Matrix Hotel

The bathroom’s sliding door is an odd design. It has no lock and leaves a pretty big gap, so there isn’t much privacy. Otherwise, service was top notch. Check in was quick, friendly, professional, and informative. When the group in the room next to ours partied late, we asked to change floors, and the staff moved us to another room without hesitation.

Patrick and his team handled the technical side of our conference professionally and made it all feel effortless. The chef and kitchen staff also kept the food coming, and it was amazing throughout. We held a two day work retreat at Matrix Hotel, and the meeting room and ballroom looked beautiful for our setup. The rooms were modern and cozy, and our guests from other cities said their stays were pleasant and comfortable. Staff were polite, attentive, and accommodating from beginning to end. A fantastic venue with fantastic people for a business or leisure stay in downtown Edmonton.

The included breakfast was better than I expected, and the staff were kind. I was able to get an extra blanket, a kettle, and herbal tea on request. I spent five days here for a conference. It’s a standard hotel in a good location, and my room was clean and quiet. The main drawback was the free wifi, which runs at just 5mbps and is barely usable for Zoom or video calls.

The bike lock up area was a nice touch, though it only has two hookup stands and both were taken. For a hotel on a major downtown bike route, they need at least two more, and there’s room. The bigger problem was lunch at this week’s mini conference. Organizers told me vegan food had been arranged, but the Matrix didn’t follow through. My sandwich was two pieces of white bread with one lettuce leaf and a wafer thin slice of something I couldn’t identify, while others got generous fillings or croissants. The shared green salad had dressings with unclear ingredients and no allergen labels. The server couldn’t tell me whether the soup contained milk, which I’m allergic to and part of why I eat vegan. There were plenty of dessert choices for omnivores, and nothing for the rest of us, not even melon or pineapple. A big platter labelled vegan was cleared, so there was clearly demand, but no response. Maybe there was an internal mix up, or perhaps the chef was being difficult. Either way, the Matrix needs to make sure there’s food everyone can eat, whatever their beliefs, religion, or medical needs. It was a welcoming enough hotel when my cousin stayed ten years ago, but this lunch felt unwelcoming and unbecoming. Two stars, really a one star situation.