Fairmont Banff Springs

Very disappointed with our stay here. This was the first of three Fairmont properties we stayed at during our recent trip traveling from Banff to Vancouver. There is no doubt that from the outside this hotel looks magical and majestic. The foyer smells incredible and we had an amazing meal in the steak restaurant and bar is impressive. However that’s where the positives stop. When we checked in we were given a free upgrade which we thought at the time was great. However given we’d arrived from the Uk and rather jet lagged we were looking forward to an early night to get on top of things for our very full itinerary. We were not informed by the hotel that for the next three days we would be subjected to extremely loud music and screaming people from the weddings they were holding at the hotel with the noise going on until 11pm each night. I complained the first night and was offered ear plugs which I don’t like wearing. Second night were we offered a sleep room and third night , after meeting with a front desk Manager an alternative room not in main building. My point, which I explained to the manager is that I have paid a lot of money to stay at your hotel where I expect to enjoy my stay and not have to consider moving rooms due to something the hotel are aware of. As a customer I feel very under valued as basically the hotel are saying you can pay top rates for a room in their establishment, but your stay can be interrupted and disturbed at their will. If I’m staying somewhere for 3 nights I don’t want to the hassle of moving rooms, I want to enjoy my stay and the quiet enjoyment that room should afford me. On top of this the bathroom was the smallest bathroom I have ever encountered in a hotel. You were practically wrapped up in the shower curtain whilst on the loo. We had to get maintenance in as shower was cold and a dribble. This was sorted late on day 2. We had to unplug the fridge as it emitted a high pitch squeal every 20 mins and if we turned the air con off for any period of time the room smelled like bad foot odors. Finally and this comment is for all 3 Fairmont properties we stayed - please invest in new towels. All the towels, the worst being the Banff property, were a very grey washed out white and very thin and hard. Totally in need of being replaced, not of a standard I would expect from this caliber of hotel. The resort fees were withdrawn when we left but that did not compensate for the disturbance we had experienced during our stay.

Great trip, first time to banff. Expensive, but worth every penny. Excellent service, great food. Would highly recommend.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay here although it could have been a disaster. They tried to shluff off a dark suite overlooking a fire escape and a parking lot that was configured like a railroad car when we had reserved something with the Million Dollar View that makes this place famous. We ultimately got it. The VIP concierge Dhavrika was the best of the concierges we had in our 5-Fairmont tour of Canada and she got us switched to a better room, albeit with a very small shower and a large walk-in closet that was a useless waste of space. But on the history tour we found out that 100 years ago when they redesigned the hotel, guests preferred larger closets to bathrooms. So at least we know why. Meanwhile, the suite had no place to put any clothing. They brought us a piece of furniture with drawers. The suites get you access to a VIP concierge via text and that is helpful since there is always a line for the regular concierges. This is a 4-star hotel charging 5-star prices because they can, and you get the minuses of being in an old chateau building along with the history. The rooms lack spit and polish and ours #647 was basically a box with only one bathroom but it had a great view from the window which is a great reason to choose it; you could see chipped furniture in the bathroom. The shower I had to stand in sideways. There are two swimming pools but no machine to dry a bathing suit so you have to drag it with you all over the place. The air conditioning made noise all night and we reported it but nobody ever seemed to figure out what was wrong over our 3 day stay. The swimming pool outdoors is heated very well; the one indoors is huge. There is no steam room for guests other than if you pay at the spa. The gym is adequate with an additional room for stretching and yoga classes. Breakfast buffet is decent but the quality is not high and they run out of items. There was no smoked salmon there but there was trout. When we asked for some smoked salmon for a bagel we were brought something awful that came from the freezer. Dinner at the Vermillion room was meh as well as at the Italian Castello outlet and desserts at Grapes (although the chateau-style room is worth seeing). They didn't even charge us for the dinner at the Italian place. We did a lot better at the Juniper Hotel across town for dinner that has a great terrace and marvelous food and desserts overlooking the whole area. The hotel has a good general store with pharmaceutical items. There is a bowling alley. The arcade shops have nice merchandise with pretty hotel logoed clothing. I didn't visit the spa. There is public transport to town and the hotel gives you free bus passes, but it runs infrequently especially after 6pm. it is about a 20 minute walk to the beginning of the main street. The buses run to local attractions but they get very crowded and run every 2 hours or so; a taxi is your better bet and there is no Uber. The town is a bit of a zoo and downscale and we found no reason to go there except for a wash and fold laundry in the Cascade Mall that is a bargain compared to what the hotel charges. The hotel is a bit of a zoo with lots of day trippers and very few places for a guest to simply sit down and enjoy the area. The history tour was excellent; the guide had an engaging personality and told about the history of the local area as well as the hotel. You need to know both in order to get the full picture. If you want a nice hotel here, there is no real alternative and the hotel is certainly decent. But it could definitely up its game in the food department. The Lake Louise property is much better and the rooms are more user-friendly.

We stayed at the Fairmont at end of our Canadian trip for two days. We certainly left the best to last! This was a special trip as we were celebrating our anniversary. The Fairmont made every effort to make this stay a delight. Prosecco and chocolate roses were delivered to our room. We had an incredible view looking over the Bow river. A special mention to Kristi in concierge who was SO kind and helpful in advising us about booking trips. Kristi even gifted us a book of the history of the Fairmont which we will treasure. This hotel really is a class above. We have already decided to book for next Winter. Thank you Fairmont, we will carry these days in our hearts until we return.

Had a very nice stay at the historically famous Fairmont Banff Springs while visiting the Rockies. The impressive building stand quite majestically alone on the edge of Banff which is just a 15 minute walk away. Being a very old building, rooms are a little small but well furnished. Service is excellent and restaurants wonderful.