I stayed for two weeks as the Sandman Inn, Calgary, AB.
My room door stuck frequently. The room was on the small side, with a full size bed, a desk, a chair and ottoman, and a mini-refrigerator under a table. I had to move the ottoman to have enough room to work out.
The bed was adequately firm, but it was difficult to sleep in due to size and because the air-conditioner couldn’t get the room cool enough. Even when cranked all the way to the run, the A/C just blew air most of the time.
A six-way power tap provided sufficient outlets for devices at the desk, but I needed to unplug the alarm clock to be able to charge my phone on the nightstand. Internet service, both ethernet and wireless, was spotty the first week but was better the second week.
The bathroom had sufficient room. Like the Ramada up here, the hot water was insanely hot, which made for a difficult time finding the right shower temp. Pressure to the shower was great, but pressure was weak at the sink.
The small, L-shaped fitness room packed a lot: an elliptical, a treadmill, a nautilus, and two kinds of stationary bikes. Unfortunately, there were no dumbbells.
Laundry service was excellent. Instructions were followed perfectly regarding what garments needed to be pressed, hung on hangers, and folded. Folded shirts also got individual plastic covers.
The restaurant was bad in the mornings. The pancakes were too wheat-y and didn’t hold syrup. The oatmeal was beyond thick. Most days I had corn flakes and mixed fruit, which usually consisted of a strawberry, grapes, and slices of orange and pineapple. The morning help wasn’t much better, except for one waitress who we kept requesting because she was competent. I did have a chicken tender salad for lunch once, and that was OK.
Parking under the hotel was sufficient. There was supposed to be a valet service, but I only saw him once.
The room was CA$120, which is about the same as US$, unfortunately. Considering rooms were filling up due to the Calgary Stampede next week, this was not an unexpected price.
Sandman is its own chain in Canada, so I wasn’t able to score any frequent stay points. If I needed to teach in Calgary again, I’d probably go back to the Ramada, but the Sandman is a decent backup plan.
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