Staying at the SAIT Hotel in Calgary was one of the worst experiences I’ve had at any accommodation. When we arrived, two of the four elevators were already out of service. By the second day, the remaining two also broke down. In a 22-floor building, that’s absolutely unacceptable. They said they might have them working by the next morning. No backup plan, no communication, nothing.
Because of this, we were forced to take the stairs down 15 flights, and then got completely locked in the basement. The woman we spoke to on the phone failed to mention that only one of the two fire exits was actually usable. I have a dislocated kneecap — this was not just inconvenient, it was dangerous. No one came to help us. We eventually made it out on our own, with zero support from the front desk.
To make matters worse, management didn’t notify guests at all. No signs, no emails — and when I asked why, the staff claimed they “had no way to contact us.”
On top of that, the kitchen light went out on day two and wasn’t fixed until after we checked out. The beds were uncomfortable dorm beds with flat pillows and thin sheets, everything felt cheap, neglected, and poorly maintained. There’s also no air conditioning, no ice machines, no phone, no basic amenities, and zero effort to make guests feel safe or comfortable.
This place should not be operating.