Name: Backpacker College at Wilfrid Laurier University
Address: 200 King Street N, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, N2J 4Z4, Canada
Rating: 6

Air conditioning

Elevator/lift

Smoke-free property

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Shower

Rooms

Accessibility features

Accessibility

Laundry

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Common kitchen

Vending machine

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Free parking

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Event facilities

Meeting and presentation facilities

Conference Hall

Business

Cycling

Fitness facilities

Sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hostel

Room amenities

Region of Waterloo International Airport

Hamilton Airport

Backpacker College at Wilfrid Laurier University

Waterloo

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

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23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

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3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

First the good: the wifi was good and reliable; the location was great for university-related activities; and the beds were ok.
Now the not-so-good: unfortunately the scope of cleaning is limited to changing the beds and laying out 2 towels, 2 little wrapped soaps, and 2 unwrapped plastic glasses per bedroom. There was no sign that floors, countertops or bathrooms had been cleaned for quite some time. This could be an easy fix and make a huge difference in the use of the residence as a hotel. Especially in today's world, cleanliness is just not optional anymore. I realize the room description is clear, but I would remind future guests that there is nothing in the kitchen other than a fridge and stove.
We intended to stay longer but the room condition was unacceptable. The staff were understanding and let us check out early with no penalty. 

An unfortunate experience.

It was simple, big, lots of space.  We had a college apartment style dorm, so it didn't have the amenities of a full service hotel.  However, we simply needed a place to stay that was convenient and cost effective.

Nice affordable student housing with all basic amenities.

Where could you stay with 3 or more kids more cost effectively? These are university dorms cum hotel rooms duting the summer months when students are out of school. We stayed in a five bed suite. The toiletries were nothing to write home about,the sheets were basic and the blankets worn, but it was passably clean. For a longer term stay a quick trip to your favorite discount store to pick up better blankets and sheets is minimal cost (and you could use them at your next dorm stay -or just use your sleeping bag). There was a kitchen with a full fridge and stove and you could rent a microwave, a box of dishes and a TV.  We had 3 showers and 3 toilets -a dream with 3 kids. The Internet access was outstanding!! Being near Laurier and the University of Waterloo there were also tons of restaurant options and you are 2 minutes to St.Jacobs Market. ..All with the added bonus of putting the uni bug in your kids' ear.

Budget at its Best

I understand that 'Hotel Laurier' is made up of a couple of different properties that are dormitories for university students. I was staying at Waterloo Hall on Seagram Street, so I don't know what the other properties are like. However, I hated my stay here and actually left two days early to stay somewhere else.  Admittedly, I am not their target audience as I'm used to a slightly better standard of accommodation so if you don't mind basic then it might be alright for you.

The room is very utilitarian. The bed is a single and the linen provided was terrible - the bottom sheet was not fitted and would come off the bed easily to expose the cheap rubber mattress. There was one thin pillow. The room was drastically overheated and remained so despite my asking for the temperature to be turned down.  The light in the (shared) bathroom was not working and was not fixed after asking for it to be. There were no clothes hangers in the closet. Others in our group wanted to use an iron and ironing board, but there were none in the building. There was no staff onsite for most of the time, you had to call an office in another building across campus if you had any questions or problems. Although I didn't have too much trouble with noise, others found it very noisy depending where their room was. The wifi worked well, but I'm not sure if it is included in their rate or not.

Just for students

We actually stayed at the King's Court Residence which is located at 365 King St N. Great choice if you are traveling with kids. Our unit had 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. They don't come with a microwave or TV but do have great wifi. They could do a better job of letting you know that you have to actually sign in and get your key fobs at the location at 200 King St instead of posting a notice inside the back entrance of the hotel at 365 King St N.

Budget Minded

I stayed at Hotel Laurier for 5 nights while attending a conference at the University. So in that respect it was very convenient. It was a little unexpected as a Hotel and would better be described as a Hall of Residence or Dorm as others have mentioned. I stayed in a room as opposed to one of the self contained flats. 

The room was very small with a solid board single bed, wardrobe, a small sink and desk - just like what students need all over the world. It had cable internet and if you are part of Eduroam it is possible to pick it up in the room. The room was yellow in colour and breeze block in texture (my eyes, my eyes!!), rather like a monastic cell, which did not encourage one to dwell in the room for any length of time when awake. 

This urge to be not in the room was also helped by the shared bathroom. Well actually a room joining two rooms containing a toilet and a pod shower. You can tell someone is in the bathroom by the noise of the shower and other noises. Luckily, or not, one of my colleagues was in the adjoining room so we were able to arrange some signal and also knew when it was breakfast time. Handy really as breakfast was not included and so we had to find it elsewhere. 

This turned out to be easy but with uninspiring choices from Starbucks generic to the ubiquitous Tim Horton's range of ordinariness. We did eventually find a diner just around the corner which was slightly less ordinary.  

While breakfast was ordinary we did find places that sold Elk Burger and Bison Burger in the evening further down the long wide straight road running in front of the hotel.  

While this may not be to everyones taste it did provide the feeling of being an undergraduate again  - however the undergraduate theme park experience luckily did not include binge drinking, loud corridor shouting at night and the accompanying hangover.

Ah, the student life. An Undergraduate theme park experience.

This is not a proper hotel, it's actually the dorm/apartments used by students of the Wilfrid Laurier University during the semester. So, being student accommodations, one should not expect to find 5-stars bed, sheets or pillows. I stayed for nearly 2 months in the 200 King Street North dorms while taking an internship in the town. Linens, blankets and towels were changed biweekly; the bathroom can be cleaned upon request (just let the folks at the reception know it). The setting: two bedrooms sharing one toilet, from which you have direct access from your bedroom. For your private use, there is a single bed, a desk with a chair, a wardrobe and shelves. Sink and mirror are in the bedroom too, you only share the toilet and shower. The dorm building I stayed in had ac.

Every floor has a common lounge with sofas, tv, stove, oven, microwave and fridge for communal use. You need to bring your own kitchen utensils or rent them from the reception (you can also rent a tv set for your room - payment for both is on a weekly basis). The building has laundry on-site and you can buy soap from the reception. Every 2 weeks a round occurs and the staff go into the rooms to check if nothing was destroyed (they don't ask for deposit when you check-in). If you're in the room, you can ask them to come back later. You are responsible for the cleaning of your unit.

Overall, it was an ok experience. Didn't have major issues while there: the people I met on my floor were nice and the staff at the reception area too. They were all Laurier students, so if you're from out of town they can definitely point you out places to eat, hang out, have some drinks... The first night I stayed in I noticed the sink's drain was clogged and one of the lights in the room was not working. I talked to them in the next morning and by the time I came back from work, both issues were fixed. They also provide internet - via wifi or ethernet cable. For some odd reason, wifi was unstable during the first month I stayed there, but cable connection was perfect - and very fast.

I don't think one can find a cheaper accommodation in central Waterloo. The bus stop is right in front of the hotel. GO Buses stop a corner down the road.

Backpacker College at Wilfrid Laurier University

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