We were here for a baseball tournament. The room was very nice, clean and modern. The staff were very helpful in supplying a couple of things we had forgotten to bring. I would certainly return to this spot!

We had to find a last-minute hotel for a spontaneous trip to see plays in Stratford and The Festival Inn had a room. We thought it was just a bit more than it was worth but took what we could get.

We have been to Stratford for several one-nighters over the years so we could take in a play on two different days and have stayed in The Festival in the past but the last time was at least five years ago.

We checked in about 4:30 p.m. and decided to have forty winks. Our curtain was at 8:00. We knew we were pressed for time when we left the room about 6:30 since it's a few minutes' drive to the theatre and parking, etc. We went to the hotel restaurant for a small meal beforehand with intentions of eating again after the theatre.

We arrived at the dining room door and waited by the "Please wait to be seated" sign. And waited. There was no hostess but there were three women waiting tables and none of them seemed to be moving beyond second gear. Most of the tables were occupied but there was no line-up. One of the women acknowledged us with a nod but we still waited. After about ten minutes one of the women came to us about 6:50 and I explained that we had to be out by 7:30. She sullenly said that that couldn't happen.

Now I have never had that experience in a Toronto restaurant. I'll usually get some explanation that we have to order from just a few items that can be prepared quickly.

But when I was told that it couldn't happen, I replied that it had to happen. (What did she think I was going to do? Have the curtain held until we got to the theatre?!?)

Then it took another five minutes to have a table set up and we were shown to it only to be ignored. The waitresses walked by several times but didn't even come to take our orders. What we did get were icy stares. We established our limit and at 7:00, got up and walked out!

I stopped by the hotel desk to inform the young man working there that the hotel obviously had some staffing problems in the dining room but that I wasn't going to let their problems become my problem.

We dropped by Wendy's for a snack and made the curtain with a few minutes to spare.

After the performance, we went to Crabby Joe's just down the street from the hotel for dinner. There, we were greeted by a most amiable manager and all the other staff were charming and attentive. The only thing I could fault them for was an unsavoury habit of encouraging their patrons to litter the floor with peanut shells but that was kept to the bar side of the room. We told the manager of our problem trying to eat at The Festival and he noted to us that just about all of Stratford caters to theatre-goers and has to work with curtain deadlines all the time and that if you're not prepared to do that, you'd better be in another business. We had a pleasant meal and left the decent tip that did not go to a hotel waitress.

As for the Festival Inn room, the only other thing I would mention is that there was a bedside table on only one side of the bed and that the lighting in the bathroom was a little dim. Also, the room air conditioner was a bit loud even at the lowest fan speed.

Next trip to Stratford, we'll have to plan more in advance and we'll definitely choose another place that understands catering to guests' needs. It's not like it's the only hotel in town!

I would rate our two-night stay as above average. We were in the North Wing, the room was spacious, updated and quiet. It is in the back with view of parking lot and lots of field behind it. The inn is about 2 miles from downtown and 1.5 miles from the main theater, so plan on driving there. We had breakfast both days at Demetre's, right next door, and found it a lot nicer than a regular breakfast joint. The fitness room is small, only treadmills, no weights. There is a mall with a ginormous Canadian Tire store across the main street out front. The $172 tab per night was no bargain but it served the needs of a family of three quite well.