The staff was friendly, but the hotel has a very unusual policy: guests are not allowed to use any of the amenities until they have officially checked in. My family arrived about three hours before check in, but because our room wasn’t ready until 2:00 p.m., they were not permitted to use the pool or any other facilities. Instead, they were forced to sit at a table and wait for nearly two hours.
I have no issue waiting until the room is ready before checking in, but in all my years of travel, I have never stayed at a hotel that prohibited guests from using the amenities while waiting for their room. In fact, the exact opposite happened at the Best Western in Gatineau today. We arrived in the morning, were welcomed to use the pool immediately, and had a very pleasant experience while waiting for our room.
Unfortunately, that was not the case at Best Western Fireside Inn in Kingston. I travel frequently for work, and because of this policy, the Fireside Inn will no longer be a hotel I choose to stay at.
I also contacted Best Western Customer Service, and they agreed that the policy seemed unusual. They called the Fireside Inn directly and confirmed that this is a unique policy specific to that property and not a standard Best Western practice. This experience has significantly lowered my confidence in this location, and I will be actively choosing other hotels in the future that prioritize guest comfort and flexibility.