My husband and I stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for two nights at the end of a nine-day trip to the Canadian Rockies in July of this year. Although we still feel that it is probably the best choice of lodging in the Banff area, we found the whole experience rather disappointing for several reasons:

First, we found that the whole feeling of this place was disappointingly bland, generic and corporate. We had chosen this hotel because I had always seen photos of this fantastic Scottish baronial castle in a fairy tale setting of forests and mountains in the remote Canadian Rockies. We love history, architecture, antiques and places of charm and character, so this seemed like the obvious choice for a classic Canadian Rockies itinerary. Yes, the exterior and many of the interior public spaces live up to this reputation, though the exterior is a little gloomy and severe looking (part of the mystique). And the setting is incredibly magnificent, though definitely not as spectacular as the Lake Louise and Jasper areas (if you are planning to include these other areas in your itinerary, start off with Banff. Otherwise you will find it disappointing). But that feeling of stepping into another era -- the gilded age of the Canadian Pacific railway -- rapidly disappears upon entering the check-in lobby. Although the fantastic stone and heavy beam architecture of this enormous space is one of the more nicely renovated rooms of the interior, you are stepping into Grand Central Station. It is convention central. Tours and groups to the the left, individual travelers to the right. In the center of this lobby is a huge sign indicating the location of the dozens of private functions for the dozens of corporate groups staying there on any given night. There was a huge line for check-in and it took us over two hours to get our room and then our luggage, after much confusion and several mishaps over our room assignment. Take a number!

The point is that with 800+ rooms, filled to capacity, it is virtually impossible to create the feeling of true luxury. It would be fine if you are staying here for some corporate function, tour or convention. As my husband and I got lost in the maze of hallways, cavernous sitting rooms, banquet halls -- so many of them completely empty and deserted -- we found that all the really scenic outdoor spots of the hotel were taken up by private groups -- with the ubiquitous sign of "private party -- no entry." You can hear their music, see their hors d'oevres and buffet tables, etc. This hotel is basically a convention space. Individual travelers are a little out of place, and it is certainly not the atmostphere I would want on my honeymoon or on a romantic getaway. It is probably the most impersonal hotel I have ever stayed in.

Moreover, although I found the interior spaces brighter and more fixed up than I had anticipated, I found that Fairmont had not really done this with real taste, perfection, or an eye to preserving the special and unique character of this historic spot. The overall aesthetic was imitation Ritz Carlton -- formal so as to be "fancy", yet standardized, generic and bland. It is as if the owners of the hotel gutted and sterilized the interior --giving it a phoney verneer of "elegance." In doing this, they took away the soul, character, personality and wonderful quirkiness of the unique architecture of this place.

This was our second Fairmont hotel, and we feel that we can generalize to say that this chain tries to project a luxury image, yet just does not quite make it. There are too many omissions, and too many instances of nickel and diming. For instance, this is the first "luxury" hotel I have ever stayed in which did not provide bathrobes in the rooms. When I called up to ask, I was told that they were available, but had to be requested. Likewise, there were very few amenities in the cramped and poorly laid out bathroom. Our room, on one of the highest floors, was bright and had an exceptionally beautiful view (see attached photo). But this is where the superlatives end. The room was rather sparse in its appointments and of course, it had that bland, hotel reproduction furniture in it. For the two nights of our stay, we were persistently annoyed by a muffled banging sound in the walls, which may very well have been the machinery for the elevator down the hall. Frankly, it had taken us so long to get this room after our two hour check-in saga that we were too weary to complain. When we tried to go to the beautiful interior pool that is shown in all the ads for this hotel, we were told that this was part of the spa and therefore off limits to regular guests (unless you paid an exhorbitant daily fee). So, we then tried the outdoor pool area which is quite lovely looking. All of the cheap plastic lounge chairs were taken, and not a pool attendant in sight. So, we helped ourselves to the cheap plastic lounge chairs in the indoor pool and carried them outside. When we finally settled down to relax, we were literally attacked by a horde of mosquitoes and had to go in. (As mentioned in one of the other reviews, the mosquitoes are a real problem. I am not sure the hotel can do anything about this however. Since it is in a national park, I assume that there are strict regulations on spraying). With respect to all of these glitches, it's not that we are spoiled whining babies. In fact, we are pretty hearty and seasoned travelers. It's just that when we pay luxury prices for something that projects an image of a luxury hotel, we expect perfection or something close to it.. The Banff Springs Hotel simply misses the boat.

One thing we did enjoy about this hotel is the food. We had two dinners in two of the hotels many restaurants -- Castello's (Italian) and the Waldhaus Restaurant (Swiss). The food was quite good in both of them, and they both were in pretty settings. With respect to the Waldhaus Restaurant (not to be confused with the pub downstairs), make sure you eat in the garden/terrace room in the back. There is a beautiful view of the Bow Valley. Do not eat outside -- the mosquitoes are vicious. We both felt that these were the best two meals we had in the Canadian Rockies.

Overall, if you don't mind overpaying and you are prepared for a huge, impersonal, charmless corporate style hotel, it is still probably worthwhile to stay at the Banff Springs for your first visit to Banff. Although the hotel has lost so much of its original character and refined image, it is still a famous landmark and perhaps a part of the classic Canadian Rockies experience. If you are prepared for its limitations, you won't be too disappointed.

We checked in and was told there was only one room left in the hotel(a small, musty room in the Manor section) When we complained the only other room available was without air conditioning. The hotel looks like a museum and should probably be one. It was outrageously expensive and caters to large groups of conventioneers and foreigners. If you are traveling outsided of a large group expect to be ignored. The views are great and should be seen as a day trip. Forget staying there.

My husband I recently took 30 clients and their wives to the Banff Springs Hotel for an incentive trip. From our private check-in to our closing night dinner, the service and location were unparrelled. This is a well-traveled group but we didn't get any complaints. We sprung for the mid-priced rooms and suites and they were pretty though they have very small bathrooms. Some people just chose to stick close to the hotel and get pampered at the spa and others ventured out for horseback riding, hikes and sight seeing. I recommend that you rent a car so you can hit some of the more popular attractions like Lake Louise and Johnston Canyon. The only sore point at all is the large number of tourists at every sight we visited. There were busloads of tourists everywhere which made for crowded hiking trails and long waits for the Gondola. Also bring bug spray...the mosquitos are huge! The breakfast buffet is enormous and the food in the Italian restaurant is good. All of our catered events were great too. Skip the high-priced Banffshire restaurant. Although the service was great the food was worthy of the huge bill. All in all great experience.

We stayed at the Banff Springs hotel for 2 nights as part of our honeymoon.

We were upgraded to a lovely room in the Royal wing, with a fantastic view of the river and the golf course.

We ate in the buffet restaurant and the food is great, it was very well priced and the food was very good quality and the chefs are on hand to ask questions, and freshly cooking omletes etc. we had lunch and breakfast in here.

there is nt too much to do in the hotel, but if you are wanting luxury then this is the place to stay in banff..

there is a local bus into town for CA$2, which stops righ outside the hotel on the road, and takes you all along Banff avenue, or a taxi into the town is only CA$ 10. The restaurants in the town are vary vaired and I would recommend the Maple Leaf Grill to anyone who wants a very lovely slightly expensive dinner - the food is amazing and the coctails are good too!

Definately returning to banff, will probably stay in town next time, unless it is our anniversary etc, as the Banff Springs is beautiful but defiantely a specail occassions place!