The Fairmont Banff Springs
Mar 27, 2023, 4:39 pm
#556
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
Personally, I preferred the X47 and X41 suites at the front of the cross-section for the views in different direction. I have 511 booked for this July, because we need two bedrooms, so that will be my first time seeing the Gold Two Bedroom Suite since the renovation last year. Just too bloody bad there's no longer any way to use an upgrade cert for it! The BSH fell from being the best use of an FPC upgrade, to being basically useless with an ALL SNU.
Mar 31, 2023, 4:46 pm
#557
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Canada
Programs: ALL Accor - Platinum
Posts: 44
I was also lucky enough to get the X47 + X41 One Bed Suite with a free night certificate on a multi-night stay back in the day!
Agreed in that a SNU here is a waste (especially compared to Lake Louise!)
Agreed in that a SNU here is a waste (especially compared to Lake Louise!)
Jul 31, 2023, 6:35 am
#558
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: +61
Programs: SQ*PPS, QF-WP1 & LTG, VA-Gold, Marriott*LTT, Hilton*Gold, Accor*Platinum
Posts: 5,735
my SNU's will expire end of year (so yes a waste, but better than losing them). M
Are upgrades realistic from Fairmont Gold (during Christmas...)
Are upgrades realistic from Fairmont Gold (during Christmas...)
Jul 31, 2023, 6:36 am
#559
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: +61
Programs: SQ*PPS, QF-WP1 & LTG, VA-Gold, Marriott*LTT, Hilton*Gold, Accor*Platinum
Posts: 5,735
Any updates on how the renovation is going. All rooms (including Gatehouse) complete? The initial photos of some look great (although was coming from a low base!)
Jul 31, 2023, 7:34 am
#560
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
As for the SNUs, if they expire by the end of the year, that means you have until December to book, but your stay can be as far into the future as hotels are accepting reservations. You can use your expiring SNUs for a stay into 2024. The expiry date on SNUs is "book by", not "stay by". BSH is a great property to stay at (I was just recently there and will post a review soon), but I wouldn't waste a SNU there.
I would not expect any upgrades over Christmas.
Aug 3, 2023, 10:55 am
#562
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
Just caught this note CanadaDH I did not realize they were book by and not use by. Great to know and changes some of my plans. Thanks!
Aug 5, 2023, 8:53 am
#563
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
Excellent Stay; Nice Fairmont Gold Renovation
We're just back from another trip around the Rockies, 22 nights total, staying at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, then the Jasper Park Lodge, and then the Chateau Lake Louise. We started at the Banff Springs Hotel.
For the purpose of this review and photos, I'll focus on the changes to Fairmont Gold and the renovated suite itself, rather than the rest of the hotel, since there's already lots of posts here about the restaurants and spa and other facilities.
We were travelling with a group of 6; my wife and I, plus my BIL, SIL and two nephews. To have sufficient space, we booked a Fairmont Gold Two Bedroom Suite. Some of you may recall, I also booked one of these last summer, and arrived to find the Fairmont Gold renovations incomplete, and instead was given a pair of adjoining One Bedroom Suites. For this trip, the renovations were fully complete!
The biggest change to Fairmont Gold, is they now have a dedicated hotel entrance. What was once the the VIP entrance and home to the Suite Concierge offices, has now been renovated into a dedicated reception area for Fairmont Gold guests. Instead of going to the main lobby, Fairmont Gold guests drive around the opposite side of the hotel to a separate area, with dedicated parking valets for that area. Whenever leaving the hotel, you take the elevator to M1 instead of Lobby. The Fairmont Gold entrance is directly opposite the main elevators on the M1 level.
The hotel was in regular contact with me by text message in advance of our arrival. When we pulled up to the main entrance, the Director of Fairmont Gold greeted us on arrival. He welcomed us, handed us our package of room keys, and they proceeded to unload our luggage.
They never asked me for ID or anything on arrival. Perhaps they just recognized us from earlier visits, but we went straight from our vehicle to our suite.
The dedicated reception area is very nicely done. I never actually stopped at these reception desks at all during our stay, but I presume this is where we would have completed formal check-in steps, had they been necessary. For the remainder of our stay, whenever we needed any sort of services, we delt with the Fairmont Gold concierge desk at the Gold Lounge on the 5th floor.
Proceeding to our suite, the guest hallways were also updated as part of the total renovation of the main building of the hotel.
I had requested Suite 511 by number, and that is exactly what we received. Obviously, no upgrade on arrival was given, nor possible, from a Gold Two Bedroom Suite. But, there are 4 such suites in the hotel (#511, #512, #411, #412), in two configurations. The X11 suites have a King bed in the primary bedroom, and a pair of Queen beds in the guest bedroom. The X12 suites have a King bed in each bedroom. Since there were 6 of us, we needed the 3 beds. Additionally, even if we didn't need 3 beds, the views are much better from the odd-numbered side of the hotel, looking out on the Bow Valley. Therefore, suites 511 and 411 are the preferred options, and we like 511 best, because it's on the same floor as the Gold Lounge.
For those of you familiar with the X11 suites, they have made some changes. The floor plan below from the back of the room door has not been updated, but here are the changes. Historically, you could book 511 as a One Bedroom Suite, with either the King 513 attached or the Queen-Queen 509 room attached. It appears you can still configure this as a One Bedroom Suite with the King 513 room attached, but you can't book it without 513. The dedicated entrance door into the 513 bedroom has been removed, and the space previously occupied by the bedroom entrance hallway has been incorporated into the Master Bathroom. I've circled that in blue below, where the blue box now represents the bathroom, which is essentially double the size of the old bathroom. Don't get me wrong, it's still a fairly small bathroom, but much better than it used to be.
The bathroom in 509 remains small, because they retained the separate entrance into 509, presumably because the hotel wanted the option to be able to rent 509 just as a Queen-Queen room on it's own, separate from the Two Bedroom Suite. In our situation, we obviously would have preferred they use that hallway space for the bathroom, just as they did in 513, but it's still a great suite.
The floor plan also shows connecting doors to adjoining rooms 515 and 507. These doors do not exist.
As usual, I took a video walkthrough of the suite.
Here are a few still photos from around the suite.
The suite still has 3 bathrooms. While each bedroom has an ensuite with shower, there still remains a full bath right off the entrance to the suite. This proved to be useful with 6 people, since 3 of us could shower at the same time.
Upon exiting the entrance hallway, you arrive in the main salon. Everything is updated, and the furniture is comfortable, although to be honest, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the style of the sectional sofa they used. But the layout was functional for us.
Our 6 ALL drink vouchers were waiting for us on the dining table. The welcome amenity was on the cabinet with the Nespresso coffee station.
The views from the various windows in the salon were toward the Bow Valley.
The Master Bedroom was comfortable and functional, but also contains the one design element I'm not a fan of. I don't know who chose the red wall colours! As part of the renovation of the hotel, they didn't go with the same colour scheme in every room. The I've seen greens and greys used in many rooms. We had red in the master bedroom! That was bold choice.
There were some thoughtful design choices incorporated. For example, built into the bed post, was a light switch that would control all lights in the room and bathroom.
The view from the bedroom was also down the Bow Valley.
The bathroom renovation was nice, but think they could have used the space better. They reclaimed the hallway space from the removal of the dedicated entrance door to the bedroom off the main hallway. But, mostly, the space was used as a nice dressing area, but I would have preferred that they relocate the toilet to that area, to allow for more standing space in front of the vanity. But, it's an old building, and perhaps there were mechanical reasons why moving the toilet was not possible or easy. In any case, it was nice to finally have counter space. If you don't need a two bedroom suite, but want a proper large bathroom, then go for the X47 suites in the cross-section. For those unaware, the bathrooms are small in this hotel because when it first opened in 1888, the guest rooms didn't even have private bathrooms, and they were added later.
Also in the bathroom, is a large closet with safe.
Moving over to the second bedroom, it was a nice update, with basically the same layout it always had.
They included a small bathrobe for the 10-year old in our group.
Also in the guest bedroom was a second coffee station. We didn't need that, but I would presume this is here for times when they want to rent this room separately from the larger suite.
The Gold Lounge looked as it did when I was here last summer.
One small change to the Gold Lounge, is the large sofas and lounge chairs in front of the fireplace, were moved to the quiet lounge section on the other side of the hallway. Instead, they added additional dining tables. I think this was a good choice, to have more tables near the food service.
The stay went perfectly. We ate at Castello and Vermillion Room during the visit, and meals were excellent. We used the Fairmont Spa (formerly called the Willow Stream Spa, but otherwise the same), and everything was excellent. The parking valets were very fast, as the car seemed to be brought out within 5 minutes of sending a text message request for the vehicle. They work hard to keep common areas well-maintained and updated. Even the hotel bowling alley, which we used one evening, has been updated recently. I really can't find a fault with our stay.
I just wish there was value in using a Suite Night Upgrade here. You can't use them for anything higher than a Junior Suite, and the discount you get by using one is so miniscule, that it would be a complete waste to use it.
For the purpose of this review and photos, I'll focus on the changes to Fairmont Gold and the renovated suite itself, rather than the rest of the hotel, since there's already lots of posts here about the restaurants and spa and other facilities.
We were travelling with a group of 6; my wife and I, plus my BIL, SIL and two nephews. To have sufficient space, we booked a Fairmont Gold Two Bedroom Suite. Some of you may recall, I also booked one of these last summer, and arrived to find the Fairmont Gold renovations incomplete, and instead was given a pair of adjoining One Bedroom Suites. For this trip, the renovations were fully complete!
The biggest change to Fairmont Gold, is they now have a dedicated hotel entrance. What was once the the VIP entrance and home to the Suite Concierge offices, has now been renovated into a dedicated reception area for Fairmont Gold guests. Instead of going to the main lobby, Fairmont Gold guests drive around the opposite side of the hotel to a separate area, with dedicated parking valets for that area. Whenever leaving the hotel, you take the elevator to M1 instead of Lobby. The Fairmont Gold entrance is directly opposite the main elevators on the M1 level.
The hotel was in regular contact with me by text message in advance of our arrival. When we pulled up to the main entrance, the Director of Fairmont Gold greeted us on arrival. He welcomed us, handed us our package of room keys, and they proceeded to unload our luggage.
They never asked me for ID or anything on arrival. Perhaps they just recognized us from earlier visits, but we went straight from our vehicle to our suite.
The dedicated reception area is very nicely done. I never actually stopped at these reception desks at all during our stay, but I presume this is where we would have completed formal check-in steps, had they been necessary. For the remainder of our stay, whenever we needed any sort of services, we delt with the Fairmont Gold concierge desk at the Gold Lounge on the 5th floor.
Proceeding to our suite, the guest hallways were also updated as part of the total renovation of the main building of the hotel.
I had requested Suite 511 by number, and that is exactly what we received. Obviously, no upgrade on arrival was given, nor possible, from a Gold Two Bedroom Suite. But, there are 4 such suites in the hotel (#511, #512, #411, #412), in two configurations. The X11 suites have a King bed in the primary bedroom, and a pair of Queen beds in the guest bedroom. The X12 suites have a King bed in each bedroom. Since there were 6 of us, we needed the 3 beds. Additionally, even if we didn't need 3 beds, the views are much better from the odd-numbered side of the hotel, looking out on the Bow Valley. Therefore, suites 511 and 411 are the preferred options, and we like 511 best, because it's on the same floor as the Gold Lounge.
For those of you familiar with the X11 suites, they have made some changes. The floor plan below from the back of the room door has not been updated, but here are the changes. Historically, you could book 511 as a One Bedroom Suite, with either the King 513 attached or the Queen-Queen 509 room attached. It appears you can still configure this as a One Bedroom Suite with the King 513 room attached, but you can't book it without 513. The dedicated entrance door into the 513 bedroom has been removed, and the space previously occupied by the bedroom entrance hallway has been incorporated into the Master Bathroom. I've circled that in blue below, where the blue box now represents the bathroom, which is essentially double the size of the old bathroom. Don't get me wrong, it's still a fairly small bathroom, but much better than it used to be.
The bathroom in 509 remains small, because they retained the separate entrance into 509, presumably because the hotel wanted the option to be able to rent 509 just as a Queen-Queen room on it's own, separate from the Two Bedroom Suite. In our situation, we obviously would have preferred they use that hallway space for the bathroom, just as they did in 513, but it's still a great suite.
The floor plan also shows connecting doors to adjoining rooms 515 and 507. These doors do not exist.
As usual, I took a video walkthrough of the suite.
Here are a few still photos from around the suite.
The suite still has 3 bathrooms. While each bedroom has an ensuite with shower, there still remains a full bath right off the entrance to the suite. This proved to be useful with 6 people, since 3 of us could shower at the same time.
Upon exiting the entrance hallway, you arrive in the main salon. Everything is updated, and the furniture is comfortable, although to be honest, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the style of the sectional sofa they used. But the layout was functional for us.
Our 6 ALL drink vouchers were waiting for us on the dining table. The welcome amenity was on the cabinet with the Nespresso coffee station.
The views from the various windows in the salon were toward the Bow Valley.
The Master Bedroom was comfortable and functional, but also contains the one design element I'm not a fan of. I don't know who chose the red wall colours! As part of the renovation of the hotel, they didn't go with the same colour scheme in every room. The I've seen greens and greys used in many rooms. We had red in the master bedroom! That was bold choice.
There were some thoughtful design choices incorporated. For example, built into the bed post, was a light switch that would control all lights in the room and bathroom.
The view from the bedroom was also down the Bow Valley.
The bathroom renovation was nice, but think they could have used the space better. They reclaimed the hallway space from the removal of the dedicated entrance door to the bedroom off the main hallway. But, mostly, the space was used as a nice dressing area, but I would have preferred that they relocate the toilet to that area, to allow for more standing space in front of the vanity. But, it's an old building, and perhaps there were mechanical reasons why moving the toilet was not possible or easy. In any case, it was nice to finally have counter space. If you don't need a two bedroom suite, but want a proper large bathroom, then go for the X47 suites in the cross-section. For those unaware, the bathrooms are small in this hotel because when it first opened in 1888, the guest rooms didn't even have private bathrooms, and they were added later.
Also in the bathroom, is a large closet with safe.
Moving over to the second bedroom, it was a nice update, with basically the same layout it always had.
They included a small bathrobe for the 10-year old in our group.
Also in the guest bedroom was a second coffee station. We didn't need that, but I would presume this is here for times when they want to rent this room separately from the larger suite.
The Gold Lounge looked as it did when I was here last summer.
One small change to the Gold Lounge, is the large sofas and lounge chairs in front of the fireplace, were moved to the quiet lounge section on the other side of the hallway. Instead, they added additional dining tables. I think this was a good choice, to have more tables near the food service.
The stay went perfectly. We ate at Castello and Vermillion Room during the visit, and meals were excellent. We used the Fairmont Spa (formerly called the Willow Stream Spa, but otherwise the same), and everything was excellent. The parking valets were very fast, as the car seemed to be brought out within 5 minutes of sending a text message request for the vehicle. They work hard to keep common areas well-maintained and updated. Even the hotel bowling alley, which we used one evening, has been updated recently. I really can't find a fault with our stay.
I just wish there was value in using a Suite Night Upgrade here. You can't use them for anything higher than a Junior Suite, and the discount you get by using one is so miniscule, that it would be a complete waste to use it.
Last edited by CanadaDH; Feb 21, 2024 at 7:45 pm
Aug 5, 2023, 10:32 am
#564
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: TK *G
Posts: 3,099
Thanks for the detailed review. I haven't had the chance to stay at any Fairmont properties in the Rockies or any resort type Fairmont but I am always interested in the architecture of these château style grand railway hotels. Looks like the hotel and the room are being taken good care of.
The red bedroom is indeed quite odd. I find the colour ok but it really doesn't mix well with the rest of the suite. Unfortunately this is quite common as many suites across many properties do feel like two random rooms connected together, and many of them are indeed used to be two different rooms.
The red bedroom is indeed quite odd. I find the colour ok but it really doesn't mix well with the rest of the suite. Unfortunately this is quite common as many suites across many properties do feel like two random rooms connected together, and many of them are indeed used to be two different rooms.
Aug 5, 2023, 10:50 am
#565
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
Thanks for the detailed review. I haven't had the chance to stay at any Fairmont properties in the Rockies or any resort type Fairmont but I am always interested in the architecture of these château style grand railway hotels. Looks like the hotel and the room are being taken good care of.
The red bedroom is indeed quite odd. I find the colour ok but it really doesn't mix well with the rest of the suite. Unfortunately this is quite common as many suites across many properties do feel like two random rooms connected together, and many of them are indeed used to be two different rooms.
The red bedroom is indeed quite odd. I find the colour ok but it really doesn't mix well with the rest of the suite. Unfortunately this is quite common as many suites across many properties do feel like two random rooms connected together, and many of them are indeed used to be two different rooms.
Oct 16, 2023, 3:07 am
#566
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: +61
Programs: SQ*PPS, QF-WP1 & LTG, VA-Gold, Marriott*LTT, Hilton*Gold, Accor*Platinum
Posts: 5,735
What proof is required for the "Alberta Resident Rate" (website says drivers license as an example - could I use a utility bill and/or bank statement?)
Last edited by shuuy; Oct 16, 2023 at 3:36 am
Oct 16, 2023, 5:09 am
#567
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: Accor ALL Diamond, AC Aeroplan 25K, Nexus/GE
Posts: 2,735
While Drivers License is probably what most people use and carry with them all the time, I can't imagine they wouldn't accept a utility bill in your name. I guess for the AB residents who also have homes in other provinces, their DL might be from their other home province.
Jan 21, 2024, 12:08 am
#568
Join Date: Jan 2024
Posts: 1
