The attraction of this hotel is that it is centrally located in Jasper and it has spacious contemporary accommodation. Too many other places are either too far out of the town centre away from where most of the restaurants and bars are located; or they appear to be overpriced and in need of modernisation; or they are both.

As has been mentioned by a few reporters this is not a B&B - for starters there are no facilities on site for eating however as it is “downtown” there are several nearby cafes where you can obtain breakfast - Café Mondo across the street is very good. There are no hosts in the sense of a traditional guest house either - when we stayed for 3 nights in October 2011 the receptionist was either on hand or , if involved in other duties, would respond when you rang a bell at the desk for attention.

Despite its central location it is not an easy place to find and it would pay to prepare before arriving in Jasper with specific instructions as to the location. How can you get lost in Jasper I hear you say - read on to find out! The property is on a one-way street and blends in with the shop fronts in the middle of the town. Make sure you join Patricia Street at or before Hazel Avenue - the hotel is a short distance from that junction. It is # 623, on the right side of the road, opposite the buildings with the red roofs (if it’s been snowing that might not be much of a clue). If you join Patricia Street after Hazel Avenue you will be heading away from the property and for a tour of the town.

Embarrassingly we initially managed to go down Patricia Street the wrong way, toured the block a few times and eventually I opted to park the car and go look for the place on foot (unfortunately the street number wasn’t even on our email confirmation). I asked a few people if they could direct me however no one seemed that certain. When you do find the entrance bring the car up in front to unload your luggage - there is a lift to the first floor reception where the majority of rooms are also located (I think the suites are at ground level). Car parking (no charge) is in the basement off an alley at the rear of the building and the only access to the hotel from there is up a staircase via the garage itself. You would usually need a card to activate the shutter door to get in there and even then, the lift does not operate from the garage level.

There is a card reader situated on the steep slope down to the garage which is supposed to activate the shutter door however it wasn’t working during our stay. Sadly I only discovered this when I was on the steep slope and had to reverse back on to the alley and walk around the block to get back to reception - in the rain. When the car park was full one evening we parked next to the garage entrance - although the alley looks unattractive there were no problems leaving it there in our experience. You will probably need to use this outside space if your vehicle is above average height since the roof of the garage is quite low. That would be a disadvantage obviously in the winter months.

As you may guess by the time we checked into our room, following the issue of finding the hotel and the problem with the garage door, my patience was wearing a bit thin. However the room itself matched expectations much to our relief!

We stayed in room 4 which is at the front of the building overlooking the street (CAN$175 + 11% taxes per night). It was spacious, easily accommodated a king sized bed, a stove style fire, a couple of easy chairs and a small table for drinks, a desk & chair and a cabinet with built-in television with drawer space below. The built-in wardrobe also provided decent storage. There was also a small sink with built-in fridge housed in a cupboard below (this tended to overheat as a result of the confined space), a coffee maker and even a couple of wine glasses. The flooring, although described as hardwood, looked laminated and the dark wood effect together with the low-level lighting made the room itself quite dark.

The ensuite was of a very good standard. Again spacious, containing a very large walk-in shower, a claw footed bathtub and a contemporary vanity unit. A heated lamp provided additional lighting. The shower was powerful and the bathtub superb - deep and quick to fill. The downside to all this was that the plumbing was noisy. It wasn’t restricted to this room as we also clearly heard neighbours using a jet tub one evening and for a moment thought that they were in our bathroom rather than next door!

Noise is an issue in general. Our stay was over a long weekend and on the Friday night we were wakened in the early hours by the sound of revellers pouring out a nearby bar at closing time. On another night the sound of a train whistle disturbed our sleep in the early hours but this could be an issue anywhere in Jasper I suppose as it is a hub for the railway. The fact that our windows were closed made little difference.

There is no splendid view from the rooms at the front so I would opt for a room at the rear if staying here again - these are the ones numbered 6 and above. However as we discovered in booking about 4 months in advance you may not have your first choice (our preference was room 7).

Having considered the Fairmount as an option, following a visit there during our stay in the Jasper area I’m happy that we didn’t take that option. It is miles from town and although in a scenic location, the cabin style rooms in the extensive grounds had the look of a Butlins holiday camp about them - although I’m sure that’s where the comparisons would end. Afternoon tea was very good!

If you like your comforts, are a heavy sleeper or likely to be joining the revellers in the nearby bar the Park Place Inn would be an ideal location. For others it also has it’s attractions. For us it was easy to try out several restaurants in town including Evil Dave’s Grill which was the best we experienced on this trip to Canada and as mentioned, it was one of the few hotels in the area which was fairly modern and spacious.