Fairmont Palliser

Booked delux room with view. The view is of a brick wall when this was questioned at front desk the attitude was we don’t book rooms with a view despite what our booking form said. Very unhelpful close to confrontational. Have stayed all over the world in quality hotels and never experienced this before. Sad end to great trip to Canada. Please beware when booking this hotel

We arrived for a two day stay at the end of our holiday and immediately the hotel impresses from its grand foyer! We arrived in the room and had some issues, we reported them the next day and within minutes received a text from a manager named Georgen asking if she could call me! I agreed and the call was excellent, Georgen listened to our issues and by the time we arrived back at the room all the issues had been resolved ! Just fantastic service ! Also I’d like to mention Amandeep on reception for her help, and all of it with a huge smile. It’s not the perfect hotel but it’s as close as it could be to perfect, and it is 111 years old, highly recommend for location, staff and overall comfort.

Convenient location in the heart of downtown a few steps away from the restaurants and bars of Stephen Ave and a beautiful, huge and impressive lobby but don’t be fooled by the grandeur downstairs. The first room we were given on the 11th floor smelled so badly of cigarette smoke we had to request a room change (even though the hotel has a strict no smoking policy). The staff were very understanding, helpful and friendly, but the next room on the 3rd floor also smelled bad - fusty and stale - but there were no other rooms available as the hotel was full of elderly tourists on coach tours. The room was cramped with a very small and old fashioned bathroom - only one sink for a twin double room with no place to put toiletries and a shower in the bathtub. The room was also very dark with terrible lighting and the view out the window was of a solid office block wall, which further blocked out the light. No water provided in the room. Other frustrations included the elevators stopping at every floor to collect guests. We had been planning 4 nights here but changed our reservation to the Marriott across the road where the rooms are generous, light, comfortable and have beautiful modern bathrooms at a fraction of the cost of the Fairmont. We have enjoyed Fairmont hotels in Banff and Vancouver but this is not a patch on what they can offer. On the upside the staff are great and the beds and pillows were comfortable. It was also impressive to see a clothes steamer in the room.

Love this hotel from the moment I walked in and the bell boy said hello. The hotel is opulent but not too much so. The room is very nice with a fantastic bed but the layout of the bathroom is a little weird with the toilet right almost on top of the actual door. Not much room for your legs but ok if you are a child. The Fairmont Gold on level 12 I think is very good with a great selection of hot appetisers and breakfast items. Definitely 5 stars with exceptional staff.

Still our favourite place to stay when in Calgary, still amazing staff. Thank you to Jill on the Gold Floor, who is always outstanding, and thank you to Esmeralda for keeping our room clean and neat, and Neal at Valet Service - just for being there! Keep it up Palliser management!