200 dollars to spend one night in a mouldy room.
I was in Winnipeg to give a talk at a national conference, and had stayed at a number of Fairmont hotels around the world and in Canada, including Banff Springs, The Royal York, and the Fairmont Dubai. As a result of staying at those fantastic facilities, I was looking forward to the trademark elevation of service and accommodations I've come to expect from Fairmont Hotels and Resorts during my brief stay in Winnipeg.
I arrived on a Friday evening in late October and was given keys to room 710. Before I even turned on the lights, I could see that around the perimeter of the room, particularly on the right hand side, there was a 6-8 inch wide "band" of discolouration on the carpet, which I suspect was either mould or mildew. I walked around the room and saw that this was pervasive around the perimeter of the entire room. At this point I should have gone downstairs and asked for another room; however, I still needed to prepare my lecture for the following morning and was already very late. I now wish I had changed rooms, despite the disruption to my work, especially because I have severe allergies to mould, mildew, dust, and smoke, as I indicated to the receptionist when I made my reservation.
I am writing this review because, frankly, I was taken aback at the state of my room: it was not at all what I have come to expect from Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Moreover, in light of this very unpleasant aspect of the room, the cost of these accommodations was extremely expensive --more than two hundred dollars for one night-- and to be honest, I was deeply disappointed with my stay. While I understand that renovations or upkeep at the Winnipeg Fairmont may not be as high priority as, say, that in Toronto or Dubai, there is simply no excuse for putting a client in a room that has obviously
discoloured, mildewing carpets. When I mentioned this to the employee at the registration desk she apologized; but the fact is, I still spent more than 200 dollars to sleep for a night in a mouldy room. I didn't have to go to the Fairmont in Winnipeg to do that for so much money.
Extremely disappointing and unpleasant experience.