Alt Hotel Calgary University District

Alt Hotel Calgary University District opened in October 2023 at 482 Mclaurin Street NW, on land owned by the University of Calgary. It is Germain Hotels' 19th property in Canada and its third in Calgary, after Le Germain Hotel Calgary (2010) and Alt Hotel East Village (2018). It was the group's first Canadian opening since 2019. Guest rooms number 155.

The place

In the University District in northwest Calgary, a community that was the first in Alberta certified LEED-ND Platinum. Central Commons Park is 400 metres away, CF Market Mall is a short walk, and the Foothills Medical Centre is five to ten minutes by car. The Scotiabank Saddledome is 12.1 kilometres away.

Direct access to Highway 1 puts the Rockies and the Banff ski areas on the same road out of town.

The concept

The project was announced in April 2018 as a 15-storey, 156-room hotel targeting a fall 2020 opening. The pandemic pushed the timeline back by three years and the final count came in at 155 rooms. Germain describes the design as inspired by the growing University District, with works by local artists in the lobby and common areas.

Room types are Queen with sofa bed, Two Queen, Two Queen with a view, King, and King with a view on the upper floors. Bath products are from Bella Pella, made by hand in Canada. The group says the building meets LEED Gold v4 on its site; opening-day reports spoke of a Silver application pending, so the level is not settled.

Meetings have 4,000 square feet across four meeting rooms, two boardrooms and a creative lounge. The gym is open day and night.

Dining & wellness

Three food concepts are listed on the hotel's page. Terre Café is the coffee shop, shown as opening soon. CHARCUT Roast House is led by co-chefs Connie DeSousa and John Jackson and focuses on charbroiled and rotisserie meats and house charcuterie. Connie and John's Pizza serves New York and Detroit styles.

A dinner-for-two package at CHARCUT includes prosecco, a charcuterie and cheese board, a shared main and dessert. Altcetera Local sells regional products.