hotel recommendations for recce in Calgary
 

Afternoon all

title says it all really. Wife and I are headed to Calgary on 16 November for a recce, we are going to be there a week.

Any recommendations on a reasonable cheapish hotel would be appreciated.

cheers
Tom

Re: hotel recommendations for recce in Calgary
 

Cheapish and well located I would suggest a place in Motel Village.

It in the northwest quadrant of the city right on the Trans-Canada Highway and located within easy walking distance of the Banff Trail LRT Station, making it quite easy to get downtown without having to drive.

Google Map showing Motel Village location.

Cheers
Steve

Re: hotel recommendations for recce in Calgary
 

An 'English Bed and Breakfast' based in the NW are very good, have a lap top/internet, shared kitchen to make your own meals in the evening, hottub and a short walk to the 'c' train to get straight into Calgary downtown. website www.englishbb.com

Pm me if you want more info for you reccy or want to meet up during your trip.

Re: hotel recommendations for recce in Calgary
 

without sounding nosey depends on the cash, you're probably looking at downtown for most offices (if oyur planning visits etc) so all the major players are there Hyatt, Westin etc but you get what you pay for but remember parking charges too if you have a hire car!

Re: hotel recommendations for recce in Calgary
 

For a recce trip, I recommend staying outside of downtown, e.g., the areas that Steve and Helen suggested. If you'll be working downtown after you've settled in Calgary, the travel between a residential neighbourhood and the downtown core would give you some idea of what commuting would be like (although that "test" would be more realistic if you did it during rush hour and still more so if it had snowed).

Further to what loose moose said about parking, downtown hotels typically charge for parking, while hotels outside of the downtown core typically provide complimentary parking.

If you can afford it, a suite hotel is convenient for a recce trip. It provides you with a little flat that has a living room that is separate from the bedroom and a kitchen or kitchenette. The kitchen facilities are handy for self-catering (even if you just catered your own breakfasts, it would help to keep down costs and would give you a sense of "living" in the place rather than being tourists). Besides that, when you're on the phone a lot, are getting papers ready for interviews, etc., it is useful to have enough space to spread out a bit. Conducting what essentially is a business trip from just one bedroom can be stressful, in my experience.

If you want to stay at a suite hotel in Motel Village, Hampton Inn & Suites Calgary University would be the most upscale choice from the available selection. (The properties in Motel Village range from moderate down to low budget.)

Comfort Inn & Suite Motel Village is a lower budget property. Most of the reviews at TripAdvisor say that it provides decent value for money, but there are some negative reviews as well.

The hotlinks I have given you will take you to the TripAdvisor reviews of the relevant properties.

Keep the prices of the two hotels in mind, and realize that, to some extent, you get what you pay for. I would not recommend going with an establishment that is cheaper than Comfort Inn & Suite Motel Village. Maybe if you were just passing through and only wanted a pillow on which to rest your head for a night, you could tolerate a cheaper establishment. But, if you are on what essentially is a working trip, I imagine you'd want a minimum level of comfort.

There is, of course, the option of staying in a B&B, as Helen suggested. One of the benefits of staying at a B&B is that you can pick the owners' brains, ask them stuff about Calgary, etc.

Re: hotel recommendations for recce in Calgary
 

If you want a mid range mid cost hotel in downtown, we recently stayed in the Ramada. It was very reasonable, centrally located 1 block from the LRT & the staff were great.