We were pleasantly surprised by the location, despite being just off the freeway. There are a number of good shopping and eating options within walking distance. I was very disappointed, however, to learn upon checkin that the heated outdoor pool (which was the #1 reason the kids had chosen this particular hotel) was closed. We understood why it might be closed (ie. the brush fires nearby), but there was no communication to that effect before arrival. In fact, the early checkin email we received only a few hours before arrival noted the opening and closing times of the pool. Had we known it was closed, we likely would have booked elsewhere (with an indoor pool). Anyone with kids will know that a pool takes a lot of stress out of a hotel stay. The only other negative experience was that the elevator to the parkade was out of service the day after our arrival. So we spent the next 3 days going up and down the dingy (and, frankly, dirty and littered) stairwell to get to and from the car. Things that made up for these inconveniences, though, were friendly staff, nice common spaces (the "living room", corridors, outside patio), and the excellent cleaning staff (we had clean sheets and a tidy room every morning). We would definitely recommend the hotel, but it's worth calling ahead to see if there are any services or facilities not being offered, and it would be nice to see better communication from the hotel in advance.