ac/elite

Very possibly!

danno95

I'm just wondering which property you would recommend for a Fall trip.
What time of year are the rates at these properties usually the best deal.
Summer prices were crazy at these properties this year.
I'm heading to the Fairmont Winnipeg to stay in a Gold Room which is a nice property in Winnipeg (basically at Portage & Main)

CanadaDH

Yes, there was a very noticeable increase in prices this summer! The past couple of years have been nice, with lower crowds and prices. Not anymore!

Choosing between CLL and BSH really depends on what you plan to do. For people who like to be out in nature, whether that be hiking or climbing or skiing (in the winter) or other outdoor activities, then CLL is hard to beat. It's also a good central point for taking trips to Yoho National Park next door, or even for a drive up the Icefields Parkway.

If you're looking to be close to restaurants and shopping and other services, or are looking to enjoy the spa and other facilities, then BSH is probably the winner.

Both will have you in the middle of great mountain scenery. If you have enough time, then maybe try out both, and see which you like better.

What do you mean by "fall trip"? What dates were you thinking? Once we get to Canadian Thanksgiving, it's the unofficial end of the summer season, the road to Moraine Lake will be closed, and things will be getting pretty cold.

CanadaDH

While I cannot find anything official about the approval of the proposed thermal wellness facility, it would appear that it has been approved. In this last week, activity has appeared on the webcams. A new construction fence has appeared around the proposed site, and several excavators have been working this week. I can't imagine they will keep to the original timeline, which had them starting construction back in August. There is now snow on the ground, the ski resort is open, and the lake is forming ice, so probably not the ideal time to be beginning construction! But, I'm just happy to see things progressing, and can't wait to try out the finished product in a couple of years.

beefyT

Just came back from an incredible stay at the CLL. Lake Louise is a wonderful place to go in early December - it was so quiet. One night we even had the lake to ourselves for skating.

I used a suite night upgrade each night to get a Two Bedroom Lakeview Suite. Received room 859, which some folks here have described and shown pictures of. A really nice suite, though could use some more chairs in the living space. I ended up using some points as well, and the entire stay including F&B was 50% off. Fantastic value!

If only the Banff Springs allowed such generous use of Suite Night Upgrades! Their newly reno'd suites are looking fantastic.

CanadaDH

No kidding! Suite Night Upgrades are basically useless at Banff Springs. You can get a Gold Junior Suite for the price of a Gold View Room, which might be a 10% discount, but then you give up the ability to book on a ~20% promotional code, so it can actually cost more to use the SNU. You can save a bit more than 20% on a non-Gold Junior Suite at BSH, but why would anyone use a SNU to get a ~22% discount when you can just book a CAA or similar rate and get almost as much? And you only use them for Junior Suites or Gatehouse Suites, and nothing higher.

I have a Gold Two Bedroom Suite booked at BSH for next summer, which are newly renovated (although the website photos aren't updated yet), and I am excited to try it. Just not excited to pay for it, since I can't use a SNU to get it!

ABG

I noticed the current "Embrace The Season" promos are open thru to the Summer for Banff.
No CAA membership required!

CanadaDH

Hotel website shows the following for that promo? Considering the ski hill doesn't close until May 24, I'm not sure I'd consider stays until April 30 to be summer in Banff!



But, regardless, there is always some promo or another that you can probably find, giving the ability to book a suite for a price close to what you would get by using a SNU. In the old days, the BSH used to be one of the best deals around with the old FPC suite upgrades. How times have changed!

ABG

I booked it for July

CanadaDH

So it is! Don't say that too loud, in case they notice the error and remove it.

Although, even with that promo code, it's still returning a more expensive rate than I was able to confirm for my July dates when I booked several months ago. At the time, the CAA promo code was offering the same percentage discount as the current Embrace the Season Rates (or even a higher % on CAA for a short stay), but base rates have since increased.

I have my computer configured to automatically run a rate search regularly on certain rate codes for certain dates, and I then rebook when I see a better rate.

ctbarron

Are reservations needed for lunch at the various restaurants? I’m there on a weekend in June so wondering. I have dinner booked already.

CanadaDH

I probably would. The past couple of years, it's been possible, even in the summer, to walk up and get seated for lunch. But, the hotel had also stopped allowing day visitors from dining at their restaurants. I believe the hotel is back to giving priority to hotel guests, but is again allowing non-guests to dine. That might change the situation. To be safe, I'd book a reservation.

nexusCFX

There were some interesting rates here. 5 for 4 play and stay rate for next summer (July and later), 2400 CAD a night for 2 bedroom lake view suite after factoring in the 5th night free and including and all the taxes and fees, even over July 1st and July 4th.

Excited to go back but I'd sure like them to renovate more rooms to the same standard as the gold level rooms and the 2bd lake view suite as I need AC, lake view, and the modern design, so staying here makes me very poor.

CanadaDH

Well, you may be in luck. When I was searching for rates for next winter, a few months ago, I was seeing a surprising lack of availability on many dates for many room categories, and even complete sell-outs of the hotel nearly a near in advance. When I asked the hotel about that, the reply was that many rooms and suites were taken out of service because they were either scheduled to be renovated, or because other rooms in the vicinity were scheduled to be renovated. Perhaps that means for summer 2024, many more rooms will have been updated.

On the downside, the Stay and Play 5 for 4 is not available that far in advance any longer. It seems it's still valid, and available year round, but only when within about 3 months in advance of stay dates. That really takes the value of it. The same goes for many other promo codes.

I'll be there again next month in a 2 Bed Lakeview Suite, and I agree, the nice renovation is a great plus of that particular category. But, rates are going crazy here. Sadly, $2400 is probably about the rate for that room next winter. The summer rates are now around $4000 per night (before promo discount), which is getting ridiculous.

nexusCFX

And no more gift card sales it seems. That was a big reduction in net cost in the past.