O n my second night in Alberta, I stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites By Hilton Calgary — University Northwest hotel property, as it was located literally meters north of Trans-Canada Highway 1 in Calgary — where it is not a limited access highway — for fairly easy access to head towards Banff.
Review: Hampton Inn & Suites By Hilton Calgary — University Northwest
Parking for the Hampton Inn & Suites By Hilton Calgary — University Northwest is located to the right of the portico for either checking in to the hotel property; for people who are disabled; and one parking spot for a guest who has earned Hilton Honors Diamond VIP elite level status. All other guests and visitors must park in the parking garage, for which there is no fee.
For security purposes, in order to access the rooms in this hotel property, you must already have a room key; and you must use it in order to activate the buttons within the elevator.
The Room
The bed was comfortable, as it was one typically found in Hampton Inns.
The entrance to the room is on the right; and the entrance to the bathroom is on the right side of the hallway when entering into the room. The thermostat on the wall controls the climate control unit under the window.
The closet contains hangers, an ironing board, an iron, a spare blanket, and a plastic laundry bag. The mirrored sliding door is used for both the closet and the entrance to the bathroom. There is also a door to a connecting room.
One unusual feature of the room is the two hassocks with handles, which can be pulled out from under the counter area where the ice bucket is located and used either for luggage or to stretch out your legs when seated in a chair.
There is a flat-screen television; a desk on which to work; a mirror; and a couple of lamps.
Another unusual feature in the room is the three sliding wire racks with a door under the television. A refrigerator and microwave oven — along with a coffee pot and assorted items for a cup of coffee or tea — also are included in the room.
An alarm clock is situated on the night table between the beds — along with a telephone and a pad of paper with a pen. Two electrical outlets and two USB ports are conveniently located in the front panel of the desk. Access to the Internet with Wi-Fi at no extra charge worked well.
The room is equipped with an ample amount of electrical outlets and USB ports — including this one on the left side of the desk near the television.
The aforementioned climate control unit is located under the window.
The Bathroom
The bathroom itself was not too big and not too small — rather, it was adequate.
A hair dryer is available in a cubbyhole under the counter near the sink.
Instead of a curtain held by a bar curved outward — as is the standard in bathrooms in most Hampton Inn properties within the United States — the shower was equipped with glass doors which had towel racks.
Plenty of towels were available on shelves near the sink — as well as a floor towel near the toilet.
Amenities supplied in the bathroom include facial soap, bath soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion by Neutrogena; as well as mouthwash, a shoe mitt and a shower cap.
A night light automatically is activated when the room is dark, which is useful if one needs to use the bathroom — but if light interferes with your sleep, you must slide the mirrored sliding door away from the closet to block the bathroom.
The View
This was basically the tree-mendous view outside of the window of the room.
That I am not going to bark about this view — as I have seen better — stems from the fact that I have seen worse views. This might be the worst view I have had from a hotel room.
Instead, I will leave this alone and look on the bright side: the obstructed view ensures privacy.
Breakfast
As is typical at Hampton Inn hotel properties, breakfast is included in the mornings — and this Hampton Inn includes a station of fresh bananas, fresh apples, and a fruit salad consisting of grapefruit slices, orange slices, grapes, apples, pineapples and melons.
The hot food station includes oatmeal, on which you can top with brown sugar or mixed nuts…
…as well as some kind of egg dish, bacon and potatoes.
Cereal, English muffins and condiments — note the cutesy sayings on the miniature blackboards — as well as paper plates and napkins are available at this station.
Assorted muffins are available; and assorted bagels can be split and toasted in the device on the right.
You can easily cook your own fresh waffles in two minutes with the batter you dispense into a cup. You can then top your waffle with whipped cream, assorted flavors of syrup or assorted jellies.
Skim milk, two percent milk, low fat yogurt, assorted fruit juices and water are available at this station.
I started off with a waffle with raspberry syrup and whipped cream with a side of sliced fruit.
Summary
As is customary with Hampton Inns, you can ask the person behind the front desk for free items you may have forgotten at home — such as shaving cream, a razor, toothpaste or a toothbrush as four examples.
This Hampton Inn hotel property is located minutes away from downtown Calgary; and you can walk five minutes to the train station. A fitness room, hot tub, indoor pool and waterside are all available for complimentary use by guests.
It is also the closest Hilton hotel property to Banff National Park, which is not saying much as it is 104 kilometers away. Hilton needs to consider opening at least one hotel or resort property in each of the towns of Banff and Jasper.
I had no problems or issues with my stay, which cost me a total of $112.49 — or $83.38 in United States dollars — including tax. I recommend staying at this hotel property — especially with easy access to Trans-Canada Highway 1 and which has a good breakfast — if you want a reasonably comfortable, quiet, clean, basic, inexpensive and predictable Hampton Inn stay which is near a variety of shopping options and restaurants.
Hampton Inn & Suites By Hilton Calgary — University Northwest
2231 Banff Trail, Northwest
Calgary, Alberta T2M 4L2
Canada
1-403-289-9800
1-403-289-9200 Fax
All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
