The Banff Springs is undoubtedly an impressive building with a grand entrance hall and vestibule. The hotel rooms, however, leave a lot to be desired. We stayed in a rather bland room with a mouldy bathroom, dirty bed linen and faded wall paper. We wouldn't have minded if it had cost around $100, but our room was apparently worth around $700 per night. You got the impression that the hotel guests were charged a lot of money in order to pay for the upkeep of the rest of the building, without getting anything in return. Very disappointing.

Stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs in January 2008 for 1 week and had a wonderful stay. Check-in swift and easy, upgraded to a valley view room which had stunning views. Room was of a high standard and the bed really comfy, only downside was that the bathroom was a little small but hey, how much time do you spend in there?!!? Rang the concierge regularly for advice and excursion bookings and they provided an excellent service. Ate at the buffet breakfast a couple of mornings and the food quality and range was excellent, well worth the £12 each. Also ate at the Waldhaus which was good quality, otherwise we strolled into town and ate at Wild Bills, Earls and Spaghetti House in the evening. For me, whilst the location of the hotel was stunning it was about 20-25 mins walk into the town centre which seemed longer when it is minus 12 and/or snowing heavily and the pavement slippy. There is a local bus which runs approx every 30 mins from outside hotel which we used when feeling lazy or tired!!! As for skiing/snowboarding there are 3 areas to choose from Sunshine Village, Norquay and Lake Louise. We personally liked Lake Louise the best. All ski buses ran from outside the hotel at a cost of $15 each (or transport included if you had a ski lift pass)
I would highly recommend the hotel and resort and look forward to returning again for another stay, maybe in the summer time.

After returning from our 10 night honeymoon at the Banff Springs I can guarantee we shall return many times.

We were quickly checked in while the bell staff arranged for our luggage to be taken to our room. As it was our honeymoon we were upgraded two places to a Deluxe Premium room in the Stanley Thompson wing which was fantastic. We also recieved a bottle of champagne compliments of the hotel.

The hotel is magnificent with an old world feel which adds to the aura. I definitely recommend a visit to the outdoor heated pool which is great after a day snowboarding. On one occasion a deer wondered next to the pool to eat!

The staff were all very accomodating. Whether it's just to get a bigger tip i'm not sure, but who cares! It's just a shame we don't get a similar service in the UK. Each day we returned to a clean and tidy room thanks to the excellent cleaning staff (Thanks Roel!)

Afternoon Tea or a cocktail in the Rundle Lounge is another great experience. The Pianist entertainer in there makes a fantastic evening.

Overall the stay was fantastic and we shall definitely return. Banff is an amazing place too with so much to do.

I stayed at the Fairmont Banff for two nights in October and had a wonderful experience. The only part of the experience that wasn't wonderful was the pizza that I ordered in the bar.....it was surprisingly bad, but then I'm specific about the pizza I like, so I wouldn't let that stop you from staying there. The other restaurant experiences that I had were wonderful.

Everyone who visits Banff should make staying at the Fairmont part of the experience. I did the Columbian Icefields tour while there, and I was in awe for the entire drive along the Parkway. Banff is truly spectacular.