Review: The Dorian, Autograph Collection

With a recently acquired free night certificate from my American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business card (US), I started looking to see if there were any quick weekend opportunities for a brief stay to celebrate my significant other’s birthday. The JW Marriott Edmonton was an obvious choice, but we stayed there last year so I wanted something different.

Looking only a few hours south, we landed on taking a brief road trip to Calgary to stay at the recently opened Dorian, Autograph Collection. I’ve had minimal exposure to the Marriott Autograph Collection line of hotels and was curious to see what the Dorian could offer us for a one-night stay.

Let’s dive into our review of the Dorian Calgary, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel.

Booking

For this booking, I opted to redeem an annual free night certificate worth 35,000 Bonvoy points. This covered the entire stay and was a good option compared to paying cash rates, which were around $290 CAD for the night of our stay. This works out to around 0.82 cents per point, which is a pretty decent redemption within the Marriott Bonvoy program.

After a brief check-in process in which I confirmed our Marriott Platinum elite benefits, we headed up to the 22nd floor to check out where we would be staying for the evening.

Location

The Dorian is located in downtown Calgary and is within walking distance of many bars, restaurants, and even the Calgary Tower.

Parking

There is no self-parking available at the Dorian, but 24-hour valet service is available for a daily fee of $50. Parking is also available at lots nearby, starting at a rate of $28 per day.

Room – King with City View

As we were unable to get upgraded to a suite, we were spending the weekend in a standard king room with a city view. While I didn’t have much in the way of expectations, I was pleasantly surprised as to what I experienced when you consider this is the base-level room at the Dorian.

The entryway into the room is fairly typical, with a vanity mirror mounted on the right-hand side wall. The bathroom is immediately to the left, but let’s move on to the bedroom first.

As we move into the bedroom, the theming of the hotel really comes through. The room is decorated in an immaculate and tasteful theme with several furniture pieces that tie the room together nicely.

The king bed is in the center of the bedroom with a nightstand and light on each side. Directly to the left of the bed is a closet.

The closet was roomy enough to hang all of your clothing if you were staying for an extended period of time. Slippers and robes were also available.

Placed neatly on one of the nightstands was a copy of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. If it wasn’t already obvious, this hotel plays heavily into this theme with various quotes and pieces of art loosely related to the book.

To the right of the bed was a small couch with a table, perfect for relaxing. This felt like it was meant to be the focal point of the room and was the most unique part of the layout.

Our view was downtown Calgary, which really isn’t much to look at except for a few office skyscrapers.

Turning to the foot of the bed, a television adorned the wall directly in front of the bed. The desk below the tv was ok for getting some work done, but the barrel chair was awkwardly low. While not optimal, you may be better off trying to get some work done sitting on the couch instead.

The television was big enough and had many smart tv options, including Netflix and YouTube which are always a plus for those of us who don’t care for cable. Alternatively, leaving the Marriott propaganda on a loop is always a good choice too.

Below the tv was a dessert and bottle of sparkling wine that was placed in our room prior to arrival. This was greatly appreciated and a super nice touch for my significant other’s birthday.

To the right of the tv was the coffee maker complete with pods, and all of the glassware you would need. There was a QR code for the room service menu, which is available here.

Directly below the coffee machine was a mini-fridge.

To the right of the coffee machine was a bar cart containing all of the minibar items. Included in the snacks and alcohol was a “Dorian” Earl Grey Gin produced by Eau Claire Distillery and made specifically for the hotel. Quite the neat crossover.

Prices were completely reasonable for the minibar, with snacks starting at $3 and alcohol starting at $8.

Moving back to the entrance to the room, the bathroom was minimal but nicely decorated. A single sink vanity with a large mirror is visible on the right. The walk-in shower was large, with good water pressure and high-quality Aesop soap, shampoo, and conditioner.

To the left is the toilet. Very good toilet paper placement.

On the whole, the room was well equipped for our stay and frankly was one of the nicer base rooms I have ever stayed in.

Room – One-Bedroom Suite

I was able to visit the Dorian again in August 2023 for a brief stay and was upgraded to the One-Bedroom Suite room. For this stay I once again redeemed a Marriott Bonvoy free night award from my American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit card, saving over $300. This is the best suite available for booking at the property, and I was excited to check it out after my excellent initial stay in November 2022.

The One-Bedroom Suite has a wide entryway, with a mirror and closet on the left-hand side upon entrance.

Just around the corner is a sizable wet bar area. Various bar tools were also available, including shakers and strainers. There was also a mini-fridge that was completely empty, making it a great place to store a few drinks for later.

This is also where all of the minibar items are housed, in addition to the coffee machine and kettle. As I mentioned in the review of the base-level room, minibar prices are entirely reasonable at the Dorian. We even ended up bringing home a 375ml bottle of their exclusively made Earl Grey Gin for making cocktails at home.

Turning around from the minibar, a gorgeously decorated and separate living room is in the same space. I cannot understate how well they did the theming at the Dorian and this vibe resonates throughout all rooms and the rest of the property. A gorgeous purple chair adorns each end of the couch, complete with a glass chess set. This would be a great space to host a few friends before a night out or at the end of the evening.

While we were on the second-highest floor this stay, the views are still relatively bland as you would expect from downtown Calgary, but that was the only downside of the room.

Directly in front of the couch and chairs is a smart television, a record player (with a variety of records to choose from), as well as a small chair and a makeshift desk.

The staff at the Dorian did go above and beyond in welcoming us back with a note, a small dessert, and a bottle of prosecco. This was an unexpected and nice touch and really set the tone for our stay. Also how cool is that room key card, keeping with the Dorian Grey theme.

Moving to the bedroom, it felt very similar to the bedroom in the King Room with City View. It was well appointed, with additional small touches like under-the-nightstand lighting that was motion-activated. Throughout both rooms that I stayed at the Dorian, the design continues to impress with neat innovations that I would consider implementing in my own house.

Directly in front of the bed was a smart television equipped with Netflix, YouTube, and other streaming services.

Connected to the bedroom is the bathroom. On the right is the single sink vanity with ample counter space.

Directly beside the vanity is a bathtub.

Finally, a walk-in shower is available right beside the toilet. There is both a rainfall shower head and a more typical shower head available. The water pressure was great.

The Dorian also uses Aesop toiletries, which are an absolute treat to use. It seems like such a simple thing, but supplying high-quality toiletries goes a long way when it comes to elevating a hotel stay.

While the suite was gorgeous, I would be more than happy to stay in the base-level room during my next stay at the Dorian. This continues to be my go-to property in Calgary, not to mention it is one of my significant other’s favorite hotels that we have been to. It’s not a matter of if we will be back, but when.

Restaurants & Bars

The Dorian has three different venues for dining and drinks named Prologue, Bistro Novelle, and The Wilde on 27.

Prologue

During our second stay, we checked in quite late and opted to visit Prologue for a cocktail and a small bite before turning in for the night. Prologue is located on the main floor, directly across from the check-in desks, and offers breakfast from 6:30 am to 11:00 am and lunch or dinner from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.

The menu is quite cocktail focused with some small bites to eat, including sandwiches, salads, and appetizers. My significant other ordered a salad which she enjoyed, while we both ordered cocktails which were fantastic. We were with another couple and the bartender was able to whip up a unique citrus gin cocktail creation which looked as good as it tasted.

I’d highly recommend stopping by for either a mid-day cocktail or a nightcap during your visit.

Bistro Novelle – Complimentary Marriott Platinum Breakfast

As a Marriott Platinum Elite member, I was entitled to complimentary breakfast for myself and my significant other which was served at Bistro Novelle on the second floor from 6:30 am to 11:00 am.

Upon sitting down, we were provided with a menu containing a variety of breakfast options. The Marriott Platinum Elite status breakfast benefit allows you to order a la carte off the menu, including any drinks such as lattes and it all will be covered under the benefit. I almost prefer this to the typical hotel buffet experience as it feels more catered to what I am interested in.

I ordered the Bistro Breakfast which had two organic eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and potatoes in addition to a latte.

The meal was pretty good for a complimentary breakfast at a Marriott property and one of the better options I have had at a Canadian hotel. Similar to the M Club Lounge at the Downtown Calgary Marriott, the breakfast was filling enough for us to start our day on the right foot.

The Wilde on 27

The Wilde on 27 is located on the 27th floor of the hotel, offering gorgeous rooftop views and a focus on lunch and dinner. While we didn’t have the opportunity to eat or enjoy a cocktail here, this would be high up on our list the next time we visit.

Conclusion

The Dorian, an Autograph Collection property, sprung onto the scene in the summer of 2022 and it seems to be making quite a splash when it comes to some of the best hotels in Calgary. I enjoyed my stay here and would make this my number-one choice for a Marriott hotel in Calgary next time I am in town. If you haven’t already visited the Dorian, add it to your list for the next time you are in Calgary for business or leisure.