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Liked · As an overnight stop if catching Duke Point Ferry to mainland BC, the location was convenient....easy 15 min drive to ferry terminal. Staff at front desk and in the bar/pub were all very friendly and helpful. While the building is older and this shows a bit in the hallways, the room itself was very comfortable, clean, I had a nice view of the water (the opposite side would overlook downtown, I believe. Bar/pub menu had a number of interesting and a good amount of seafood. I had the seafood chowder which was satisfying.
Disliked · Be aware this hotel is located on edge of "downtown" in Nanaimo. There is room for only 2-3 cars at entrance to load/unload baggage; then car must be moved around the corner to 1of2 small lots. Parking is free in those lots with permit hotel provides, however there is limited space especially during dinner hour when the bar and/or restaurant in the hotel are busy. Believe there is another public (assume pay) lot a block or so further if the small lots are full. (I guess having any free parking nearby is a good thing for a "downtown" location...just be advised). As mentioned, there is a bar with limited menu and a separate restaurant in the hotel...convenient for dinner, however no breakfast available/included with the room like other BW locations.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
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Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â Convenient to BC ferry. Baggage unloading and parking can be a challenge due to location and...
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.
Room AC did not work reliably, had to hold the toilet handle down for the entire flush or it didn’t work, couch is badly stained and felt grimy as well there was lots of garbage ie: coffee pods, napkins, behind the desk with the coffee pot. We had a pet room, but I feel we paid an inflated rate for an inferior room for the sake of a pet. I honestly felt ripped off. I’ve stayed at the Dorchester often and the service was still good and I love the location, but for what I paid and what I received I think the next time I travel with my pet to Nanaimo I’ll look at other options, and as a pet owner I know they exist.
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Review collected in partnership with Best Western
Date of stay: September 2023
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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.
These employees really care about taking care of each guest. This downtown Nanaimo location is highly walkable, has a nice convenient restaurant and lounge and is quite comfortable. You can walk right down to the harbor and to a few nice parks.
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Review collected in partnership with Best Western
Date of stay: September 2022
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Location
Cleanliness
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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 Tamara Turcotte, General Manager at Best Western Dorchester Hotel
Responded Sep 6, 2022
CKmurphey, Thank you for your kind words regarding the staff at the Best Western Dorchester Nanaimo. I agree, they are a great group of people that truly do care for the comfort of all our guests. We look forward to hosting you on your next visit to our beautiful city. Happy Travels!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Great location right in the middle of town and all the action. We will make that stop again when we are in that area. Staff were honest and upfront with possible concerns. Great restaurant on site with great burgers and awesome staff!!!!! :)
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Review collected in partnership with Best Western
Date of stay: July 2023
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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.
They have two allotted parking lots located behind the building (not through a parking lot! You have to go over one street, down another and THEN behind the building) h Both lots were full so I was told I had to park on the street and then walk back to the lobby (uphill) in the pitch black. (You may also have to zigzag your way through some shady characters on the way). All that and there was no spots left on the street!! I went back to the lobby again, extremely frustrated by this point and was told that I would have to use a parkade a little further down the street at which point I said NO. I asked if I could leave my car in the loading zone and I would be gone before 7:00 a.m. ( it was past 9:30pm at this point) and they said no and they can't make any exceptions so I asked to speak to a manager. They said there was no one that they could call at this hour so I said cancel my reservation for this evening and I am not paying for it. All of a sudden there was someone they could call and in the end I could leave my car in the loading zone for a period of less than 10 (it was big enough for at least four or five cars and there was nobody else in it at this point) I spend three to four months a year in hotel rooms and always Best Westerns when I can. This was by far the worst experience I ever had in any Best Western Hotel. Note: If you have any type of mobility issues, this is not the place for you and on the third floor it is important to know that there was three stairs to get down to my room which was not mentioned. It did not affect me but it may be an issue for someone else. Throw in the old funky smell......never again!!
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Date of stay: October 2024
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Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Â They have more rooms than they have parking places for. They will then tell you to either park on...
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 Vani Sharma, Guest Services / Front Office at Best Western Dorchester Hotel
Responded Oct 22, 2024
Thank you Jean Marie for this informative review. We do recognize the challenges with parking at our property when we are operating at high occupancy. We empathize and acknowledge your frustration is real. I will be providing further context, merely to insure understanding to the reader, not to question the veracity of your concerns. First, for those with mobility concerns you are able to pull up, right in front of the hotel, at street level (no stairs) for loading and unloading. From there, the process is fairly simple, however road construction has created a bit of a confusing situation we are trying to communicate with our guests. Essentially you pull around the block and park in our lots along front street. After parking, you can return to the property on a very short walk, but will need to use stairs, or you can take a slightly longer walk to the front doors, and avoid stairs. Second, we understand that during high occupancy, we run out of space. That is why, starting November 1st, we will be introducing an overflow lot nearby the property. We will be able to clearly communicate exactly where to go. It will require a bit of driving to navigate a one-way street, however it is a very short 1-minute walk from the property once parked. Last, we understand our team’s hesitancy with offering parking in the loading zone, they are truly facing a dilemma, as allowing that will most certainly create more angst for other guests. We are quite confident our overflow lot will improve our operations.
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Our experience was exceptional. The staff were helpful and pleasant and the restaurant breakfast we had was delicious. Lots of variety on the menu. We couldn’t have asked for a better location. It’s right on the waterfront and the promenade goes on and on so we got a very long and scenic walk in. Our room was clean, modern, spacious with a view of the harbour and room for the TWO suitcase stands provided, which , if you travel a lot you know that you seldom get two stands and your second case is usually on the floor or the only chair in the room. Over all, in this price range, it was the best hotel we’ve stayed in over the last year.
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Review collected in partnership with Best Western
Date of stay: June 2024
Value
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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.
went to Nanaimo to pickup a motorcycle unfortunately on the way back we heard from BC ferries that they would be canceling the final sailing for the evening, this meant that we have to find a hotel. This location was absolutely prefect its basically just a 10min drive form the Ferry docks which made this absolutely perfect. best hotel on the entire island but maybe I'm being bias since i always stay with BW lol ,. not the less this was a perfect place to Escape the storm!
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Review collected in partnership with Best Western
Date of stay: November 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.
First the positives. The hotel is well located being in the centre of downtown and only steps away from the waterfront. The rooms are clean and comfortable, although bathrooms are on the small side. External sound insulation is good: there was very little noise from outside. Then the negatives. The price is exorbitant. I have paid less to stay in much nicer hotels in some of the most expensive cities in the world. If the price were halved, it would count as a decent hotel. A major problem is the poor quality of internal sound insulation. We were kept awake by the constant noise of showers running, baths emptying, toilets flushing and alarms going off in neighbouring rooms. It looks like an old building that has been renovated. There is one, tiny elevator. The hallways and reception area are claustrophobic and somewhat depressing due to colours. Some input from an interior designer is needed to cheer this place up. There are small flights of steps between the elevator and the rooms. Next time in Nanaimo I will sacrifice my BW points to try to find somewhere with a better quality/price ratio.
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Date of stay: July 2022
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
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 Julie Park, General Manager at Best Western Dorchester Hotel
Responded Jul 4, 2022
Dear Jam2012, Thank you for your stay with us and your feedback is much appreciated. We're glad to know you've enjoyed our location and the room. We will use your feedback for the areas for improvement in our future enhancement. We hope you consider staying with us again in the future. Sincerely, Julie Park General Manager
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Just ok Fridge didn't keep cold and the outside of fridge was hotter than normal The ac fan unit in the room didn't function properly and I like a fan noise when trying to sleep They take coffee away before 8 am! Wow!
Good location but a terrible set up for parking
Best I can give is 3 stars as no hot tub and no free breakfast like most other Best Westerns
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip 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.
I have never written a negative review, in fact they have always been positive but I caution anyone thinking of staying there. To begin with there are limited free parking spaces. I began my stay by driving around for 40 minutes in downtown Nanaimo trying to find parking after ultimately settling for nearby pay parking. Getting safely up to the hotel as a single female in the dark was another adventure. My hotel room was filthy. Not only was it in disrepair but there was hair and filth everywhere. There was hair on the ceiling, in the bathtub, in the bathroom drawers, and in the bed. The surfaces had not been wiped down and the floor was dirty. The toilet didn’t flush properly and the filthy shampoo/conditioner dispensers were empty. The beds were uncomfortable and the hotel was noisy. Vacuuming of the hallway began at 6:30am. The worst part was when I opened the curtains in the morning to be greeted with so much condensation as to not see out, accompanied by copious amounts of mould in the window sills, under the frame, and down the wall. I travel a lot and stay in multiple hotels and would never, ever stay at this hotel again. The pictures will speak for themselves. Be sure to check out the ones with mould. Ugh.
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Date of stay: November 2022Trip 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 Tamara Turcotte, General Manager at Best Western Dorchester Hotel
Responded Nov 21, 2022
Thank you for completing the survey regarding your recent stay at our property. On behalf of our entire team, I would like to apologise for not exceeding your expectations. At Best Western we strive every day to provide superior customer service. I am sorry we were not able to do that for you. We will use the feedback you gave us to implement improvements to ensure we provide a better experience in the future. As the new General Manager, I can assure you that housekeeping and maintenance is obviously one of my main priorities. I have forwarded all your comments to the staff, and they are very apologetic and are grateful for being made aware of areas that need more attention. I do apologies for the misunderstanding with regards to parking. We offer free parking to our guests, not only in our lot, but also in the overflow lots directly across the street and on the street directly in front of the hotel. I was informed by the Front Desk Manager that after speaking with you at check out, that she had authorised a full refund, because we did not provide you with the service you deserve. I hope you will consider staying with us again so that we can have another chance to provide you with exceptional service. If I can provide any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. Yours sincerely,
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They have reserved parking that is on a lot at the side of hotel. This is not secure and I would have concern for attached bikes, otherwise this is a great hotel in a good position.
Due to Covid pandemic, we're limiting our service for stay over guests and only clean the rooms upon request. The guests should inform front desk if they want the room cleaned during their stay and the guest should not stay in the room during cleaning to minimize any interaction. Also, all new amenities bag with new towels are prepared and ready at the Front Desk for guests upon request at any time of the day. The bags will be delivered to your door. You could put your used towels/linens into the laundry bag located on each floor by elevator. Please feel free to let me know if you have any further question.
Sincerely,
Julie Park
General Manager
There are more places to choose from in the Nanaimo area.
PRICE RANGE
C$156 - C$197 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
best western nanaimo, nanaimo best western
LOCATION
CanadaBritish ColumbiaVancouver IslandNanaimo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
71
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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