Daniella Neves, Married on 26/08/2018

Disappointing

I will start off with the good: the venue is beautiful, the hotel staff are eager to help, and the food is delicious. Unfortunately, what went wrong, went terribly wrong.

We were asked to drop off overlays a few days prior so the banquet team would be able to have the tables setup up prior to our arrival at 10am for decorations and such. When we arrived for setup at 10:30, the tables were completely bare, chairs were stacked up, and the ballroom was nowhere near being setup for a party. When I brought the issue up with the hotel I was told that happened because "they didn't know if the wedding was going to take place indoors or outdoors because of the weather."

That just does not make sense as the chairs to be used outside (that were already setup, probably from the wedding prior) were a complete different set. If the ballroom was indeed ready at 10am, it would be easy enough to move the chairs to one side, and the table to another, to accommodate a ceremony indoors. My decorations set up was delayed because (not partially) the hotel was short staffed. I had a chat with the catering manager on-site and told her that I was a banquet server for a couple of years and the night crew ALWAYS resets a room for the next day, and said manager herself mentioned she had the same experience at another location she worked, but that things at the Inn at the Quay were different.
Things happens; someone that can't come to work is just one of the reason why you leave things ready the day before. The catering manager that secured a contract with me in April, had explained that an hour between ceremony and reception would be needed to reset the ballroom if the ceremony had to be moved indoors - not two hours before the ceremony.
Part of the package offered, was the ability to have a "Plan B" in case it rained so the hotel should've had their basis covered by either being better staffed or with the prep done the night before, as it is just unrealistic to think that the morning crew of 2 can reset a ballroom in an hour or so, on top of everything else they have to do.

The fact that no setup was done - in fact, garbage from the previous party was still sitting outside - set the pace for the whole day. The entire wedding preparation got delayed: decoration was not setup in time and in turn the ballroom was not ready for guests to move in after the ceremony - which was a concern, especially considering that we had a pregnant lady, elderly, people with kids, etc. They did require an hour to reset for dinner - as we got married indoors - but my friends and I were still decorating in between photo shoots and the cocktail hour, as we couldn't work on the decorating at 10am due to the room not being ready.

The biggest disappointment of the evening was dinner; a real shame considering the food was delicious. We ran out of chicken 2/3 into the party, and had a staff member tell guests, and myself whilst holding an empty plate an hour into dinner service, that no more was coming from the kitchen as guests were over eating. You can imagine how ashamed I felt when I hear that from my guests. The hotel and the restaurant later tried to blame me for the menu chosen, despite the fact that I had brought in a descriptive quote from another venue so the Inn's Catering team could give me a comparative quote. I wanted to have two types of meat (and had it on my quote with the other hotel) and after talking to the catering manager in April, it was suggested that a different menu (the one offered on my wedding day) would work for the amount of guests I had coming. Add the fact that the wedding the day prior had a big spoilage of food, fact shared by the catering manager available on the day, also gives me an idea of why we didn't have enough food on my weeding dinner...

I got a hold of The Boathouse (they were the ones supplying the food, not the hotel) after the fact, to give them the feedback that I received, and even though they (dismissively) apologized, they really down played my concerns AND tried to engage me on a he said/she said situation, saying that the manager on duty "confirmed that only one person didn't have chicken" when I explicitly said that I, the bride, and several other guests did not have any. I found that very upsetting as I took the time to let them know that things didn't go as they should, and instead of owning up to it and apologizing, the manager decided to contradict me.

I also had my rehearsal dinner at the Boathouse earlier in the week, and when I brought up issues from that dinner, they made it look like things went really smooth when that was NOT the case - but I won't even go there as this review is already long enough. Dealing with that Boathouse location was just a complete let down and it might be unfair to discredit the hotel, but you are only as strong as your weakest link.

After a detailed yelp review and a lengthy discussion with the Boathouse, they have apologized, invited me over to the restaurant again to try and make up for it and explained they would use my experience as a learning opportunity with their staff. The hotel still has a stand of "we didn't do anything wrong" and that is the reason why I would not recommend this venue. If you decide to get married here, these are my tips: ask if there is a party the night before yours and make sure they will be flipping the room *before* you or your decorator/coordinator arrives - preferably the night before. If you arrive and it is not ready, get them going as soon as possible as this will set the pace for the rest of your day - that is key! As for dinner, make sure you have two types of protein on your menu. I am blaming myself for not doing that - despite going with a menu suggested by hotel staff. Oh and see if you can work with Melissa as she seems a lot more "on top" of things than her replacement while she is away on maternity leave - of course, weddings after late 2019.

Brides put so much effort and time into their special day and having things like that happen its disappointing and frustrating to say the least. And it goes from disappointing to annoying very fast when instead of hearing a truthful apology, you feel like your concerns are getting down played, or even worse, blamed for what didn't go well.

Kaitlyn, Married on 11/08/2017

We looked around for ages for the perfect venue, and we definitely found it at the Inn at the Quay. The hall is lovely and was the perfect size for our wedding, and they provided almost everything that we needed. Catering, sound equipment, chairs, tables, cutlery... everything. All we had to do was decorate! It was such a huge weight off of my shoulders to have them take care of so much, and they were all lovely and professional. My only advice is that they do not have speakers on the patio, so if you are having your ceremony there make sure to find an alternate way to play your ceremony music. But I highly recommend this venue, and you will not regret booking here.

Inn at the Quay's reply:

Thank you Kaitlyn for the lovely review. It was a pleasure to be apart of planning your special day. All the best in your new adventure!

Brooke Schmahmann, Married on 08/09/2018

Overall it was a good experience

The venue is beautiful and the food was absolutely amazing (probably the best food I’ve ever had at a wedding). I don’t think you can beat this venue for the price. The only downside is the wedding coordinator, Anna. She doesn’t read her emails properly, doesn’t answer questions, and was basically MIA on the day. My decorator, DJ, and MP has questions for her on the day and told me she was beyond useless. When I booked the venue there was a different coordinator but she went on maternity leave. If Melissa is back when you’re looking then I would highly recommend it. If Anna is there then only book if you are very organized and won’t have many questions.

Inn at the Quay's reply:

Congratulations newlyweds Brooke and Dylan! Thank you for choosing the Inn at the Quay for your special day and kind comments regarding the venue and food. I’m sorry to read that you had some concerns with our Catering Manager as she truly enjoyed working with you and your lovely families. Should you wish to discuss further, my direct line is -. Enjoy this first, special year together with many more to follow!

Kathy MacKerricher, GM

Denise, Married on 20/08/2016

Our Wedding at the Inn at the Quay was everything we wanted in our wedding .As long time residents of New Westminster we couldn't have ask for better, with the mighty Fraser River running under the hotel and steps away the pier park and board walk , the food and the staff Exceptional.

Inn at the Quay's reply:

Denise, thank you for leaving us such a lovely review. It was a pleasure to be apart of planning your special day. All the best in your new adventure!

Bailey, Married on 02/12/2018

Inn at the Quay

The staff at the Inn are excellent! So helpful, genuine and understanding. They take the wedding stress away and are supportive and resourceful during the wedding planning stage. Everyone I dealt with from initial contact through to the end were really kind, friendly people.

Inn at the Quay's reply:

Thank you Bailey for the lovely message. It was a pleasure working with you planning your wedding. Wishing you both a wonderful journey together!