Accent Inns Burnaby

“A Ducking Awesome Stay”

As someone who has travelled a lot for work, I have stayed in many hotels. And yet, I have never felt compelled to write a review prior to now. What the duck? What divine inspiration has struck me? Well, first of all, old age has struck me and when I was invited to Vancouver for an event, the tho… more

As someone who has travelled a lot for work, I have stayed in many hotels. And yet, I have never felt compelled to write a review prior to now. What the duck? What divine inspiration has struck me? Well, first of all, old age has struck me and when I was invited to Vancouver for an event, the thought of sleeping on my friend’s couch made my back seize in anticipation and my OCD flare as I don’t believe he washes the blankets in between my visits to the city. So my partner – guided by the divine intervention of St Cuthbert and St Google -booked us into the Accent Inn in Burnaby. And it was ducking awesome. After a super friendly and efficient check in at the front desk, we entered our room on the top floor. And do you know what it smelled like? It smelling like ducking nothing, which is the way a hotel room should smell. No weird people smell, no ducking awful Febreze to choke you, it just smelled neutral. And it was clean – like really clean – and no hidden surprises I have encountered in other hotels (e.g. someone’s snot rag in the corner, left over coffee in the pot, some weird stain on the remote). Because we were there for an event, housekeeping brought up extra hangers lickety split lest our linen clothes be rumpled. Their schtick is the duck of course. My life has been very stressful this year and that rubber duck in the bathroom made me smile. When I asked the front desk how many people steal those happy rubber ducks and what their replacement budget was, she smiled and told me we are allowed to keep them. I have not idea why this filled me with so much ducking joy, but I am pretty convinced they can cure depression. A man who was in the lobby had also wondered about this and we bonded (not in a weird way) over our shared love of being able to take our little duckie home. Mine as a worker duck with a hammer and so obviously Accent Inns is also psychic as I am doing renovations at home. Maybe they are all the same, but if they are, please don’t ruin the magic for me. We named him Cornelius and he is settling in well at his new home. What is not free are the in-room mugs. I dare you to think about a hotel where you stayed and thought “wow, this mug would add so much fun to my kitchen!” or “this mug would be such a conversation started on Zoom!” But here is the ducking truth people, Accent Inn trusts you to enjoy those mugs and if you truly love them, you can buy them. And I am sorry I did not purchase the one about taping your mug to your car so people could wave at you. Solid cure for the abscess of loneliness that plagues our contemporary times. As for what you put in your mugs, the coffee in the lobby is the best I have had in a hotel (although I am told I am not the best judge of coffee, I have had hotel coffee that tasted like the pods at been recycled 1000 times). I highly recommend the “Accent Blend.” I also put beer in my mug and that was pretty awesome too. Just FYI, there is no “Accent Beer,” they are strictly BYOB. Staying at the hotel is also like an Easter Egg hunt – there are so many funny little things to discover. In a world that is so negative and scary (or worse, toxic with positivity akin to Febreze) it was refreshing to encounter what I describe as fun moments - a giant scrabble game (hard to miss that, mind you), little comments on signs (like “ice, ice, baby” on the ice machine) or even your key card (e.g. “VIP access to everything – just kidding, only to your room”) – they were so funny I did not want to find them all so there is something novel when I come back, which I certainly will. It was a perfect blend of levity and professionalism. Also, great location to awesome Greek food (Argos), cheap breaky (Bon’s off Broadway) and although technically in Burnaby, literally 10 feet from Vancouver boundary. That means ducking good prices for the location! Another ducking awesome thing is the chain supports BC suppliers (e.g. their soaps) and is led by a fearless and obviously ducking funny female CEO. Would I stay here again? Heck yes, I might even apply to work there as the staff appear well taken care of, who in turn, take genuine in their care of the guests. Thanks for a ducking good weekend!

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