Varscona Hotel on Whyte

We have stayed twice in the last two months at this hotel. The pluses: It has a great complimentary breakfast. It is located on Whyte Ave., the most interesting place in Edmonton. The staff work at being helpful and friendly. It has a modest workout room. It has an early evening, complimentary wine and cheese. Good restaurants are nearby, and this is a very walkable area. The cons: During our first stay we were in one of its suites. It was roomy and pleasant. During our second stay we had a standard room. The room was small, unpleasant. The bed was like a brick. A leak developed in the room above, so we were moved to a suite again. Avoid the standard room. TV is awful. Their selection of channels is dismal, and programs would quit midway. The parking was free for our first visit, then $15 per day a month later. The parking structure is not secured. It's dark and not welcoming, though accessible. The business center computer(s) are out of date and often workable. (The hotel Wifi is good, however.) They appear to offer a complimentary newspaper--one per floor, if you get up at 5 a.m. The bathrooms present a slip hazard. The manager is not exactly proactive and doesn't respond well to criticism. Overall, a mixed bag. It would merit a 4-5 rating with better management.

Located very near to the University of Alberta. The hotel staff and service were excellent. However, the hotel either offers either only Air Conditioning or Heating depending on the time of year. Air Conditioning was unavailable when I was there, and it was impossible to get good air circulation in the room. It tended to be hot and uncomfortable. Opening the windows was not a solution, as there was a nearby night club with excessively loud music particularly on Saturday night.

We spent 2 weeks in your hotel our sheets were changed once. Many days without skim milk at breakfast , my diet is very low fat however I had to adjust to higher fat content . at breakfast they ran out of dark coffee, they were courteous to buy me a cup of coffee.

Overall it was a great experience. My only issue would maybe be the bed. It was fine just not the over the top bed I think I'm spoiled on with some of the major chain hotels.

WiFi was nearly impossible to get in the room. Even downstairs in the lobby, it was weak. Other than that it was a good hotel.

Loved where the varscona is located and the free garage parking. The cleaning staff dropped the ball huge however. We stayed 4 nights. 2 of which our room was cleaned when we came back from our days adventures. The last morning the hotel maid walked into the room without knocking.

Great location, reasonable price and the place has character!

the staff were very professional , well go there again .

Convenient location and comfy room. Great place for a night out.

Our room was comfortable, staff were amazing. We were in town one night, quick check in midafternoon. The valet was available to take the car when we arrived and offered assistance with luggage. The room was a little outdated but nice. The bed as very comfy, and the bathroom standard with Toiletries provided. We could hear a few loud guests but no more than other hotels weve stayed at in the past. Breakfast was nice, pastries, cereal, breads, boiled eggs and yogurt. Checkout was fast and the car rady when requested.

Staff was helpfull Hotel was clean. Location was great. Someone practiced slamming doors at about 4 am each morning, Other then sound our stay was great.

Great Boutique Hotel. Great location. Clean and small.

I stayed on Whyte to celebrate St Pat's day and not have to drive! The Varscona offers an evening wine tasting which is a nice touch and starts the evening off nicely. The rooms are clean. The front staff is accommodating. The cleaning staff however starts very early in the morning and are quite loud-not pleasant when the guests are trying to sleep in!

We attended a climbing competition at the U of A Everything was fine! The same

The location was allright. We were not comfortable walking around in the area after dark. There were some pubs in the neighborhood that were so seedy that we crossed the street not to use the sidewalk in front. The dinning options were plentiful and good. The hotel is right next to the university but there were not many students on the street. Another thing worth noting was that there was only street parking and the back alley where we had to park did not feel very safe.

Stayed at Varscona from 10/1-10/3/2007. Pull up to the front of the hotel, on a side street, and unload your luggage in the lobby. They park your car for you. Give them 10-20 minutes and they bring it around when you need it again. The complimentary wine and cheese tasting was great; Concierge Room staff was welcoming and friendly - also had grapes, crackers, salsa...wonderful way to unwind at the end of the day. Murietta restaurant next door was wonderful - enjoyed their food a lot! The front desk staff was helpful and efficient. Loved that the Second Cup coffee shop was adjoining - very convenient. Beautifully furnished lobby, and room- loved the toiletries...smelled wonderful! Breakfast was good too. Good location to walk to surrounding shops and restaurants. Went to West Edmonton Mall first but we loved Old Strathcona better. Even close to the Antique Mall. Easy to get back to the airport too. I'd stay there again. Couldn't make the room colder but it was okay.