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4.5
#1 of 13 hotels in Kitchener
Location
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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.
Immerse yourself in the historic charm of The Walper Hotel, an iconic 1893 landmark set along the quaint streets of one of Kitchener, Ontario's oldest neighbourhoods. You'll be captivated by this building's amazing past, and charmed by its contemporary flare. From Eleanor Roosevelt's preferred breakfast location on the interior terrace to Lennox Lewis' boxing match in the Crystal Ballroom, to the tales of Al Capone's liquor smuggling operation in the cavernous basement restaurant, every nook and cranny in this Waterloo hotel has a story to tell.
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
Quiet
Modern
Languages Spoken
English
Location
20 Queen Street South, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 1V6 Canada
The Walper Hotel
552 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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The Walper Hotel stands out for its excellent location, a stone's throw from various downtown hot spots, according to guests. Reviewers are charmed by its blend of modern amenities and historic elegance, with a welcoming atmosphere that shines through its stylish decor. While the service is generally applauded for being attentive, a few guests have encountered slower service in the restaurant.
Rooms receive accolades for their cleanliness and comfort, despite some reports of quirky layouts. Additionally, the hotel's value and meticulous cleanliness are frequently mentioned in a positive light.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Welcoming
Rooms
Modern
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We recently stayed at the Walper while visiting the Unzipped exhibit at The Museum, which is directly across the street from the hotel. Parking is also just across from the hotel (and parking cost was very reasonable) so this location was really convenient. Hotel has been beautifully updated with modern decor, comfortable rooms. Evening dining room was closed (we were there on a Tuesday night) but breakfast next morning was very good. Highly recommend if you’re in Kitchener.
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Date of stay: November 2021
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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.
It was our first time going away as a couple since having our first child 3 years ago, we were burnt out from covid and desperately needed some alone time to reconnect and recharge. We already did Niagara Falls and muskoka previously with family and wanted to avoid the usual crowded staycation spots. I literally booked this trip the week before and found out that Hyatt offers packages for great prices. We paid 219 for a king room, 25 downtown dollars to be used at participating restaurants and 24 dollars breakfast vouchers for the hotel restaurant. They also included an art booklet and free use of the walper bikes. The rooms are fantastic, modern aesthetic and very clean and comfortable. It was busy as there was a wedding going on so we had to wait a little bit at guest services to check out the bike but it wasn’t an issue. The location is central and walking distance to everything..lots of cute photo ops around and not crowded at all. The TW social had great brunch and reasonable prices, we dined on the patio. We had dinner with our downtown dollars at the grand trunk saloon and had some delicious southern comfort food..fried chicken, fried Brussel sprouts and I hear they had amazing drinks but we aren’t drinkers so can’t attest to that unfortunately.
100%, 10/10 would recommend!! Me and my husband already want to return haha
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: August 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
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.
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I was fortunate enough to stay in room 530 which allowed me to avoid all the noise from the wedding receptions held on the weekend. The room was wonderfully appointed and the bed very comfortable. Since I was here for over a week, I got to know the people at reception quite well. They were very friendly and did everything to make my stay more pleasant. People like Jared, Koran and Sid were brilliant.
I had breakfast on my first day but was quite underwhelmed. The room was totally sterile, the food choices not quite what one would expect for breakfast.
Wifi was extremely slow, reminding me dial up service in the 1990s even though I was using a Mac Air.
On my third night, at midnight, some idiot from a wedding party turned on the fire alarm at midnight which was so annoying and yet not really the fault of the hotel.
The bathroom was big, clean and well lit but one had to turn on the shower ten minutes before entering because it took that long for the hot water to reach the room. Quite annoying.
The location of the hotel was perfect, close to numerous restaurants and bars.
Overall, the location, cleanliness and wonderful crew at reception outshone the negatives that I've noted above.
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Date of stay: August 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Ask for room 530!
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.
Food was good, but service lacks finesse. Our room had an old smell to it and the heater wasn't working. It was way too cold and drafty - front desk had to bring up a space heater. We stayed NYE, and our room, advertised as being in the quieter location of the building, was very loud; I could hear music and DJ through the floor, which was also shaking from the speakers. The bedroom decor was unusual, i wouldn't say modern. Bathroom was clearly newly renovated and clean, however. Great waterfall shower pressure. We stayed here because we were attending a wedding at the hotel. I would not choose to stay here again.
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
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 JessM2175, Public Relations Manager at The Walper Hotel
Responded 7 Jan 2020
Dear KDinhy, Thank you so much for taking the time to comment on your recent stay at The Walper Hotel. We like to think of feedback as a gift so, thank you very much for giving us yours! I'm very sorry to hear about your experience with us and the levels of noise you experienced throughout your stay. We would love to hear from you directly so, that we can discuss your time with us further! I'd love to kindly encourage you to reach out to our General Manager, Ann Marie Faria, at afaria@walper.com who would be more than happy to speak with you! Thanks again for your comments (they mean a lot to us) and we do hope to have the opportunity to host you again soon and, give you the true Walper Experience. Kindest regards, Jess McLean
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Comfortable room, that was clean on arrival. King sized bed. Excellent location, within walking distance to cafes, bars and restaurants. Friendly front desk staff. However, we had 2 major complaints: First, we had booked this hotel well in advance because we were coming to Kitchener for the annual Blues Festival. When we booked, we asked for a quiet room on a higher floor, away from traffic and street noise. The hotel accommodated us with a room on a higher floor, but our room was very noisy! We were facing the back alley, in a corner of the building and there was constant road traffic. There were also 4 rooms within close proximity to ours and when the other room doors opened or closed they banged and were very disturbing. The hotel did not seem that busy, so I don't know why we were put in such a noisy room when we had requested otherwise. Most of the other rooms in our hallway were stand alone, well away from other rooms, but we were tucked into this busy corner! We could have asked for another room, but by the time we discovered the room was so noisy we had already unpacked all of our stuff. We were travelling from New Zealand and we had a lot of luggage with us. We did not want to pack again, move and then unpack again. I just wish the hotel had given us a quiet room in the first place! Our other major complaint was with housekeeping. We were in the room for 4 nights and we were told when we checked in, because of Covid, our room would not be serviced daily, but it would be cleaned on the 3rd day of our stay. This did not happen. Our room was never cleaned. It was already late in the evening by the time we returned to the hotel on the 3rd night of our stay, so there would have been no sense calling the front desk to complain. I told all of this to the front desk staff upon check-out and all he said was "sorry". We had to ask for coffee and milk more than once, and ask that our garbage was at least emptied and our towels were changed. But our bed was never made and our room was never cleaned during our entire stay. I find this unacceptable. I feel the hotel is just saving money on housekeeping and using Covid as an excuse not to clean the rooms, while still charging us a high rate.
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Date of stay: August 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Ask for a quiet room on a higher floor, but we were not lucky in getting this. We did have a room...
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 Craig Burney, Marketing at The Walper Hotel
Responded 10 Aug 2022
Hello Stephen, and thank you for detailing your experiences with us. We apologise that the room did not end up being what you were hoping for, and that your experiences did not meet the standards of excellent for The Walper Hotel. We are following up with our housekeeping team in regards to service to ensure deliverables are met as stated and expected.
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The Walper Hotel is a beautiful, historic venue which is being horribly operated by Hyatt Hotels. Given the price you pay for a hotel room here, and for a wedding celebration, you would think it wouldn't have to contract out its cleaning staff, meaning no rooms available when they were supposed to be, no services available, the staff is ignorant and useless. The venue, itself, was not conducive to a wedding party, including ceremony, meal and reception - it was a huge disappointment and I would not recommend anyone waste the time and energy it takes to hold a wedding or any other special occasion here.
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
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.
The Walper is a lovely hidden gem in Kitchener. It is small and cozy, yet our room had the look and feel of an upscale minimalist New York loft. Bed and pillows were some of the most comfortable I've experienced and shower was modern and huge. Guest services were top notch especially Jarrod who made our checkin smooth. He was so friendly and helpful. The Social which is the hotel restaurant had excellent food, drinks and entertainment. On-site parking is only $20 and this hotel is central to downtown with lots to do within walking distance. Will most definitely be staying here again and would recommend this hotel to anybody.
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
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.
We stayed in room 504, king suite. As grooms parents we knew we would host family for the pre wedding gatherings. The room was very clean and bed comfortable. The room did lack storage for convenience: no real space for toiletries in bathroom. A corner shelf behind the door would be perfect and not take up space. The bedroom needs a dresser and surface area for personal items. We had our stuff on the floor (there is a good size armoire with storage but things like makeup, hair product, medications, etc and the night stand just wasn’t enough, it made it feel chaotic for a 4 night stay. Overall the hotel is beautiful, and well decorated with modern comforts and the feel of a 130 year old hotel. The in house restaurant is pricey but good, we ate at the adjacent coffee house for breakfast each day and it was perfect. The staff is awesome! Hardworking and accommodating and easy to chat with. The Walper Hotel was a great spot for a beautiful wedding.
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: August 2022
Value
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Location
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 Craig Burney, Marketing at The Walper Hotel
Responded 25 Aug 2022
Thank you! We're glad to hear you had a wonderful time for your son's wedding, and loved our historic property! We always appreciate suggestions for our rooms -- thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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The room was clean and well appointed. Advance check in was helpful. Front Desk Staff are friendly and professional. We really appreciated that the staff made the effort to find a quiet room away from the elevator and other noise (a wedding was scheduled that evening). The Front Desk Staff took the time to walk us to the parking area, in order that there was no mistake.
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Review collected in partnership with Hyatt Hotels
Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Rooms
Location
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.
We were in town for a show at the Centre in the Square, so we wanted to stay somewhere within walking distance. The Walper came highly recommended by travel and lifestyle writer Christy Wright, so I knew it had to be special.
The hotel creates a great first impression: interesting architecture, small but hip lobby, warm and welcoming employees. There was no on-site parking available, but the parking garage across the street was fairly convenient, and since we left on a Sunday morning, the gates were up so the parking was free.
I had reserved a King Suite through Expedia a couple of months in advance, and when we checked in we were upgraded to what the front desk clerk described as their best room in the hotel, the Historic King Suite.
The dark, atmospheric room corridors have a sort of upscale Vegas vibe, but the suite was incredibly bright and flooded with light from several windows. The living room was spacious and well appointed, but I was a little disturbed by some suspicious stains on the velvet sectional...
The bedroom was a good size with a comfortable bed, and there was a proper closet with two plush bathrobes inside. (There is no drawer space for storage, but for a one night stay that didn't matter.)
The bathroom was clean and modern but incredibly cramped, especially for a suite. I'm surprised they didn't make it a little larger during the renovations.
We were supposed to have dinner at TWH Social, but that gong show of a restaurant was unable to to handle the number of guests dining there that night, so after sitting at a table for and hour and twenty minutes with only a couple of drinks, we bailed to get to our show on time. (Other tables did as well.) And there is no room service available after 10 p.m., so after the show we were left wandering the seedy downtown streets looking for any place decent where we could get some kind of food. In retrospect.
As a result of the ridiculously bad experience at dinner, we canceled our plans to have brunch there the next morning. Upon checkout, the front desk clerk missed an opportunity for "service recovery" and did not even attempt to apologize for the experience in the restaurant; he just confirmed that the drinks billed to the room would be charged to our card. Given the high price for our suite, the least they could have done was comp the drinks.
The Walper is a charming hotel, and it's a very nice place for Kitchener, but we wouldn't likely return in the future. I'd rather stay at Langdon Hall in Cambridge or even the full-service Delta in Waterloo and drive to Kitchener from there for any future events at the Centre in the Square.
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip 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.
St. John's, Canada61 contributions49 helpful votes
I think this is probably a question best addressed to the hockey tournament organizers. I have no idea where the hockey rink is in Kitchener, but if it's downtown, the location would be great. It's right across the street from a museum which has a lot of kid activities, too.
I did the valet parking which I think was $15-20 a night but our friends did the off site parking just around the corner. I can't remember the cost but cheap.
There are more places to choose from in the Kitchener area.
PRICE RANGE
S$207 - S$253 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
walper terrace kitchener
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Walper Terrace Hotel
LOCATION
CanadaOntarioRegion of WaterlooKitchenerCity Commercial Core
NUMBER OF ROOMS
92
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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