Ancien Maestro

Just got back with the family from Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for Family Day Long Weekend. We booked 4 nights at stayed in a Junior Suite Lakeview. I was entitled to an upgrade at checkin, but the entire hotel was sold out understandably. We liked the cabin feel of the Junior Suite Lakeview.. our suite was vaulted up front. Great view of the lake and surrounding mountains.. can't ask for much more.

Its been 7 years since we visited the Lodge. We didn't visit for 7 years because of a run in with management, when we decided not to return for the forseeable future. Management has changed around, and we know the new GM out at the Lodge and decided to try Jasper Park Lodge out again. Not much has changed in terms of rooms.. the cabins looks like they need of a refresher, but it was fantastic just getting out and enjoying the outdoors.

We could tell some positive things were happening with the new GM taking over. The long weekend was themed after Harry Potter, and there was a banquet, brunch, and Harry Potter supper set up in terms of festivities. A movie marathon was on the entire weekend for Harry Potter fans, and for the little ones who might not be able to handle Harry Potter, there was another movie alternative running in parallel. There was games, races, crafts, scavenger hunt set up for the kids throughout the weekend. We did skating, and there was a special Parks Canada Astronomy class set up in which we attended. My son is studying and taking an interest in Astronomy. We've visited both NASA space Centers, and did the Big Island offerings including stargazing and Imoloa. There is another astronomy excursion set up for May 20th IIRC at JPL, if anyone is interested in participating.

JPL renovated their pool and changing areas since we lasted visited. JPL no longer has a public hot tub, but they do have a steam room and sauna in each of the change rooms. The renos look nice, but it was a bit of a chore trying to figure out how to take off boots without muddying up socks when walking to the change area. My recommendation is when its busy, to take off outdoor boots and shoes, take off the socks as well, and walk towards the change area.. and reverse when returning. There is a closet where you can hang up your coat, but I noticed there are fresh new robes stored in the closet on Sunday, so maybe double check with the staff where you can store your coat. The lockers are nice and sizeable, but when I've got my 6 year old and 2 year old dragging around, there simply isn't enough room in the locker to store everything.. 2 lockers simply wasn't available as the pool was pretty busy centrally.. During the busy times at the pool, towels are only offered upfront. Logistically, with 2 kids, it was pretty difficult to navigate everything strategically.

JPL has more of a family fun atmosphere then BSH or CLL. We were quite pleased with the offerings. Hiking around the lodge was pretty safe. Lake Mildred was a good setup for whoever wants to go skating. We took in the horse drawn wagons, which was a nice highlight to Saturday. The cost is $20 per adult, and $10 per child ages 6 to 12.

Another highlight of the weekend was meeting Morley Fleming, the resident pianist at Jasper Park Lodge. Both Mrs. Maestro and I are avid pianists, myself working on ARCT when I moved on, and Mrs. Maestro a university graduate in Piano at Brandon University, as well as a violinist. Morley would take requests from the audience and play by ear the songs requested. We had the pleasure of hearing Morley play in the lounge for the first couple of nights, and during the Harry Potter brunch and supper.

A surprising feature to the weekend was a complimentary professional photo taken at 9 3/4 platform, for the Harry Potter weekend. We stood beside the cauldron and some Potter paraphernalia. Being 6'5" the professional photographer cut off the top of my head, but none the less, the entire family was pictured. Bravo to JPL to providing this service to those who attended JPL over the long weekend.

All in all, it was a positive weekend enjoyed by all. The drive to Calgary was picturesque. We were disappointed that the Columbia Ice Fields were shut down for the season. But this'll give us another reason to visit JPL in the near future.

kokinos

AM nice review. I haven't stayed there in about 10 years and may give it a stab this summer since I'm long overdue to enjoy the drive but also the golf.

Ancien Maestro

Very scenic drive through the mountains but a bit dangerous conditions during the winter from YYC.. Highly advisable to do the drive in non winter conditions.. plus I noticed that the Ice Fields are only open during non winter times, and the tram as well.

The golf is awesome up there.. last time was 7 years ago.^

tcook052

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...ark-lodge.html

A fire broke out Tuesday afternoon on the roof of the Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper, Alta.

Crews from the Jasper Fire Department were called to the hotel's main lodge around 2:55 p.m. after the fire was discovered near a chimney.

"It is out now," said Fairmont Hotels spokeswoman Jenny Dunbar. "The fire department has allowed access back in to staff of the Jasper Park Lodge but they've chosen obviously not to have guests go in there this evening and tomorrow they'll start the cleanup."

Everyone got out safely and no injuries were reported.

Shenanigans

Stayed at the JPL on the Labour Day weekend for three nights. Hadn't stayed there in probably fifteen years and probably hadn't driven the Icefields Parkway in that timeframe either. (FTR, that has absolutely got to be one of the most scenic drives on this planet. Absolutely spectacular.)

Used a suite upgrade and landed a junior lakeview just steps from the main lodge and love, love, loved the majestic views out the front windows. Wasn't able to land an F&F rate so used Virtuoso to score the morning buffet breakfast daily, a $50 dining credit, and a very nice book of photographs of mountain scenery. Virtuoso also had a third night free promotion which was priced the same as the Fairmont site but without the requirement to pre-pay and which was also cancellable. Very happy with the Virtuoso option and would definitely do this again in the absence of a better F&F rate.

Arrived on Friday night and had planned a round of golf for Saturday morning to cash in our Passions free golf certificates. The weather was not forecast to be very good on Saturday so I had phoned before leaving home to inquire about a backup plan for Sunday in the event of bad weather. Got the answering machine at the pro shop and left a message to that effect. Arrived at the hotel to find that our Saturday tee time was cancelled and changed to Sunday. OK, no big deal I guess but not what I had asked. Turns out Saturday's weather was not as bad as forecast so would have liked to have kept the original time but c'est la vie. The golf course was apparently very busy and we were fine with the Sunday time.

We noted on Friday evening that we hadn't received our platinum welcome amenity. When we called to inquire about that, they tried to pass off the Virtuoso gift as the platinum amenity. Bad form. They sent a bottle of wine with a note that made it seem like they were going out of their way to placate us. Again, not very graceful. I don't think wine is necessarily one of the listed platinum amenities but I stand to be corrected. The wine didn't go to waste.

We were disappointed that the Tent City pub was closed the whole time we were there (seasonal?!?) but did enjoy the Emerald lounge in the lobby and had a spectacular dinner at Cavell's. I used the Passions authentically local dining certificate here and it was particularly nice that their menu actually has an item with a similar name. It was a three course option including a very nice, light, salad, a 9 oz prime rib, and a lovely chocalte hazelnut dessert. The menu price for this was $59 but free for this cowboy. I'd say this was excellent value for this Passions option. Used the rest of our $25 dining certificates for the rest of our dinner tab which were accepted at face value (no foreign exchange issues).

Spent some time just relaxing and sitting out front of our place in the adirondack chairs on the grass, sipping wine, enjoying the scenery. Excellent way to pass an hour or two.

Applied some gift cards (received from Amex to keep my Platinum card last year) to the room charges, played a free round of golf, had the third night free to begin with and got out of there with a relatively small tab.

All in all a very nice weekend and got to drive the Icefields Parkway again. It's just a shame that work gets in the way of doing stuff like this more often...

will5404

I stayed recently on the Virtuoso 3rd night free rate as well. $200/night is a fantastic deal, especially considering the other places in Jasper charge.

Used a suite upgrade and could only confirm a Jr Suite. Asked on Twitter and they only said to contact reservations a few days after I tweeted, so likely not a very effective way to contact them. I asked upon check in for a Lakefront suite and was given one without any issue. Not sure if there's a big diff between a Lakefront and a Jr Lakeview, but in any event I enjoyed the suite.

Mentioned to the bellman that helped with the luggage that I didn't have my welcome amenity and a plate of brownies and chocolate covered strawberries was delivered within 30 mins in addition to the Virtuoso coffee table book.

I had dinner at the Mooses nook one night, the lamb I had was very well cooked. Total bill for 2 was $137 (main + desert + softdrink x 2). Used $50 worth of dining certs so all in all cost $37 with the $50 Virt credit. Portions weren't huge, but I guess it's expected with that kind of restaurant. In the future I'd be more likely to go for the Emerald lounge.

Jim055

How is the quality of the in-room wifi? Any Ethernet connections?
Thanks.

Ancien Maestro

I like the character if the lakefront junior suites. I prefer the ones with a bit of a vaulted ceiling. Been in the Lakefront suites before and they are in a building sometimes 2 stories high and clustered 4 plex plus style. The Junior lake front suites are duplexes so feels more secluded. I guess there are lake lfronts with jacuzzi which sells for a different price.

gpapadop

I drove and walked through and around the hotel during my visit to Jasper. I must say I was thoroughly unimpressed by it. But wifi on my phone in the lobby did work great

CanadaDH

I'm not impressed by the JPL either. I visited the Rockies last year, and stayed at all 3 properties for a few nights. This year, we returned, but spent all of our time at the CLL and the BSH. Jasper Park Lodge doesn't seem to be up to the standards of other properties. However, the internet may have been one of the few things about our room that did work properly. Stayed in a junior lakeview suite cabin. Telephone didn't work. A/C didn't work right. Heat was actually stuck on. Light bulbs out and not replaced during the 3 nights we stayed there. Not impressed with this property, and I don't plan to return.

Jasper2009

Interesting...I actually prefer the JPL over the BSH and LL.

The JPL seems more secluded to me, with better service in general and not overrun with tourists who arenīt staying at the hotel.

Then again I much prefer having a private patio overlooking the lake and mountains over a massive spa facility I wouldnīt use anyway.

CanadaDH

I'd like a private patio on the lake as well. But, that was one of the things that confused me? The cabins along the lakeshore don't have patios that I saw, but just a concrete stoop leading to the cabin entrance. Yet the cabins that aren't on the lake all seemed to have a little outdoor patio with chairs, but no view except across the road to the back of the other cabins.

My favourite of the 3 properties in the Rockies is the CLL. I love the view from the lakeview suites and the great hikes up into the mountains starting right from the front door. The building in general also seems a little better maintained than the other two properties.

Jasper2009

I believe most cabins accommodate Fairmont rooms, Junior Suites and Lakefront Suites. The Lakefront Suites definitely have a private patio/balcony overlooking the lake, not sure whether any of the other room categories have one.

The Lakefront Suite I stayed in last time was located in one of the larger two-storey cabins and was located on the upper level and had a private patio maybe 25m away from the lake.

Another good - and much cheaper - option is to book one of the Deluxe rooms on the upper floor of the main building with a semi-private patio overlooking the lake.

CanadaDH

This is the "Junior Suite Lakeview" cabin I stayed in. Definitely no patio on it. Maybe they figured that because we are right on the path in front of the lake, people would just use the communal chairs they have set up on the lawn or docks.

italdesign

Greetings. I'm contemplating a stay next year. Last year I stayed at Fairmont Lake Louise and was disappointed. While the lake was breathtakingly beautiful, I didn't like how big and impersonal the hotel was. I could have stayed elsewhere and still enjoyed the lake. This hotel seems like it might offer the more secluded, private experience that I enjoy more. However, since it has a $500 per night price tag (not that I'm paying full price), I want to make sure it's worth it. Any recent experience would be appreciated. Although the overall rating is shockingly low on TripAdvisor, recent ratings have been favorable.

I'll probably use either a room upgrade or suite upgrade. Any comment on those room types would be appreciated.