Don B.
Yelp
The Mettera is Strathcona's upscale boutique hotel. Well, at least one of them. It actually has a sister property a few blocks down the street. Nestled right on Whyte, amidst the chaos of bars, clubs, pubs, boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops, there's about a zillion and one things to do right outside the front door. For entertainment purposes, you couldn't ask for a better location.
The style of Mettera has that sort of standard mod/sleek look to it... it could really be one of the many boutique hotel lobbies I have set foot in during my travels. There are a few unique decorations, but for the most part it looks like they got their accoutrement from "The Boutique Hotel Superstore" (if that existed). That said, I shouldn't knock it - I prefer this style any day to the cookie-cutter corporate feel of a Holiday Inn or similar. Yuck.
The lobby of this hotel is pretty small, with a few seating areas, a front desk, and stairs to the mezzanine level, which boasts a hospitality room offering daily continental breakfast and daily wine happy hours. I missed all of the HHours and breakfasts, so I can't report on those. Also on floor-two is a 24-hour workout room with one elliptical, one treadmill and some sparse weights. Good enough for utility's sake.
The room itself was very comfortable and my 6th floor appointment offered me a nice view of the (insanely flat) surrounding area, with a partial view of Whyte Ave. The king bed was super comfy, the sheets nice, the pillows plush, and the alarm clock was... gasp... set to the correct time! This is actually kind of huge to me. I hate having to figure out how to set a new alarm clock, and it's surprising how often hotels give you rooms with blinking digital readouts. Yes! Everything else, from the towels to the TV to the desk was definitely adequate for the cost of admission. Well, my cost of admission, anyway (off-night low-rate).
Friendly staff, quiet rooms, and really nice shower heads only sweeten the deal. I like this hotel and would definitely stay here again.