I'm very pleased with the Mettera. It's a boutique hotel that's nearing 10 years old. It is unassuming on the outside and tasteful on the inside, with a touch of wear and tear that shouldn't bother most people. Our circumstances were unfortunate (home flooded and we had to move out urgently), but the Mettera made our difficult time much happier.

SERVICE: Though the service at the front desk was always professional, I did notice the level of friendliness varied a bit. At check-in, I had a wonderful young woman who was full of smiles, and went out of her way to find me a suitable room. Even the cleaning staff was helpful, offering extra supplies, no questions asked. Breakfasts can be enjoyed on the 2nd floor gathering area that overlooks the lobby. Yummier better than just continental (bagels, toast, croissant, cereal, fruit salad, assorted drinks) and includes hard boiled eggs and a waffle station. There is an appreciable size gym and a business centre with computers and printers.

ROOMS: I got to look at several rooms: Earth room (their basic), Fire room (fireplace), Fire & Water room (fireplace and fancy bathroom with jetted tub). We would have been happy with all of them. In the end, we chose the spacious Fire room with King bed. It has the most interesting V shaped configuration which affords extra space in the middle. The updated bathroom is clean and functional, with a nice tub, ceiling high mirrors, and granite countertops. There is a Keurig instant hot beverage maker with free refills and a mini fridge. The bed is warm and cozy, and stacked with 6 pillows to mix and match as you need. There is a huge LCD TV, a fireplace (has a clicking timer), in room safe, a desk for work and laptops, and a sitting area by the window. The Mettera is probably the tallest building on Whyte Ave (because of building codes), so the view and noise just depends which way you are pointed. Point NW or NE and you get a good downtown and river valley view. Point SW or SE and you'll see Whyte Ave activity, but probably catch some of the drifting noise from the restaurants below. (Our room was on the 6th floor and super quiet.)

LOCATION: Being an Edmontonian, I can definitely speak to the location. The Mettera is on Whyte Ave - not off to the ends but right in the heart of it. It makes shopping at the many unique boutiques easy. Not including fast food and coffee shops, there are easily 20 restaurants within 3-4 blocks that I normally frequent, including Dadeo's (Louisiana), Julio Barrio's (Mexican), Yiannis (Greek), Accent (European Bistro), Von's (steakhouse and oyster bar), Buddy's (Chinese). A drive to downtown is 5-10 minutes and West Edmonton Mall is 15 minutes away.

PARKING: I can understand the parking situation. For most, Edmonton is not a city that you visit without a car. Whether for work or pleasure, the city is spread out enough that it's much more convenient to have a car. Parking options are either a self-park open lot across the street, or valet security parking (they put it 1 block away). Spots in front (for check-in and drop off) are limited (3 to 4 car spaces), but 9 out of 10 times, I could pull up immediately. We definitely used the valet service and found the car reliably parked in front for the time we ordered in the morning. I'm not sure how efficient it is for instant service.

I absolutely recommend the Mettera but with the caveat that given the cost ($180-230 for non-suites), there are some flaws that some may not be willing to overlook. However, I feel the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. Overall, a happy stay!