We stayed here because we were attending a three-day conference at the Saddledome. It was right downtown and just a couple blocks from the train... very convenient for getting to and from the stampede grounds. It was also within walking distance of Stephen Avenue and other great stores and restaurants so at night we just walked out the lobby and wandered until we found a nice place to eat.

The hotel itself is a converted apartment building built decades ago. Things are quite outdated and the bed really isn't comfortable. I don't know if the furniture and carpet are so much dirty as they are worn and old... still felt odd sitting on the couch, though. It was nice having a full one-bedroom apartment and a full kitchen to make our lunches in the morning and store our meat, cheese, etc. but it's not a warm fuzzy hotel or even attractive.

The folks at 5 Calgary Dowtown are trying very hard to make up for its drab, poor showing. Staff are some of the friendliest I've met and the place is trying with nice amenities like a spa. But the list of negatives is much longer. Rooms were sweltering hot - the heat was off in my room and even opening all of the windows to minus 10 C weather all night didn't help much. The bathroom was filthy - hairs and dust behind the door and toilet. THe bath was dirty. The carpet and furniture smelled like smoke in a no smoking room. Only decaf coffee was available for the filthy coffee maker. Pillows were terribly uncomfortable foam tubes. You get the idea.
It's time to spruce up guys - til then everyone should stay away.

It was our first time in Calgary. The hotel is nice, but dated. Our room was clean, the location is good, and the staff was excellent, which leads me to give it a "Very Good" instead of "Average" rating. The on-site restaurant is a decent place to grab a meal -- good breakfasts, though.

My friend and I stayed here for a weekend in Calgary. Like others had previously mentioned, when you walk into the lobby it looks rather nice and modern. As soon as you enter the room you're certainly taken aback by how outdated, musty and old everything is. There are cracks on the walls, dust everywhere, old musty furniture... even the cutlery that was there was old and dirty.

The front desk staff (Bernard) I had found to be super rude and unprofessional. Checking in with him set the tone for the rest of our stay there- sour, at best.

The one good thing I will mention is that the beds are quite comfortable. I was happy with them.

I think that unless you absolutely need to stay somewhere with a full kitchenette, book elsewhere. This hotel is just sub-par.