Alt Hotel Calgary East Village

This hotel seems to be good for "business" travelers but not so good for visiting/vacationing travelers, especially if you don't have a vehicle. The room was very neat and clean, it however did not have a fridge or microwave. The tv channels were very limited compared to most other places I have stayed. I did not like the fact that most everything within the room worked electronically from the room key/card. The guest directory was available via a QR code, so that was not the most convenient situation for me. The dining was there, sort of and depending on the time of the day, 7:00 am to 3:00 pm was one, 5:00 pm to I think 11:00 pm was the other. Not much variety/selection in either restaurant and both on the expensive side. We wound up driving to a couple of great places. As for parking......very expensive, $ 30.00/24 hour period. I paid $ 30.00 from 3:17 pm to 3:17 pm the next day, went to the Zoo and had to pay another $ 30.00 for the next 24 hour period, 6:20 pm to 6:20 pm even though we were checking out before 11:00 am the next day. Once again, this place is not in an ideal location for surrounding restaurants or any other leisure activities within a decent walking radius. Good for business travelers but really not meant for the average family.

I love the river area, the east village could be a real jewel in Calgary's crown, but a few blocks west is a disaster zone. The dirty needles, crowds of addicts fighting and screaming at people, body fluids and waste on the sidewalks, it’s really going downhill. The hotel area is safe, it’s a really lovely hotel and I enjoy it, I like walking at the park along the river right there, families with their dogs at the dog park, all very nice. Some nice restaurants and bistros in the area. But if I was not a 6’2” large man, I would be uncomfortable walking to the C-train station, or walking into downtown, particularly in the evening or early AM. I recommend the hotel, it is great and I love the euro-style rooms, fantastic river view and general vibe of it, but Calgary really needs to get it together and get that area under control a few blocks west of there if they ever want this area to reach its full potential.

If you enjoy cycling, jogging or walking you will be across the street of an awesome bike path! Playground for youngsters too!!

Pretty clean and quiet. Even my kids like it.