The Fairmont Banff Springs
The Fairmont Banff Springs is a hotel located in Banff.
William Van Horne, General Manager of Canadian Pacific Railways, is credited with recognizing the tourist potential of the hot springs near the station of Banff. His vision was fueled by the philosophy "If we can't export the scenery, we will import the tourists" and thus began the campaign to design a luxury hotel amidst the beautiful mountain scenery of the Canadian Rockies. To travel there, the visitors would naturally arrive via the Canadian Pacific Railway, and Van Horne proposed the establishment of a series of luxury hotels along the railway line through the Rocky and Selkirk Mountains.
In 1886, Van Horne commissioned Bruce Price of New York, one of the foremost architects of the day, to draw up plans for a hotel to be built above the confluence of the Bow and the Spray Rivers overlooking the beautiful Bow Valley. Construction started in the spring of 1887 and the hotel officially opened on June 1, 1888.The Fairmont Banff Springs was finished in 1928 and over the years has been lovingly maintained and restored to retain its original grandeur.
The furniture for the hotel was made by Castle & Son Manufacturing of Montreal, and the pieces are exact replicas of original designs from European castles and manor houses. The Fairmont Banff Springs has been open year round since 1969, and since that time, all the rooms have been remodelled, as have the swimming pool and health facilities. In the spring of 1989, a new golf clubhouse and nine additional holes were added to the Banff Springs Golf Course, rolling out 27 holes of spectacular mountain golf.
With the need for expansion, a $23 million state-of-the-art conference centre opened in January 1991, increasing the total meeting space to 76,000 sq ft. In August 1995, the hotel opened Solace - The Spa, its fabulous European-style spa.The Fairmont Banff Springs continues to follow Van Horne's dictum of dynamic expansion and excellence. Offering something for vacationers and business visitors alike, it also endures as a meeting place for the world's fashionable and wealthy. On March 22, 1992,
The Fairmont Banff Springs was declared a historical site by the Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Nearby restaurants include Bow Valley Grill, Le Beaujolais Restaurant, Keg Steakhouse & Bar, and Tommy's Neighbourhood Pub.
Address and Location details
The information displayed here is displayed 'as is'. Also check the website ( if listed ) for up-to-date information, prices and availability. Stay Canada is not responsible for the content of external websites. If you are the owner or operator of The Fairmont Banff Springs and wish to update or modify the content on this page including room details, specials and getaways or availability, please use our submission page. This information was last updated on July 19th, 2010
The Fairmont Banff Springs reviews
Rated 7 out of 10 with 2 reviews
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are those of visitors to this site, and not of and or its parent companies.
Reviewer: Not provided on Sun 09 Aug 2009 rated 5 out of 10.
I made my reservation in early Feb as this part of our trip was our anniversary. My room was in the anex and like a tunnel. The dormer window view was limited to a roof-top and entrance. Worst room I have ever had and not the Fairmont experience. Went to the manager and he upgraded me to a tour-room with a nice view. He was very accommodating and our stay was good.
Positives: Beautiful
Negatives: My initial room was terrible.
Reviewer: Not provided on Sat 09 Apr 2005 rated 10 out of 10.
I've visited this hotel five times in the past six years and each year gets better than the last. We go in winter for skiing, which is their off-season. I have heard summer is a circus. Pay the money for a larger room with a valley view and you will be happy you did!
Positives: Away from the busy town, beautiful mountains on all sides, excellent food & service
Negatives: none
Amenities
24-hour front desk. 24-hour security. ATM/Cash machine. Accessible facilities. Accessible parking. Air conditioning. Baby sitting. Barber shop. Beauty shop/salon. Bell staff/porter. Breakfast served in restaurant. Buffet breakfast. Business center. Car rental desk. Catering services. Child programs. Children welcome. Children's nursery. Children's play area. Cocktail lounge. Coffee shop. Complimentary in-room coffee or tea. Complimentary newspaper in lobby. Complimentary shoeshine. Concierge desk. Continental breakfast. Currency exchange. DVD/video rental. Dinner served in restaurant. Direct dial telephone. Doctor on call. Dry cleaning. Early check-in. Executive floor. Exercise gym. Exhibition/convention floor. Express check-out. Fire safety compliant. Food and beverage outlets. Front desk. Full american breakfast. Full service housekeeping. Game room. Gift/News stand. Golf. Hair dryer. Hairdresser/barber. Health club. Heated pool. High speed internet access for laptop in public areas. Housekeeping - daily. Individual Efolio available. Indoor parking. Indoor pool. Interior corridors. Ironing board. Jacuzzi. Jogging track. Late check-out available. Laundry/Valet service. Lobby coffee service. Lounges/bars. Lunch served in restaurant. Massage services. Meeting rooms. Non-smoking rooms (generic). On-Site parking. Outdoor pool. Parking. Parking fee managed by hotel. Parking lot. Pets allowed. Photocopy center. Playground. Pool. Private bath or shower. Public address system. Public area air conditioned. Racquetball. Room service. Room service - limited hours. Safe deposit box. Sauna. Secured parking. Security. Shoe shine stand. Snow sports. Spa. Storage space. Sundry/Convenience store. Technical concierge. Tennis court. Train access. Translation services. Transportation. Transportation services - local area. Transportation services - local office. Turndown service. Valet cleaning. Valet parking. Valet same day dry cleaning. Video checkout. Video review billing. Video tapes. Wakeup service. Water sports. Whirlpool. Wireless internet connection in public areas.
Map
Please note map locations may based on either the address, the town or based on the location of the listed properties zip / postcode.
Location details / directions
Calgary Intl Airport (YYC) 156.00 Km W.
Starting at Columbia Icefields Banff to Columbia Icefield: Leaving Banff- travel 55 kilometers (34 miles) west on the Trans-Canada hwy 1- to Lake Louise. (The exit is past the Lake Louise townsite on highway 1) Then travel 125 kilometers (78 miles) north- from Lake Louise on The Icefields Parkway Hwy 93N to the Columbia Icefield.
Starting at Johnston Canyon - Canyon Ice Walk Located on Bow Valley Parkway- half hour west of Banff- and half hour east of Lake Louise.
Starting at Upper Hot Springs Location: The Upper Hot Springs are on Mountain Avenue- four kilometres south of the Town of Banff. Follow Banff Avenue over the Bow River and turn left (east) at the last set of traffic lights. Follow the signs for 3.6 km to the Hot Springs parking lot at the end of Mountain Avenue.
Starting at Calgary Intl Airport Driving time is 90 minutes Take Barlow Trail South to 16th Avenue. Go west (right) onto 16th Avenue. 16th Avenue becomes the TransCanada Highway 1 which takes you directly to Banff.
Any prices displayed for The Fairmont Banff Springs should be used as a guide only and may vary with room and dates chosen. Lower pricing may be available via the booking system if available. Not all properties are available for online booking. Please note all distances shown are approximate, and may not reflect driving or travel distances.