Travelodge Hotel Niagara Falls Fallsview

From the exterior, the boxy, four-story Travelodge Hotel Niagara looks straight from the 1980s. Inside, the public areas are a blend of decades, with some painfully dated, red-carpeted hallways leading to guest rooms, and a lobby that feels half-renovated. A boldly patterned chain-hotel style carpet spreads throughout the massive lobby that's minimally furnished with a few old couches and chairs -- it resembles an aging casino without the slot machines. The restaurant and bar area are generically attractive, with black leather chairs and plenty of natural light from the wall of windows looking out onto the featureless road. The hotel is mostly just a place to sleep, though, and guests range from large tour groups to couples to families visiting from around the world.

Travelodge Hotel Niagara is located just outside of the tourist hustle of downtown, but still within walking distance of most Niagara Falls attractions and Clifton Hill, packed with kitschy shops and tourist traps, is only a 10-minute walk from the hotel. The river is directly across the street and walks to the beautiful gardens and views of the falls from Queen Victoria Park are less than 10 minutes away on foot. Bird Kingdom, an indoor wildlife exhibition popular with families and kids, is just across the street, while Niagara Casino and Fallsview Indoor Waterpark are all within a 10-minute walk. The hotel is surrounded by other hotels and restaurants. Buffalo Niagara International Airport is a 42-minute drive from the hotel and Toronto Pearson International Airport is a one-hour-15-minute drive away.

The quality of rooms here varies widely, though across the board they're clean and spacious. The City View Rooms we visited look recently updated, with attractively patterned carpets, modern dark wood veneer furniture, elegant bed runners, and contemporary gray chairs. However, many other rooms -- such as River View Rooms -- are explicitly outdated and need an overhaul, with old carpets offset by stuffy floral curtains, sagging sofas, and worn furniture from the less recent decades of the last century. Most rooms have balconies with city or river views, and some higher-floor rooms have OK views of the falls in the distance beyond the Rainbow Bridge. Family Rooms are expansive, with three double beds arranged so that there's too much space in the center of the room, but the Presidential Suite (aka Romance Room) and the King Bed Room (aka Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi Room) are the most bizarre of all. These two rooms take exuberant design to a whole new level, with loud wallpaper clamoring against floral prints and wall art like prints from "Gone With The Wind"-- and yes, both rooms have hot tubs, one of which is heart-shaped. All rooms have desks, flat-screen TV, irons, individual temperature control, and free coffee/tea-making facilities. Bathrooms are also outdated, with unattractive tiling, old fixtures, toiletries, and stand-up showers or bathtub/shower combos depending on the room, though City View Room bathrooms are thoroughly updated and attractive, with stone tiled walls and minimalist features. 

The hotel has an indoor pool with a wading area that's decent for children and a separate hot tub, and the tiled terrace around it has just a few plastic chairs for guests to sit. A small fitness center is attached to the pool, with several cardio options and a universal machine. The breakfast buffet is good and features hot and cold options that's only included with certain bookings, and the restaurant serves a decent lunch and dinner as well along with room service throughout the day. On-site parking is subject to a nightly fee and pets, aside from service animals, are not allowed. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel and there is a small computer station in the lobby.