Pricing and booking information

Reserve early and often!

If you want to reserve a room or bed less than 48 hours before you plan to arrive in Victoria, you should call toll-free 1-888-888-4180 to make a reservation, because it can take us up to two days to complete a reservation using e-mail or our reservation form.
The farther in advance you book, the better chance you have of getting the room or bed you want, especially May to October and every Saturday.

2-night minimum booking on Saturdays & holidays

If you want to book a stay here which includes a Saturday or a holiday, between the dates of May 13th and October 13th (our busiest period), the booking must be for at least two days.
The holidays in 2008 are January 1st, March 21st, May 19th, July 1st, August 4th, September 1st, October 13th November 11th and December 25th.

Cancellation policy

We have a 24-hour cancellation policy. This means that you must let us know before 18:00 (6pm) the day before your arrival if you need to cancel, otherwise you will be charged for one night.

No-show policy:

If you do not arrive by the latest check-in time that you have given us, your reservation will be cancelled and your credit card will be charged for one night's stay.
You can call us any time to change your latest check-in time if you think that you are going to arrive later.

Early check out policy:

Once you have checked in, there is no refund for weekly, two-week and monthly rates.
For daily rates, there is a 50% refund for every day following, but not including, the day on which we are informed (by 6pm) that you are leaving.

Tax information

We know these taxes are complicated, but hey, we didn't make the rules, and it's like this for all accommodations in BC.
Accommodations of $20 or less per night ($140 per week, $280 per 2 weeks, or $560-$620 per month, depending on the number of days in the month) are one of the rare items in Canada that are not subject to any tax at all.
- This means that there is no tax on most dorm beds at Ocean Island, outside of the June 23 - September 9 period.
- There are a few private rooms whose monthly or two week rates are below $20 per day, and so have no tax.
Accommodations of between $20.01 and $30 per night ($140.01 to $210 per week, $280 to $420 per 2 weeks or less, or $560.01-$620.01 to $840-$930 per month or less, depending on the number of days in the month) are subject to 5% GST, which is charged to most goods and services in Canada.
- Non-Canadians can receive a refund of the GST they paid during their stay, upon departing the country. Certain requirements and restrictions apply. On September 25, 2006, the Government of Canada announced the elimination of the GST Visitors' Rebate Program effective April 1, 2007. Under the proposal, non-residents may still qualify for a rebate after the effective date in specific circumstances. This information and form to be filled out is available on the Government of Canada Tax Refunds for Visitors website.
Anything over $30 per day is subject to a 15% tax.
- 5% of this is GST, which is charged to most goods and services in Canada.
  - Non-Canadians can receive a refund of the GST they paid during their stay, upon departing the country. Certain requirements and restrictions apply. On September 25, 2006, the Government of Canada announced the elimination of the GST Visitors' Rebate Program effective April 1, 2007. Under the proposal, non-residents may still qualify for a rebate after the effective date in specific circumstances. This information and form to be filled out is available on the Government of Canada Tax Refunds for Visitors website.
- 10% of this is Municipal and Provincial Hotel Room Tax, which is applied to all accommodations in British Columbia
  - If a guest stays for one month or more, this 10% tax can be refunded at the end of their stay. Ask us for details.

Extra beds in rooms

If you're booking an entire dorm and you need to squeeze an extra person in, we can usually bring in a roll-away bed for them for $17-$19 per night. Please note that it's a pretty tight fit.
If you want to add a third person to a private room #5, #9 or a suite at Ocean Island Suites or an extra person in a private room #6, #7 or #8, we can bring in a roll-away bed for them for $17-$19 per night. Please note that in a #5 or #6 it's a pretty tight fit. Note that suites can accomodate 2 roll away beds.
If you're booking a private room #5, #6, #7, #8, #9 or a suite at Ocean Island Suites for two people, but you still want a roll-away bed so you can each have your own bed, then we can bring you one for free.
If you do want a roll-away bed in a dorm or private room, please check with us when you reserve to see if one is available, as we have a limited number of them.

Groups policy

Our groups policy applies to groups over six people only.
Group reservations must be processed by our office. To contact our office, call or e-mail us 11am - 5pm Pacific Standard Time. We require a few days to assess whether we can accommodate your group, but we can try to let you know right away if necessary.
We require one night's deposit for the group booking at or soon after the reservation is made. This can be done by cheque (mailed to us), direct deposit into our bank account, or credit card (we will fax you a credit card form, which you sign and fax back to us). The remainder of the stay will be charged 2 weeks prior to the group's arrival.
Our groups cancellation policy is: If you let us know by 6pm 14 days prior to your date of arrival, we will give you a full refund. There are no refunds if a cancellation is made less than 14 days prior to your date of arrival.
We suggest groups book as far in advance as possible, especially for stays during weekends and between May 20th to September 20th.
All our other policies apply to groups. We may make exceptions for groups on an individual basis, so let us know if you require an exception.

Kids Stay policy

Kids 11 years of age or younger generally stay for free, in private rooms. See details below:
If a separate dorm bed is desired for a child, there will be a charge for the dorm bed. If two children can fit in one dorm bed, then the charge will be for one dorm bed only. Basically the charge is per dorm bed.
In a private room, a child can either stay in the double bed or we can bring in a roll-away bed for the child, both at no extra cost. Note: roll-away beds must be requested in advance, we have a limited number and they are only available for private rooms #5, #6, #9 and suites at Ocean Island Suites.
In a family room, (a private room #7 or #8 which includes a double bed and two or three single beds), the minimum charge is for three people, even if there are fewer than three adults. However, you can pack as many children in there, at no extra charge, as you want - within reason. If you need an extra bed for a child, we can even bring a roll-away bed into a private room #7 or #8 for free.

Currency

Prices are in Canadian dollars, and do not include tax.
To convert our prices into other currencies, use an online currency converter.

Deposits, etc

We charge a $10 key deposit per set of room keys. The deposit is refunded upon check-out when you return your keys.
We charge a $5 deposit for each towel or lock (for our secure metal lockers in dorm rooms), $4 of which is refunded when you give back the towel or lock, which means you're renting it for $1. You may also keep them if you want.
There are no deposits required for towels or keys at Ocean Island Suites.
We sell new Ikea travel alarm clocks for $5 each, battery included. We offer this instead of a wake-up call service to avoid misunderstandings leading to you missing your transcontinental non-refundable flight.

Payment information

We accept: cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, debit, interac and travellers cheques.
We do accept American dollars, but no denominations larger than a $20 bill please! Also, we do not accept old Canadian $100 notes.
At Ocean Island Suites a credit card is required to stay.
Please make sure that you enter your credit card number correctly and that it's a valid card that's not expired or maxed out. We will check the number, and if it's not valid we won't be able to process your reservation.