First HHonors option in downtown Calgary

The Homewood Suites Calgary Downtown is the first HHonors option in downtown Calgary.  The hotel is actually co-branded with Hilton Garden Inn, sharing certain spaces such as check-in, fitness, pool and laundry.

Check-in was quick and efficient.  I was the last guest to check-in that night and had e-checked in the previous day.  The room assigned was the one provided during e-check in. The check-in area appears to be common for both the Homewood and the HGI - or at the very least, it was when I checked in around 11pm at night.  Nice basic looby and very friendly check-in staff

The room booked and assigned was one of the basic suites and although quite modern, also felt pretty standard compared to other Homewood properties. Everything was in working order and the room has a nice view of the Calgary Saddledome and other attractions in this area.  The room featured a small kitchen with a stovetop, dishwasher, fridge, microwave and dining set. Small work/dining table in between the dining and the "living" area.

Bathroom (toilet, stand-in shower) is separate from the sink area which is a mixed blessing.  Towels were all put in the main bathroom so hand towels had to be moved over to the sink area.  The shower door layout also makes it nearly impossible to start the shower without going into the actual shower (and getting that cold water at first).

The actual bed was comfortable and pretty standard.

The AC unit is a window/through the wall style AC which is a bit noisy when it starts, but did not disrupt my sleep

Only had breakfast at this location and I was underwhelmed.  Although Homewood's breakfast is rarely anything to write home about, this one was extremely basic with limited choices or small quantities of available items.  Quality was average at best. 

This hotel is in a developping area of Calgary's downtown and fairly close to some of the major sporting venues.  It is slightly outside of the main "traditional" downtown core but in a spot that will likely be highly regarded in the near future

The fitness area is in the Homewood section of the hotel, but accessible to guests of the Hilton Garden Inn.  It is a nice, relatively large center with at least 4 treadmills, 4 ellipticals, a few bikes and strengths equipment.  One big surprise though is that they are not featuring the standard (and my preferred) Precor equipment, but an alternative from StarTrac

Overall, this is a nice addition to the Calgary hotel scene.  As a Diamond member, I will be tempted to try the Hilton Garden Inn next time where I suspect the breakfast might be much better (but the rooms probably smaller).  I would still go back, but I do sincerely hope that they improve their breakfast offer