OT: Downtown Hotels

[Ghetty Green]

I will be in your wonderful city in April for the first time. Im looking for advice on downtown hotels. Are there any there that have a private balcony ?

Also, other than the mall what sites would you recommend in your great city ?

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[McJeety McJeet]

Pro-tip: during April Oiler games are either meaningless or, more likely, non-existent so don't plan on doing that.

Not sure about sites but Meat on whyte ave is a good time for food, it'll leave you more satisfied than say any Edmonton Oilers game.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I keep saying there should be a "When in Edmonton", sticky like that found on a lot of NHL boards. This way things can be contained in one thread, easily available, easily visible, and people don't have to ask the same questions all the time. Just review a catch all thread on Edmonton topics.

We've had two of these "I'm visiting your city threads, just in the last few days. Lets organize this and start encouraging visiting by having some information here. Like I say a lot of boards do this.

 

[BlueCheeseWithWings]

Holiday Inn Express Edmonton Downtown

This hotel is a few blocks from the arena.

 

[Cloned]

Price range?

Hotel MacDonald is the more luxurious (and expensive) hotel in the city.

 

[oilers'72]

I will be in your wonderful city in April for the first time. Im looking for advice on downtown hotels. Are there any there that have a private balcony ?

Also, other than the mall what sites would you recommend in your great city ?

I don't think any downtown hotels have balconies but someone may know better. If you want a view, though, try the Chateau Lacombe, Hotel McDonald or the Courtyard by Marriott. Each has a terrific view of the river valley. The Hotel McDonald and Courtyard also have courtyards facing the valley, while the Chateau Lacombe has a revolving roof top restaurant. There are several others in the downtown core but it'll depend on your budget which ones are in your range.

 

[oilers'72]

I'd also recommend the Quarters Hotel a little further east...but it's only in the design development stage and probably won't be finished for several years. Probably worth a return trip when it's done, though.

 

[Cloned]

I'd also recommend the Quarters Hotel a little further east...but it's only in the design development stage and probably won't be finished for several years. Probably worth a return trip when it's done, though.

I'm starting to think the Quarters will never actually be developed.

 

[oilers'72]

I'm starting to think the Quarters will never actually be developed.

I looked it up to see if there was any discussion. Haven't looked on C2E but I found this discussion, and the last comment made (on Friday) was that it was still a go: The Quarters Hotel and Residences | 280m | 80s | Alldritt Land | Kennedy

BTW, I've never seen that message board before but it looks fairly busy and it's building specific rather than a general board.

 

[Cloned]

I looked it up to see if there was any discussion. Haven't looked on C2E but I found this discussion, and the last comment made (on Friday) was that it was still a go: The Quarters Hotel and Residences | 280m | 80s | Alldritt Land | Kennedy

BTW, I've never seen that message board before but it looks fairly busy and it's building specific rather than a general board.

The Quarters redevelopment has supposedly been a "go" for the last 15 years lol. All we ended up with are empty buildings and a new hotel that got tagged for several violations and ended up losing its branding.

 

[oilers'72]

The Quarters redevelopment has supposedly been a "go" for the last 15 years lol. All we ended up with are empty buildings and a new hotel that got tagged for several violations and is now also empty.

Can't say about the other developments in the Quarters area, as I haven't followed it on C2E for a few years, and I live in Red Deer. But, the land has been rezoned and given council approval. I can see that the design stage will take a while, from the architecture of the hotel/condo, plus that they have to place it over some old coal mines and a potentially unstable underburden. Setting the foundation will be very important, moreso than on a flat piece of stable land.

Yeah, I read about the place that used to be a Hyatt and I don't think whoever maintained the place did an effective job. And, it may be, that the skid row area is still predominant past 97th Street.

 

[subnet]

My bride and me made the trip up from the Pacific NW to see the Oilers for a number of years and decided to stay at the Hotel Macdonald. No balconies but really nice place. There are a number of nice restaurants close.

Then I realized we could go to Vegas instrad AND see the Oilers and have a +40 degree difference in temp, but I digress

If you want nice and character, then downtown hotel Macdonald can’t be beat. A lot of visiting teams stay there as seen by fans camping out for autographs.

 

[EchoesoftheEighties]

I keep saying there should be a "When in Edmonton", sticky like that found on a lot of NHL boards. This way things can be contained in one thread, easily available, easily visible, and people don't have to ask the same questions all the time. Just review a catch all thread on Edmonton topics.

We've had two of these "I'm visiting your city threads, just in the last few days. Lets organize this and start encouraging visiting by having some information here. Like I say a lot of boards do this.

I agree. I usually visit them when going to other NHL cities to get an idea of where to go/what to see from locals.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

will the JW Marriott be open in April? I've heard "late-March" but things are never on time in the construction business

 

[oilers'72]

will the JW Marriott be open in April? I've heard "late-March" but things are never on time in the construction business

Their website says March but, when I tried to see what the rates were for an April date, it says that no rooms were available. It may be that they won't take reservations until the place is officially open.

 

[Ghetty Green]

So i booked the fairmont macdonald. Any feedback? Also, are there designated smoking areas on this property ?

 

[Ghetty Green]

will the JW Marriott be open in April? I've heard "late-March" but things are never on time in the construction business

Their website says March but, when I tried to see what the rates were for an April date, it says that no rooms were available. It may be that they won't take reservations until the place is officially open.

I called today to book and the girl said they dont open until July.

 

[Drivesaitl]

So i booked the fairmont macdonald. Any feedback? Also, are there designated smoking areas on this property ?

Its a great choice if its in anybodies price range. Premium property, beautifully appointed and good river views.

You can smoke in the outside courtyard which is quite a nice area, albeit less nice in winter. Should be nicer in Spring when you are here.

Make sure to have a drink in the nicely appointed Confederation lounge. Its a warm inviting area in the hotel. The restaurant on the main floor is also good.

Just behind the hotel is the Funicular ride into the river valley, which is free, and a nice thing to do during the day. While there you can see the Edmonton Queen, a river paddlewheeler that is of course not operational in our winters. Take the elevator all the way down to the river valley. Once down in the valley you can take The Funicular back up again or just walk over to Shaw Conference Center and see that as well. If taking Shaw Conference Center route you can do an indoor pedway all the way to the Arts District not far away. Walk to Canada Place (basement pedway) then Main floor Canada Place all the way to the Citadel Theater which is beautiful, and has great productions. Really Broadway/West End level productions. Its a renowned Canadian institution.

Take in a play if you can sometime during your stay. Take a peak at the two floor atrium at the Citadel, then over to the Winspear where Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Opera, and concerts occur. from there one block to the splendid Art Gallery which is immediately recognizable. One more block North and you are at the Newly build Royal Alberta Museum. Main floor and visit to the sacred meteorite (first nations legends are attached to it) is free of charge.

Then go down 104th ave to take a look at the Arena and new Casino. Along with Edmonton Tower theres already a swanky look to the area. From there hit up Mercers or any of its establishment restaurants on 104th and 104th. (easy to remember) its the Brick building opposite Rogers Place. Stay around till dark as the area looks amazing in the dark all lit up and with the Neon Museum also on 104th. Then walk down 104st to any nice watering holes and enjoy a nice urban street with a lot of offerings. Track back to Rice Howard Way area and theres a few nice places there like Craft brewers, Sherlock Holmes, Mcleod Tavern from there you are close back to your hotel after a fairly long round walking trip.

 

[oilers'72]

So i booked the fairmont macdonald. Any feedback? Also, are there designated smoking areas on this property ?

I would say that smoking is allowed in the courtyard and outside the front entrance but others may know more.

A bit of history: the Hotel MacDonald is one of the oldest hotels in Edmonton. It was finished in 1915 as a railway hotel for the Grand Trunk Pacific and was one of the more impressive sights back in the early days of a small rural city. Along the way, someone had the "bright" idea of adding an ugly box addition to the south side, which drew the comparison of "the MacDonald Hotel and the box it came in". The hotel fell into some disrepair, and was closed for a while, until the addition was torn down and a major upgrade was done to bring its former glory back.

There's a set of stairs leading to river valley on the west side of the hotel. While that doesn't sound like much, the original stairwell was built over a hundred years ago. They were built so that passengers on the Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific railway could access the train from downtown, which ran through the river valley. The line itself was only a few miles long, going from the west side of the old downtown rail yards, into the river valley, across one span of the Low Level Bridge (visible to the east of the hotel), then north through Mill Creek Ravine and connecting to the Canadian Pacific Railways line about 3.5 miles away. The rails were torn up years ago but the history is still there.

Thanks for taking the tour and have a pleasant day.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I would say that smoking is allowed in the courtyard and outside the front entrance but others may know more.

A bit of history: the Hotel MacDonald is one of the oldest hotels in Edmonton. It was finished in 1915 as a railway hotel for the Grand Trunk Pacific and was one of the more impressive sights back in the early days of a small rural city. Along the way, someone had the "bright" idea of adding an ugly box addition to the south side, which drew the comparison of "the MacDonald Hotel and the box it came in". The hotel fell into some disrepair, and was closed for a while, until the addition was torn down and a major upgrade was done to bring its former glory back.

There's a set of stairs leading to river valley on the west side of the hotel. While that doesn't sound like much, the original stairwell was built over a hundred years ago. They were built so that passengers on the Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific railway could access the train from downtown, which ran through the river valley. The line itself was only a few miles long, going from the west side of the old downtown rail yards, into the river valley, across one span of the Low Level Bridge (visible to the east of the hotel), then north through Mill Creek Ravine and connecting to the Canadian Pacific Railways line about 3.5 miles away. The rails were torn up years ago but the history is still there.

Thanks for taking the tour and have a pleasant day.

just to revise that the stairway has been replaced by a Funicular, and elevator at that location, which I described above. There are still concrete stairs as part of that newer build, (incase the funicular is being repaired or if people prefer stairs) but the old wooden stairs are gone. You're probably not residing here anymore if not familiar with that revision.

Enjoyed your other points though. Western Canada was developed by Rail, such an important part of the growth in the country. The Macdonald Hotel is in the tradition of the Great Railway hotels.

There were also rails and the trestle bridges (still there) through the Millcreek Ravine as I believe it was a coal operation, which would have been really handy.

 

[RattsSSV]

I keep saying there should be a "When in Edmonton", sticky like that found on a lot of NHL boards. This way things can be contained in one thread, easily available, easily visible, and people don't have to ask the same questions all the time. Just review a catch all thread on Edmonton topics.

We've had two of these "I'm visiting your city threads, just in the last few days. Lets organize this and start encouraging visiting by having some information here. Like I say a lot of boards do this.

I recall there was one posted a number of years ago that had a lot of info, might need some updating but would be a good base to draw from:
OT: - Visiting Edmonton

 

[RattsSSV]

I will be in your wonderful city in April for the first time. Im looking for advice on downtown hotels. Are there any there that have a private balcony ?

Also, other than the mall what sites would you recommend in your great city ?

Don't know when in April you are here but here is a list of events for the month aside from hockey:
What's On | Explore Edmonton

I also recommend:
Edmonton - Wikitravel
Gives a good breakdown of the city.

 

[Stoneman89]

I will be in your wonderful city in April for the first time. Im looking for advice on downtown hotels. Are there any there that have a private balcony ?

Also, other than the mall what sites would you recommend in your great city ?

Normally, I would say you'd be okay coming here in April. I certainly hope you don't get to "experience" the weather we had last spring, when it was minus 20 on April 20th. The Fairmont McDonald continues to be the "Grand old lady" of the downtown. Old, but updated. If you get the suite at the top, it will cost you some extra cash, but you can always say you pissed in the same toilet as Queen Elizabeth ll and Mick Jagger.

 

[GodPucker]

Check out a nice rustic gem in the North side. I believe it's called The Transit Hotel..

 

[CanmoreMike]

Are there any there that have a private balcony ?

Matrix was nice when I stayed years ago.

There is a pricey suite called the Onyx suite and it has a private balcony. It is about 7 blocks from Rogers Place and easy LRT access.