It was family weekend at UofA, and we couldn't find a place to stay. Most places were either fully booked or super expensive. When we thought it was going to be impossible, this place popped up in our search. Without looking at the location and distance to the campus, or at least our son's dorm, etc., we reserved it and kept searching. After a week of searching, there were no other properties available, or they were even more expensive than when we first started our search, so we kept our reservation.
We did more research on the property and noticed that they have bugger rooms than most hotels, where the sitting area where the TV, desk, microwave, closet and bathroom are separate from the sleeping area and entrance into the room. Thus was super helpful, especially when my son was doing his homework and my mom was watching tv in the bedroom. 1 star for that.
There are 3 floors and no elevator. Minus one star. There's a swimming pool and a putting green. Another star. I asked for a newer room because they were a little larger, nicer, and there were black out curtains. Another star.
So we were off to a good start.
When we arrived, I didn't realize how far this property was to UofA. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't close. If you're looking for a place that's less than 5-10 minutes from campus, this isn't the place. Minus one star for that.
On my reservation, the site asked for our estimated time of arrival. I figured they wanted to know if I wanted to check in early since I was arriving early. I was super excited about that. Boy, was I wrong. We arrived at 1pm as stated on the site. When I checked in. The lady at the desk checked to see if a room was ready for us and there was none. She asked us to come back at 2:30-3:00pm. Minus a star. Mood dampener for that. Anyway, it was time for lunch, and we were starving. Luckily, there were a ton of places to eat nearby, grocery stores included. Plus a star. We ordered lunch and killed time.
We were finally able to check in about 3:30pm. Yes, I checked in again and still had to wait while 4 other customers received their keys before me. Minus a star. Horrible. Anyway, when we were finally given our keys to our room, we were given a room on the 2nd floor and it was around the corner from the stairs, so it was perfect. Plus a star.
The room was pretty clean. Bring slippers. The bathroom is super small. The coffee maker in the bathroom. It would've been better places in the sitting room on the desk. The microwave is in a cabinet next to the empty shelf. The only reason I knew that is because I saw pictures on Yelp, and I like to open cabinets and drawers. The shower is pretty large, and the water pressure was great, especially after a long day of hanging out with your college student. The beds were super comfy. I could've slept in all day if I had the chance. They are a little on the small side. It says queen, but it was more of a full queen than an actual queen. There are 2 tvs, one in the sitting room and one in the bedroom. The AC was awesome in the bedroom but not in the sitting room. Something should probably be done about that. It gets hot in there pretty quick.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay. It was a little far from UofA, but not too far. Plus, Snooze am was right next door. If you're hungry, stop by. Their food is delicious. There's tons of parking and several staircases. The swimming pool was small and looked nice, but we weren't able to partake in it; maybe next time. You need wristbands to be able to enjoy the pool. You get that on check-in day if you're going to swim that day and at the front desk every day after that....it's a new wristband every day.
Even though we had to wait a bit, the front desk people were polite and quick. They take care of you. They do need to fix the website option about the estimated time of arrival though... sites shouldn't ask that question if they're not going to honor it, no matter what sis you're booking on.
They're were other families that stayed during the same time we were and boosted with their wildcat, so that was comforting to know that we weren't the only ones.
We would definitely stay here again for a short stay. It would start too feel a little cramped for longer stays...IMHO.
Thanks for the hospitality. read more