Fairmont Banff Springs

This historic stone hotel is a treasure! We arrived in the rain and it was still magnificent! We walked to the Bow river and waterfall, dined at Waldhaus (delicious trout and schnitzel), and took the indoor history tour which was a kick. Guests in the early 1920’s needed to present a letter of credit from their bank for $50,000 to book for the summer season. The adventure center offers a variety of outdoor pursuits. It would be fun to return in the winter too. Sorry we missed out on e-biking and golf due to weather but we opted to hike in the clouds, literally! The town is charming with lots of independent restaurants and shops as well as some big outdoors brands for gear and all-terrain fashion. The bar is the place to be. Fire pits with a view, velvet banquettes, cool nooks and signature cocktails and mocktails. We chose the bar for dinner and it was a delicious mix of light bites we shared. The Vermillion restaurant serves a great breakfast but there are busses of tourists en route to their next destination that jam the restaurant in the early hours. Dine later in the morning for menu service versus buffet and stellar personal service from the staff. An experience I will never forget.

Full service with a smile. Excellent location. Million dollar view. The hotel has an interesting history and offers a free history tour to guests. Be sure to ask or mention if you have ANY mobility issues. I was very surprised when our room had a corner half flight of stairs in it. Between the door, bathroom, and the rest of the room. Ours was obviously squeezed into the floorplan in a recent renovation. I asked, they have a bunch of rooms like this. Thankfully after 2 days I got used to it. Wonderful room otherwise. A bit of a travel back in time effect to 1900ish. The hot tub and Olympic size pool (indoor and heated outdoor) were pristine.

Wow wow wow!!! It’s impossible to find fault with this hotel. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, the rooms especially comfortable despite their age, and the amenities beyond enjoyable. However, it’s the staff that take this hotel from excellent to truly outstanding. To name a few - Drew for his amazing service for our dinner under the stars dinner Gina - excellent knowledge and engagement on our wildness walk, with a particularly lovely manner with my 7 year old Salvatore - great service and charisma during breakfast at Vermillion. Thank you for making our anniversary and milestone birthday truly special.

First, unless you are around for the food, the Gold Club is not worth it. The added concierge is not overly helpful, the rooms are the same size throughout the hotel (at least that is what we were told), and there are no added benefits for staying on this floor except the separate entrance. Housekeeping was excellent and there is turndown service nightly. My view was a roof with mechanicals even though I sent several emails letting the “gold level” know we were celebrating a milestone. The hotel is a gem, but when you are constantly busy (many tour groups), you don’t seemingly need to go that extra step for your guests. A car seems necessary, as we were told to take cabs certain places due to parking limitations (this was not necessary in either case). Their transportation was never explained, nor were any other experiences provided. We found out on our last day, by other guests, that they give a tour of the castle. I expected more communication from this level of staff.

Loved it here! It’s gorgeous with epic views. If you’re in the area you need to stop here. It’s one of my favorite places. Absolutely love it!