As part of my due diligence for the upcoming PointsU conference, I had the opportunity to take a quick tour of the newly opened In-Terminal Marriott at the Calgary International Airport (YYC). The hotel has been open since the new International Terminal greeted its first travelers in October of 2016 and it was about time that someone did a review on this fantastic hotel.
Featuring 12 different room types across 7 floors, the newest Marriott addition to Calgary has been a crowd-pleaser. With a score of 4.8/5 on Marriott’s site and 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor, it sure seems that the hotel is exceeding expectations!
There are currently two hotels at the Calgary International Airport, the Delta and the brand new Marriott. The Delta is a nice hotel that has been recently renovated but the bell of the ball at the Calgary Airport is most definitely the Marriott.
The hotel is in the new terminal wing and is accessible from both the Arrivals and Departures levels. The entrance blends into the design language of the new terminal and if I had a criticism, I would say that the hotel almost disappears into the terminal, as you can see from the picture below.
Rooms
The Marriott features 12 room types that can suit almost every need, especially if you consider that they allow pets! … for a fee 🙂
I was given a tour of a Standard Guest Room and while it was fairly typical of a hotel room, the views were to die for!
From what I’ve been told, the rooms facing the tarmac on the Club Level Floor (7th Floor) all have telescopes to do some serious plane spotting!
Conference Area
The Marriott is fully equipped to handle anything from a small meeting to a conference to a wedding. The Chinook Ballroom boasts an impressive 5,800 square feet and can seat up to 650 people, according to their meeting room chart.
I was given a tour of the Ballroom while it was being set up and from what I saw, the space is gorgeous!
The Lounge
One of the highlights of the hotel is its large and modern M Club Lounge. We visited the lounge during a quiet time so there was no food out but typically there are snacks available and of course a full breakfast for Gold and Platinum members. The space is extremely functional with plugins everywhere but what really stole the show for me were the tarmac views!
If you don’t have status to get you into the lounge, you can get it through the American Express Platinum Card, which provides you with SPG Gold Status, which in turn will give you Marriott Gold Status. It’s a great benefit that I have used countless times to score a free breakfast for myself and my family while on vacation. That perk alone has saved me well over $1,000 over the course of a couple of years. To find out if the card is right for you, take a read through my very thorough review of the card.
The Gym
If you’re like me, you’ll pack your workout clothes and never enter the gym unless a co-worker shames you into it 🙂 Be that as it may, it sure is nice to have a fully equipped gym if you need it. The added bonus? You guessed it! Views of the tarmac!
Conclusion
The Marriott In-Terminal Hotel at YYC is a fantastic option for those that need to transit the Calgary Airport. As an airport hotel, the Marriott has taken every opportunity to show off the tarmac views the hotel affords. Add that to the great staff, including the venerable Steven Walton, and and the fact that the hotel is brand new, it’s hard to imagine regretting staying at the Marriott.