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Guest Review of the Marketplace Lodge Whistler
Jul 30, 2010
I had some misgivings about staying at Marketplace Lodge, given the
negative comments of some reviewers, but it turned out to be a great
choice. Our one-bedroom apartment was clean, comfortable, well equipped,
centrally located and an easy walk to shops, restaurants and activities.
Each unit in the building is individually owned, so if you book through
the Whistler/Blackcomb website, you’ll see only generic photos and not
really know what your accommodation is like until you check in. I booked
directly with the owner so I would know exactly what I was getting. Unit
244 is located above Starbucks in the Marketplace plaza, adjacent to an
IGA supermarket and near a post office, drugstore, liquor store and DVD
rental store. Underground parking is included in the rent, fairly
unusual for Whistler. The only time we had to use the car was when we
played tennis at the public courts at Alpha Lake in Creekside, a
ten-minute drive away.
The Peak2Peak gondola ride is a short walk from Marketplace Lodge. You
get great views from the top of each mountain, and you have an
opportunity to hike, though only a few trails were open in mid-July, as
snow was taking longer than usual to melt. If you’re lucky, you may see
black bears from the gondola (we didn’t, but if we had gone at dusk, we
might have). The Ziptrek zipline tour (meeting point a short walk from
the condo) was also fun – five lines, one of which is compared to
jumping off a 30-storey building, crossing the equivalent of six city
blocks and landing on a ten-storey building. Another line is set up so
you can ride the whole thing upside down, should you wish.
The hot tub on the third (top) floor of the lodge is a relaxing spot at
the end of the day. Read some comments about it being foamy, but that’s
only when the jets are turned on. As soon as you turn them off, the
bubbles disappear. It's hot and it's clean.
Daytime temperatures in Whistler are high in summer, and it stays warm
through the night, so we slept with all windows open. The downside to
this is that you may hear the occasional noisy drunks crossing the
Marketplace parking lot in the early hours of the morning. However, I
suspect condos along the Village Stroll are more prone to this, as
they’re closer to bars and clubs, and Whistler does have the reputation
of being a bit of a party town. If it gets too much, you can always shut
the windows and turn on the fan.
We enjoyed our stay at this apartment and would definitely recommend it.
Guest Review of the Marketplace Lodge Whistler
Jun 23, 2010
Be prepared to stay here, first and foremost if you check in after 9 pm
you deal with a intercom and a answering service in SQUAMISH!!! who 1)
gives you the wrong parking stall number and a 6 digit code you have to
memorize as you are not asked if you have a pen and paper, you have 30
seconds to get to the elevator once "buzzed" in. Bring you own batteries
for the remote control.........their dead, if you do late check in be
prepared for the front desk to call over and over to come sign in. Room
227 needs lots of repairs in walls, the rooms were very very musty we
had to use cologne to freshen it, the rooms are hot, if you open the
windows be prepared to listen to construction starting at 8 am or kids
yelling in the play ground. If you are not ou by 10 am housekeeping will
knock and knock and 3 men standing there barely able to speak English
stating over and over check out is 10 am check out is 10 am, meanwhile
you get charged 30.00!!!! for a hour and a half late check out !!!!! and
they keep the imprint of your credit card, I have stayed at other
resorts in Whistler, they give me my imprint!! You are told abruptly to
get out of the hot tub, we are closed we are closed, it was 10:03 pm,
they close at 10 pm. Going up for my birthday this year was VERY VERY
disappointing and frustrating, do not bother contacting upper level
management cause their response is.........they re individually owned,
they take no responsibility nor offer compensation, I should have stayed
in a hostel lol. Better still Pan Pacific where you are treated with
respect.
Guest Review of the Marketplace Lodge Whistler
May 29, 2010
From the portfolio pictures and professionalism of booking process I had
high expectations for my stay. Additionally, the location proclaimed it
had a strict 25+ only policy. After parking and getting our luggage in
the elevator, we're swarmed by a gaggle of drunken teenagers (so much
for the age policy) going up in the elevator with us. We got to our
floor and the place looked like an apartment building from the 80s - a
dump. There were different parties of drunken kids going out of their
room on the way to party in the village. Our room itself was nice, it
looked renovated compared to how the rest of the building looked, and
had everything we needed, but we could hear partying from other rooms.
The hot tub on the roof was repelling - it had a foot of foam and didn't
look like it had been cleaned in months. Location is not optimal, it
took 15 minutes of walking to get to the gondolas - it's at the very
edge of the village. Before we checked out we tidied up the room and
ensured all dishes were in the dishwasher and garbage in the bins, and
folded all the bedsheets, etc. Two weeks later I find a random charge
for 30$ on my credit card bill from Whistler Retreats - I called
immediately to inquire about this charge and the agent I talked to says
they will pass it on to a manager. I wasn't called back for a week, then
called back again and again was told it would be passed on. The agent
also tells me the charge is due to "excessive housekeeping", and says
she'll pass my concern to the manager. It's been 3 weeks since I've
called and no one yet has called me back - poor customer service, and
being charged for an invented fee has been very frustrating. If I wanted
the same overall experience I would have stayed at a hostel.
Guest Review of the Marketplace Lodge Whistler
Apr 30, 2010
The pull out bed from the sofa was horrible. The mattress should have
been replaced years ago. Might be OK for children but we paid extra for
2 additional young adults. Pillows were "lumpy". Poor TV - few channels
and cabinet unit door would not stay open.
Otherwise basic and a good sized 1 BR unit . Convenient location for
free ski bus. Next time we will pay a bit more and upgrade.
Guest Review of the Marketplace Lodge Whistler
Feb 23, 2010
This hotel may not have all the proper hotel service but you cannot go
wrong!
I rented a 1 bedroom suite with a kitchen and although it looks like it
is wearing down a bit it is definitely a great place to stay. The
location is excellent, walking distance to the lifts and shopping, the
price cannot be beaten. If you haven't been to whistler you will see the
prices of the hotels and then this one is way less! I have stayed there
on 3 different occasions and will be returning there next whistler trip
for sure. |
