Wheels Inn and Hockey Tournaments

[damo]

Anyone ever stay here? I've got to make accomodations for our hockey team of 15 year old boys for December. It looks like fun but I hope someone out there can advise me.

I don't think the rooms look like much but there doesn't seem to be a lot of choice in Chatham

Advice please!!!

 

[NancyK]

We took our kids for a weekend many years ago. They had a blast. The rooms aren't anything special, but they had fun with mini-putt, bowling, arcade games etc. Hopefully someone who has been there more recently can help.

 

[Cruisin]

Yes, I have stayed there but I also live right here in Chatham.

I haven't stayed there for years and years but I used to go when the kids were little for a special treat, so we could use the pool and the water slides.

There is tons of stuff there to do, even for 15 year old boys.

Like mentioned there is a bowling alley, mini golf, arcade, 2 swimming pools - one with 2 water slides (not really special water slides but slides all the same. There is also an indoor amusement park ride area, with a few rides that even 15 year olds can go on (cause I have been known to ride on a few myself ). Love that Flying Bus and the little roller coaster. There are also bumper cars. Lots and lots of arcade stuff of all different types.

Pool tables, ping pong tables, shuffleboard too.

If they have younger siblings that are going there is a HUGE indoor climbing play set with tunnels, ball pits.

There is the Travelodge Hotel and the Comfort Inn too in Chatham. I have never stayed at either so I don't know what they are like, although they are fairly new ( in the last 5 - 8 years if I have to guess)

If there are any specific questions you have let me know and I will find out the answers for you.

If you let me know when you are coming maybe I can come over and say hello .

 

[damo]

Thanks Robin! We'll be at the Silverstick tournament, December 17-19. I have read that the rooms at the Wheels Inn are really outdated but that the kids have a ton of fun. I think that is probably more important but who knows? Could you find out which of the other two hotels is newer? I'd appreciate that so I can propose to the team what their choices are.

Dianne

 

[Cruisin]

Dianne

Between the Comfort Inn and the Travelodge, I wouldn't give you too much difference in the age of them. Maybe the Comfort Inn was there first. But they are basically right together in the same spot. So if you decided you wanted to go to them, you could even have people staying in both of the hotels and still be right next door, so to speak.

On the outside they both look very similar, nice brick buildings, standard hotel looking, nothing remarkable. Like I said I have never been inside either one of them so I can't comment on the rooms. I would guess that neither one of them has a swimming pool either.

I think if you give those boys a choice they will definitely choose to stay at the Wheels. I know I would, given the chance. Now, there might be a big difference in the prices between the Wheels and the other two hotels.

You could check into prices and just visit at the Wheels, but then they would not have the use of the pools. They can use everything else though.

Oh by the way, I think my mother usually makes all of the medals or trophies that are given out during the Silverstick tournament. I know she has done so in years past

Any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Cruisin]

I found out that those two hotels have obviously been there longer than I remember. That is what happens when we get old I guess


http://www4.choicehotels.com/ires/en-CA/html/HotelInfo?sid=e7KY.2cxr_5PiS.4&hotel=CN262

http://www.travelodge.com/Travelodge/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=10244&brandInfo=TL

http://www.wheelsinn.com/

here are a couple of sites I found, maybe you can find out what you want to know from here.

 

[damo]

Ya, I think I've seen all the pictures that exist. Since none are that impressive, we'll probably go with the Wheels Inn. I've got an email in to them to see what kind of deal that can give me.

 

[Cruisin]

Well, you don't get much that is impressive in this town. It is a small town, not Toronto, for example.

Now there are some really swanky apartment type hotel rooms you can rent downtown, but I don't think they would rent those out to 15 year old hockey players

Usually they are used by people like as Kenny Rogers or Nicolas Cage are examples of people who have stayed there. Also there are only 4 of those rooms.

Have you ever been to Chatham before??

 

[damo]

No, I haven't been before. That's the great thing about hockey, you get to visit all these neat places that you wouldn't ordinarily visit. We've had tournaments all over the place and have had a hoot everywhere we've gone. I always seem to be the one put in charge of organizing accomodations so I like to do my homework and not have any surprises! I also like to arrange things as soon as I get confirmation about the tournament because hotels book up so quickly when there is an event going on.

 

[PoohBWV]

Hey!!! I live in Chatham too! Sounds like a possible DIS meet at the Wheels in December?

The kids will love the Wheels and all it has to offer.

Peggy

 

[Cruisin]

Hi Peggy,

A DIS meet ............. sounds like fun to me!!

Maybe we can talk some of those Londoner's into coming this way too! Afterall I drove to them, and the kids would have a great time hanging out at the Wheels!!

 

[Cruisin]

I would be just like you damo, I would want to have things decided as quickly as possible.

Of course going anywhere at that time of year also could cause problems with places booking up.

Where abouts are you coming from?

 

[damo]

We're just coming from Oakville, and the team from Toronto. It's not a big deal but it is still an away tournament.

 

[Cruisin]

My nephew played travel hockey right up until this season. I know you guys do a lot of travelling. Always going some place or other.

I hope you enjoy your stay, where ever you decide to book it.

Let us know, and maybe we can get together for an hour or so and say hi.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Hey - I might be there too - parents live in Wallaceburg and we'll be down at Xmas!
Wheels is a fun place for kids - DD9 and DS6 just love it there and we visit for the day every summer!

 

[Cruisin]

Yzma and Kronk, cool, maybe we can get a little DIS meet going then.

We will wait until closer to December and then see what we can arrange.

 

[damo]

Well, Robin. I'm not sure what we are going to do now. The hotel rooms book for about $100/night. However, for this special event they have allowed an agency(all sports accomodations) to handle all the bookings and they are charging $150/night. That means that our team will have to pay $3000 more than we normally would for the exact same rooms. They have been very coy about it as well and have blocked most of the rooms for the tournament.

I managed to book a room through their website and sidestep the agency and got my rooms for $99/night but the only rooms left at that price are smoking. What is the rest of the team supposed to do?

This really makes me angry that they are price gouging! I have never encountered this before. Usually, the hotels drop their rates for tournaments not crank them up.

Do you know of any other hotels outside of Chatham that we could use? As you can tell, I am steaming about this.

 

[Cruisin]

I have not had much experience travelling with a group like that. We have done a bit of stuff with gymnastics in the past but not a lot. Could you just book rooms and not tell them you are with the hockey teams? They must have rooms available for other travellers, surely the hockey teams don't have the entire hotel booked do they???

Did you check for rooms at the Travellodge and the Comfort Inn?

In the town of Wallaceburg there are 2 motels that I know of, one is called The Oaks Inn and there is a Super 8 Motel. Wallaceburg is about 20-25 minutes north of Chatham. Super 8 phone number is 519 627-0781. The Oaks Inn number is 519-627-1433. I don't know if there are web sites for these hotels.

Right now I can't think of anything else that would be less than one hour away from Chatham, such as Windsor or London. If I think of somewhere else I will let you know.

 

[damo]

Thanks Robin, you've been a great help.

They have blocked off basically the entire hotel with this agency. I and another team member were able to book online through their website for $99/night. Now, they only have smoking rooms left if you book online. They won't allow you to book if you call directly and said that, yes, you are part of the hockey tournament. I have e-mailed group sales to ask why I could get a room for $99 online but the rooms allowed for the hockey teams are $150? I said it was very un-sportsmanlike. I hope I don't get my team in trouble.

I have a call into the travelodge to see if they can take us but after checking their online reservations, they have few rooms left. I think they are a much smaller hotel.

I can see the Silver Stick organization cancelling this event in future years with the Chatham Minor Hockey league when they find out that the hotels are price gouging since this is a very reputable, time-honoured tournament.

Unfortunately, the Wheels Inn is no longer a Best Western hotel or we could get some answers there.

The stupid thing is, the agency, on its website says that it gets the lowest rates available. I guess they can do this if the only rooms available are through them.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Hey - I had my wedding reception at the Oaks Inn!!
They do have a web site: oaksinn.net
As Crusin'K said, it might be a good alternative. It's not a bad drive between Chatham and W'burg
Let me know if you need any info about Wallaceburg - I grew up there!