Yellowknife: hotel con bar

We booked the hotel at Chateau Nova one year ago in advance for Aurora tour in late September!! They sent an email to confirm the room reservation 2 days before the check in date. When we arrived Yellowknife Airport, we called the hotel for pickup. They came in 10-15 minutes. Checkin is fast and they upgrade our 3 rooms to suites. The suite room numbers are 254, 255, and 257. The suite has a living room with a sofa bed, a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and a laundry room with washer and dryer!! You can do your own laundry 😊👍 The kitchen is equipped with a full size refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher, can opener, utensils, cookware, wine glass and mugs. Please bring your own wine opener. The room temperature is fine. Our room has a small balcony with tree view. They provide a potable AC in the bedroom but we never use it. They do daily housekeeping if you turn off the green light on the front door. They provide with plenty of towels, shower bar, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and makeup remover. I did not try the food in their restaurant since we have a full size kitchen and a living room. We ordered food from DoorDash and the food is delivered to your hotel room doorstep!! It’s so convenient. Overall the hotel is good and quiet. I found a stain on the bedsheet and they changed the sheet right away!! The sauna and steam room are always out of order. It’s part of hotel amenities but they never are available for guests. Gym is good. I will go back again!! Book early.

If we return to Yellowknife, we would probably stay The Explorer Hotel again. It is probably one of the best hotels in Yellowknife, but do not expect 4 or 5 star accommodations, facilities, or staff. The rooms and common areas are kept clean, but the hotel is showing its age. The gym has a decent offering of fitness equipment, but some is in disrepair. The front desk staff are perfunctory in executing their duties, but less than motivated. The biggest draw is its location - in the heart of prime aurora viewing territory. While pricey, Trader’s Grill served good food and The Trapline Lounge is a good spot for drinks & snacks. Skye, the bartender in the Trapline, was fantastic.