Retro Suites Hotel Review: Boutique Hotel Where Every Room is Different

In the heart of downtown Chatham-Kent, Ontario, you’ll find the town’s first upscale luxury hotel, the Retro Suites Hotel. Retro Suites boutique hotel offers a unique accommodations experience. Even from the exterior of the hotel, you can tell that it’s a special place for an overnight stay.

The Retro Suites Hotel is in a central location in downtown Chatham, Ontario. Living up to its namesake, retro signs adorn the fully restored brick building. Once you step inside the hotel, you’ll see that much more art and original design awaits.

Retro Suites Hotel: Incredibly Designed and Decorated

Sometimes those first impressions are the ones that last. In that case, Retro Suites has nothing to worry about. The front lobby is a bright and open space, completely decorated with one-of-a-kind collectibles, refurbished furniture, and original art pieces.

I was warmly greeted by the front reception staff who were always very helpful and friendly throughout my stay. The hotel is owned by classic car restorer, Rob Myers and his artist wife, Cathy Van Raay-Myers. Retro Suites doubles as an art studio, showcasing Cathy’s original pieces all over the hotel.

In addition to the art, funky collectibles are scattered throughout the hotel with new discoveries to be made in every room. There are old vending machines, antique advertisements and posters, and even two giant nutcrackers that were once displayed at FAO Schwartz in New York City. Walking through this hotel is a bit like walking through a modern pop art museum.

The hip decor doesn’t end at the lobby. Every floor, hallway, nook and cranny of Retro Suites has its own special flair. With every turn, I was admiring a newly discovered artwork or collector’s piece, which looked especially cool on the exposed brick walls.

Retro Suites Hotel Rooms: Something for Every Personality

Each one of the 34 rooms at Retro Suites is decorated in a completely unique style to suit all tastes. As I was fortunately on a blogger trip, I received an exclusive tour around the hotel to visit several of the rooms.

Each suite worked with the existing architectural design of the building, so every room’s layout was a little bit different. And every suite had its own quirky theme with the decor to match, even down to the smallest details.

The furniture, art, and decorations were exclusively chosen for each particular suite, making this hotel a truly special place. There are pictures of each room on the hotel’s website so you can find a desirable one that fits your personality!

Since visiting the hotel the first time, I returned a second time recently and stayed in the Spring Fling room. While I’ll go into more specific details below about my stay in the King William room, I’ll provide a few photos of Spring Fling so you can see this room, too. It’s light and airy with band artwork and paintings on the walls.

My Room at the Retro Suites Hotel: King William

Ah, King William, you made me feel like royalty! King William is super luxurious suite with ultra-high ceilings and so much space at the Retro Suites Hotel. I think that my home apartment could fit at least two times over in this suite. King William is one large room, though the bedroom feels sectioned off from the other areas.

King William is very classy and decorated with antique furniture. There’s a fireplace, a flat screen TV, a huge seating area with couches and a chaise lounge, and a kitchenette. The bathroom has a bathtub and a separate shower, in addition to a sink with a stool for putting on make-up or getting ready.

There are original tin ceilings and stained class windows between the main room and the bathroom. This suite is simply gorgeous, and I know you’ll just love it.

Retro Suites Hotel Amenities

The Wi-Fi is complimentary and it’s always fast and reliable. There are several routers throughout the hotel so I always had a fast connection. Parking is free, and breakfast is included in your stay.

For fitness lovers, Retro Suites includes a pass to the Goodlife Fitness a few doors down, and free yoga classes at the local Shakti Yoga. Also, if you book your stay 48 hours in advance, you could go golfing at the Blenheim Golf Club, all included with your stay.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Retro Suites. I’ve since stayed at the hotel twice because it is my top pick for accommodations in Chatham-Kent. I’m sure I’ll be back again sometime soon, too.

Dining at the Chilled Cork Restaurant

I dined at the Chilled Cork for lunch, dinner, and breakfast in the morning. Breakfast was included with the hotel stay. We were given a couple of options for breakfast, which was all prepared fresh in the kitchen. For vegan options, I had some toast and jam, hash brown potatoes, and apple slices.

When I dined at the Chilled Cork for lunch, I enjoyed a vegan salad from the menu. It included arugula, watermelon, and fried tofu with a citrus vinaigrette. It was really delicious. The Chilled Cork places an emphasis on local and fresh ingredients, and it was really great to see some vegan options on a regular menu.

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