D.S. A.
Yelp
My partner and I recently spent two nights at the Fairmont Palliser. We had much higher expectations from what is supposed to be Calgary's finest hotel.
There was only one individual, Trent, checking in guests when we arrived. He neglected to tell us where anything was located and, because we purchased the "Bed and Breakfast" package, any details regarding breakfast.
We waited 30 minutes for our luggage to arrive before calling the front desk. In the meantime, we went to the Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar for a cocktail. The hostess, Patti/y, whom we interacted with the following morning at breakfast too, was personable and had a great sense of humor. The bartender, Sara(h), was friendly and made an excellent Hawthorn Old Fashioned. My hamburger was beyond well done. It was charred. It ultimately took nearly 2 1/2 hours for our luggage to arrive to our room.
Despite only having decaffeinated K-Cup pods in our room, the attendant, Inessa, provided us with caffeinated ones for the following morning. She was efficient and very friendly.
We had breakfast both mornings. While there were many options on the buffet, nothing was warm. As a result, we opted to order from the menu on our second morning. Our waitress on the first morning was very overwhelmed.
I used the gym each day and, despite it being small for a hotel with 407 guest rooms, it served its purpose.
The lobby has very little seating. Other than one long sofa and two coffee tables (both of which had "Reserved" signs on them during our two-night stay), all of the seating to the left is reserved for the Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar. There were special events during our two-night stay and, as a result, the entire area to the right was off limits.