Canadian hotels

[Barney girl]

I'm travelling in Canada in a few weeks and am beginning to think about packing.
In the UK unless you're staying in a budget hotel you'd expect to have things like shower gel provided. Would that be the case in Canada too? I never like to assume as, for example, it's also standard to have tea and coffee making facilities in your room in the UK, but isn't on the Continent - much to my regret when I've been on cycling holidays.

[Rohanna]

Hey- glad to hear you're visiting

Most hotels I've stayed in here will have  shampoo and a bar of soap available. They usually have a coffee maker with coffee packets, tea bags and sugar packets/whitener packets. Some very very cheap ones in small towns might no have the coffee but I've  never seen one  without the toiletries.

[blue2000]

I agree. Most hotels have complimentary baskets with toiletries. If you would like to know what else any particular place has, they usually have a list on their website or a phone number you can call for info/reservations.

The last time I stayed overnight in a hotel for a trip, most of the rooms had a coffeemaker, fridge, wi-fi, and cable but only a few had a microwave. I was disappointed that all the 'microwave' rooms were taken. I had to eat my food cold!

[Outdoor Girl]

All the hotels I've stayed at lately provided bar soap for hand and body washing, as well as shampoo and conditioner or 2in1 shampoo.  A lot of them provided lotion, too.  They all had a coffee maker with coffee packets and tea bags available.

Some had mini fridges; some you could ask for one; some you had to pay extra to have one.  Very few had microwaves but some of them could supply one if you asked for it.

[Lynnv]

I am with everyone else.  All of the hotels in Canada that I have stayed in provided basic toiletries (soap, shampoo & conditioner) and a coffee maker/tea bags along with blow dryers.  The only exception was in a small town in a small non-chain hotel.  But that exception truly was a dumpy little hotel.

[RingTailedLemur]

The hotel I stayed in did.

What did confuse me is that I couldn't find the hairdryer - I even had to ask for one because I assumed it has been misplaced.  Then I suddenly realised that there were electric sockets in the bathroom and the hairdryer was in the cupboard in there!

[Sharnita]

not every hotel in the US has hairdryers.  It is not something I would count on.

[Outdoor Girl]

One hotel I stayed in a couple of summers ago didn't have a hair dryer in the room but you could get one from the front desk.

[Smitty]

Welcome to Canada! If your hotel has a website, the website should have a section labelled "amenities" that will list all the items in the room. Most will have soap and shampoo, and coffee/tea supplies. Have a great trip!

[sparksals]

not every hotel in the US has hairdryers.  It is not something I would count on.

I used to feel that way too and every single time, brought my hair dryer for no reason.   Took up precious luggage real estate.   I can't remember staying in a US or Canadian hotel that did not have a hair dryer.  If they don't, it is very rare in my experience.

[Barney girl]

Thanks to all who replied. I hadn't thought of checking under 'amenities'. I had been hunting the websites to find if these hotels had wi fi and eventually tracked that down with the information about shampoo etc.
That means less to pack.
I'm beginning to get excited about this trip and have booked my currency today. (can it only be coincidence that the conversion of Sterling to Canadian dollars is roughly the same as miles to km? ie divide by 8, multiply by 5.)

[sparksals]

You will also find in Canada there are more places with free WiFi... at least in most airports you can get it free.  You have to pay in US airports. 

[Lynnv]

You will also find in Canada there are more places with free WiFi... at least in most airports you can get it free.  You have to pay in US airports.

That is only true in some airports.  A pretty good percentage of the ones I have flown in and out of (and I fly a LOT for work) have free wi-fi.  It certainly isn't all of them.  But it is also not universally true that you pay for wi-fi in US airports.  My home airport (Denver) is one of the ones with free wi-fi. 

I never noticed wi-fi being more (or less) available in Canada than in the US.  There are loads of locations in both countries to find free wi-fi if you look for it.

[Rohanna]

Look for Mcdonalds, starbucks or Chapters- they tend to have free wifi.

[sparksals]

You will also find in Canada there are more places with free WiFi... at least in most airports you can get it free.  You have to pay in US airports.

That is only true in some airports.  A pretty good percentage of the ones I have flown in and out of (and I fly a LOT for work) have free wi-fi.  It certainly isn't all of them.  But it is also not universally true that you pay for wi-fi in US airports.  My home airport (Denver) is one of the ones with free wi-fi. 

I never noticed wi-fi being more (or less) available in Canada than in the US.  There are loads of locations in both countries to find free wi-fi if you look for it.

I know Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Regina airports have free WiFi.  Minneapolis, Dallas, Chicago,  Houston and LaGuardia all charge for WiFi - Been to all those in the last year.  MSP actually blocks your cell internet signal in certain portions of the airport forcing you to pay if you want to check your phone.  I have yet to be in a US airport with free WiFi.  Wonder if there is a list somewhere. ... there is:

The only major airports missing here is Winnipeg and Trudeau in Montreal.
[size=-1]Canada
 Edmonton Int. Airport - international departurers gates area - Leduc, Alberta
 Calgary International Airport - Calgary
 Banff Airporter office area - Calgary
 Charlottetown Airport - Charlottetown, PEI
 Dawson Creek Airport - Dawson Creek, BC
 Dryden Regional Airport - Dryden, Ontario
 Fort Nelson Airport - Fort Nelson, BC
 Fort St. John Airport - Fort St. John, BC
 Fredericton Airport - Fredericton, New Brunswick
 Halifax International airport - center court area on the main level and between gates 20-15 on the departures level of the Air Terminal Building - Halifax, Nova Scotia
 Kelowna Airport - Kelowna, British Columbia
 Ottawa Int. Airport - Ottawa, Ontario
 Quebec Airport - Quebec City, Quebec
 Regina Int. Airport - Regina, Sasketchewan
 Sault Ste Marie Airport - Sault Ste Marie
 St. John's International Airport - departure lounge and nearby - St. John's, Newfoundland
 Expedia Restaurant - Air Canada Terminal - Toronto
 Pearson International Airport - Toronto
 Vancouver International Airport - Vancouver
 Victoria International Airport - Victoria

US list is much longer, obviously:  http://www.wififreespot.com/airport.html  Looks like Major airports are not generous with the free Wifi unless you are a member of an airline.

When I went home the last couple times, I was at the mercy of Wifi since I had to turn data off from my droid otherwise the costs would be exhorbitant.  I was shocked at number of places I got a signal.
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