Had a weekend stay at the Country Inn, after winning the room from a third party bidding site. The price was excellent and I was pleased that I wasn't put in a shoddier room due to using the other site.

Check in was very efficient. Keys were ready when I arrived and it seemed they'd be likely to accommodate a room change if I had asked since the hotel seemed to be only 2/3 full on the weekend. They had the standard fresh cookies in a jar on the counter. I was in my room within 4 minutes of my arrival and received a call within 30 minutes to ask if I was happy with my room.

The room itself was very good. Size of the room and washroom was comparable with the Hilton Garden Inn and Holiday Inn Express in the area. The decorating was (as the name of the hotel would suggest) country casual. The furniture was newish and well maintained. There was a flat screen TV with limited Pay Per View options and a small selection of cable television channels. There was a long counter where the TV was perched, a working desk and a 2-3 seat sofa. The room was more than spacious for 2 people. I found the bed to be a bit more firm than I would have liked but that is a personal preference. Bathroom toiletries were fairly basic, with Pantene shampoo and conditioner, soap, all purpose cloth, and Vaseline moisturizer.

The breakfast choices were pretty good for a standard free hotel breakfast. Waffles, two to three hot egg or meat choices, oatmeal, fruit salad, coffee. The breakfast hostess was very welcoming and eager to assist. Housekeeping kept the hotel immaculately clean, although they start cleaning rooms later in the day --this may be inconvenient for those that wish to stay in their room in the early to mid afternoon.

I have a few small quibbles with the hotel. I'm a younger business traveler whom is on the road about 75-90 days each year. I have my preferred hotels in the province that I choose for value, service and quiet. During my stay, my floor was overrun by families. Other than them bouncing between rooms on a mildly irritating basis, they didn't make any more noise than I would expect from any reasonable family --nevertheless, the hotel soundproofing could be better as I heard children's laughter from the adjacent room quite audibly and could hear entire conversations outside.

My other small issue is that the hotel's internet is not password protected or encrypted. While the convenience factor is great for casual users, I did not feel secure enough to log in to my work network.

The Country Inn is probably the best value choice in the Calgary airport area. I have stayed in almost every 2.5 star level or higher hotel in the area and think this hotel offers the best value, with free parking, internet and breakfast. It is also about $10-20 less than similar hotels in the area. Staff were lovely during my stay, but (in my opinion) there are about three other hotels in the area that offer a bit more service and truly excel at meeting and exceeding guest standards. It is a perfect for families or individuals that want slightly better accommodation than the Travelodge and Motel 6s of the world. However, the noise from the groups of families was irritating to me --they could have been quieter but there does seem to be a lack of noise proofing. I don't think it's an issue the hotel can address at this point but it is worth noting.