Days Inn by Wyndham Golden

Well up date and a drop in star as a picture from my friend a few days later confirmed the hot tub issue was real.

This is a get what you pay for type experience. If you need a lower rate option it may fit your needs, if you can spend a little more it may be worth looking elsewhere.
We traveled over new years and pricing was very reasonable for that time with prices becoming lower online as the date of the trip approached.

We opted to stay at the Motel given the pool/water slide, and included breakfast, as well as the fact friends of ours were staying there already.
Booking was simple, check in and parking straightforward.
The rooms and pool area were unfortunately a little less up to par. There was also house keeping that straightened up the beds and placed new ice bucket liners in the room after the frist night.
The room was dark with minimal lighting, the microwave was intermittently functioning, minimal toiletries supplied, no fan in the shower/bathroom, finishings in the room itself were chipped, damaged, and showing signs of neglect. The Tv also only supported a few channels, and all were fuzzy or distorted.

The pool area hand a fun water slide, however the water was not clear, the hot tub was hazy and had signs that the filter was not operating at optimal capacity as things were floating on the surface (hair, fuzz etc). There was also a predominant smell in the pool area that was not the typical chlorine, or cleaner smell. The potential is there but perhaps the routine maintenance and cleaning has fallen a bit. I opted out of using the hot tub or pool on the second day of our stay.

The breakfast provided was on the lower end of options that I have experienced. That being said the second day was a bit better and options were fairly plentiful. I don't hang much on how good a "free breakfast" is but some places have ones that the kids and I are excited about and this was not one of them, but at least is a nice option to grab a bite before heading out.
(Good, included breakfasts would include Mountaineer Lodge in Lake Louise, or Pocaterra Inn Canmore or which are in similar budget I have heard that Holliday in Express and Travellodge in Golden are also good.)

Hotel was clean and quiet, but if you are looking to be impressed, stay elsewhere. This is the typical walk-in motel room. Definitely on the lower end of quality for the Days Inn. I'm finding more Days Inns have less consistent quality rooms across their hotel chains than other similarily priced hotel chains. The room had king sized bed which was very comfortable but the room had poor lighting, and a bright blue accent wall. Carpet was loose laid over concrete, so no cushion beneath, and had wrinkles in it throughout the room. See pics. Electrical was surface mounted but not very well. See pic. Kitchette had all you needed in it for sure, but was extremely poorly lit. The sheers (curtains) were in need of replacement as they had horizontal tears in them. Bathroom was clean and very well lit. The whole hotel room could easily be made a higher quality and more impressive if bright lights were installed, and wiring done better; fresh paint, cushioned carpet professionally installed, update the curtains, and get rid of the 2x4 mounting brackets on the towel racks in the bathroom. Basically modernize the room by hiring proper professionals. The pool and hot tub were nice, but again had dark outdated wood on the ceiling. The sauna was in need of replacing the cedar 2x4 floor as it severely sagged when you stepped on areas. The free breakfast was adequate at least with a variety of options available. The hotel did have a great view overlooking the valley. There was an outdoor gazebo/patio bar area, but it was obviously not used, and in this area was a pond with option for waterfall, that was not operational. Again, this hotel missed the mark for being impressive...but with just a bit of E, for effort, this outdoor space could be transformed into a great outdoor patio for guests to gather and also be an attraction and a place to enjoy a beverage and take in the view. Poor value for the price you pay when compared to similar hotel chains.