Maintenance has fallen behind in many areas. The smoke alarm was missing, a lamp was falling off the wall, paint peeling outside, missing pieces of the exterior and exposed insulation, snow shoveling on paths was not kept up with (it barely snowed all weekend), blankets were in poor condition, it just seemed that very little care went into the preservation of the physical spaces. Also, the shuttle vehicle was filthy inside. Makes me think it may get a light cleaning once a year?
The staff were nice but there was a general lack in professionalism and service focus. Waited frequently for long periods for service, needing to ask for basic things like empty glasses and finished plates to be taken away, miss made drinks (gin and tonic served with gin, soda, and a lemon - a simple thing but this is a fairly simple cocktail to get right), waiting for the bill at the end of a meal regularly took 30 minutes, the coffee simply just didn’t taste good, a desert pastry was served rock hard and after a 30 minute wait.
Again, the staff were lovely people, it just seems that CRMC has prioritized the immediate return on investment over the investment in guest experiences and protecting this historical asset in their portfolio.
It would be a shame to look back in 10 years and see further degradation of this priceless piece of Canadian history.