I received an "Every second night is on us" offer. Booking must be made before July 31st for stay between July 31s and December 31st 2020.

I guess that makes a little more sense. I will admit I didn't do the math which I guess should have! Thanks for the clarification.

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I’ve found the explanation of the rates somewhat confusing in the format that these Fairmont hotels use, anyway. It doesn’t seem that obvious as to what’s included, and what isn’t.

With the current closures on indoor dining, does anyone know how they are handing breakfast/evening appetizers for the Gold floor? The website mentions the lounge is open but for takeout only. Any details on how they're handing this? Is it a-la-carte orders that you order ahead and pick up, room service, a prepackaged breakfast box? From what I recall there aren't a ton of outdoor dining areas, but are there any options to eat outside if the restaurant has outdoor breakfast dining? (The normal Fairmont gold rooms seem to be quite small at ~165 sq ft, so not a lot of space for dining).

I'd be interested in that answer too. I'll be there in June, when the restriction on indoor dining should be lifted, but with the current wave of COVID running with no obvious resolution, who knows if things will really be better by then.

There are definitely very limited spaces for outdoor dining at BSH. The terrace in front of the Rundle Lounge would be the most obvious choice, but if every guest in the hotel wanted to take their breakfast there, that could get full in a hurry. I guess with the building on the side of the mountain, while providing great views, it limits the amount of outdoor patio facilities on the property. I think the Vermillion Room is opening an outdoor patio on the lawn where they have the skating rink in the winter. If you didn't have a room with suitable dining space, I'd be inclined to make a picnic of it, and maybe take the food down to Bow Falls or some other local spot.

Answering my own question, I reached out to the hotel and they provide some additional info which was helpful. Sounds like it's a-la-carte service for takeaway for eating in the room or a patio section (separate from the restaurant patio sections). From the hotel:

Just as a quick FYI, it looks like the resort fee has been increased to $40/day (it was $30/day in June). Parking is $29 self-park or $43 valet, so the resort fee and parking add another $70-80/night onto the daily room rate. It's a wonderful property, but just as FYI on the fees, as they add up on top of what can be already high rates during peak season.

One would think that a Resort Fee would be beneath the dignity of Fairmonts such as Banff Springs, Lake Louise, and Jasper! Just like the quarter slots on the coin-operated TVs at Motels6 of the 1970s! Come on, are they really trying to hide that they're the most expensive hotels in town :D ?!

Sadly, it's something that's become popular at all hotels in the area. I hate resort fees, but they seem to be here to stay. Arguably, the biggest competition to the BSH would be the Rimrock Resort Hotel, and they charge $8 per person per day (or used to, but their fee may be increasing too).

I stayed at BSH for a couple of nights in the past week. Overall pretty satisfied, except that I wasn't upgraded despite my Platinum status (booked a Deluxe View King room, that's what I got). It could be that the hotel was fully booked or close to fully booked, judging by the parking lot. The room was quite large, and could have fitted an additional small sofa easily. The bathroom was a bit small though, it felt like there was barely enough space to put my toiletries (and I don't have a lot!). Turn down service was never provided (I don't really care about it)

I could redeem the drink voucher for a ~C$20 cocktail at one of the restaurant. All restaurants were open and working normally during my stay (I don't know about the Gold lounge, I wasn't on the gold floor). Breakfast buffet was available at the Vermillion Room.

I will most likely return if and when I come back to the Canadian rockies.

No matter what room you book or get upgraded to, the bathrooms there are tiny. Even in the most recently renovated suites, and the larger 1 and 2 bedroom suites, the bathrooms are small. Sometimes, a large suite will have 2 or even 3 bathrooms, but they're all still small! Some of them are finished beautifully, particularly on the Gold floor, but again, they're all small. It's like they spare little expense in the renovations with fixtures, finishes and furniture, but moving plumbing to expand a bathroom seems to be something they just don't do. I guess it's better than when the hotel first opened in the 1800s, because guest rooms then didn't even have their own bathrooms.

I find in the rooms that have been renovated, they do a decent job of utilizing the height. There are several small shelves beside the mirror and above the vanity, and I find that I have room to spread out my toiletries that way. I can't reach the top shelves, but I can make it work. Here's a photo from one of the bathrooms in my suite from my last stay in June.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3f9604e8e6.jpg

As for the lack of upgrade, well, this is not a place to expect one during the summer, even as a Diamond member. I don't recall ever receiving one. Banff in July and August is crowded.

The bathroom in my room was similar to the one in your photo, except that I had a bathtub and there was no extra shelves :(

Booked 2 nights at BSH in 3 separate 1 King Gold Floor rooms for 3 couples and a newborn. Any insights into recent stays / experiences? I know Alberta has recently re-mandated face masks indoors. Having gold lounge access and nice spa facilities are key as we want to ensure we actually rest and relax a bit. I'm actually gold now for ALL Accor but I see upgrades are slim to none. I think the only actually "upgrade option" is a 1 BR Suite King Gold floor which I imagine you have to use suite night awards for.

Still debating on this hotel versus the Lake Louise which we also have 3 separate room booked for.

Upgrades are not impossible... they're just rare during busy season. But, busy season is coming to an end soon. When are you travelling? If you check the webcams, you will notice the upper half of the Lake Louise ski area is already white with snow. When crowds start to thin, upgrade chances should improve (at both CLL and BSH).

A Gold 1 Bedroom Suite is not the next category up. There is also a Gold Jr. Suite that you could perhaps upgrade into, if they have availability.

Sept 30th weekend. And I don't see any more gold Jr. Suites available for my dates 😭