Staying at The Banff Springs Hotel

The Fairmont Banff Springs is a five-star hotel situated in the Canadian Rocky Mountains near natural hot springs. The hotel is open year round and has 770 rooms. Guest can stay in rooms as small as 184sq ft to the Presidential Suit that is 1000sq ft. The hotel caters to many different events including world summits, golf tournaments, conferences and weddings.

The Banff Springs Hotel opened June 1, 1888 and was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway to accommodate passengers traveling from the West coast of British Columbia to the rest of Canada.

Originally built out of wood, the hotel burnt down and was subsequently rebuilt in 1926, this time out of stone. The hotel was designed by Bruce Price and made to resemble a Baronial Scottish Castle. In more recent years, additions have been built to help accomodate the growth of tourism to the area.

• William Davidson was the first European settlers in the area. Attracted to the natural hot springs he named it Banff after a town in Scotland.

• Avoid Banff during the high season.
• Tourism is a huge economy for Banff and they take full advantage of it. It can become overcrowded at times and in my opinion, just takes away from the serenity of the area.
• There is allot of wildlife in the woods, so be prepared to see deer, elk, black bears and mountain goats along the many hiking paths.
• Avoid the economic rooms. If you are going to stay at the Banff you have to be prepared to pay alot.
• The weather is unpredictable so have a backup plan if the golf course is closed.