OverviewLocated within a 5 minute walk to the Eau Claire Market, this centrally located downtown hotel is popular with guests who want to wander Calgary by foot, and with business travellers who seek convenient access to Calgary's business district. On-site amenities include an indoor pool, a hot tub and a gym.
This 525 room hotel offers guests a variety of different room types and configurations, including Standard rooms or more spacious Suites. All rooms include a flat-screen TV, a coffeemaker, a hair dryer and an iron and an ironing board. Parking is available on site for $28/day and pets are welcome free of charge. There is a $12.95/day charge for Wi-Fi as well.
Guests have their choice of dining options located within walking distance of this hotel, but there are some on-site restaurants to choose from. Essence serves breakfast and lunch daily. Also open daily, The Keg serves lunch and dinner. Guests can unwind with a drink at Liquid Lounge (open Monday through Friday), or grab a quick cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Calgary is a city celebrated by outdoor enthusiasts, and Prince's Island Park (about an 11 minute walk), is a favourite spot for running, biking or walking in a scenic locale on the Bow River. The Calgary Tower and the Glenbow Museum (for people interested in the history of the area), are both walkable in less than 15 minutes. The Stampede Corral is slightly farther, just under a 30 minute walk. Guests travelling by air should expect about a 23 minute drive (19.1km) to reach Calgary International Airport (YYC) from the hotel (distances and driving time estimates: Google Maps).
Confirmed with a front desk agent: Wi-Fi and parking (call date: July 25, 2012).
The GoodGuest reviewers enjoyed a number of things at this hotel, including the convenience of the central location as well as high quality service from staff.
Many guests liked the location of this hotel and said that it was within an easy walking distance to a number of attractions. Several visitors in town for the Stampede particularly appreciated its close proximity to the Stampede Corral (just under 30 minutes to walk or an 8 minute drive). A number of business travellers said that it was well located to offices. Some other guests appreciated that public transport was close by as well.
Guests received good service from staff, and used words like "friendly" and "efficient" to describe them. As one guest said, "excellent staff that met every need".
A few guests liked the price point for the hotel, and felt that they had received good value for what they paid. They said things like "wouldn't break the bank" and "good value for the money".
Rooms were configured well, clean and comfortable, according to a number of guests.
There were a few additional positive comments, mostly centring on things like comfortable beds and quality linens.
The Bad
Although a number of guest comments used for this analysis were positive, there were some common themes among the complaints, including issues with extra fees and with the on-site parking.
For a few guests, paying extra fees above and beyond the room rate was objectionable. Guests thought that the fees for Wi-Fi access and for parking were excessive.
For some guests, parking was an issue. Parking spots were tight and difficult to access, and availability was limited. One guest suggested that it was worthwhile checking out parkades that were adjacent to the hotel.
Some guests were bothered by noise, sourced from both inside their rooms (noisy A/C units) and from outside (barking dogs and noise from neighbouring guests).
There were some additional negative comments on things like small bathrooms and problems with hot water in the shower.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviewers ranked this hotel #14 out of 97 Calgary hotels, based on 419 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviewers rated this hotel 8.5 out of 10, or "very good", based on 20 reviews.
Hotels.com guest reviewers rated this hotel 4.4 out of 5, or "excellent", based on 78 reviews.
Confirmed with a front desk agent: Wi-Fi and parking (call date: July 25, 2012).
