더블트리 바이 힐튼 세인트 존스 하버뷰

The DoubleTree is an overall lovely stay. Check-in was fairly easy and came with a (really good!) warm cookie. It was delicious, unexpected, and honestly really nice and homey after a long trip and little food. The front desk staff member who checked me in was busy, but polite, attentive, personable, and efficient. The beds and pillows in the room were very comfortable/soft, and they do that great thing where they give you 3-4 pillows on the bed of varying softness, so you can choose which pillow best suits your sleeping style. The room was very clean, the shower had good water pressure, and the tv was large and easy to use. I was a bit nervous about the shampoo as it made my hair hard to comb through/work with, but once I put the conditioner in, it worked like a charm. The soap/shampoo was by Crabtree, which is a nice company with decent quality products, and the scent was very much a nice fresh "unisex" kind of scent. I would say that the best thing about this hotel, however, was the way it was decorated/designed. The room had a really cool nautical theme so it sort of mimicked sleeping in a berth on a ship, and the bathroom even had a really cool little "porthole" high up in the door. It felt very "east coast harbour," which I thought was very clever for accommodating tourists looking for that local fantasy sort of feel. The doors to the rooms were also painted in varied colours room to room, which not only looks pleasing to the eye, but also sort of mirrors the way the houses in St. John's look - I thought that was such an interesting touch, and my partner and I couldn't stop gushing over how great a job the decorator did of mixing a feeling of luxury and relaxation into the local fishing/harbour vibe. Honestly, whoever decorated this hotel needs some recognition and a raise. I did not try the built in pub/restaurant, so I cannot speak to that, but I did see lots of people there chatting and enjoying themselves on a rainy day. The location of the hotel really can't be beat - it's right downtown in the main restaurant/shopping area, but just far enough off the street so as not to be too loud. I didn't love that there was a daily parking fee, as many of the other hotels in town have free parking, and most people traveling through Newfoundland are likely to have a car with them, but they tell you about the parking fee up front, so it's not unexpected. There was construction going on in the parking lot during my stay, and the hotel was kind enough to offer an apology letter about potential noise, but honestly my room was pretty close to the parking garage area and I'm a light sleeper and I didn't hear any construction noise at all, so it ended up not being an issue. The elevator was insanely fast and modern, and the other facilities were well taken care of. I do wish that, for the price point, the hotel had a sauna or a steam room or a pool or something to help unwind after those windy afternoons on the coast. Check out was easy and fast, and again the front desk staff member was friendly, welcoming, and efficient. This review is feeling a bit long now, so I'll close by simply saying that it was a really pleasant stay overall and I would recommend the hotel.