The Banff Springs Hotel is definitely something to experience. It is huge, offering every possible sort of amenity. For those who like the charm of older hotels (c. 1890), this is definitely a place to stay while vacationing in the Rockies. A few comments, however: (i) if you are an early riser (6:00 am), the water in the shower is luke warm at best; (ii) there is no wi-fi in the rooms, but only in public areas, which is inconvenient; and (iii) if you park at the hotel, there is a $25 per day parking fee, for which you can get a tag from reception. For a hotel of this calibre, these three observations were a bit of a disappointment.

My husband and I decided to treat ourselves and stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs for 5 nights.
Our primary goal for this trip was to ski. Yes, we could have stayed in a number of other hotels for a fraction of the price; however, we wanted to spoil ourselves.

Typically we stay in B&Bs or hotels when travelling that range from $100-175 per night. This was a definite splurge for us, and worth every penny, in our opinion.

From the very point of arrival to check out, all encounters with staff were professional and friendly.

We stayed in a Signature King room and were more than happy with the accommodations. The bed was very comfortable, room temperature was easy to adjust, and the view was stunning.

The only downside, and for us this was minor, was the size of the bathroom. The bathroom was small in comparison to the room.

Some people have mentioned the lack of sound proofing between rooms and we did experience some noise from the people next to us. We called the front desk and the problem was taken care of immediately. We did not have any further problems after that incident.

We ate in the Bow Valley Grill for both the breakfast and dinner buffet. The service was excellent both times.
We also ate at Grapes (highly recommend, no reservations first come first served), Castello Ristorante (excellent service, great food), and the Waldhaus Pub (perfect for a low key, casual supper).

All in all, this holiday turned out just the way we wanted it to, thanks in part to the wonderful staff at the Fairmont Banff Springs.

We would most definitely consider staying here again.

The property is stunning - in terms of location and where it is situated....nestled in a river valley at the foot of the mountains. It is huge, reflecting the Victorian sensibility of taming nature through building and innovation on a scale beyond audacious. Rooms are fine. Soundproofing is horrible. Bathrooms are tiny and water pressure ok. For a property that is really all about the common areas and service, it falls. It is understaffed everywhere, from the coffee shop to restaurants to valet parking. Service quality is uneven. Food quality is just plain bad. It is what you might expect in a restaurant chain....unfortunately, prices are five star. Cost for parking a car - either self-park or valet, is obscene. "Add ons"....for internet and gym and pool access are greedy and wrong.....they should charge more for the room or make it complimentary for all, not just Fairmont President Club members. Best staff are at the concierge desk, reception and bell greeters at hotel entrance.

We stayed at this hotel 2 years ago, and paid a visit last week during our ski holiday to the fairmont, for the lovely buffet lunch !!!!, and i must say very much recommended.
The swimming pools are great, indoor and out. So many restaurants to choose from. I would stay here every time we go to Banff ,but it's a little too expensive for a 2 week stay with the exchange rate being so low.

The only thing my husband found a problem with, was ,a couple of the staff seemed very pretentious, one, when asked directions to the shopping area, the other was in the dinning room, but when my husband replied the answer n the same tone, to the member of staff very quickly became polite and and professional. ( Pity it had to take my husband to be a little rude back to the staff to be what she is paid to do) However though we have only stayed at this hotel once we have been many many times for meals and we will return next year.