I'm not a negative person, so let me start with the positives: our room in June 2006 was clean, spacious (separate lounge and second television), fridge, microwave, tea-coffee facilities.

But there were problems. It was impossible, even with the window open (it was cool outside) and the air conditioning on to get the temperature below 24C after retiring. With the window open there was a good deal of road noise.

Early in the evening someone phoned and asked whether anything in the room needed attending to. I told them that a light bulb needed replacing in a standard lamp in the lounge, but no one came. This wasn't the end of the world, but why bother making the phone call?

The real fun began later in the evening when my travel partner tried to take a bath. It was impossible to get hot water, even though the basin and kitchen sink were fine. At 9:15 pm we rang reception and they said they'd fix it. 9:45 pm and nothing had happened so we rang again and were told that someone had been to the plumbing room and that it was fixed. But it wasn't, so we phoned again and asked them to let us know when it was fixed. 10 pm they rang back and said it was fixed but again it wasn't. Rang reception again and said that we wanted someone to come to the room. 10:05 pm someone arrives and agrees it doesn't work (reassurring that we're not a pair of dills) and says we would need to change rooms. Not happy with the prospect of re-packing and unpacking so late I asked whether we could have access to another room and use its bathroom, and they agree. At 10:10 pm he returns with the card for the room opposite, 315 (ours was 314).

Hotels can have problems, and this isn't what angered us. We were disappointed with the way it was dealt with. As we were booked for three nights, the following morning I asked whether we could have our first night's $139 refunded. I was told I needed to return after 8:30 am when a supervisor was present, so we waited for an hour to do this. When we called back on our way out we were told that we wouldn't be charged for the first night, so we were quite happy to put it all behind us.

But it didn't end there. That evening the hot water in 314 hadn't been repaired, so my partner again took a bath in 315. Next morning I went to 315 to take a shower and discovered that the card wouldn't open the door. I called reception, and they brought up a new card. I entered 315 to discover that it had been occupied during the night! When I called reception they seemed unaware of this! Reluctantly I showered amid someone else's wet towels on the floor and their used toiletries. But thank goodness no one had walked in on my partner in the bath the previous evening!

That afternoon we arrived home and discovered that our card would not let us into 314. Back down to reception, who advised us that they had moved us to 214, a floor lower. They offered assistance in moving our belongings. In 214 the air conditioner worked much better and we didn't swelter. And the hot water in the bathroom worked!

But now the crowning glory. On our final morning just before we checked out we thought we had left something in 314 so returned to look. Just in case, we knocked on the door, and were surprised to find the room occupied. After we'd explained why we were there, the new occupant said "So they knew about the hot water, did they?" Obviously they had re-booked the room while aware of the problem!

I guess on an extended holiday the chances are you'll encounter problems at one or two accommodation places. Chateau Canmore wasn't the only place we experienced difficulties. But the one or two other places dealt with them efficiently and made sure they made it up to us. At least Chateau Canmore provided us with plenty to talk about when we got home!

By the way, the hotel's supposedly German restaurant had very ordinary food and was way overpriced. We ate there once only in our three days.

We would describe ourselves as very loyal Chateau Canmore customers. We have stayed here with our two children annually for years, usually for a night or two right before Easter weekend. I don't believe we have ever paid more than $90 per night, and this year we were given a rate of $59.50. They have loft suites available, but we've always been perfectly comfortable in the regular rooms (aka "Deluxe Suites").

First, let's deal with the downsides:

Yes, there is a train track next to the hotel (this is true of many hotels in Canmore), but the noise has never particularly bothered us. If you're worried about the noise, request a suite on the east side (facing away from the tracks).

Yes, the accommodations are nothing fancy. If you demand down-filled duvets and chocolates on the pillows, look elsewhere. That said, the Chateau Canmore is unfailingly clean and comfortable.

Now, for the plusses:

The suites, though rather small, are efficiently laid out. Every suite has a separate living room (with hide-a-bed sofa) in addition to two double beds in the bedroom. There are two televisions and one VCR (movies available in the lobby). There is a gas fireplace in the bedroom.

You get a small kitchenette -- mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, bar sink -- making it easy for those on a budget to save a few more bucks.

There's a pool, including an outdoor hot tub, and a decent little fitness room.

We have always received exceptional service. We have occasionally made special requests -- early check-in, slightly delayed check-out, change of rooms -- and the staff has always been eager to accommodate. The people are friendly and obliging.

To summarize, the Chateau Canmore gives us a clean comfortable suite complete with a separate living room/kitchenette, a pool/hot tub/fitness room, and impeccable service -- all for less than we'd pay for most motels. This is one of our all-time favourite homes-away-from-home. Enthusiastically recommended!

I stayed here for several weeks while waiting for my house to be finished, and must say this hotel is top-notch!

The rooms are spacious (I love the separate sitting area) and the beds and pillows are some of the most comfortable I have ever had in a hotel. The fireplace was nice on cold nights and the views were magnificent.

Upon arrival, I cringed at the thought of how noisy the trains would be in the night, but was pleasantly surprised by the lack of disturbance. In fact, they added a nice touch to my stay.

The food in the restaurant was great, and the prices were very reasonable for the portion sizes.

The hotel staff was knowledgeable about area attractions and Ryan on the front desk went above and beyond to ensure I always had what I needed for my extended stay.

I was impressed that all parking stalls had plugins for cold nights and the outdoor hot tub was incredible.

When we got here, there was no parking left. We were told to park across the street (a main road)(we had a 4 month old baby with us too). After telling them about the vehicles taking up two spots, it was just shrugged off. The rooms are roomy, but very hot, and dry. Our T.V. had no remote.The beds are very uncomfortable. We had a queen size bed that folds up into the wall. The pillows were as hard as a rock. They never came to clean our room until about 4 in the afternoon. By then we felt it was too late. The restaurant olny serves families/minors until 5 oclock, and they do not tell you this when you arrive, not something you would expect from a family hotel.