rhermoso

Let me stand on the side of the defense for Canmore and its 4Points. We just stayed there on Saturday and liked the town and hotel better than Banff. We were not at one of the big resorts in Banff, but a small bed and breakfast. If you like chain stores, tourist bus crowds and development, then stay in Banff. Canmore's one main street of shops and restaurants was plenty for us and we wish we had spent our 2 nights in Canmore as opposed to Banff.

There is no real difference with the fees, as you end up paying for 24-hour blocks to spend in the park, regardless of where you sleep. You would have to wait in the toll line if you do this everyday, but you could also just get a 2- or 3-day pass and bypass it each day. Banff itself is about a 20-minute drive (I think it was 22 kilometers) from Canmore.

The hotel itself is a standard 4Points, so there service is not what you would expect at a resort anyways. But when we checked in and found they had us in a double room, they upgraded us to a suite when they were sold out of kngs. They outdoor hot tub looked nice, although there were always people in it.

The 4Points' location is hardly ideal, on the other side of the highway from town. But I'm guessing almost everyone will have come in a car, so driving the less-than-a-mlle to downtown is not much of a hardship. Street parking in Canmore is free and plentiful. Not sure of its cost in Banff, but it is hardly plentiful.

Hope this helps.