We booked 2 nights at the Fox. The nice things about the hotel are:
- underground parking
- free breakfast
- cool pool
-nice Rocky Mountain soaps
Based on most sites rating this hotel as 3.5 - 4 stars, the disappointments were:
- You can hear everything going on next door (including the flick of the light switch).
- you can hear everything going on outside.
- Tiny hotel rooms. Most people would likely find the amount of storage space insufficient (2 small drawers and one tiny, doorless closet).
- The door latch wasn't working properly, and had to be slammed very hard to close it (undoubtedly disturbing our neighbors).
- a night stand in our room had some sort of unidentifiable goo on it (we wiped it off easily with a cloth)
- the thermostat in our room did not work correctly, and was likely an engineering issue. The thermostat seems to measure room temperatures lower than the actual temperature because it's mounted on an outside wall. This resulted in our room being unbearably hot one night (we were moved the second night). The room temperature indicated by the thermostat was 12.5C, but the actual temperature must have been between 26 and 28C.
- check in did not go smoothly. We had a reservation (paid for in full in advance) and for some reason the front desk clerk could not find it and said we were booked into a sister hotel instead, although our reservation clearly stated Fox Hotel. Even after showing her the reservation on our blackberry, she treated us as though she was doing us a favor to allow us to stay here. It took about 10 minutes to get confirmation that we could sleep here.
- the bed was small. I'm pretty sure that the bed was supposed to be a queen, but it seemed short for some reason. If you are taller than 6 ft., you'll have trouble sleeping comfortably on it.
- the most limited fitness facility I've ever seen at a hotel. There were 2 cardio machines and one weight bench with free weights going up to 30 lbs.
I guess my expectations were that the hotel would be similar to or slightly better than a holiday inn or days inn or some other mid range hotel. I expected more storage, a better fitness facility, correctly engineered room temperature controls, a door that latched correctly, a front desk staff that was a little more competent, a room that was cleaned a little more thoroughly, and a room that was slightly larger based on the fact most travel sites rate this hotel as a 3.5 or 4 star hotel. It should be said that after bringing our concerns to the attention of the front desk, we were upgraded to a suite for the second night, which we appreciated.
If you're looking for a true 4 star experience, stay at the Rimrock or the Banff Springs Hotel...
Room Tip: Don't get a hotel room. The suites are nice.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
23 January 2012
I am sorry to hear that you recieved less than you expected. Our aim is to exceed all guests expectations, I am sorry we failed you.
With any engineering issues, or noise complaints, we encourage our guests to call at any hour of the day or night from their room phone. We will do our best to rectify any and all issues with your stay. If we are not made aware, we can do nothing to rectify the situation.
I apolgize about the mix up at check in. Sometimes these things do happen.
Please feel free to contact me directly to further discuss your concerns. I hope you will consider Banff Lodging Company for future stays in Banff. Given the opportunity, I am confident we can provide you with a wonderful experience.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC