My sister-in-law had her wedding at the Four Points by Sheraton Kingston. I thought it would be fun for us to spend the night in the hotel (even though we live in Kingston.) That way we could stay at the wedding until the kids are literally asleep on their feet.
*We were provided a junior suite at the Four Points at Media Rate, parking included, in return for this review on my blog. The opinions expressed are those of my family and myself.*
As part of the pre-wedding business, we had to be at the hotel for 1:30pm. Regular check-in time is 3:00. So we unloaded all the sound equipment (and by “we” I mostly mean my husband because the girls and all were all dressed up for the party!) and spent some time getting that put together. When we did go to the front desk, at about 2:00, we were able to check in early. That was a pleasant surprise.
The parking lot for this hotel is underneath the hotel. I think there were 4 levels and we could have grabbed a spot on the first one if we hadn’t wanted to be close to the elevator. We fit in there fine in our Dodge Ram 1500. The lot is available for any downtown Kingston visitors, with an hourly rate. The overnight price to park for the hotel is $16. You do get unlimited in and out privileges and an easy to use swipe card for that purpose.
Our junior suite was on the 9th floor – that’s as high as you can go in the Four Points! I was quite surprised at the size of the suite. While I was negotiating our stay I was told the junior suites are quite small. I won’t disagree with that statement but it was perfectly ample for us to sleep in. The room was slightly larger than a regular double room (quite a few wedding guests were staying at the hotel so we went into a few other rooms) but it was shaped perfectly to have a bedroom, sitting area (with pull-out couch), and bathroom.
There was a tv in each sleeping space, so when I brought the girls up (when they were dead on their feet at 9pm) I got them into bed and then I went into our “room” and watched some tv. I did most of that watching through my eyelids, but it was nice that the option was there! My husband came up after the wedding was over and he had tidied up his equipment. He was able to come in the door, hang a right into the washroom, and then exit through the second door to the washroom which went into our bedroom. The girls didn’t even stir.
I don’t know how many rooms actually have a balcony, but ours did. You can stand on the balcony and take a gaze across the city. I think you’d be lucky to fit a chair outside but it was nice to get a breath of air and feel the breeze for a minute. I always enjoy looking out over the city from different vantage points around town. It’s interesting to recognize the landmarks from (slightly) above!
In the morning I decided the bed was actually quite comfortable. I didn’t have sore hips or legs like I sometimes get sleeping on a less-comfortable mattress. Pillows always leave something to be desired for me. I should know enough to bring my own when I’m travelling. But for one night, hotel pillows are fine.
My husband had one small complaint about the shower. It’s the same complaint he has at every single hotel we stay in. He’s 6’2 and the shower head is always mounted too low on the wall for him. The shower at the Four Points had tons of pressure but it did kind of shoot directly across the bathtub and it wouldn’t angle down enough for my liking either. We got clean perfectly fine, but hotel showers are not usually very indulgent anyway.
We did take a trip to the pool. The water was nice, always a little colder than I prefer but the kids loved it. What I don’t love is when the pool is in a quite small enclosed space with no sound absorption. When kids are having fun they are often loud. Those lovely, happy, loud sounds really echo in a small pool enclosure. This is not a unique problem at the Four Points by any stretch – I’ve noticed this at many hotels over the years. The hot tub was very hot, though – nice to relax in. It also was quite small. The signs on the wall suggested only 2 persons at a time. No one obeyed this rule, and yet nothing terrible happened.
Breakfast is available at the King Street Sizzle restaurant located on the lobby level of the hotel. There’s no included continental breakfast or anything so we went there to eat. It was quiet, they had a small kids menu, and it cost us about $50 for 4 breakfasts. Pretty average. It filled our tummies enough so we could go swimming in the pool!
Check out was also quick and easy. They had my card number on file from the reservation and the just put the amount on it without needing anything from me. We left the hotel around 10am but check out isn’t until noon.
If you are planning a visit to downtown Kingston I would happily suggest this hotel as a comfortable place to stay. It was quiet (I didn’t hear any wedding guests/participants returning to the floor, except my husband), clean and everyone was friendly. I love the suite idea when travelling with kids – just to give a little more breathing room for mom and dad after the kids need to get to sleep.
The website for the Four Points by Sheraton can be found here. There are lots of great pictures of the inside of the hotel there. I chose not to clutter my review with photos that are easy to see in their website. When booking our stay I emailed with the hotel staff directly so I can’t really comment on their reservation system. I did call the hotel a few times before our arrival and the folks on the other end were always friendly and helpful. The kids had a great time – sleeping somewhere that isn’t home and has a pool is always great fun for them! And it was nice for us to just go “upstairs” when the girls were ready for bed.
~Jess
PS – The wedding was beautiful and perfectly nerdy. I would also suggest looking at the Four Points if you’re needing a wedding venue in town.
