Fairmont Banff Springs

The hotel staff attended to our every need. We booked a King room, however the room had a very small and almost unusable bathroom. The Duty Manager listened to our concerns and immediately moved us to a more suitable room which we were very happy with. We would have no hesitation returning to this hotel.

We stayed here for 2 nights as part of our Rocky Mountaineer experience. The hotel is majestic, a heritage listed building, which means you can renovate but not move walls. We booked a Gold room, it was on the fifth floor where the club is located. The room is average size, with a robe, safe, iron & ironing board, robes for 2 and slippers. A king size bed was ok, pillows I didn’t like that much. A chair, coffee table, wall mounted tv, a desk & chair, large side table with drawers. The air conditioning did not work very well, we had to get a fan bought into the room. Our biggest disappointment was the bathroom. It was very very small. A single vanity that was cut away to accommodate the toilet and a walk in shower. The water pressure was ok, water hot with a hand held shower and a rain head. A nook for your shampoo, even though shampoo, conditioner & body wash is supplied. A shaving magnified mirror on the wall with a night light. You could not have 2 people in the bathroom. There was a drawer under the vanity to store a few things in and 2 shelves above the toilet for more of your toiletries. The towels were nice and plenty of them. The club was very good. Plenty of seating whether its at a table, lounge chairs or couches by the fire. Food was excellent – salads, cheeses, hot food, water, soft drinks, all free. Alcohol you had to pay for. We ate breakfast here too. It was also excellent. Fresh fruit, cereals, juices, smoothies, teas, coffee, pastries, eggs, potatoes etc.. a great variety. Staff have been very helpful and lovely, could not fault them. The hotel is walking distance, about 2 kms (I think) to downtown Banff which is very lovely.

We stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs with fairly high expectations. I was picturing something closer to the Balmoral in Edinburgh: historic, polished and highly personalized. What we experienced felt more like an upscale Hilton inside a beautiful old building. Our room was on the sixth floor. The hotel is older, which is part of its character, but the bathroom was unbelievably small. Smaller-than-the-closet small. Throughout the stay, I also felt like we were part of a large crowd rather than guests receiving a personalized luxury experience. There were some real bright spots. Don at the concierge desk was amazing. He spent a great deal of time helping us plan activities and was one of the best parts of our stay. The staff at Rundle Bar were also warm and friendly, and we liked the relaxed, open-seating setup. I loved that they went out of their way to reserve a table for us to watch the England game on my birthday. The dining experiences were mixed. The Italian restaurant was excellent food and attentive friendly service. The steak restaurant was fairly forgettable, although the staff were lovely. We also did a fine-dining experience in the dome, and both the food and service were excellent. The Vermillion Room was the biggest dining disappointment. Breakfast was served there each day, and while the buffet had a large selection, the food was generally bland and usually cold. Don't even get me started on how long the toaster take to toast bread. The made-to-order items were better, but they took a long time to arrive. It felt more focused on quantity than quality. Almost daily, staff were cleaning nearby tables with a spray bottle, and the mist drifted onto our table. When I raised it with the manager, his response was that the cleaner was food grade. Noted. Apparently it is fine to spray guests with chemicals as long as they are food grade. We also saw an employee in the coffee shop handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands and then touching other items, including their clothing. That was concerning and did not reflect the food-handling standards I would expect from a Fairmont. (I will say that I witnessed this questionable food handling process at other locations in Banff also). The outdoor furniture throughout the property also looked dirty and poorly maintained. The pool area was especially underwhelming. It had more of a YMCA feel than a luxury resort pool. The location is excellent. It is easy to walk into Banff or take a short bus ride, and that convenience was a major reason we chose this hotel. We also visited the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for afternoon tea. Although we were only there for a few hours, the overall experience, including the lobby and common areas, felt more attentive, polished and luxurious. We chose Banff Springs because of its proximity to town, but after visiting Lake Louise, we did regret not staying there instead. Overall, the Fairmont Banff Springs has history, a beautiful setting, a convenient location and some excellent staff. However, it did not consistently deliver the polished, personalized luxury experience we expected for the elevated price point

It’s a difficult review to write in some ways and other ways it’s incredibly easy. I’ve never in my life been so turned around on a resort by the quality of the people, (and of course the scenery is spectacular) in my life. It wasn’t anything dramatic or bad but the initial room we got in just wasn’t what we were expecting .Immediately the hotel took our concerns, validated them, and moved us to a beautiful one bedroom suite. It’s become one of our favorite rooms now and that’s what I’m talking about, no hesitation, no making you feel small but instead validating your feelings and making you feel incredibly valued. Andrea at the front desk may be one of the best at what she does, that I’ve encountered. The quality of the hotel is excellent and it’s an older property however, you don’t feel that it’s old you feel like it’s historic. It is very clean and very well laid out after you explore and figure it out. The shops are fun and the exchange rate was a welcome surprise. We were able to enjoy the gold floor lounge and Franklin and the entire team there, take very special care of you. The staff at the lounge are very special and wonderful people. Maria at the spa, Selena and the masseuse’s were wonderful and the vibe and environment at the spa is incredible and you feel a million miles away from your troubles or cares. The mineral pools are really a treat, all the while surrounded by this incredible view of the Canadian Rockies. One of the real highlights of the Trip was a young lady named Lucy at the adventure experience area (tour and trips area of the hotel) . She took us on a tour up to Lake Louise, and surrounding areas and had to have been one of the most positive, genuine, kind and frankly outright nicest humans I’ve ever interacted with. If you’re lucky enough to book a tour and get Lucy, you’ll know exactly what I mean. We also had Andrew on our second tour ,who was great and no issue at all. Just Lucy had set the bar incredibly high. We saw two bears on our exploration with her and that was very special. We did the dome dining experience at the Vermilion room (after a not so wonderful first night there) , however a second chance was the right call… the dome was wonderful and Alyssa, the Mgr.and Zoran our waiter were great. Alyssa had truly gone out of her way after our initial experience to make sure we were cared for and that we knew and understood that the initial experience we had was not the standard they wanted to set (it was not that bad, just some inexperience on the part of the staff) …Randy the manager and Jody, our server, at Castillo‘s Italian restaurant are first class and the same for the team at the 1888 restaurant. The quality of the food at both of these and the services was great… I did share our feedback with the Hotel leadership team and was equally impressed that both the general managers that I emailed got right back to me. I can see why the folks there care and are special as the leadership conveys that also… This resort has the right formula with the right people leading it and the right people working there. I’m 100% sold and cannot wait to go back. What a beautiful place with incredible people making it come to life. Go as quick as you can to enjoy and you’ll glad you did.

We enjoyed visiting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake with Gina. She is a guide with Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, and I would highly recommend her.