Howard Johnson Nanaimo Harbourside

It was better than I expected it was going to be at this hotel. At first when I first checked I already had my expectations set at a low standard. But when going into my hotel room it actually felt better.
The water pressure in the shower is pretty decent and they do have plenty of towels in the room for you to use. I rented a room with two full size beds and had a party of 4, they did not mind. They Aldo gave use enough blankets to use as well. Their AC unit is very strong so I suggest not to turn it all the way up cause you will definitely catch a cold at night.
They currently have a old school thick TV but that doesn’t bother me. The only negative experience I had at the hotel was that the people above me was so damn noisy and the people at the hotel didn’t do anything about it. I had the room right next to the lobby and I’m PRETTY SURE those people at the lobby could hear all the banging that was going on upstairs. The hotel should have sent one of their employees up there and threatened the people to stop.

Hotel is in a very convenient location, like others have said it’s a no frills hotel. Suite was very clean and well maintained, the pool was fun for my kids and the staff are very strict about the pools open and close times. My only complaint is the non existant wireless internet, i saw people trying to get a better signal sitting in the hallway. Also, the bed was so soft that it was actually really uncomfortable to sleep on. Never went to the restaurant so my review is strictly for the hotel.

The guy working there seemed friendly, the room was kind of lower end and what you would expect from a cheaper hotel.
However we woke up covered in bed bug bites. Upon inspecting the room more we saw tell tale signs of them such as blood marks on the towels.
We lucked out and were careful enough to stop any from hitchhiking home on our luggage. We tried to email them to complain and let them know, but didn’t receive any reply.

Decent value with an excellent location. Convenient to the Ferry. The rooms are basic and no frills, but the hallways are in need of some TLC.
The pool area is nice however, the adjacent restaurant is very blah

Is it a fancy hotel? No. But for the price it’s way better than what I would have expected. Room was very basic — bed, cable TV, Internet. Very clean.
The add ons make this hotel even more worth it. Breakfast at their restaurant is included ($ 5.95 value per person) and was way better than your typical continental breakfast. You can also get passes to the gym next door which is miles better than your standard treadmill and smith machine in the corner. They also have a nice outdoor pool and ample parking.
I’ve also stayed at the Best Western Dorchester which is a decent amount more expensive and really, you get less. I would book again at the HoJo for sure.

One of the least pricy hotels in Nanaimo. Standard fare, was just looking for a place to crash coming off the ferry. Good cable tv and free internet. Very pleasant staff. Nice made to order breakfast (bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, toast) that was way better than the continental breakfasts served at most hotels of this level and was included in the price of the room. The restaurant waitstaff were thinly staffed but obviously working very hard and were still quite pleasant.
Three star hotel, but the nice staff and good breakfast bump it to 4 stars in my book.