Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Falls

This place is horrible, worst than a cheap motel, stay away ! Reception personnel are rude: no greeting at our arrival, and we had to wait 5mins for them to check us in (we were right in front of them while they were having funny discussion), actually No greeting at all for the whole 2 nights that we spent there. We couldn’t cancel our reservation otherwise we would have done it the minute we stepped into the building. Rooms and building spaces are very old and dirty, carpet smell the humidity and is dirty, bed and pillow are uncomfortable. Noisy air conditioner, and you can hear everything happening at your neighbor’s. No shower gel at our arrival. All the machine in the gym except for the bike were not working. No coffee machine in the room, you need to go at the lobby to get yourself a “free” coffee, and of course the queue is crazy during the morning because it is the only place/machine where all the guests can get a coffee in the building. The building condition did not make us want to try the pool: cannot comment on that. Extra fees: parking:50$/day + hotel fees:14$/day Advice: trust the reviews and instead of paying all these extra fees for a terrible experience, invest in a better rated hotel.

Dated This is a very convenient hotel for the price. It is very clean. However there is no maid service provided. At least not for the duration of our stay. If you are looking for a hotel with modern conveniences and amenities of today, this is not the place. The hotel is very dated and in dire need of an update and restoration. It reminded me of the hotel decor of the 1980s. Staying here, I was left with the impression that the owners of this hotel are more concerned with how much money they are taking in on their investment and very concerned with how little they are spending on it to increase their return on investment. There are other branded hotels in the area that you will pay more per night for, but much more updated.

Blood on the wall Seemed like a great location, it was, but the rest was horrible. Upon arriving, checking-in was incredibly long in a very small lobby. When we finally saw our « fallsview » room we only saw steam, but we were still okay with that. Then, we realized the room was outdated and the furniture was sticky… To top it off, there was a blood stain on the old wallpaper. This place would be okay if it was cheap; it wasn’t, not at all. Everything is overpriced, even mediocre coffee (only available in the cramped lobby). Should be converted into a Cecil Hotel Experience.

As Expected I read the reviews before booking. This is an old hotel whose main feature is location to the falls. I stayed in room 1425 (14th flr, a bi-level suite, overlooking the falls). Old, dated, and worn but reasonably clean. You enter this room on the 14th flr, this the "loft" or upstairs area that has a pull-out sofa bed, TV, mini fridge (old), a bureau, and a window that faces the OPPOSITE side of the bldg (not the falls). There is a flight of steps leading down to the main bedroom that has 2 queen beds, bureau, TV, bathroom with tub and separate walk-in shower, and a large full-wall window (does not open) that faces a spectacular view of the horseshoe falls: THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR, accept that, and you'll find the accommodations satisfactory. Staff were pleasant enough, check-in was decent on a Thursday evening. Three elevators, all running, no complaints. Very few outlets in the room, NO USB's, TV IS NOT A SMART TV (so no Netflix, etc), No in-room coffee maker, No in-room microwave. In the lobby (14 floors down for us) there is free coffee and a tiny microwave that serves the entire hotel. There is a pool and small workout room that we did not use. NO BREAKFAST, AND $50 BUCKS A DAY TO PARK YOUR CAR! Welcome to Niagara Falls, where everything within view of the falls costs an arm & a leg... There were four of us, Mom, Dad, and two teenagers (18 & 16). I chose this room so that each teenager could have their own bed (queen & sofa), and Mom & Dad would share the other queen. This worked out well for us. Air conditioning, though old and a little noise, worked well. Overall, my stay was satisfactory. I knew what to expect (nothing except the view), and I knew I'd be extorted for parking and food. In their defense, this is pretty much how all the hotels with a view of the falls operate; they wring every extra penny they can out of paying customers. In my six decades of life, and as an international traveler, I can state without reservation that Niagara Falls has the honor of "Worlds Biggest Tourist Trap". So why did we come? We got married here 21 yrs ago (on the Maid of the Mist, in front of the falls), and wanted our kids to see the falls where we got married. So this is my second in a lifetime trip to the falls... I see no reason to ever come back again.

You're paying for the view. The room was overpriced and very dated. The mattress was hard and lumpy, and the pillows were also lumpy. We got up early because our bodies were hurting from the bed. The TV didn't work. We didn't report it because it was after midnight when we tried to turn it on, so I wasn't going to complain that late at night. I had to keep telling myself we paid for the view not the room. No coffee maker in room. I had no lamp on my side of the bed. Room needed redone, new paint and new furnishes. I won't go back there if I ever go again.