The Retro Suites Hotel in Chatham-Kent: One of the Most Unique Hotels in Ontario
Located in Downtown Chatham, Ontario, the Retro Suites is a one-of-a-kind, unforgettable hotel experience in this province, and the perfect place to base yourself and explore the surrounding area.
Much of what makes staying at a hotel worth it is the distinct feeling that you’re not at home. You are, in effect, paying to experience something out of the ordinary and, ideally, to set eyes upon or feel something that’s worth forging new memories with.
This is what the Retro Suites Hotel on King Street in Chatham, Ontario very clearly understands.
Most notably, every room in the hotel is different and abides by a particular theme that it aims to execute to perfection. On the first visit to the Retro Suites Hotel (when Bri I were attending RetroFest), we stayed in a Superior Loft room called the “Sail Inn,” which was a romantic, nautical room. On my last visit, which I’ll be chronicling in more depth below, I was there on my own, and staying in a King Premiere room known as “Game Time,” which was, quite literally, sports heaven for me.
Both rooms suited me perfectly for the occasion, and that’s another thing to note right off the bat. Seriously, in how many hotels around the world can you return again and again and have a markedly different experience?
There are few hotels on the planet, let alone the province, that can offer such a different stay each time you visit, and that’s worth acknowledging. I already can’t wait to return again, and to choose a room based on how I’m feeling at the moment, and also how I’m hoping to feel on the trip.
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About the Retro Suites Hotel in Chatham, Ontario
The Retro Suites Hotel is unmissable if you’re cruising through Chatham.
It’s essentially a collection of 8 heritage designated 19th century buildings that have been masterfully restored. From what I can gather, the restoration aimed to showcase what makes the site special from a historical perspective, but also a key goal was to outfit the property (and suites) with the appropriate amenities to feel luxurious and even futuristic. The hotel carefully balances this interplay in almost all facets.
To me, the hotel as a kind reminder of what we can accomplish when we aim to preserve historical buildings from the past, but also get creative about tourism in the present and future.
Part of what I can appreciate about the Retro Suites is that, in many ways, it was the opposite of a safe bet. It’s an audacious effort to do something new, and longtime readers will know that I’ve got tremendous appreciation for anybody or anything aiming to do something genuinely differently - to forge a new path.
It was, at one time, a full block, and a block that contained some of the finest examples of Victorian architecture in the region. Now its over 45 rooms are housing guests who recognize that travel in Ontario isn’t something to prioritize because you can’t afford to travel elsewhere, but rather something worth prioritizing no matter the circumstance.
I’ve stayed in probably over a thousand different hotels around the world, and this spot is a gem by any standard. Here in Ontario, we need to start getting comfortable celebrating ourselves a little more.
Unique Rooms at the Retro Suites
There are 8 different styles of suites at this hotel at differing price tags. You can look into that further by seeing what they currently have available.
The purpose here is to showcase the eclectic mix of rooms available by sharing the title of name of each respective suite, and then I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks.
Queen Premier Suites (one queen bed): Spring Fling, La Rouge, Easy Rider, Blast, Ruby Red, Chic Antique, Sahara, Chardonnay, Midtown, Rock N Roll, Sunset, Mellow
Queen Queen Suites (two queen beds): Blue Bayou, Brownstone
King Superior Suites (one king bed): Cowboy, Den, Manhattan, Southwest, Study, Home Suite Home, Southbeach, Refresh
King Premiere Suites (one king bed): Urban Studio, Sante Fe, First Class, Game Time, Academic, Pop, Wild Wild West, Palm, Garden, Sky, Ranch, Studio, Library, Paris
Superior Loft Suites (one queen, one king, multilevel room): Cottage, Sun Room, Turn of the Century, Sail Inn
Premiere Loft Suites (two king beds, multilevel room): Nantucket, Town and Country
King Executive Suites (one king, kitchenette etc.): King William, Log Cabin
Presidential Suite (one king, Swarovski crystal chandelier, soaker tub etc.): Presidential
If any of the titles of these rooms have caught your eye, you can see if they’re available here. You can also see pictures of the particular rooms here on the Retro Suites site.
Staying in Retro Suites’ “Game Time” Suite
If there’s a better room for a sports lover in this province, I’m yet unaware of it.
I’ve sent pictures to my brother from all sorts of hotels, and I can say for certain, this was the picture I sent where he was probably the most jealous that he couldn’t join me.
The floor, for starters, was a green and white carpet that was designed like a football field. The chairs at the foot of the bed were draped in hockey jersey style fabric. There were old boxing gloves and a punching bag, snooker balls and old mallets, a enormous dart board, priceless memorabilia from the world of soccer, hockey, and football, and a bathroom draped with the pennants of past Toronto championships (of which, I personally wish there were more recent wins on those pennants!).
Fittingly, I spent my time there watching some playoff hockey, and sipping on some beers that I picked up from Sons of Kent Brewing Company, which is located just down the street.
It was just plain fun, and I get the sense that the Retro Suites designed this room to be exactly that.
Again, for me, you’re getting full points if you’re doing something different and forcing me to create new memories to look back upon. And, in this case, I can still remember the feeling of walking into that room for the first time as if it just happened.
What Else is Worth Noting About This Chatham, Ontario Hotel?
There’s a few things that I think are worth noting beyond what I’ve mentioned so that you can make the most of your stay here, as well as fully appreciate the surrounding region.
The Art
Your room is likely to be special, and you should enjoy your time in the suite, but you also need to make time to walk around and explore this hotel. A big part of that is because of their art collection. Everywhere you look, you can see art that ranges from art deco to old world, contemporary to pop.
There’s a little bit of everything, to be honest.
You can find out more about all the individual pieces that are located around the hotel on their website.
The Chilled Cork Restaurant & Lounge
It’s exactly the restaurant that you think would be attached to this hotel. Modern, bright, fun, delicious.
I sat on the outdoor patio for dinner when I stayed there, and felt very well taken care of. A big part of that was the staff and especially Shane, who was my server. He was so on the ball, and brought a really positive energy to the whole meal.
I ended up ordering the Mykonos, which was a sandwich featuring a 6oz chicken breast, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, red onion, tzatziki (my favourite), and feta cheese. On the side, I had the Rocket + Quinoa Salad which had arugula, quinoa, blueberry, peas, walnuts, sunflower seeds, goat cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette.
I’d happily come back to the restaurant, whether I was staying at the Retro Suites or not, and, in fact, most of the folks there seemed to be local folks trying to find a good way to celebrate a Friday night.
Well, mission accomplished.
Nearby Attractions
I was impressed with how the Retro Suites showcased what you could explore around the region during your stay. The staff are very helpful in that regard, but it’s the “neighbourhood” section of their website that guests can check out before they even depart for their trip that I thought was really top-notch.
Personally, I’d say that you would be smart to walk down the street to Sons of Kent Brewing Company. Not only is it a neat venue (with outdoor seating), but they’ve also got some excellent craft beer that you can enjoy on site, or visit their bottle shop and take to-go. I personally did both, but that’s largely because I knew I was heading back to the “Game Time” room and there was a hockey game on! My favourite beers that I tried there were the “8 Track XPA” and the “JUICE BOX.” The “Pivo 16” is also a good bet if you’re into pilsners like I am.
I recently explored nearby Dresden, Ontario as well, and if you’ve got the time, I’d stop for a bite at Union Block Bakery and walk around a bit!
Come Appreciate a Different Kind of Ontario Hotel
You may, at this point, be sensing a theme - that I really don’t have time for the mundane or the overdone. But, conversely, that means I’ve got all the time in the world for the unique and the original.
In the end, that’s what I like about this spot - you know that you’re paying for a stay that will be memorable and, quite honestly, I’m quite sure that stay 3,4,5 and 6 would be just as memorable because of all the different suites.
That’s not small feat, and, quite honestly, I’m nothing short of grateful that we’ve got this hotel in this province for all to enjoy.
You might have guessed that I’m already planning my return.
I want to humbly thank Chatham-Kent and Ontario’s Southwest for hosting me as media. All opinions are completely my own.
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