all travelers deserve exceptional value, service and comfort and quality should come standard with every room. We offer guests a hot breakfast each morning in our Hospitality Suite. Varscona provides a warm and comfortable hospitality experience to travelers looking for a home away from home in a unique neighborhood near the University of Alberta. Please note there is a fee for parking.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Centrally Located
Charming
Languages Spoken
English
Location
8208 106 St, Edmonton, Alberta T6E 6R9 Canada
Varscona Hotel On Whyte
1,829 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Stayed here in early January for 2 nights. Booked a Deluxe room through Expedia and had a room on the 3rd floor. The room was pleasant and had a slightly updated bathroom, i.e. walk-in shower instead of bath. The water pressure was very bad and we had to wait a really long time with running water to have hot water in the shower. The staff were as always very welcoming, and we appreciated the convenience of the great location, next door parking and the option for $15 per person buffet breakfast.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from April Kanash, Owner at Varscona Hotel On Whyte
Responded 4 weeks ago
Thank you Justine for the lovely review and feedback. We apologize for the issues with the water pressure. Your comments have been shared with the appropriate members of our Management team.
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Overall, it was a great two night stay for a friends’ weekend at the Varscona. Deluxe king room was very nice, comfortable bed, soft pillows and fairly clean. I did notice a slight musty smell on arrival and soon discovered that the carpet under the window was quite wet. My room looked out onto the roof so maybe a leaky HVAC? I informed the girl at the front desk about the carpet but she said to just fill out the card in the room. It wasn’t a big enough issue to change rooms but I thought they should at least have had someone in to check it. Bathroom was quite clean and I was impressed with the large walk-in shower as opposed to a bathtub. The toiletries were really nice, as was the Illi coffee in the room, and the complimentary bottled water was much appreciated on a hot summer day. Staff at breakfast were very friendly and helpful, probably the best staff at the hotel. The breakfast was good with lots of variety, so well worth the extra charge. We enjoyed the complimentary wine at the bar one night and the service there was excellent as well. I heard no noise at all during my stay and we always felt safe entering and exiting the hotel. Whyte Ave is an interesting and unique shopping/dining area and a vibrant part of the city. Sure there are some interesting characters around, but during the day it’s relatively safe. The entrance to the hotel is actually on a side street so a bit tucked away from the noise. I would definitely stay there again on a return trip.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked a deluxe king room from 25th June for 4 nights; we were allocated room 618 on the 6th floor. The room was nice and large, but there is no safe in the room or safety deposit boxes at reception which we found rather strange, the bed was comfortable. The hotel is currently not offering any daily cleaning, which is fine, you can ask for more towels etc if required. The breakfast was good, you can ask for gluten free bread, there was fruit and boiled eggs available too. Parking is available in the multi storey next door for $15 per night. The hotel is in a great location, this is definitely the place to stay if visiting Edmonton, as downtown really has nothing going for it. The city is small, you really you only need a day to explore, we spent 2 days visiting Elk Island which you only really need 1 day also.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joann Cato, Guest Services / Front Office at Varscona Hotel On Whyte
Responded Aug 20, 2022
Thank you for your feedback! I am so glad to hear you had a fantastic stay and our team took great care of you! We look forward to seeing you again!
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Stayed here in late May for 5 nights. Booked a Deluxe Room with 1 King Bed through Expedia, and had a room on the 6th floor. A good stay, as always, except this time around the heating in the hotel was already turned off for the duration of our stay, while Edmonton was experiencing some cold and rainy weather. We ended up needing a portable heater as the temperature in our room was at 17C on our arrival. If it wasn’t for the quick help from the staff at the reception, I’m pretty sure we would have to move to another hotel. Other than that things were good. The main draw for us is hotel's excellent location, walking distance to everything with plenty of restaurants nearby. They offer parking for a fee (we had it included through Expedia) and they have a separate parking location for oversized cars, which is great. Breakfast is ok, always fresh, with very attentive staff, just a bit boring/repetitive after a few days. Having said that, at $15 per person, and starting early in the morning (6:30 or 7 AM) it is actually a good deal and the earliest you can get breakfast on Whyte (other places typically open at 9am at the very earliest). All in all a good stay, but was left disappointed with the lack of heating, and may have to stay elsewhere if visiting in Spring next time.
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everything was generally very fine. Just be aware that the wifi signal would frequently die - often for extended periods. It's a terrific location. Very friendly staff. Free breakfast is good - but you'll be expected to tip the people who are keeping an eye on things (so it's not really free). If you're staying in a room on the west side of the building, be aware that the building next door has a very noisy giant fan in its roof that can be annoying - but ear plugs will solve that problem.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: August 2022
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joann Cato, Guest Services / Front Office at Varscona Hotel On Whyte
Responded Sep 8, 2022
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. I am pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay with us and look forward to seeing you again soon!
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Location was good, bed was extremely uncomfortable, elevator was broke, said they’d get us on the bottom two floors (ended up on the 3rd), not a big deal however there was puke all over the cement stairs going upstairs, 4 pillows, one king pillow and 3 small ones, lumpy and hard. Blanket felt like a sheet, mattress was not comfy at all. Body is sore today and had a horrible sleep.. also with the window closed it was just extremely loud with yelling and screaming all night outside, (also expected because location) but for 214$ I expected more 😭 they “covered” our parking for the elevator inconvenience. Lightbulb in the lamp was basically hanging there and turning on and off by itself the whole night & smelt like burning plastic or something when it was turned on. All in all not a great experience and probably won’t stay there again sadly because we had higher expectations based on other reviews and the location.
Overheads an older couple in their 60’s checking out making a. Suggestion that maybe they should have covered their breakfast for the elevator issues and the girl just shrugged and said she covered their parking already. If there were lower rooms available I don’t know why they would put them on the 6th floor with no working elevator.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Bring your own blankets/pillows and ear plugs 🙃
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great location with a high walk score. You do not need to rent a car because public transportation is safe and runs late. The bed was comfortable with an updated bathroom. My summer bummer was that I was charged a different rate than quoted over the phone. Each night had a higher charge than the previous night. I didn’t even sneak in a basketball team. When I called to ask why I wasn’t charged the same amount each night as quoted over the phone they said they charge different rates depending on if the hotel is full or not. Not disclosing variable rates is an unfair business practice and should have been disclosed initially when I booked. I would not have stayed there had I known. Is this a common practice in hotels in Burta? Asking for a friend
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from April Kanash, Owner at Varscona Hotel On Whyte
Responded Jul 21, 2023
Thank you for your feedback. It has been shared with the appropriate individuals .
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I have read other reviews and people talk about noise level as it is a downtown hotel in a vibrant area and noise comes with the territory. It is like complaining about the train noise next to the hotel you booked knowing it was next to the tracks! Having said that though we slept fine and never noticed any out of the ordinary noise. We were on a second floor unit close to the street. The check in was easy and we had our key cards within 30 seconds. The front desk was very friendly and seemed organized and was no wait. We left our car parked in the 15 minute unloading zone and then went to the hotel parking 50 yards away. Again, I read people whining the parking was not on site and hard to get into??? It was only $15 a day with in and out privileges. If the parking was hard to get in and out of please refrain from driving until you get some further driving lessons l....unbelievable. The room was absolutely 110% spotless as we always do a inspection with using flashlights for any weird stains on sheets etc. No dust or stain anywhere even on top of baseboards, sinks, walls carpets etc. I could not find one stain, dust, leftover hair or one overlooked area. They provided a box breakfast with fruit, bar juice, breakfast sandwich which is as expected but at least it is something. We will definitely stay here again.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:get a second floor unit and it is one flight of stairs
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joel Hollingsworth, General Manager at Varscona Hotel On Whyte
Responded Sep 18, 2021
Thank you for the great review, we appreciate your comments - we truly appreciate your candid feedback and can't wait to host you again!
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Stayed here for 4 days in mid May in a Deluxe 1 King room. All in all we had a really good stay here, despite the fact that the air conditioning in our 6th floor room was broken, and we had to move rooms to a 4th floor one after the first day. The staff were very quick and helpful with moving us to a room that wasn’t blasting freezing air. The breakfast room was operating just as before Covid, so you could go downstairs and have buffet breakfast every morning. We also used the self parking option for larger/taller vehicles which was accessible through the back entrance; the parking was included in the rate which was very handy. The location is great with so many good shops and restaurants within walking distance. Always a solid stay with Varscona, would gladly recommend and will likely return here in future.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joann Cato, Guest Services / Front Office at Varscona Hotel On Whyte
Responded Aug 20, 2022
Thank you for taking the time to share your comments. I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the service you received during your stay with us. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
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Quaint little hotel that is in a busy area of the city. It's an older feeling hotel, but very well kept up and everything looked modern. Located close to a lot of great restaurants. Complimentary breakfast (buffet style), was more than adequate with a good selection of food, though not much for children (waffles, pancakes, etc.). Not the hotels fault, but the location can be a bit noisy at night with the traffic and people making noise on Whyte Ave (in the summer anyways). If booking at this location, might be better to stay on the north west corner of the building. To sum up: this is a classy feeling hotel and I would definitely stay there again.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: August 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joann Cato, Guest Services / Front Office at Varscona Hotel On Whyte
Responded Aug 20, 2022
Thank you so much for your feedback! Our neighborhood is certainly exciting and vibrant and I am so glad you had an opportunity to explore it! It sounds like you had a fantastic stay and enjoyed our beautiful rooms and top -notch service. We look forward to seeing you again!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
College plaza is at the end of Whyte Ave where the Varscona is located. According to Google maps, it would take 14 minutes to walk or 3 minutes by car.
"Take advantage of the breakfast buffet, and the happy hour for great value appetizers. Utilize the bus stand in front of the hotel, get bus info from front desk. "
There are more places to choose from in the Edmonton area.
PRICE RANGE
C$115 - C$180 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
varscona hotel edmonton
LOCATION
CanadaAlbertaEdmontonStrathcona
NUMBER OF ROOMS
89
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.