Choosing to stay at the Courtyard Marriott at the Calgary Airport (YYC) was a relatively simple decision. I was looking for something that was both cheap(ish) and very close to the airport, and this was the first property that popped up in my search results.
I like easy and cheap, so I congratulated myself for a job well done as I quickly made the reservation.
A full review of my 1 night stay at the Courtyard Marriott at the Calgary Airport
It’s important to note that the Courtyard Marriott is not the closest hotel to the Calgary Airport. The Calgary Airport Marriott is the one attached directly to the terminal (and it’s the one I recommend). The naming of the two is confusing, so just be aware of that when making your reservation.
First impressions
I arrived via a complimentary shuttle bus from the airport, and I was glad to see that that it was a large and clean property. It didn’t appear to be all that busy either. Check in was a breeze, and I was on my way up to my room in just minutes.
Courtyard Marriott YYC exterior – looks pretty good from the outside!
The lobby
This is the main lobby – the check in counter consists of those three small podiums along the back wall.
This is the in-house restaurant (as seen from directly the opposite direction from the previous pic). I ended up having dinner here this night, so more pics from here later on in this review…
There was lots to see during the walk to the elevator. First up is the boarding pass / check in station – very convenient!
A few steps beyond that in the next room was this huge and very library-like business center.
The opposite side of this room was very homey and lounge-like with a real fireplace and big screen TV.
Finally, here we are at the elevators.
Getting to my room
I haven’t even made it to my room yet and I’m already digging the style of this hotel. Here’s what the guest room hallways look like.
The door to 510 – my room for the night!
The room
The room as seen upon stepping through the door. This is basically a fancy-pants version of the room I recently had at the Dulles Airport Marriott.
Oooh, nice little detail there. I like!
Walking a bit deeper into the room, and as you can see, it’s pretty basic for the most part.
I’m a big fan of sofas and coffee tables in hotel rooms. It’s usually the place where I get most of my work done.
While quite basic, I thought this room was very well designed with nice finishes everywhere. And what is is with the Marriott brand and their obsession with the color orange. I felt orange-overload during my stay at the IAH Marriott, but this takes the cake.
Underneath all those fancy materials is just a basic hotel room though – the layout wasn’t anything special.
Here’s a wide angle view of the entire room just so you can get a sense of what the space is like.
Now that’s a tiny desk!
Adjacent to the main entrance was this mini-bar area.
Behind the door was a safe and decent size refrigerator.
Another wide-angle pic showing how the mini-bar area is wedged into the space. The main entrance is to the right.
The view from my 5th floor window isn’t much to write about, but at least it was a nice day out there.
The bathroom
While quite big, I found the bathroom to be a bit less stylish than the rest of the room.
Nothing fancy here!
The texture of that vanity gave me a headache… (#firstworldproblems, I know)
A little behind-the-scenes action here. This is what I look like when I’m doing hotel reviews!
The rest of the bathroom, showing the toilet on the right, and a huge shower on the left.
Check out the size of that shower!
The shower was very nice – but the door was in a very awkward spot in relation to where you are supposed to turn on the water. There’s no way to get the water running without getting soaked!
Basic. Simple. Clean. All one really needs in a toilet!
Paul Mitchell amenities here in the bathroom.
Food and dining
It was almost 7pm by the time I got situated in my room and was ready to grab dinner. Room service would have been a nice option, but since it wasn’t available, I went back downstairs to check out the menu for Barlow (the in-house restaurant).
It looked really good – and a bit expensive – but it was convenient and I didn’t really know what else to do if I didn’t choose to eat here. It ended up being a good choice for dinner. The food was tasty, fast, and the service friendly. Can’t ask for anything better than that!
View of the (empty) restaurant from my table. I was really hungry, so I appreciated the fast service!
I pretty much had the place to myself this evening, which was nice.
The bar *crickets*
I took way too many pictures of this place, but it’s not very often I have the chance to get hotel review footage without other people blocking the best shots!
On to the meal pics! This tomato soup starter was quite tasty.
Following that was a delicious plate of salmon and mushrooms. This hit the spot!
This restaurant was so convenient that I returned for breakfast the next morning. It’s hard to go wrong with oatmeal and yogurt to start the day, right?
Final thoughts
My one night stay here at the Courtyard Marriott at the Calgary Airport was a very good experience. The property is fairly new, the rooms are in great shape, and the staff was extremely friendly.
The shuttle bus situation is a bit inconvenient though. They only come by once an hour so you have to plan ahead if you’re coming from the airport. As long as you are aware of that before you book this hotel, you can’t really go wrong with staying here.
