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C$289
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About
4.5
#1 of 23 hotels in St. John's
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Located on the corner of Water Street and Prescott Street, Alt Hotel St. John’s overlooks the harbour and offers a stunning view through The Narrows. The picture-perfect vista is an ideal complement to the hotel’s proximity to downtown businesses and restaurants, to the Convention Centre as well as to the region’s main attractions, such as the lively George Street, Signal Hill, and the charming Quidi Vidi Village. The rooms representing the province’s rich fauna and nature feature luxury bedding and work desks with ergonomic chairs, as well as HD televisions, free Wi-Fi and Keurig coffeemakers. Outside your room, you will find an underground parking, a counter offering ready-to-eat dishes, a well-equipped gym, 6 meeting and event spaces and special offers.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Great View
Trendy
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish, Hindi and 2 more
Location
125 Water St, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1C 5X4 Canada
Alt Hotel St. John's
318 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Alt Hotel St. John's has won the hearts of many travelers with its immaculate rooms and commendable cleanliness. Guests are enamored by the stunning harbor views and the modern flair of the accommodations, although a few mention the rooms could benefit from more amenities.
The hotel's location is a highlight, conveniently nestled amidst bustling local eateries and shops. While opinions on the hotel's value are varied, the staff's exceptional service and the property's unique ambiance are consistently applauded, contributing to its European boutique charm.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Eclectic
Rooms
Modern
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Satisfactory
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This hotel is in a great location right on the harbourfront in the middle of town. When I first investigated it, reservations allowed me to access their very good CAA/AAA rate with an Australian car club card, but I saw a yet better new rate, stay three nights and pay for two. When I went to book it the next morning, however, the rate had disappeared, so I inquired what had happened. I was told that it was a promotion that wasn't approved and it shouldn't have been put on the website, but as I'd seen it I could have it. Now that's what I call top customer service. When I arrived Reception staff were super-friendly, made sure I could have my room though it was three hours before check-in time, and when they heard I had walked from St. John's airport they said I must be sure to stay hydrated and handed me a large bottle of mineral water. Nice. The room was fairly small but the bathroom was spacious; decor is modern Scandinavian, there's a desk with adjustable chair, and it's well supplied with power outlets and USB ports (and a Nespresso machine). Extremely comfortable bed and pillows, and a big TV with a huge range of stations. My room faced the harbour and the view of ships coming and going was great. There is also a sun terrace right on the waterfront, a lovely place to sit (socially distanced tables) in good weather. I'll definitely stay here again.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Worth paying extra for the harbour view rooms.
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Sep 15, 2020
Thank you so much for your kind words! Our team is still very impressed you walked from the airport. :) We are delighted to know you enjoyed your stay with us and hope to see you again very soon! Clarah and the Alt Hotel Team clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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The Alt Hotel feels more like a boutique hotel than any other we stayed at in Newfoundland. You definitely get a Le Germain vibe and the rooms and common spaces are perfectly appointed. The view over the harbour from the upper rooms is fabulous as is the location on Water Street.
When we were staying they had a great Thai pop-up on the patio that served delicious snacks include a number of vegetarian options (not as common as you'd think in St. John's).
The only thing that keeps this from being a five star review is the service which was friendly but not reflective of what the brand is trying to achieve. For example, asking about happy hour turned into a comedy involving at least five people and ended with the conclusion that there was, in fact, no happy hour offered by the hotel. That being said, the host of the on-site restaurant ended up giving us a discount on our first drink order which was appreciated. Free on-site parking for hotel guests would have also been appreciated especially with other amenities unavailable due to COVID.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Aug 10, 2021
Bonjour Brent, thank you so much for your feedback. I am very glad you enjoyed the hotel and our amenities. We are very fortunate to live and work in such a gorgeous setting and we could not be happier our guests enjoy it too! I am sorry you felt the service was not up to par with you know and expect from Le Germain and Alt Hotels. This is not what we like to read and I can assure you this is not up to our standard. I am not trying to make excuses, as our team should have been better informed and should have communicated better, but there was a small communication miss between the restaurant in the hotel that has since been addressed and fixed. While our goal is to provide friendly and exceptional service at all times, in all transparency, our teams have gone from very quiet to very busy in a very quick period and with that, comes some adjustments that we are working on every day to make better. Comments like yours help us identify areas of opportunity and I thank you for it. Finally, while we can't offer parking since it's managed by a third party, the current rates do reflect the current situation and the level of service / amenities unavailable during COVID. We strive to give our guests the best possible experience, at the best possible value. I do hope we will be able to welcome you again and that our team will leave a better impression on you. Until then, please feel free to contact me directly should you want to address or discuss anything in regards to your stay! Sincerely, Clarah Germain clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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This is probably the perfect hotel for downtown St. John's. The location is perfect for heading south to the heart of town, or trekking north to Signal Hill or Quidi Vidi. The rooms are great--I highly recommend a harbour view room! We made use of the hotel restaurant Terre on a couple occasions, and the food was fantastic. We also really liked the common areas. On one cold rainy night, we played billiards. On a warm, sunny morning, we sat with tea at a picnic table overlooking the harbour. It was a wonderful stay! The only thing I would change is adding a tiny shelf for personal toiletries inside the shower. Other than that, it was perfect.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Jun 8, 2022
Dear JSplain, thank you SO much for the kind words on our hotel and restaurant! We love that you loved it so much. We are also so pleased that you enjoyed our common areas - it is a dream come true to see our guests and community alike treating the lobby like their home. Thank you for your feedback on the shower. We will definitely take a look at it. Have a lovely day and we do hope to see you again very soon! Clarah and the Alt Hotel team clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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There’s a lot to like about the Alt in St. John’s. It’s walkable to restaurants, bars, and the waterfront. Parking and climate control work well. It looks clean, casual, and new (very Ikea) and even our room that wasn’t directly facing the water still had a beautiful view of it.
But the Alt has sacrificed a lot of practicality in the interest of style.
Do you enjoy sleeping in a dark room? The Alt has a bright automatic night light built into the bathroom power outlet, and the wall separating the shower from the bedroom is frosted glass with a picture of a puffin. Adorable! But together these features mean there’s light shining on your face as you try to sleep.
Do you enjoy sleeping past dawn? The Alt provides powered blackout shades that roll down at the push a button. Neat! But they’re mounted 2-3 inches away from the windows, so lots of daylight easily gets around them as soon as the sun rises.
Do you like surprising bangs? The ironing board hangs on the back of the closet door. Practical! Except every time you get your coat the bottom of the board swings away from the door and then bangs back into it.
Do you enjoy tea? Alt is one of the only hotels we’ve visited recently that provides none. You can’t even get hot water from the type of Nespresso machine they provide.
Do you require wifi? In three nights, we could never get it to work. You’re supposed to enter your name and room number when prompted, but no prompt ever came on our iPhones. We visited the front desk for help, and they told us to return to our room and wait for a call from tech support. No call ever came, and no one from the front desk followed up with us.
We had a mixed experience at the Alt and would consider other options for our next stay in St. John’s.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded May 10, 2022
Good morning Dave, Thank you so much for your feedback. As we are working on completing a digital room features document to make it easier for our guests in a post COVID days, your comments really will help us make sure nothing is missed. I do hope the front desk team was able to address some of these points with you when you enquired, but please allow me to touch some issues here: The automatic night bulb in the washroom is there for security purposes but can absolutely be turned off. The button is right by the bulb itself. Thank you for the feedback on the black out blinds. While most of our guests do appreciate the blinds, I can understand the light lines can bother some guests that enjoy to sleep in a pitch black space. It's something I have discussed with our maintenance as a future project. To be very transparent, we have never had a comment about the ironing board, but thank you for bringing it to our attention. Please be assured that we will be taking a closer look at this issue. As per tea, we do offer complimentary Camellia Sinensis tea at the front desk, and are happy to bring you a kettle upon request. Finally, I am sincerely sorry that WiFi did not work for you. It should absolutely be a seamless experience (luckily, it is most of the time) and we sincerely apologize for not doing a proper follow up. While I can certainly understand that a series of irritants left you with mixed feelings about us, I really do hope that you will give us a second chance to make a good impression upon your next stay with us. I am available at your convenience should you wish to discuss any of these matters furthers. I would also love to have your full name and the room you stayed in so I can add a few notes in your profile (i.e. your preference for tea so we can make sure your room is equipped with everything it needs before your arrival in any of our Le Germain, Alt or Escad hotels). Sincerely, Clarah Germain Director of Rooms Division clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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My wife and I booked a 10 day stay while touring the province. Initially, I contacted the hotel direct and reserved a waterfront room. Looking forward to a stay at the ALT with a good downtown location. Once inside our waterfront view room we immediately noticed that we had an unobstructed view of the parking lot below and buildings beside us. Not a waterfront view as promised.
The room itself Is powered by your card being placed in a wall receptacle in the entrance way. Without that card, you have no power in your suite. Twice during our stay our card failed leaving us in total darkness without electricity. The front staff attended to our malfunction promptly, stating that they had not experienced that before.
With regards to the room, we found it very small and cramped. Room only for 1 suitcase to be placed on chair. The second suitcase had to be stored near the bathroom and taken out every time items were required.
I was very surprised to see that the floor had several creaking boards which must have been very annoying to the guests below us. This in my opinion indicated the construction of the building to be of very poor standards. This is supposed to be a new Hotel, not a Historic building.
In closing, the staff were always respectful and helpful during our shortened stay. We decided to cancel our long stay to 4 days and move over to the Sheraton which offered 24 Hour room service.
I would not recommend this Hotel to others if they and expecting an upscale hotel.
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Date of stay: November 2021
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Nov 9, 2021
Dear TD, thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with your feedback - even if it's not the kind we like to see. We are truly sorry your stay was not up to your expectations. While I would love to have a chat with you directly, let us address a few of your concerns here : We are sorry you did not enjoy the view you had. All of our harbour view rooms face the active harbour of St. John's, and we are lucky enough to offer one of the most unobstructed views of the Narrows in town! Our rooms with two queen beds all offer a direct view on the Battery and a partial Harbour view. If you don't mind, I would love to know which room you were in so I can follow up with our team to make sure we don't make promises we can't keep. :) I am glad the team was prompt and helpful with you and your wife in regards to the technical issue on the card. This is indeed the first time this incident happens. We will take the necessary actions to make sure the problem is avoided in the future. Now, as per the room, we are very sorry to read that they were not for you. Alt Hotels prides itself in creating rooms that, while on the smaller side, are extremely functional and smart. We like to think they are the perfect basecamp to explore our gorgeous surroundings. We are disappointed you did not like it but are happy another hotel in town provided you with what you were looking for. On another note, thank you for pointing out the creaking floor boards, which are indeed a small design fault we are almost done repairing, with just very few rooms left with this issue. While we assure you they are not heard by the neighbours, we are aware that they can bother some guests in their rooms and for that, we sincerely apologize. That said, while human error happens, we can assure you that all Germain Hotels constructions are done with the highest standards. Shall you wish to do so, I would love to discuss your reservation further and, perhaps, try to make it up to you. Again, thank you for your feedback and we do hope that, overall, you had a lovely trip in gorgeous Newfoundland. Sincerely, Clarah Germain Director of Rooms Division clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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What an amazing property! I highly recommend you stay at the Alt when visiting St. John's. The rooms are very well appointed, clean and modern. I stayed in one of the rooms overlooking the harbour and the entire wall is a giant window. The view is stunning, although I learned from going out on a boat that you should ensure you are walking around with clothes on when the blinds are up! There are control panels by the bed and at the front door that control the temperature, lights and blinds. I am usually used to searching a hotel room to try and figure out how to turn on various lights and this was a nice treat. There is a Nespresso machine with delicious coffee; a wonderful rain shower and lots of storage for a longer stay, including drawers under the bed. You can also control whether you want your room made up or not to be disturbed from the control panels without having to use those annoying door hangers. Even the iron was high quality, which was important on a business trip. Also, Terre restaurant has wonderful service and the food is unique and delicious. Try the Lobster Hashbrown at dinner and Clarah's Breakfast in the morning. Makes a great late night cocktail stop too, where they will invent new cocktails based on your personal preferences (tequila negroni with hints of strawberry was outstanding)
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Get a room with harbour view if available.
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded May 30, 2023
Wow wow wow! Thank you so very much for these kind words. We could not be more delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and your meals at Terre so much (and yes, Clarah's breakfast is fantastic ;-)). We can't wait to welcome you again! Clarah and the Alt team clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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Great location on Water St just a short walk from George St. Upgrade to the waterfront view - floor to ceiling window gave an amazing view. Cool electronics in the room activated with the room key. Quiet. Excellent take out breakfast Cafe. Fine dining Terre restaurant on main floor. Reasonable $10 daily underground parking Very Highly Recommended!!
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Upgrade to Harbour view - it's amazing
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Jan 7, 2022
Thank you so very much for the kind words, we appreciate it more than you know. We are so happy you enjoyed our hotel and its amenities and we very much look forward to welcoming you again. Have a lovely day! Clarah and the Alt Hotel Team clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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Alt St. John's is a really nice hotel and the property is funky and very functional. Rooms are typical "ALT" / ESCAD style and are minimalist in nature. The staff are very friendly and accommodating and the hotel is located in a lovely part of the downtown and it is right on the harbor ! My room was a "harbor view but I was notified that this is a $40 / per night upgrade charge - but since I was only in town for 2 days I said; why not its only the taxpayers money?! "Some of the nit picky items that I encountered during my stay were; low / fluctuating water pressure in the shower with drops and / or increases in temperature. The remote control for my TV needed new batteries. The lighting control seemed to be overly elaborate and I could not get a lighting pattern that I found to be ideal for work or rest and either all of the lights needed to be on or none of them. I wished that I could have turned on a portion of the lights to improve the ambiance. I have a degree in electrical engineering but maybe I was doing something wrong?! Of note is that the rooms do not come with refrigerators and a little bar size fridge might have been a nice touch to store beer, snacks etc. Overall, it was a very nice stay at the ALT with some small improvements needed for full marks.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Harbor view rooms have a $40 day surcharge
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Nov 27, 2023
Dear Sam B, Thank you so much for taking the time to give us feedback and for being a loyal guest of Alt and Escad! :) We could not be happier you enjoyed your stay! Thank you for your comments on the few little irritants in the room. Some are fixed already, and we do have a small guide to use the smart panels that we will make sure to put in your room on your next stay. For future references, some of our rooms do come with fridges and when they do not, we are more than happy to deliver one to the room, free of charge. We do hope we will have the pleasure of seeing you again, Sincerely, Clarah Germain and the Alt team clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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We stayed three nights at the Alt Hotel St. John's and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The hotel is very new and very modern, with a lot of modern touches and stylish decor. It's very well situated on Water Street, just a stone's throw from all shops and restaurants in the downtown core. The rooms are small but functional, with a very comfortable bed - a huge plus after several long days of walking the hills of St. John's. We had a harbour view room, which was nice to look at though the port is rather industrial.
The front desk staff are professional and efficient, though it did seem like I was bothering them the couple of times I had to visit with a question. There is a little corner with some drinks and snacks for purchase, and the Terre Cafe makes excellent coffee and breakfast sandwiches.
Parking was good and I was always able to find a spot. As noted on their website, you'll want to be careful about the size of vehicle you're bringing - the ceilings in the garage seemed really low. I was a bit confused when I arrived for check in as I wasn't sure if I needed a parking chit from the front desk to get in the garage. You can just enter and take a ticket from the machine and discard it, and use the chit you get upon check in to get in and out.
One small note is that there seemed to be a plumbing issue the week we were there, as the shower was very, very slow to drain. A 5 minute shower all but filled up the stall floor with water, and it took a good 15 minutes for the water to completely drain. When I called the front desk on the first night, I was told there was an ongoing issue with shower drains. It didn't really bother me that much as the water did eventually drain.
Overall, an excellent place to stay if you're in St. John's.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Request the top floor to avoid any noise that passes through the ceiling.
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Aug 26, 2021
Bonjour! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! First of all, we could not be more sorry if you felt like you were not welcomed by our front desk team, this is far from our intention. Our guests never ever bother us when they ask us questions. We love what we do and we are so happy to be able to welcome visitors in our province and hotel. Again, please accept our apologies if you felt like We are very glad you enjoyed the hotel and our amenities. We love it too and consider ourselves so lucky to work in this beautiful environment. :) We shared your feedback about the shower to our maintenance team. It has been an ongoing issue but we are working on permanent solutions to make sure rooms and bathrooms are extra relaxing for our guests. So thank you for mentioning it. :) We do hope we will get to welcome you again very soon, Clarah and the Alt team clarahgermain@germainhotels.com
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This hotel was lovely. We stayed for 1 night with our small dog Ryker. A doggie bed awaited us in our room upon arrival. Rooms were super chic, clean & up-to-date! Hotel staff were all very kind and helpful! Location was amazing! We walked a 3 minute walk to The Keg for dinner and the next morning we walked George Street and checked out all of the shops. Parking is tight underground - going to say an absolute NO for anything larger than a small SUV. Our car rental was small so it was not a problem for us! The experience was awesome, we had a fantastic stay! I would recommend this hotel in downtown St. Johns, NFLD
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Date of stay: October 2021
Value
Location
Service
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.
Response from Clarah Germain, Guest Services / Front Office at Alt Hotel St. John's
Responded Oct 15, 2021
Dear Kimberlee, Thank you SO much for your kind words! We are so glad you and Ryker enjoyed your stay with us. We hope to see you again very soon! Clarah and the Alt Hotel Team
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There are no fridges in the room, but I am believe you can request one at check in, or during your stay, and they will bring one up for you! We learned this too late, but when I recommended this at checkout, they told us of this option!
All pets are allowed and welcome! We simply kindly ask that pets are not left alone in the room. Please note that there is a $30 flat pet fee for your stay. :)
Hello Martine, our apologies for the delay in answering your question.
As noted by Justine, we do have underground heated parking at the hotel which is only $12 for the full day (overnight). Please note that the height restriction for the parking is 6 feet 2 inches. If you are driving a large vehicle, we invite you to contact our hotel directly and we will provide further details and alternatives.
Best,
Jeet Jani
There are more places to choose from in the St. John's area.
PRICE RANGE
C$240 - C$345 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
CanadaNewfoundland and LabradorNewfoundlandSt. John'sDowntown
NUMBER OF ROOMS
148
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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