Early Stampede Help?

[bluejays]

Hey all,

So the situation I'm in now, is me and a friend want to hit Banff and the Stampede between July 3-15th anywhere between 7-9 days. Roughly 3-4 days will be spent in Banff, then we move on to the rest of the days in downtown Calgary. There were a couple lodges in Banff that were around the $100 /night mark which got some good reviews, so I'm not concerned about the price point there. Anyway, I checked tripcentral, itravel, and a host of other vacation sites, and the problem is the hotel fees for downtown Calgary start at $250 /night! The downtown Travelodge alone was starting at $500+ /night. I don't mean to sound like a cheapo, but that's twice as much as I want to pay. Does anyone have any suggestions for cheap hotels in the downtown Calgary area where we can walk within 2 KM or so, to the Saddledome during Stampede? Keep in mind I'd be flying from Toronto, so I won't have a car.

I'm just deciding between spending more and staying in Canada, or taking the cheaper southern route and going to Cuba in July (though I'm not sure what the party will be like down there at that time of year).

[Julio]

It's the 100th anniversary of Stampede, so there is a ton of people coming in from outside of Calgary for Stampede this year.

A suggestion for you...check the prices on places in Motel Village. This is a group of motels/hotels across from McMahon Stadium, and is right by a C-Train station where the trains go right downtown and to Stampede Park. Rates there should be much cheaper than downtown, and you are still more than able to get to Stampede Park and downtown Calgary with no worries, as during Stampede the train runs 24/7.

[Ben_in_Canada]

from what I understand, if you're an outgoing guy you should just head to Nashville North each night and let the 'accomodation' details take care of them selves...

[I_am_Beast]

I'll check with my buddy and see what he's doing with his suite they use for comics, they don't bring them in for July... could be a cheaper option for ya..

[getbak]

You're probably going to have better luck looking a little further out from downtown in a hotel close to a C-Train station.

The C-Train runs 24/7 during Stampede, so you can pretty easily get to any of the big party locations downtown.

[WhiteTiger]

Yeah. Downtown is always expensive, and of course they jack the price skyhigh for Stampede. Look for hotels anywhere along the (finished parts of) C-Train line stops, and you can get to Stampede pretty easily. It's got 2 stops of it's own, and the C-Train is the cheapest way to get there other than walking. Cost you about $2.75 a ride, IIRC.

[bluejays]

Woah, thanks for the help guys! I'm looking at the cheaper motels in the vicinity of the three C-Train stops below:
1414C - 14 Avenue NW
1901C - 14 Avenue NW
2374 Banff Trail NW

I assume these are official stops with no construction going on that would make me walk 5 km to my motel? I took the addresses off the CGY Transit website. Any idea how long the train ride is to the Stampede grounds and if in fact it runs 24-7? Thanks.

[Julio]

Originally Posted by fleury

Woah, thanks for the help guys! I'm looking at the cheaper motels in the vicinity of the three C-Train stops below:
1414C - 14 Avenue NW
1901C - 14 Avenue NW
2374 Banff Trail NW

I assume these are official stops with no construction going on that would make me walk 5 km to my motel? I took the addresses off the CGY Transit website. Any idea how long the train ride is to the Stampede grounds and if in fact it runs 24-7? Thanks.

The Banff Trail stop is the one you are looking for. Look on pretty much any of the chain motel sites, or if you are on expedia et al, look for within about 2.5 km or so from the University of Calgary.

Here is the website for transit service last year:
http://www.calgarytransit.com/stampede/ As you can see on it, trains do run 24/7, and as mentioned above, there are two stops, Victoria Park (closest to the Saddledome) and Erlton (closest to the Grandstand where the rodeo and chuckwagon races are held.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I can't speak for the 24/7 but the banff trail spots should be motel village right across from McMahon stadium in the NW. Depending on the time of day I'd say about a 20 minute train ride to Stampede.

[bizaro86]

The Banff trail stop is across the street from the strip of hotels. None of them would be more than a 3 minute walk from the train.

There is also a Holiday Inn in the south near the 39th Avenue CTrain station, it's just across a parking lot, easily stumbling distance.

Finally, it doesn't sound like you're super picky about which specific hotel you end up at, so why not try Priceline's "name your own price" for downtown? There's nothing super sketchball downtown, so whatever you get would be decent, and it might be way cheaper.

[troutman]

Maybe SAIT and U of C rent residence rooms in the summer, when the students are gone? Both have LRT access.

http://sait.ca/pages/studentservices...eHousing.shtml

http://www.ucalgary.ca/hotelandconference/create_tabs

Summer Housing is open to all – there is no need to be part of a group or be affiliated with the University of Calgary. Summer Housing is perfect for the budget conscious traveler who does not wish to compromise on quality or comfort.

[Sliver]

Motel Village seems a bit ghetto to me, plus there's not a ton to do around there. Troutman's idea of staying at UC is a good one.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by fleury

Woah, thanks for the help guys! I'm looking at the cheaper motels in the vicinity of the three C-Train stops below:
1414C - 14 Avenue NW
1901C - 14 Avenue NW
2374 Banff Trail NW

I assume these are official stops with no construction going on that would make me walk 5 km to my motel? I took the addresses off the CGY Transit website. Any idea how long the train ride is to the Stampede grounds and if in fact it runs 24-7? Thanks.

The 24-7 thing is a bit of a fraud. Sure they run 24-7, but if you're planning to take the train back from a night out drinking you may well find yourself sitting on a platform for up to an hour waiting for a train. So unless you can find a cab you may find yourself sobering up and realizing that the 8 on your arm is actually a 3, which isn't good for anyone.

[something]

If you're not averse to a hostel, check these two out:

http://www.hihostels.ca/westerncanad..._centre.hostel

http://www.wickedhostel.com/testing/

[meanmachine13]

Do NOT stay at Howard & Johnson on Macleod Trail South. It is cheap but gross. I worked there and it is not even worth the cheap price tag.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Motel Village seems a bit ghetto to me, plus there's not a ton to do around there. Troutman's idea of staying at UC is a good one.

That's pretty much the exact same area?

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by Ben_in_Canada

from what I understand, if you're an outgoing guy you should just head to Nashville North each night and let the 'accomodation' details take care of them selves...

Fleury is a female so your suggestion still stands, just much much easier to come to fruition each night.

[Misterpants]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

Fleury is a female so your suggestion still stands, just much much easier to come to fruition each night.

Get ready for a flood of PM's fleury. I imagine a number of CP'ers will offer you their couch. Then when you show up they'll be all like 'my couch is in the shop, but I have a double bed'.

[bluejays]

Thanks for the continued help guys. I don't know where it came from that I'm female, but that's not true. 100% sausage! I'll check out some of the recommendations, especially to check out the university residences. Thanks.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

That's pretty much the exact same area?

Well within 5 kms, yes. The University campus is super nice, while motel village is gross. I dislike motels in general, though. They all look like crackheads would be holed up in them.