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S D

Unpleasant experience at this property

1.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 22 Apr 2024
We reserved a Superior Room, KING Bed thru Expedia 1 year in advance (reservation made on 17 April 2023 for travel on 7-9 April 2024); confirmed booking a week in advance, and received an email on 29 March 2024, directly from Riverbend Inn, confirming room category and bed type.

When we checked in at 4.05pm (check-in time is 4.00pm), we were given a Superior room but with only 1 QUEEN bed. This was despite receiving an email from Riverbend (not Expedia) confirming our reservation, room and bed type on 29 March 2024.

Gracie and Cara (Kara?), at the front desk, were apologetic; said there was a "system glitch" (despite their confirmation?!), they were fully booked; no other rooms were available; offered us complimentary breakfast.

We felt short-changed, and told them that we would depart after 1 night instead of 2. Gracie phoned the manager but Joseph Legace was unavailable. She left him a VM and also phoned the asstt. manager.

After a sleepless night (that cost us C$320 - solar eclipse surge pricing), we met with Joseph Legace, the following morning. We found him brusque, unapologetic and unwelcoming. He said there was nothing he could do about the "system glitch" except buy us dinner that night. We asked to be checked out; all we wanted was the room we had reserved, paid for and that was confirmed by Riverbend a week before our travel.

Mr. Legace refused to check us out since booking was thru Expedia; he said he would have to pay Expedia for 2 nights. According to the Expedia website, reservations can be changed by the property. But to help Mr. Legace, we phoned Expedia to cancel the second night. Expedia agreed. Once we confirmed that Expedia agreed to cancel the second night, Mr. Legace miraculously found a room with 2 queen beds for us.

At that point, we checked out. We didn’t appreciate their "system glitch" and the way Mr. Legace treated us. While it is a nice property, breakfast was lovely, most of the staff was polite, and we visit Niagara-on-the-Lake often enough, we will NOT BE STAYING at this property again.

PS: We couldn't find a way to turn off the heat / fan in room 217 (Cabernet Sauvignon) on the thermostat; it was noisy.
Date of stay: April 2024
Trip type: Travelled with friends
1.0 of 5 bubblesValue
1.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
4.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
3.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
2.0 of 5 bubblesService
1.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
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Riverbend Inn And Vineyard, General Manager at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, responded to this review
Responded 30 Jul 2024
Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear that our stay was not a pleasant one. Unfortunately, during the eclipse the inn was fully booked with no options to move guests for bed type.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
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Reviewed 31 March 2024 via mobile

We spent 3 nights here as a family of 3 with a 5yo kid. The location is awesome. Lots of vinery and natural parks and the nice village with great dining and restaurants. We had a great vinery tour.the room was great in design but awfully not clean. The maids only change the towel,not cleaning toilet or bed sheets. Even the coffee cups was badly washes and had some remaining left. The shower had hair in its drainage. When I told the manager about the toilet, they said that maids are already left so they put note for them. But next day was worse than last day, sooo.
They put a welcome champagne but receptionist forget to pour us some.so next day I wanted to take a glass and she proudly stop me and tell me that is just for welcome. I was shocked what to do. So left them with their drinks😂
Try somewhere else please if you care about manners.

Room tip: Forget about cleanness
Date of stay: March 2024
Trip type: Travelled with family
Thank minazareb
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Riverbend Inn And Vineyard, General Manager at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, responded to this reviewResponded 31 July 2024

Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear that your stay was not up to your expectations. Our guest rooms are serviced on a daily basis. At time of check-in, arriving guests are offered a glass of complimentary sparkling wine, but guests who did not receive theirs upon check-in may certainly enjoy a glass. We do hope to see you at the inn, on your next opportunity.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 30 January 2024

Comfort, cleanliness, character... all wrapped in one. This beautiful manor home has been brilliantly transformed into a relaxing place to unwind and enjoy all the delights of a vineyard wrapped in a boutique inn. The views from the room were lovely and sunset over the vineyard was magical. Oysters and sparkling wine at the restaurant were a wonderful treat! The welcome drink upon arrival was a lovely touch, jumpstarting the getaway in the first few moments... Definitely will refer and will return.

Date of stay: January 2024
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
1  Thank Helen M
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Riverbend Inn And Vineyard, General Manager at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, responded to this reviewResponded 16 March 2024

Hi Helen, thank you for your wonderful compliments . We look forward to welcoming you and your husband at the Riverbend in the near future.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 6 November 2023

Riverbend - The newest member of the Peller/Trius/etc group.
Due to the Member's weekend, we opted to stay overnight at the Riverbend Inn.
This is not, I repeat not, a cookie-cutter, impersonal hotel. This is a cozy, traditional Inn in the best senses of the word. Staff are friendly, welcoming, accommodating, and help to make the experience a cozy setting for your stay.

But really, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Oaklands Restaurant. Because as good as the food is at Trius and Peller's Restaurants, Riverbend edges them out. And you can walk home to your room.

1) 30 Bench Winemaker's Tasting and Lunch - Members Weekend Event
As a devoted follower of 30 Bench wines, we looked forward to this with great anticipation. It still blew our minds.
You were greeted with the sparkling Riesling. Then Emma presented a tasting of 2021 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 2 each. Small lot and barrel-aged. Emma again surpassed herself by adding as much information as she could cram and adding greatly to our knowledge of how the barrels affect the wines, all the variables a winemakers has to deal with and wants to select from to make that grape into the best wine possible.
Then we had lunch. 2 different vintages of Chardonnay and Pinot. Paired with the Oaklands Restaurant selected courses. None of these foods were on their regular menu. Seared Scallop in onion consomme with fennel/anchovy/pecorino paired with Chardonnay. The buttery flavours in the wine melded into the scallop/onion flavours like a dream. Then the striploin on it's bed of polenta with mushrooms, kale and bone marrow jus were topped with shaving of truffle and paired with Pinot Noir. The only difficulty was in getting a complete bite every time. Because you wanted it all together all.the.time. To miss a single flavour was to dimish the whole. Excellent is an understatement. And the finish was a choco-holic (me!!) dream. Gluten-free chocolate almond cake with dark ganache, poached cranberries and Pinot Noir syrup. Paired with late-harvest Vidal. So very rich but not overwhelmed with sweetness. The cranberries added a beautifully tart freshness.
If you weren't there, you seriously missed out!

2) Bubbles and Oysters - Member's Weekend Event
Again how can you go wrong? A Riverbend specialty paired with excellent sparkling wines. Your choice of Brut or a dry Rose.
6 oysters on the half shell. 3 different toppings. A wedge of lemon. A traditional mignonette, horseradish and a very spicy hot sauce. Spoilt for choice. I think I need more oysters .... Wait they do this on Sundays??? I'mma coming back.
It was a wonderful way to end the weekend.

Room tip: Riverbend/Oaklands is not large. RESERVE your space.
Date of stay: November 2023
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Location
    • Service
1  Thank Khym
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Riverbend Inn And Vineyard, General Manager at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, responded to this reviewResponded 16 March 2024

Thank you for your wonderful review. We are happy to hear your weekend at the Riverbend Inn & Vineyard was enjoyable. Looking forward to seeing you on the next member's weekend.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 9 October 2023 via mobile

We had Room 108. Nice, clean but the satellite TV wasn’t working and no one in the place had a solution. So we booted up our iPads and watched TV on the hotel’s excellent wifi.

Now to the restaurant. Exceptionally nice space. Our waitress was a real Niagara wine evangelist and made us laugh. The menu advertises tagliatelle, but the kitchen served up linguine, which turned what could have been a great dish kind of meh. To be fair, wife was very happy with her oysters and caviar and squash entree.

So, not five stars. Could be though.

Date of stay: October 2023
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank rkkbToronto_Ontario
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Riverbend Inn And Vineyard, General Manager at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, responded to this reviewResponded 1 November 2023

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience regarding your stay at the Riverbend Inn and Vineyard. Your valuable feedback is important and aids us in improving our services to guests. We are truly sorry that there was an issue with the satellite TV. The front desk staff are always able to assist guests. We look forward to welcoming you back in the near future.

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Reviewed 30 September 2023

We stayed at Riverbend last weekend and had an amazing stay. Our room was beautiful and immaculate. It was very quiet. Our room was on the first floor and we heard no other guests above us or next to us. The staff was wonderful and very helpful. We visited Peller Estates Winery for dinner and a tour another day and loved the golf cart shuttle. We had breakfast and dinner at Oaklands. Both were delicious and the service outstanding. The view overlooking the vineyard while having a glass of champagne was wonderful!

It's hard to believe some of the previous negative reviews as our experience was all extremely positive. We have traveled a great deal and would return to Riverbend again. If you like modern and shiny this is not the place for you. This is a beautiful, old inn with a great deal of charm.

Date of stay: September 2023
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank MAF4563
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Riverbend Inn And Vineyard, General Manager at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, responded to this reviewResponded 1 November 2023

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wonderful review with us! We are thrilled to hear that you had such an enjoyable stay at our hotel. Our team works hard to create a memorable and comfortable experience for all our guests, and it's truly gratifying to know that we succeeded in making your visit special. Your kind words are greatly appreciated. We look forward to welcoming you back for another outstanding stay in the near future.

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