Fairmont Banff Springs

I really loved the location and views of this hotel, but the layout and comfort levels just didn’t live up to the Fairmont name. ​ The Good ​Impeccable Cleanliness: I have to give credit where it’s due—the room was spotless. It’s clear the housekeeping staff takes great pride in their work. ​Thoughtful Amenities: A huge plus was being provided with a humidifier. It made the air quality much more comfortable and was a very nice touch. ​ The Not-So-Good ​The Bed: This was the biggest disappointment. The mattress was significantly worn and sunk right into the middle. It felt like sleeping in a taco, which led to a pretty restless night. ​ Poor Room Layout: Despite the upgrade as an Accor member, the room felt cramped and poorly thought out. The closet is tiny, and there is a baffling lack of flat surfaces for me to layout smaller personal items. ​Lack of Functionality: For a higher-tier room, you expect a certain flow, but the furniture placement and ackward placement of TV made the space feel non-functional.

I found it interesting to stay at the property and take it historical tour, but I would never book it again. Our room was fine — just fine. A little dilapidated in certain ways, but tracked with the whole historical charm of the place I guess. Certainly not worth the expense or the inconvenience of the trip back and forth to town. The room was quiet enough, despite being across the hall from some sort of service entrance where discarded linens of some sort were routinely left laying around on the floor for multi-day spans. This place trips over its own feet as it ostensibly attempts to provide service but actually ends up creating a supercilious, unwelcoming experience. Wwe arrived late at night after being in transit since early morning, with a load of ski equipment and other heavy baggage. There was a long line of guests checking in, who were probably on the same flight we were. The two staff members manning the front desk were busy going over all sorts of information about things to do and places to visit, and holding up the line typing notes into their computer after each guest stepped away, rather than efficiently just processing the next party of exhausted bleary-eyed guests into their rooms. It would be lovely to have such personalized service, but only if the the hotel could staff its desk with a dedicated person for those guests who want me personalized attention at such a late hour. The hotel had asked for our estimated time of arrival, so it should’ve been no surprise how busy the line was going to be. Another example of this is the morning breakfast. Guests line upin a long queue while a single host ushers one party at a time, “refreshing them on the buffet offerings” instead of just getting people seated and eating. Again, lovely to provide that service, but maybe the hotel should staff itself appropriately so that it doesn’t become such a time sink for everybody in line. The ultimate expression of the problem with this place was when we attempted to check in, precisely on time, for a reservation at one of the on-site restaurants. Although we had a reservation, the host apparently didn’t see it on their screen and shuffled us aside to attend to the next guest, who was 15 minutes early! We were left standing there while the people behind us were ushered inside, as we fiddled with the clunky slow-to-load reservation app to pull up our confirmation (which we had!). And then to be told ‘not to worry, they weren’t that busy and could squeeze us in!’ We didn’t spend another penny at the on-site dining options. This would’ve been fun for maybe a day or two stay, but by the end of the week, I was absolutely itching to be rid of the place. Glad enough we checked it out. Feel no need to do so ever again.

The hotel was nice but what made the stay wonderful was the amazing staff. We had to two awesome room stewards that went above and beyond to clean the room and make towel displays and arranged our children’s stuffies in a really cute arrangement. Their names were Yumi and Elma. During the stay we also accidentally left our daughters boots in the pool area - Rutuja was very kind and went on a search for them and found them for our daughter!

we booked the bucket list tour with Alex. He was an excellent tour guide, very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Helped create the best experience that we will never forget. He even took photos for us. We are hoping to return in the warmer months and plan to take the tour with Alex again!!

We have visited Banff many times and always dreams of staying at the Springs. We are so glad that made that choice for this trip and we will happily return. All of the restaurants are fantastic- you really never need to leave the property. The staff (especially the valets, front desk staff, and wait staff) are very friendly and helpful. Obviously the views are spectacular and the rooms are very clean and very comfortable. As with all Fairmont hotels, the experience is top notch.