Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown

The staff are great and everyone was friendly. Rooms are super clean and spacious, and there are a local gym, pool, an onsite restaurant called Canery, and a bar with plenty of alcohol to suit everyone. The only annoyance might be the tramway. If your room is on a lower floor on the same side as the train, you may find it bothersome.

The rooms are clean and a good size, the cleaning and bar staff are nice, and the location is great. But the facilities don't seem able to handle the number of guests. The bar and breakfast room are always running out of things. The pool and whirlpool are packed with screaming kids left without supervision, including some too young to be on their own. Staff never seem to check the area. Children climbed over me in the whirlpool, even when we went down around 8 or 9pm. Breakfast was no better. We were charged too much for our room. When I tried to ask about it, the receptionist kept repeating that there was a $200 card hold, which wasn't the charge I was asking about. Then they spoke to me like I was an idiot.

The location worked especially well for getting around without a car. Public transit is easy to reach, and restaurants, shops, and other downtown amenities are within walking distance. The hotel itself seemed new or recently renovated, with modern, clean, well-kept rooms. We stayed one night with two families. The breakfast buffet exceeded my expectations, including pulled pork, which you don't often see at a standard hotel breakfast. Staff were friendly and polite throughout. The firm mattress suited me perfectly, and I slept very well. The room was quiet, with excellent window insulation that kept out the busy downtown noise. The heater was the one nuisance: it kept cycling on and off during the night and was fairly loud. Also, none of us cared for the tile floors in the cold December weather. Walking barefoot on them was unpleasant, and complimentary slippers would have helped. Still, it was a comfortable stay and I'd consider returning.

The neighborhood feels a little rough to walk through, though the location is handy and there are lots of amenities nearby. Service has always been great, and the pool and hot tub have been pristine whenever I've used them. There's a nice little workout room with a water fountain. Paper cups by the fountain would be a nice addition.