The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
Feb 25, 2019, 5:20 pm
#271
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 46
Thanks for your reply. It would be 'spring' skiing so March or April 2019. Originally wanted to come sooner but it looked brutally cold. Planning to stay 3-4 nights at CLL (and ski Lake Louise) and 3-4 nights closer to Banff (and ski Sunshine).
We wouldn't spend much time in the rooms so lack of an upgrade would not be a deal breaker. That being said, I recall Fairmont rooms being pretty cramped. If only the suite upgrade certificates were valid a few weeks longer... There may be other accommodations in the area that are better value for a ski vacation, but I was hoping to stay at CLL for old times' sake.
We wouldn't spend much time in the rooms so lack of an upgrade would not be a deal breaker. That being said, I recall Fairmont rooms being pretty cramped. If only the suite upgrade certificates were valid a few weeks longer... There may be other accommodations in the area that are better value for a ski vacation, but I was hoping to stay at CLL for old times' sake.
Feb 25, 2019, 6:15 pm
#272
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
I spent all last week at the CLL and am at Banff Springs now. The cold wasn't that bad. Bright sun and blue skies made for pleasant skiing, though some fresh snow would help. Heated boots and gloves are awesome!
I skied Sunshine today, and had forgotten how much I love Lake Louise more. The runs at Sunshine, while plentiful, are so short by comparison. The official stats on the vertical rise of Sunshine include the access gondola to get to the base area. Most of the lifts to the real hills are around 1000 feet of vertical. I'm going to take the ski shuttle from Banff Springs back to Louise tomorrow!
I skied Sunshine today, and had forgotten how much I love Lake Louise more. The runs at Sunshine, while plentiful, are so short by comparison. The official stats on the vertical rise of Sunshine include the access gondola to get to the base area. Most of the lifts to the real hills are around 1000 feet of vertical. I'm going to take the ski shuttle from Banff Springs back to Louise tomorrow!
Nov 29, 2019, 4:50 pm
#273
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 102
I'm planning a ski stay at the CLL in early March and debating room choice for a couple:
Deluxe lake view $396 vs Fairmont Gold lake view $471 vs junior suite lake view $471
I haven't seen anything about the 'deluxe' room category; has anyone stayed in one?
Comparing the junior suite and Gold, not sure if the Gold amenities are worth getting a room half the size at the same price...
Deluxe lake view $396 vs Fairmont Gold lake view $471 vs junior suite lake view $471
I haven't seen anything about the 'deluxe' room category; has anyone stayed in one?
Comparing the junior suite and Gold, not sure if the Gold amenities are worth getting a room half the size at the same price...
Nov 30, 2019, 1:21 pm
#274
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
I'm planning a ski stay at the CLL in early March and debating room choice for a couple:
Deluxe lake view $396 vs Fairmont Gold lake view $471 vs junior suite lake view $471
I haven't seen anything about the 'deluxe' room category; has anyone stayed in one?
Comparing the junior suite and Gold, not sure if the Gold amenities are worth getting a room half the size at the same price...
Deluxe lake view $396 vs Fairmont Gold lake view $471 vs junior suite lake view $471
I haven't seen anything about the 'deluxe' room category; has anyone stayed in one?
Comparing the junior suite and Gold, not sure if the Gold amenities are worth getting a room half the size at the same price...
As for the value of booking Fairmont Gold, it probably depends on how much you think you will use the lounge. There is certainly value in getting daily breakfast, which you would receive with the Gold room. However, it wouldn't necessarily be $75/day of value. Do you also plan to spend time there in the evenings for the appetizers? You could conceivably make a meal out of them each night, making the premium for the Gold room well worth it, by saving on the cost of dinners. However, if you have plans to go for a nice dinner somewhere every day, which we usually do, either in the hotel or elsewhere, you might not see much value in the lounge. As nice as the lounge is, you're probably not going to spend a ton of time in it, since it doesn't view the lake. We often grab food and drinks from the lounge and then take them to our room. I probably book Fairmont Gold around half the time.
Have you considered a 1-Bedroom Lakeview Suite? Booking a 1-Bed category or higher, and you automatically get daily breakfast and valet parking included, which you don't get with the Junior Suite. That brings the overall cost of the 1-Bed much closer to the price of the Junior Suite, giving you a much larger room for a smaller premium than it might initially seem.
Nov 30, 2019, 2:01 pm
#275
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 102
Thank you for the insights!
A 1-bedroom is tempting... loved them at the Banff Springs. The best price I can get to is $659 with the Lake Louise card (for the other rooms, the CAA/AAA rates are better). We're not driving ourselves, so the parking benefit isn't useful.
We'd probably be out for dinners, so the lounge benefit isn't that useful, and upgraded furnishings don't really matter that much. So I think the only benefit to Gold would be if the views are that much better from the top floors.
A 1-bedroom is tempting... loved them at the Banff Springs. The best price I can get to is $659 with the Lake Louise card (for the other rooms, the CAA/AAA rates are better). We're not driving ourselves, so the parking benefit isn't useful.
We'd probably be out for dinners, so the lounge benefit isn't that useful, and upgraded furnishings don't really matter that much. So I think the only benefit to Gold would be if the views are that much better from the top floors.
Nov 30, 2019, 2:33 pm
#276
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
Fairmont Gold at the CLL is all three wings of the 7th floor and only the Glacier wing on the 8th floor. The Barrott wing on the 8th floor contains regular rooms. If you prefer a higher floor, then you could still book a Deluxe Room and put in a request for the 8th (or 6th floor). I actually don't think the views from the top floor are the greatest, because the windows on that floor are actually smaller than the windows on the lower floors. Anything on floors 5 or 6 will be great. And you are actually 2 floors higher than the floor number would indicate. The first floor is actually the first 'guest room floor', with 2 floors of restaurants and common spaces below that. The largest guest room windows are found on the Painter wing side of the 7th (Gold) floor and any of the suites in the Mount Temple wing.
Dec 5, 2019, 8:18 pm
#277
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 102
I decided to book the 1-bedroom Lakeview suite.
I bought enough gift cards at the Black Friday 20% bonus sale to cover the junior suite, then realized the room rate was listed in CAD and I had bought the gift cards in USD.
Well, it's a good excuse anyways...
I bought enough gift cards at the Black Friday 20% bonus sale to cover the junior suite, then realized the room rate was listed in CAD and I had bought the gift cards in USD.
Well, it's a good excuse anyways...
Dec 6, 2019, 5:08 am
#278
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
I think you'll be happy with the space in the 1-Bed Suite. Especially on a ski vacation, when you have piles of bulky clothing and equipment, I've always found I wasn't lacking for storage space in the 1 Bed suites.
I'm already counting down the days to the start of my own ski vacations...
Feb 29, 2020, 9:24 am
#279
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
Review of the Marquis de Lorne Suite and Chateau Lake Louise winter stay
We recently stayed at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for a ski trip in the middle of February. I have stayed at this property many times, and on this stay, we were here for 11 days/10 nights.
On arrival, everything was seamless. We pulled up to the main entrance, and immediately a member of the bell staff began unloading our many large cases and ski gear, which we had brought for our stay. At the same time, a member of the valet team prepared to park our vehicle. Valet parking is included with any suite bookings. Please note that you do not tip the bell or valet staff at the Chateau Lake Louise, as staff gratuities are included in the daily resort fee.
We stayed on Fairmont Gold, so upon entering the hotel, we went straight to the elevators to check-in on the 7th floor in the Gold Lounge.
The Hotel Suite
Our favourite room at the Chateau is the Marquis de Lorne Suite (room 703), which we have booked a number of times before. Obviously, no upgrade was given on arrival, because we had already booked into the Marquis de Lorne Suite, so there really was nowhere to upgrade from there. Below are some pictures of the room. I apologize that many were taken at night. I wanted to get the pictures right after check-in and before we unpacked and made the room look 'lived in'. This is the first time we've stayed in this room since it was renovated a year ago, and the update was very well done.
I took a quick video walkthrough of the suite. See below posted on YouTube.
The main salon is the big attraction of this room. There is no other room like it, with sunken living room, large sectional sofa for relaxing or entertaining. The sofa also contains a king size pull-out bed, should someone choose to put additional people in this suite. The room features large picture windows overlooking Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier, with a wall-mounted smart TV above the electric fireplace (I guess they don't want us burning down the hotel with real wood fires). The large windows all had electrically controlled window shades. We asked that housekeeping not bother closing them during turndown service.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
Behind the sectional sofa is a dining area with two chairs and a banquette. The artwork has also been refreshed since the renovation, with original pieces depicting local scenes.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
There is storage everywhere in this suite. Even in the main salon, the side cabinets contain oversized drawers, and the tables behind the sofa all have drawers as well. Not pictured is another cabinet tucked away beside the entrance door, which contained even more storage.
Take note of the water provided at turndown in the photo below. Instead of using plastic bottles, the hotel delivers refillable glass bottles of water each night, which they bottle in-house.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
Leaving the main salon, you take a step up to the landing off the entrance, and you will find the door to the bedroom.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
The welcome amenity consisted of a plate of cheeses, nuts, grapes and assorted fresh local game meats (the hotel sources meats from Valbella's in Canmore). They also provided some sparkling water and a nice bottle of wine (well, I'm not a drinker, but my wife said it was nice). This cabinet also contains a small refrigerator and a Nespresso coffee machine, which we never used since we had the Gold lounge down the hall.
Welcome Amenity
The bedroom was large and comfortable, with the same beautiful views found in the main salon. The bedroom had another large TV, above another large dresser for storing our bulky ski clothing. Next to bed is a large closet. The bed was very comfortable.
Marquis de Lorne Suite bedroom
The air is very dry here, especially in the winter. We have a standing request at this hotel for a steam humidifier, which we found in the salon when we arrived. We ended up moving it to the bedroom beside the dresser, to make sleeping a bit easier.
Marquis de Lorne Suite bedroom
The bathroom was a great size, with large marble vanity, large soaking tub, glass shower with rain head and wand. The toilet was in a separate water closet behind the bathtub.
I didn't take any photos of it, but there are two washrooms in this suite. Right off the main entrance is a 2-piece powder room, which is useful when entertaining.
Marquis de Lorne Suite bathroom
Marquis de Lorne Suite bathroom
And here are some photos of the room in daylight, where you can actually see the beautiful view!
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon by day
The view while relaxing on the sectional sofa...
Enjoying the view from the salon lounge
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon by day
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon by day
In the photo below, you can see how they are in the process of dividing the main skating area on the lake into smaller rinks. On the coming weekend, various teams will descend on the place for the annual Lake Louise Pond Hockey Classic tournament. Directly behind and more than a kilometer above the hockey rinks is Fairview Mountain, with much larger Mount Lefroy and Mount Victoria off to the right..
Daytime view from Marquis de Lorne suite
A different angle, looking at the Victoria Glacier, and with Mount Whyte, Mount Niblock and Mount St. Piran off to the right. It looks small in this picture, but Mount Victoria sits about 3 miles directly behind Lake Louise and rises more than 6,100 feet above it.
Daytime view from Marquis de Lorne suite
Evening view from Marquis de Lorne suite
Evening view from Marquis de Lorne suite
Room number plate
Fairmont Gold Lounge
The Fairmont Gold Lounge at the Chateau Lake Louise is very comfortable and was updated and expanded about three years ago. It never felt crowded during our stay, and there were always seats and tables available. All hotel services are provided here. If you need your car, if you need reservations somewhere (in or out of the hotel), if you have questions about your room account... whatever you need, the Gold reception desk is the hotel front desk for guests on this floor. They will shine your shoes over night. They will provide you a personal wake-up call in the morning, by bringing you a drink to your room at your chosen time. There are many services on Fairmont Gold.
Gold Lounge reception
Gold Lounge
Gold Lounge
Gold Lounge
Food in the lounge rotated daily. While there are many standard items available every day (oatmeal, eggs, bacon, sausages, etc.), other items were changed for variety. I think the banana bread french toast was my favourite.
Gold Lounge food service area
Gold Lounge food service area
In front of the main table of hot foods was a station for an omelette chef, who is there every morning from 7 AM until 11 AM, making your eggs to order.
Gold Lounge food service area with omlette chef station
Gold Lounge beverage service area
Recognizing the modern reality of needing to stay connected, the lounge banquettes all had electrical outlets built-in to the seat bases.
Example of electrical outlets for device charging in lounge seats
The great views of the lake are reserved for guest rooms. The Fairmont Gold lounge is on the back side of the hotel, which overlooks the parkade and the ski area on Mount Whitehorn across the valley.
View from Gold lounge
Hotel Common Areas
The main hotel lobby is large and grand. The main chandelier may appear that it isn't quite centered properly, but that is by design, as the four ladies in the chandelier holding lanterns are all facing due North, East, South and West, representing the wives of the original Swiss mountain guides, holding lanterns late at night to lead their husbands back home.
Main Lobby Entrance and Check-in Desks
In the background is the staircase leading up to the Living Room above the lobby. This stair case (and the elevators off to the left) also leads to the 3 levels of the attached parkade.
Main Lobby Entrance
Main Lobby Entrance
The grand lobby continues past reception and towards Lake Louise and the main restaurants.
Main Lobby toward Lake Louise
Main Hall across the Barott Wing
The hotel can get very busy, and being at a hugely popular place in the heart of Banff National Park, there are a lot of day-trippers passing through. However, the hotel has set aside a number of common spaces which are reserved exclusively for registered guests of the hotel. Once such place is the "Living Room", which is a lounge above the main lobby.
Looking down into Main Lobby
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
The lounge contains several nice relaxing areas, books and games.
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
Free water, coffee and tea is provided in the Living Room.
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
The 7th floor a different layout compared to other guest room floors. Our suite is the blue shaded one at the far end of the hallway. It's a fairly long walk to get there (especially in ski boots), but well worth the walk. Note how in the Painter Wing (the oldest wing of the hotel currently still standing), they ran the hallway along the back windows (which look into the forest), maximizing the number of guest rooms with a view of Lake Louise.
Gold Floor Layout
Gold Floor Hallway
The hotel has two banks of elevators. The elevators in the Barott wing (4 in total but 2 pictured) go from the Lobby to the 8th floor, and include an original Cutler mailing system, which is still in use today, for guests to send postcards home.
Barott Elevators
The Glacier elevators (two in total) go from the Lower Level to the 8th Floor. I didn't take any pictures, but the Lower Level contains the Poppie Brasserie and Alpine Social restaurants, a few shops and the Spa.
Glacier Elevators
Chateau Lake Louise Dining Options
The hotel contains several great restaurants. Because the hotel is rather isolated, there are not too many dining options down in Lake Louise village, so dining at the hotel is my preferred option.
If looking for something fast, the Chateau Deli has some great hot and cold dishes, sandwiches and drinks to go, and is open 24 hours a day.
Chateau Deli
The Fairview restaurant has recently been expanded, taking over the old event space in the Alpine Room, to add the Fairview Bar which connects to the Fairview Restaurant. We ate dinner in the Fairview Restaurant one evening and had lunch in the bar one day. Both are excellent, and feature great views of Lake Louise.
Fairview Restaurant and Bar Entrance
Fairview Bar
Fairview Restaurant
The Lakeview Lounge is another great space for dinner, lunch, drinks or dessert. We had a few meals here during our recent stay.
Lakeview Lounge Bar
Lakeview Lounge Restaurant
My favourite restaurant at the Chateau Lake Louise, and the one I hope they never renovate, is the Walliser Stube. It has great Swiss-German dishes, the same great views you get in other restaurants along the front of the hotel, and a very cosy atmosphere. We have at least one meal here on every stay.
Walliser Stube
While I didn't get any photos, there are other restaurants. We had dinner one evening in the Alpine Social downstairs, which is a more casual restaurant with a large bar in the centre. The Poppie Brasseris is the main restaurant for breakfast each morning, if you're not staying on Fairmont Gold. Also, over in the Mount Temple Wing, is Lago, which is a fantastic Italian restaurant, which is unfortunately only open during the summer season, and occasionally on very busy weekends in the winter.
Walliser Stube
Hotel Outdoor Grounds
The Chateau is set on expansive grounds in the national park, on the shore of Lake Louise, which is in a hanging valley above the Bow Valley. Driving from the village of Lake Louise down by the highway up to the hotel takes about five minutes. Below is the hotel as you are coming up the driveway.
Approach to hotel on main drive
Main Lobby Entrance
Main Lobby Entrance
Back of Glacier Wing
Back of Glacier Wing
The Mount-Temple wing of the hotel, which is the newest part of the hotel, is set further from the lake and is connected to the main building via a series of shops along a hallway, with the attached parkade hidden behind.
Mount Temple Wing
On the lake side of the hotel, the grounds contain a series of walkways out to Lake Louise. In the summer, most of this snow would be gardens.
Fire Pits
And additional bar available only in the winter, is the outdoor ice bar.
Outdoor Ice Bar
Below is the hotel viewed from the lake. Our room is in the upper left of this photo. The wing on the left is the Painter Wing built in 1913. It is the oldest wing currently standing, as the original wooden sections of the hotel were lost to fire many years ago. The centre wing is Barott wing from 1925, and the Glacier wing on the right from 1988.
Looking back at Chateau from Lake Louise
Looking back at Chateau from Lake Louise
Each year, the hotel constructs an ice castle on the lake, which is popular with tourists.
Ice Castle
Ice Castle
Ice Castle
Every January, the hotel has an ice festival with ice sculpting competition. The grounds in front of the hotel contain over a dozen ice sculptures from that contest. By this time in the winter, they are covered with snow, and some of the detail gets lost from the heat of the sun, but they are still interesting to look at. Some are very elaborate.
Outdoor Ice Sculpture
The Chateau maintains an ice skating rink on Lake Louise. They clear the ice using loaders and power sweepers, and flood the ice every day to keep it in good shape for skating. This week would see the hotel divide the larger rink into 6 smaller hockey rinks for the annual Pond Hockey Classic. At the end of the weekend, the snow banks are removed and the smaller rinks merged into a much larger rink again.
Maintaining the ice skating surface on Lake Louise
Water in Lake Louise flows down to the Bow River by way of Louise Creek, pictured below.
Louise Creek
Louise Creek
Even in the winter, this is a popular place for weddings, as we saw this couple having their ceremony outside by the toboggan hill.
Small Outdoor Wedding
The hotel is located a short distance from the Lake Louise Ski Resort, which is just on the other side of the Bow Valley, less than a 10-minute drive away. The easiest way to get to the ski area is by shuttle bus. Below is one of three or four ski shuttles that the hotel valet staff operate for guests, departing every 30 minutes throughout the day in both directions. If there are more passengers for a bus than it can hold, they just grab another driver and run a second bus so that everyone gets to the hill when they want. There is no charge to use the bus, and it takes you from the ski valet entrance in the hotel where your skis are stored, directly to the front entrance of the main ski lodge.
Ski Area Shuttle Bus
Sleigh rides are provided through the day by Brewster Stables (directly behind the hotel), which take people to the end of the lake and back to the hotel.
Horse-drawn Sleigh Ride
Tobogganing is a popular activity beside the hotel, and the Chateau has toboggans and sleds available.
Tobogganing Beside the Chateau
Nearby Winter Activities
One of the most popular activities in the winter is skiing. There is the Sunshine Ski area down the highway in Banff, and my personal favourite, the Lake Louise Ski Area just across the valley from the hotel. Below are some photos from the ski area. Fun fact: The main lodge is constructed completely of logs that were taken from clearing the ski runs on the mountain.
Main Ski Lodge
You can see Lake Louise and the Chateau from the ski hill, on the right of the photo below.
Front Side of Ski Area
Front Side of Ski Area
Larch Area of Ski Area
Saddleback Bowl at Ski Area
Saddleback Bowl at Ski Area
Saddleback Bowl at Ski Area
Hiking is a popular activity at the Chateau, and many great trails begin right from the hotel door. Many of the summer trails are not safe to hike in the winter, but we had a day where avalanche risk was low, so we hiked the Plain of Six Glaciers trail. Below is an example of where the trail passes immediately beneath an active avalanche path.
Avalanche path coming off Mount Whyte along the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail
Mount Lefroy as seen from the Lakeshore Trail near the back of Lake Louise
Looking at the side of Mount Aberdeen from the start of the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail
Looking back at the Chateau Lake Louise from the back of Lake Louise
Ice climbing is a popular activity in the area, and some of the best places are at the back of the lake.
Ice Climbers at the Back of Lake Louise
Ice Climbers at the Back of Lake Louise
If you look closely, you can see some backcountry skiers who hiked up this mountain to ski some untouched snow.
Trail beyond the lake
Another nice view along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail
Overall, we had a great stay, and I can't fault the hotel for anything. Service levels were great. Facilities were excellent. And we just love the Marquis de Lorne Suite, and would recommend that room to anyone considering a stay here.
On arrival, everything was seamless. We pulled up to the main entrance, and immediately a member of the bell staff began unloading our many large cases and ski gear, which we had brought for our stay. At the same time, a member of the valet team prepared to park our vehicle. Valet parking is included with any suite bookings. Please note that you do not tip the bell or valet staff at the Chateau Lake Louise, as staff gratuities are included in the daily resort fee.
We stayed on Fairmont Gold, so upon entering the hotel, we went straight to the elevators to check-in on the 7th floor in the Gold Lounge.
The Hotel Suite
Our favourite room at the Chateau is the Marquis de Lorne Suite (room 703), which we have booked a number of times before. Obviously, no upgrade was given on arrival, because we had already booked into the Marquis de Lorne Suite, so there really was nowhere to upgrade from there. Below are some pictures of the room. I apologize that many were taken at night. I wanted to get the pictures right after check-in and before we unpacked and made the room look 'lived in'. This is the first time we've stayed in this room since it was renovated a year ago, and the update was very well done.
I took a quick video walkthrough of the suite. See below posted on YouTube.
The main salon is the big attraction of this room. There is no other room like it, with sunken living room, large sectional sofa for relaxing or entertaining. The sofa also contains a king size pull-out bed, should someone choose to put additional people in this suite. The room features large picture windows overlooking Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier, with a wall-mounted smart TV above the electric fireplace (I guess they don't want us burning down the hotel with real wood fires). The large windows all had electrically controlled window shades. We asked that housekeeping not bother closing them during turndown service.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
Behind the sectional sofa is a dining area with two chairs and a banquette. The artwork has also been refreshed since the renovation, with original pieces depicting local scenes.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
There is storage everywhere in this suite. Even in the main salon, the side cabinets contain oversized drawers, and the tables behind the sofa all have drawers as well. Not pictured is another cabinet tucked away beside the entrance door, which contained even more storage.
Take note of the water provided at turndown in the photo below. Instead of using plastic bottles, the hotel delivers refillable glass bottles of water each night, which they bottle in-house.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
Leaving the main salon, you take a step up to the landing off the entrance, and you will find the door to the bedroom.
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon at night
The welcome amenity consisted of a plate of cheeses, nuts, grapes and assorted fresh local game meats (the hotel sources meats from Valbella's in Canmore). They also provided some sparkling water and a nice bottle of wine (well, I'm not a drinker, but my wife said it was nice). This cabinet also contains a small refrigerator and a Nespresso coffee machine, which we never used since we had the Gold lounge down the hall.
Welcome Amenity
The bedroom was large and comfortable, with the same beautiful views found in the main salon. The bedroom had another large TV, above another large dresser for storing our bulky ski clothing. Next to bed is a large closet. The bed was very comfortable.
Marquis de Lorne Suite bedroom
The air is very dry here, especially in the winter. We have a standing request at this hotel for a steam humidifier, which we found in the salon when we arrived. We ended up moving it to the bedroom beside the dresser, to make sleeping a bit easier.
Marquis de Lorne Suite bedroom
The bathroom was a great size, with large marble vanity, large soaking tub, glass shower with rain head and wand. The toilet was in a separate water closet behind the bathtub.
I didn't take any photos of it, but there are two washrooms in this suite. Right off the main entrance is a 2-piece powder room, which is useful when entertaining.
Marquis de Lorne Suite bathroom
Marquis de Lorne Suite bathroom
And here are some photos of the room in daylight, where you can actually see the beautiful view!
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon by day
The view while relaxing on the sectional sofa...
Enjoying the view from the salon lounge
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon by day
Marquis de Lorne Suite main salon by day
In the photo below, you can see how they are in the process of dividing the main skating area on the lake into smaller rinks. On the coming weekend, various teams will descend on the place for the annual Lake Louise Pond Hockey Classic tournament. Directly behind and more than a kilometer above the hockey rinks is Fairview Mountain, with much larger Mount Lefroy and Mount Victoria off to the right..
Daytime view from Marquis de Lorne suite
A different angle, looking at the Victoria Glacier, and with Mount Whyte, Mount Niblock and Mount St. Piran off to the right. It looks small in this picture, but Mount Victoria sits about 3 miles directly behind Lake Louise and rises more than 6,100 feet above it.
Daytime view from Marquis de Lorne suite
Evening view from Marquis de Lorne suite
Evening view from Marquis de Lorne suite
Room number plate
Fairmont Gold Lounge
The Fairmont Gold Lounge at the Chateau Lake Louise is very comfortable and was updated and expanded about three years ago. It never felt crowded during our stay, and there were always seats and tables available. All hotel services are provided here. If you need your car, if you need reservations somewhere (in or out of the hotel), if you have questions about your room account... whatever you need, the Gold reception desk is the hotel front desk for guests on this floor. They will shine your shoes over night. They will provide you a personal wake-up call in the morning, by bringing you a drink to your room at your chosen time. There are many services on Fairmont Gold.
Gold Lounge reception
Gold Lounge
Gold Lounge
Gold Lounge
Food in the lounge rotated daily. While there are many standard items available every day (oatmeal, eggs, bacon, sausages, etc.), other items were changed for variety. I think the banana bread french toast was my favourite.
Gold Lounge food service area
Gold Lounge food service area
In front of the main table of hot foods was a station for an omelette chef, who is there every morning from 7 AM until 11 AM, making your eggs to order.
Gold Lounge food service area with omlette chef station
Gold Lounge beverage service area
Recognizing the modern reality of needing to stay connected, the lounge banquettes all had electrical outlets built-in to the seat bases.
Example of electrical outlets for device charging in lounge seats
The great views of the lake are reserved for guest rooms. The Fairmont Gold lounge is on the back side of the hotel, which overlooks the parkade and the ski area on Mount Whitehorn across the valley.
View from Gold lounge
Hotel Common Areas
The main hotel lobby is large and grand. The main chandelier may appear that it isn't quite centered properly, but that is by design, as the four ladies in the chandelier holding lanterns are all facing due North, East, South and West, representing the wives of the original Swiss mountain guides, holding lanterns late at night to lead their husbands back home.
Main Lobby Entrance and Check-in Desks
In the background is the staircase leading up to the Living Room above the lobby. This stair case (and the elevators off to the left) also leads to the 3 levels of the attached parkade.
Main Lobby Entrance
Main Lobby Entrance
The grand lobby continues past reception and towards Lake Louise and the main restaurants.
Main Lobby toward Lake Louise
Main Hall across the Barott Wing
The hotel can get very busy, and being at a hugely popular place in the heart of Banff National Park, there are a lot of day-trippers passing through. However, the hotel has set aside a number of common spaces which are reserved exclusively for registered guests of the hotel. Once such place is the "Living Room", which is a lounge above the main lobby.
Looking down into Main Lobby
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
The lounge contains several nice relaxing areas, books and games.
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
Free water, coffee and tea is provided in the Living Room.
Registered Guests' Living Room above Lobby
The 7th floor a different layout compared to other guest room floors. Our suite is the blue shaded one at the far end of the hallway. It's a fairly long walk to get there (especially in ski boots), but well worth the walk. Note how in the Painter Wing (the oldest wing of the hotel currently still standing), they ran the hallway along the back windows (which look into the forest), maximizing the number of guest rooms with a view of Lake Louise.
Gold Floor Layout
Gold Floor Hallway
The hotel has two banks of elevators. The elevators in the Barott wing (4 in total but 2 pictured) go from the Lobby to the 8th floor, and include an original Cutler mailing system, which is still in use today, for guests to send postcards home.
Barott Elevators
The Glacier elevators (two in total) go from the Lower Level to the 8th Floor. I didn't take any pictures, but the Lower Level contains the Poppie Brasserie and Alpine Social restaurants, a few shops and the Spa.
Glacier Elevators
Chateau Lake Louise Dining Options
The hotel contains several great restaurants. Because the hotel is rather isolated, there are not too many dining options down in Lake Louise village, so dining at the hotel is my preferred option.
If looking for something fast, the Chateau Deli has some great hot and cold dishes, sandwiches and drinks to go, and is open 24 hours a day.
Chateau Deli
The Fairview restaurant has recently been expanded, taking over the old event space in the Alpine Room, to add the Fairview Bar which connects to the Fairview Restaurant. We ate dinner in the Fairview Restaurant one evening and had lunch in the bar one day. Both are excellent, and feature great views of Lake Louise.
Fairview Restaurant and Bar Entrance
Fairview Bar
Fairview Restaurant
The Lakeview Lounge is another great space for dinner, lunch, drinks or dessert. We had a few meals here during our recent stay.
Lakeview Lounge Bar
Lakeview Lounge Restaurant
My favourite restaurant at the Chateau Lake Louise, and the one I hope they never renovate, is the Walliser Stube. It has great Swiss-German dishes, the same great views you get in other restaurants along the front of the hotel, and a very cosy atmosphere. We have at least one meal here on every stay.
Walliser Stube
While I didn't get any photos, there are other restaurants. We had dinner one evening in the Alpine Social downstairs, which is a more casual restaurant with a large bar in the centre. The Poppie Brasseris is the main restaurant for breakfast each morning, if you're not staying on Fairmont Gold. Also, over in the Mount Temple Wing, is Lago, which is a fantastic Italian restaurant, which is unfortunately only open during the summer season, and occasionally on very busy weekends in the winter.
Walliser Stube
Hotel Outdoor Grounds
The Chateau is set on expansive grounds in the national park, on the shore of Lake Louise, which is in a hanging valley above the Bow Valley. Driving from the village of Lake Louise down by the highway up to the hotel takes about five minutes. Below is the hotel as you are coming up the driveway.
Approach to hotel on main drive
Main Lobby Entrance
Main Lobby Entrance
Back of Glacier Wing
Back of Glacier Wing
The Mount-Temple wing of the hotel, which is the newest part of the hotel, is set further from the lake and is connected to the main building via a series of shops along a hallway, with the attached parkade hidden behind.
Mount Temple Wing
On the lake side of the hotel, the grounds contain a series of walkways out to Lake Louise. In the summer, most of this snow would be gardens.
Fire Pits
And additional bar available only in the winter, is the outdoor ice bar.
Outdoor Ice Bar
Below is the hotel viewed from the lake. Our room is in the upper left of this photo. The wing on the left is the Painter Wing built in 1913. It is the oldest wing currently standing, as the original wooden sections of the hotel were lost to fire many years ago. The centre wing is Barott wing from 1925, and the Glacier wing on the right from 1988.
Looking back at Chateau from Lake Louise
Looking back at Chateau from Lake Louise
Each year, the hotel constructs an ice castle on the lake, which is popular with tourists.
Ice Castle
Ice Castle
Ice Castle
Every January, the hotel has an ice festival with ice sculpting competition. The grounds in front of the hotel contain over a dozen ice sculptures from that contest. By this time in the winter, they are covered with snow, and some of the detail gets lost from the heat of the sun, but they are still interesting to look at. Some are very elaborate.
Outdoor Ice Sculpture
The Chateau maintains an ice skating rink on Lake Louise. They clear the ice using loaders and power sweepers, and flood the ice every day to keep it in good shape for skating. This week would see the hotel divide the larger rink into 6 smaller hockey rinks for the annual Pond Hockey Classic. At the end of the weekend, the snow banks are removed and the smaller rinks merged into a much larger rink again.
Maintaining the ice skating surface on Lake Louise
Water in Lake Louise flows down to the Bow River by way of Louise Creek, pictured below.
Louise Creek
Louise Creek
Even in the winter, this is a popular place for weddings, as we saw this couple having their ceremony outside by the toboggan hill.
Small Outdoor Wedding
The hotel is located a short distance from the Lake Louise Ski Resort, which is just on the other side of the Bow Valley, less than a 10-minute drive away. The easiest way to get to the ski area is by shuttle bus. Below is one of three or four ski shuttles that the hotel valet staff operate for guests, departing every 30 minutes throughout the day in both directions. If there are more passengers for a bus than it can hold, they just grab another driver and run a second bus so that everyone gets to the hill when they want. There is no charge to use the bus, and it takes you from the ski valet entrance in the hotel where your skis are stored, directly to the front entrance of the main ski lodge.
Ski Area Shuttle Bus
Sleigh rides are provided through the day by Brewster Stables (directly behind the hotel), which take people to the end of the lake and back to the hotel.
Horse-drawn Sleigh Ride
Tobogganing is a popular activity beside the hotel, and the Chateau has toboggans and sleds available.
Tobogganing Beside the Chateau
Nearby Winter Activities
One of the most popular activities in the winter is skiing. There is the Sunshine Ski area down the highway in Banff, and my personal favourite, the Lake Louise Ski Area just across the valley from the hotel. Below are some photos from the ski area. Fun fact: The main lodge is constructed completely of logs that were taken from clearing the ski runs on the mountain.
Main Ski Lodge
You can see Lake Louise and the Chateau from the ski hill, on the right of the photo below.
Front Side of Ski Area
Front Side of Ski Area
Larch Area of Ski Area
Saddleback Bowl at Ski Area
Saddleback Bowl at Ski Area
Saddleback Bowl at Ski Area
Hiking is a popular activity at the Chateau, and many great trails begin right from the hotel door. Many of the summer trails are not safe to hike in the winter, but we had a day where avalanche risk was low, so we hiked the Plain of Six Glaciers trail. Below is an example of where the trail passes immediately beneath an active avalanche path.
Avalanche path coming off Mount Whyte along the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail
Mount Lefroy as seen from the Lakeshore Trail near the back of Lake Louise
Looking at the side of Mount Aberdeen from the start of the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail
Looking back at the Chateau Lake Louise from the back of Lake Louise
Ice climbing is a popular activity in the area, and some of the best places are at the back of the lake.
Ice Climbers at the Back of Lake Louise
Ice Climbers at the Back of Lake Louise
If you look closely, you can see some backcountry skiers who hiked up this mountain to ski some untouched snow.
Trail beyond the lake
Another nice view along the Plain of Six Glaciers trail
Overall, we had a great stay, and I can't fault the hotel for anything. Service levels were great. Facilities were excellent. And we just love the Marquis de Lorne Suite, and would recommend that room to anyone considering a stay here.
Last edited by CanadaDH; Feb 29, 2020 at 9:56 am
Jun 26, 2020, 3:22 pm
#285
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
The rooms on Fairmont Gold are of a better size/quality than non-Gold rooms, so that might make it worth it right there. You will be on either the 7th floor or the southern half of the 8th floor, which ensures a nice high view.
I'll be on the Gold floor in 2 weeks and can report back.