We had a great time skiining in Canada and the hotel was a good functional base, although it did feel very dated. The Room was huge but the bathroom was very small. Outdoor pool was great as was the basement bar and food was ok.

Main issue was after a days skiing it was quite a hike and maze inside the hotel to get to your room. Overall though it was Ok and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Banff is extremelly expensive though for eating and drinking!!! We spent £2500 just on food and dink for two of us over a 10 day period and that wasn't being silly just functional food with the odd nice meal!!!

Being a frequent traveler to Banff, I've stayed in various hotels with this stay being my second at the Inns of Banff. This time I booked my room through a travel agency (Marlin Travel).
Check In / Check Out:
Check In was very fast and easy. They will ask for your credit card to hold a $50 retainer for incidentals. I have yet to check and see if it has been refunded back on my card before I can state if there was any issues with that. We wanted a little more time before checking out and simply called the front desk and were permitted to stay until 1pm (instead of checking out at 11am) without any issues or additional fee's.

Parking:
We stayed in the Swiss area of the complex. There was no parking available in front of that area, however they do provide complimentary indoor heated parking which we used. It was a bonus considering the cold climate in the mountains in the winter.

Room:
The hallways appeared (and smelled) to have been freshly painted. However our room (#111) was a different story. The first thing that I noticed was that the overall appearance looked worn out. I then noticed that the ceiling which was made up of 12x12 ceiling tile had a TON of screws in it one area. It made me think that maybe they had some kind of mechanical issue (heat, plumbing etc.) that needed to be repaired at one point but no one cared enough to repair the ceiling properly after the fact, or perhaps it was simply shoddy workmanship in installing the tile all together. Regardless, It made me instantly feel like we were staying somewhere that was a little on the shabby side. The bathroom was very dirty! There was "stuff" that appeared to be old toothpaste on the counter top and in the sink, the bathtub being the worst with obvious ring marks that were noticed right away. In the morning we discovered that the drain in the bathtub was very slow and stood in a couple inches of dirty water while showering. Not very appealling at all. Now we know why there was rings in the bathtub! We only stayed the one night, otherwise we would have called the front desk for a new room or at least for this issue to be cleaned up.

Staff:
As previously mentioned, check in was great. Fast and effective service with no issues even when using a travel agent to book it for us. However, there was a room that was apparently being loud late that night (even though we didn't really find it bothersome) down a couple doors. The guy at the front desk kept coming to our room and telling us that he received complaints about us!!! We were pretty confused and I insisted that he had the wrong room. He kept coming back and then threatned to have us removed if we did not quiet down! Later he came back again, only this time with a security guard. I told him that it was very obvious that the noise was not coming from our room as my friend was already asleep and I was in my pajama's. I became very annoyed at this point and asked him if he EVER heard any noise coming from our room when he was in the hall, in which he admitted that he had not. He did not return after I confronted him and told him how I felt about being harassed especially after coming to my door after my friend was asleep. I will be filing a formal complaint about this issue directly with the hotel as I feel that the conduct of the staff was reckless and careless, especially approaching a room that contained two woman travelers late at night. The better approach would have been for him to first investigate where the noise was actually coming from then proceed from there. We feel very uneasy about this situation. We have stayed in Banff on numerous occasions and have never ever had any issues with noise violations, so this is very surprising!

Beds:
The beds were ok, but older. The pillows were nice, big and fluffy!

Location:
It is located on the edge of town, but with a very easy drive or long walk to downtown. You can also take ROAM (their bus system) to downtown. Most bus stops will tell you exactly how long until the next bus will arrive at your stop (which is a very cool feature!) or you can catch a cab for less then $10 CAD.

Amenities:
Restaurants, pub, gift store and hot tubs are on site. We didn't use any, so we can't honestly comment on this.

The hotel is very confusing to get around! You will need to request a map to figure your way about!

Overall, I would personally recommend seeking other accommodations while staying in or around Banff. It was a little over priced for what you get and there are other places around (or a little more) that would have offered a much better experience.

PLEASE NOTE!:
My rating on "service" is based on overall experience, therefore the guy who kept coming to our room as previously mentioned did make an impact on the score. The front desk upon check in / check out was great! Sleep quality was obviously also affected by this gentleman who kept coming to our door.

We had a very good time at Inns of Banff, for the price that we paid I feel that we got great value. The staff were friendly and very helpful at all times, the room was a good size and well maintained. With the hot pool as a huge positive I would say that the place does itself justice. Realising that the Inns of Banff could do with a facelift and modernisation I am happy to give 4 out of 5 for the review. Recommended for friends that are looking for a good deal in the area and easy access by under 15 minute walk to town centre.

Stayed here over Xmas & New Year had a good stay. My room was large & clean & the bed was very comfortable, the only minor issues would be more wardrobe/cupboard/storage needed (which could easily be fitted into the large room) & the heating was noisy & a bit too cool (don't know if all rooms are like this or I was a bit unlucky.) The reception staff are excellent, very helpful & friendly. The staff at the Bear's Den pub (downstairs) are very friendly & the food is very good. Though on the very edge of town the complimentary bus service is regular & reliable. Free ski lockers & safe are provided on request & the outdoor hot-tub is great (there is also an indoor pool & jacuzzi that I didn't use.) Ski buses stop right outside the front door. Overall, I would recommend the hotel - it could do with "sprucing up" but the staff more than make up for this.