Better suited to travelling technicians?
The reasons for choosing the Best Western Strathmore were that it met three important criteria: 1) Not in Calgary - a potential COVID-19 hotspot during our stay, 2) Pet Friendly, and 3) mid-priced. Wh... more
The reasons for choosing the Best Western Strathmore were that it met three important criteria: 1) Not in Calgary - a potential COVID-19 hotspot during our stay, 2) Pet Friendly, and 3) mid-priced. While not brand new, and dominated by earth toned everything, the room was clean and comfortable enough and the beds were fine also.
Among the positives were that the room was among the more spacious that we'd had during our 7-day road journey from Southern Ontario to BC. The room included a small desktop and adjustable workstation chair was an upholstered sitting chair. We had our take-out dinner on the table using the workstation chair and an Ottoman for seating.
The room temperature is controlled via a wall thermostat (thank goodness is becoming increasingly common) and there is ample counter space in the bathroom. As seems to be consistent from Northern Ontario and Westward the mini-fridge seem quite capacious. This is certainly different compared to the places I normally stay for business travel (mostly major chains in the US).
The television is a modern narrow bezel flat-screen with HD cable, it is a bit on the smaller side compared with most we had during our trip. As is common with mid-priced hotels, there is but a single night stand between the two queen beds. One nicety was the availability of table height AC and USB charging outlets.
Check in was efficient and the attendant seemed quite friendly during the 5-minutes (max) that we interacted. We were given our room keys and told to reach it by going back outside, and not to use the interior hallway. We had a room on ground level with an exterior door on the East side of the building. We were also given a couple of forms to fill out to select our bagged breakfast and told to bring them back by 10PM. Regrettably, we surrendered to the comfort of the room and never returned the forms so no breakfast for us in the morning. A couple of generic 'default' breakfasts on hand would have been nice.
On the more mediocre side were that our door didn't actually fit flush. If you refer to the photos you'll see the light coming in through a gap near the bottom of the door. The door seemed warped, like someone had slammed it against something jamming the base of the door at some point. The vista out the window and door is the back of the strip mall across the parking lot, not exactly a holiday view.
Finally, going back to the title of the review, the evening we were at the Best Western Strathmore, the lot was filled with commercial vehicles from vans and pick-ups to large vacuum trucks. While the vehicles themselves were not problematic, many of the all male operators had congregated outside a few doors to enjoy each other's company and have a few pops. Still not a problem.
Unfortunately, some of the 'boys' were a bit forward with their invitation to my young adult daughter to join them. Nothing rude, but she was discomfited. I mention this only as information should a testosterone heavy environment be a potential consideration. (The local RCMP detachment is right across the street so I doubt it ever really gets rowdy, plus its proximity might be a reason for those with expensive commercial equipment to choose the the Best Western.)
In summary, the room was comfortable enough. The grounds are definitely industrial-ish and I would accept staying here again. I would also, however, evaluate alternatives. less
Alban Mehmeti, General Manager at Best Western Strathmore Inn, responded to this review
Dear Olde_biL.
We would like to thank you for your feedback, we will definitely be using the feedback you gave us to implement improvements to ensure we offer a better experience for guests in the future.
We pride our hotel on being a clean and safe place for all of our guests to feel welcome and comfortable in.
We are serving Hot Breakfast now, and our indoor Swimming Pool & Hot Tub are open following the guidance of Alberta Health Services in order to ensure everyone's safety.
Our guests are split (about 60/40) between Corporate/Crew and Leisure guests. The night you stayed with us, we had a big crew in house, and I apologize that they made you and your daughter feel uncomfortable.
Please feel free to contact me directly. Once again your feedback is important and we thank you for your candidness.
Stay Safe,
All the best.