Burnside Hotel

My review will focus solely on the Burnside Hotel’s restaurant, which was the weekend breakfast spot of choice for my family for many years. I have never spent a night in one of its rooms.
Pros:
— Fantastic prices!
— Quick, pleasant service.
— Standard breakfast fare — you can’t go wrong with the bacon/​eggs/​toast/​etc. I tried the blueberry pancakes once and wasn’t overly impressed, but every other meal I’ve had has been fine.
— The dining room is usually never more than a third full, so you never feel pressured to inhale your food and get out. This also ensures that you don’t have to listen to the conversations of other diners the whole time.
— Ample parking.
— We’ve never arrived at a time when the breakfast buffet was open, but I’m certain that it’s offered.
Cons:
— Décor is pretty dated.
— I have occasionally noticed the smell of stale cigarette smoke lingering in the lobby.
Worth trying for a reasonably priced breakfast if you happen to be in the area!

Stayed one night. Front staff was friendly and quick.
For an older hotel the rooms were very clean. No complaints.
The breakfast is awesome in the morning.
Will return next time up.

What can I say. I was attending a workshop yesterday, and when I got the information about the time and location it was the Burnside Hotel. I attended a workshop here in 1996 when it was a Howard Johnson’s and it was great, so while skeptical I decided that it would be fine.
Upon entering the lobby, there was a TV blaring in the corner and no front desk staff. There were several burned out light bulbs and it smelled like stale cigarette smoke in spite of the «NO SMOKING BY HRM BYLAW» sign posted in the front door.
Finally another attendee of the workshop arrived and we found the meeting room, downstairs. It was incredibly damp, there was what appeared to me mold on the wall where the wallpaper was peeling, and I can say with absolute certainty that nothing has changed since 1996.
There were cobwebs everywhere, and the lovely people putting on the workshop, who, incidentally, were from out of town and so apologetic about the meeting location, had arrived to find empty beer bottles all over the tables and had to clean that up themselves.
About 15 minutes into the workshop the air conditioner (?) kicked in and started blowing acrid black smoke into the room. We immediately evacuated and called for help. It smelled like an electrical fire. A man arrived with the dirtiest looking fan I have ever seen in my life and set it up in the corner and… left.
We were, thankfully, able to book an alternate location. I can’t comment on the accommodations but based on the meeting facilities I would not plan a night here.