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| - The place is just okay. I'm a former long-time Torontonian, so I "get" The Drake. It was never my scene, but I have been privvy to the VIP bottle service on a Saturday night just so we could have somewhere to sit in their nightclub for someone's birthday. The Drake was somewhere I would often go for brunch or sometimes the Underground to see a band. Room 201 is nice enough, but it feels more like a luxury hostel above a bar instead of a boutique hotel. No bathtub, just shower with some nice bath products.
I understand why someone would be tempted to book a room here because Toronto's idea of downtown west accommodation does not extend beyond Yorkville really. BUT- I do not understand why someone would willingly pay $329 to NOT sleep on a Saturday night. It's robbery. I'm tired and pregnant and was given ear plugs by the front desk reception. Ear plugs aren't going to stop your whole room or bed from vibrating from 11pm to 2:30am. I mentioned this to the server in the cafe the next morning when I was expressing disappointment that I had to wait 40 minutes before brunch was available (I only agreed to stay here because I was looking forward to chicken & waffles!), and she turned it into a huge issue, calling over the hotel manager to interrogate me at my table about why my travel agent hadn't conveyed to me the noise reality on a Saturday night. Look, the booking was for my husband's work, I wasn't the main point of contact, and I don't care what you told a travel agent - it's disgusting to charge that much for that room with that level of noise/vibration reality! I did not ask to speak to Jonathan and I didn't feel much like having an argument about the whole issue. I was on no sleep two nights in a row and wished I had just stayed home with a toddler that woke me up crying every two hours than stay at The Drake. He just kept going on about how I should have known and I should have been fully aware of the noise, and how I would never find another equivalent hotel in Toronto during PDAC for that price. Dude, whatever - if you can sleep at night (assuming you're getting sleep because you do not live at The Drake) charging that much for that room, knowing the guests aren't going to sleep, then good for you. I don't care. At Long Beach Lodge in Tofino, BC (basically the coolest, best place to stay in Tofino), there was 1 room left on a Friday night, situated above their bar/restaurant. They offered it during high season on a weekend for $199. It's a nice room and equal to all their other beachfront room, except for the NOISE factor, so they offer it at a major discount to the other rooms. Not so at The Drake. Cuz you should have known.
I stayed again on Monday night in the same room and it was noisy (in the bathroom you could hear the band crystal clear), but at least I could hear actual distinct songs instead of just horrible noise and bass with the entire room shaking like I did until 2:30am on Saturday night. I read a magazine and waited it out until about 1am when it went quiet. Was it more restful than the Saturday night? No, because the manager JONATHAN called our room early the next morning frantic about my original Tripadvisor review, waking us up!! He thought it was scathing (it was not scathing about the hotel, just him and his attitude) and wanted me to take it down. I woke up to my hubby putting a laptop in front of me, asking me to remove it. I only did so to avoid a fight because he didn't know about my previous unpleasant interaction with Jonathan. When I took it down, Tripadvisor makes you choose a reason from a drop-down menu, and if I was being completely honest, I would have chosen "being harrassed by the owner/manager of this establishment", but I did not. Five minutes later, Jonathan, who was not on-site that day, called my hubby's CELL PHONE to make sure that I was taking it down. Um, inappropriate much? Dude needs some boundaries and to think about whether his actions are improving a guest's experience or making a guest feel BETTER about staying here...or whether his actions are self-serving and only making himself feel better. To call us early in the morning and wake us after having yet another horrible night's sleep there? To come between a COUPLE and cause an argument first thing in the morning over something so stupid and petty?? Come on. The proper reaction to my original review below would have been an APOLOGY and maybe buy me a latte in the cafe to help me get through my drowsy day!
If you have problems at the Drake, I suggest you speak with the guests services manager, Jon, instead of Jonathan because he just doesn't get it and can't get past his own agenda and defenses. Being defensive doesn't make a guest feel better about their bad experience. Seriously, get a hold of yourself, Jonathan!
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