The a/c was blasting in the halls (and directly across from our room's door) the entire stay, even with it being -5 outside. The room was set to 15 degrees and even when turned up to 30, was still very cold. The hot tub actually burnt my feet it was so boiling hot, and I did complain to the front desk, who didn't even apologize. The fact that cheap memory foam was on top of the mattress was pathetic to me, someone with horrible back problems, and made it so sleep was impossible. The underground parking ís so low you have to be willing to scrape the top of a normal sized pickup just to get in and out. The food at the Meatball's free breakfast is worth every cent you pay. The service for the entire hotel is sub-standard at best. I love Banff and stayed here cause it was very central. Don't make the same mistake...

We stayed at the Banff Ptarmigan Inn last weekend. I had booked the hotel online, and read the previous mixed reviews. For the price ($100/night off-season), I was a little disappointed. The room was an OK size and clean but definitely hadn't been renovated in a long time. Everything was outdated and old looking, including the fixtures in the bathroom which were stained and chipped. The beds were a little soft - we definitely noticed that by the second night. The worst part for me was there were no comfy chairs in the room - only a little bistro set. Understandably, there wasn't room for much more as this was a 2 queen room, but I always love having a comfy chair to relax in. The staff were friendly, the hot breakfast was passable.

If you are staying here just to sleep in the room, it's great. If you plan to hang out in the hotel, I'd choose a different one.

Let's set the stage for what this review perspective is coming from. Being in our early 20s, we aren't looking for something high class and are mainly looking for somewhere to lay our heads after a day in Banff.

That being said, we don't want a dive or complete hole in the wall.

The Ptarmigan in fits perfectly for what we want, somewhere with a decent hottub (two different temperature tubs), good sized rooms and close walk to the main downtown "core". There is no swimming pool which is unfortunate, but minor detail. The rooms are clean and have a flat screen TV to kick back and relax to catch the sports highlights, while the beds are pretty comfortable. One draw back is that there are no mini-fridges in the rooms, which poses a slight issue for chilling the beers.

The staff seem very friendly and helpful when answering questions.

All in all a great place to stay if you don't want to spend $$$ on a place to simply lay your head!

Banff Ptarmigan Inn being situated on the main street in Banff is close to all the attractions, shops, restaurants etc. The reception staff were very helpful and efficient, my room was clean and comfotrable although it did not have a good view, being in the side of the building it was extremely quiet. The hotel has its own car park so it was easy to leave the car there for a couple of days and walk to the attractions, or get on one of the tours - all of which collect guests from the hotel. The food at breakfast was extremely good although the room was rather dark, but this seemed to be normal for hotels in this area. WiFi was freely available, although at peak periods there could be a delay in the service. This is a hotel I would certainly return to.