We stayed at the Rimrock from 9-23rd January for our weddingmoon.

What I can say about this hotel from the very start is that their customer service is the best I have ever received at any hotel, ever.

After landing in Calgary we didn't have the best welcome, we were told that 1/3 of all passengers on the plane had had their skiis/snowboards left in England.

We were of that 1/3! We landed on the 9/1/08 and didn't get our luggage until 12/1/08 - thanks Monarch and Servisair!

Anyhow, upon arriving at the hotel we were asked the purpose of our trip, and shortly after telling the receptionist that we were there for our wedding/honeymoon we were upgraded to one of their best rooms (924).

From the room you have an awesome view of the Bow valley and all of the surrounding mountains, as well as the town of Banff.

What you need to know is that this hotel is NOT in Banff town centre, you can either walk which takes about 50 minutes downhill or 80 minutes uphill, or you can catch the free shuttle bus that runs every 40 minutes from early in the morning to late at night. If you can't be bothered to wait for the bus, the most we paid for a taxi was $10.

Everything about this hotel exceeded our expectations, your room was cleaned twice a day and any toiletries or towels you had used were replaced, including the very handy neutrogena lip balm!

The bed in our room was huge, huge to the point where you would wake up in the night and think your partner was not in bed with you!

The bedroom was of a very good size and the bathroom wasn't too bad, maybe average hotel size - but both rooms were spotlessly clean.

Also in your room was an unstocked mini bar (which they will stock if you like) and a telephone where you can make free internal and local calls.

On the evening turn down you get two bottles of free water, a bag of truffles and the weather forecast! They must use the same weather people as we have in England because it wasn't right once, but it was still a nice touch.

The gym is also a good shout, $5 a time or $10 for the duration of your stay, which includes the gym, squash courts, swimming pool, steam room and sauna - oh and there's an indoor hot tub which is sooooooooooooo hot!

We tried food at all 3 restaurants and all 3 were phenomenal, with Eden being the best by far. If you want to go to Eden restaurant though pack a collared shirt, preferably a tie and probably trousers, although I got away with cords. We did see them turning people away because of what they were wearing! The food was the best food I've ever eaten, it was also the most I have ever paid for a meal, but it was worth it. Tipping at 15%, I have had meals that cost less than the tip to give you an idea of how much!

As for those of you who are going there to ski/board, you get the shuttle bus into town, then another bus from behind the mount royal hotel on banff avenue to whichever of the Big 3 resorts you choose.

Banff is an amazing town, but unfortunately, like most ski resorts, can be pricey. Expect to pay on average $7 a pint (beer), $30 per bottle of wine.

As for recommendations on where to eat drink:

Wild bills - food average but good entertainment on the evening.

Tony Romas - If you love ribs! Good prices too.

The Elk & Oarsman - great pub, the biggest plate of nachos you will ever buy! Hockey night on thursdays where they give away free drinks if the team you support scores a goal!

The Bison General Food Store - actually a resturant, excellent organic food.

The grizzly house - fondue where you can have anything from chicken to rattlesnake.

All in all, we wholeheartedly recommend Banff and the Rimrock!

Where do I start regarding this fantastic hotel????? Before we went to the rimrock i read the reviews and kept an open mind.. we travel a fair amount every year and have stayed at some quality hotels and am exceptionally fussy when it comes to where I stay etc. Reading the past reviews I see reviews from people who have complaints and only stayed for a couple of nights, my husband, myself and my 5 year old girl stayed for 2 weeks and I could not fault one single thing.

Hotel room was very spacious, exceptionally clean (none of this "dirty grout" that I had read about in the bathroom) beautifully furnished, fantastic views, 2 fabulous large beds..I could go on. Food was always great.. one tip for you.. re the breakfasts.. , go from the breakfast a la carte menu were you can order seperates and it is cheaper that booking the set Rimrock breakfast menu. I suppose if you are only there a couple of nights its no big deal but we were there for 2 weeks and it actually really does make a real difference. We arrived 4 days before Christmas and 3 days after new year.. every minute was brilliant. As for the Maltese guy who has written a report of how he said New Years Eve was like a wake, maybe he should have taken a quick trip down stairs to the ballroom were there must have been almost 1000 people having a fanstatic time watching dancers, a live band, magician to name but a few things that went on that night. The theme was a 20's night and all staff were dressed up, fab buffet for both adults and children.. 2 bars.. ice statues.. original 20's car.. 20's style hats for all guests, toys and games for the kids etc etc. Christmas Eve was fantastic.. the hotel put on a fabulous buffet while Mrs Claus and the Elves made the rounds all night entertaining the children and filling up everyones glasses with egnog, red or white wine. Christmas morning also had Santa come and visit and bring a toy for every single child (not a cheap toy either) and every child and adult had a great morning, again the hotel had put on a lovely breakfast buffet. Staff were amazing.. Reception, Concierge, Restaurant, Housekeeping.. they worked so hard and never ever complained at being thousands of miles away from their family to make yours the best Christmas ever.. I have genuinely got to say that we had the best Christmas and we didnt want to leave.. we will most definetly be visiting the Rimrock again. I highly recommend it.

Banff itself is awesome.. when you first arrive at the start of Banff avenue it takes your breath away.. great restaurants, lovely little shops, fab bars that also accomodate for children (we liked playing cards and drawing etc with our little girl in front of the fire in the Irish bar.. the staff who, by the way were always really happy and welcoming to us and our little girl.. and its nice to be able to watch the live bands with your kids which alot of people did)..

Gondola ride was great.. a real experience.. recommend it.

We did not hold back at the Rimrock and ate and drank what we wanted, when we wanted.. we were expecting around a 2000 dollar bill for everything at the end of two weeks.. it was less than half of that at check out. That was breakfast every day for two weeks, lunches on at least 8 days, drinks, dinners, that also included Parking and Christmas lunch for 3 at the Primrose (which by the way was beautiful and treated fabulously again)
the pool was great also.. we went every morning and our little girl learnt to swim in ten days, just doing an hour a day..i know alot of the reviews say not a great pool scene but I am not quite sure what it is people expect (and like I say, I am so fussy so what exactly do other people expect!!).. pool was a great size, clean.. lovely really big hot tub.. lovely clean showers and changing rooms and the best view again as you are trying to keep those Xmas pounds off by doing some lengths!

So as you can see I cant say enough about the place and I stayed there for 2 weeks which apparently isnt very common.. highly recommend it.. you will not be disappointed in the least.

Just one last thing!!!! If you like walking and have time on your hands.. take a walk from the Rimrock down into Banff.. it will take you just over an hour but its a nice walk.. as you are walking along there are elks and reindeers just walking and grazing beside you.. on the first day alone we saw 4 deer grazing in someones front garden!!!.. unreal.

My wife and I stayed here with two friends from 24th – 27th December 2007 as part of a self-organised trip around the Rockies, and it was the PERFECT hotel for the Christmas period.

The room we had was very large, with 2 big beds, arm chairs, foot stools and a discreetly placed writing desk. The TV was a new flat screen with plenty of channels and the air conditioning was virtually silent. The floor to ceiling / wall to wall window gave us an immense panoramic view across the Bow Valley to the high snow-covered mountains in the distance. The bathroom was equally well kitted out, with luxury toiletries provided. Slippers and robes were the icing on the cake. Shortly after checking in a porter arrived and presented us with a Christmas stocking full of goodies compliments of the hotel management.

The restaurants and bars cater for all the varying needs of the guests. Breakfast could either be a tasty hot and cold buffet in the Primrose Dining Room or something from the convenience shop selling snacks, coffees and pastries at competitive prices. Lunch, dinner and bar food were available either informally in the cosy Larkspur lounge or timber panelled Divas bar, or as something more fancy in the Primrose Dining Room or Eden, one of Canada’s finest AAA Five Diamond restaurants. On Christmas Day we had turkey and all the trimmings in Primrose and it was fantastic.

There were plenty of activities organised to help celebrate the season, and we thoroughly enjoyed the complimentary manager’s eggnog and wine reception and hot finger buffet on Christmas Eve as carol singers entertained us around the huge fire in the lobby. On Christmas morning at 9:00am Santa arrived with presents for all the children as coffee, tea and hot apple cider were served along with pastries and scones! Of course, the hotel was beautifully decorated and the staff were the most pleasant we encountered in all of the five hotels we stayed in on our Rocky Mountain trip. Their friendliness and good humour was particularly noticeable on Christmas Day, despite them all being far from their own families and working hard to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves.

The hotel has its own outdoor skating rink in the winter months and skates are available to hire. The hotel’s leisure centre has a good pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, as well as a decent gym.

Another plus is that the Rimrock is conveniently located right beside two of Banff’s biggest attractions – the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain and the natural hot springs. A complimentary bus into Banff town centre runs from early morning to late at night from the hotel entrance. It only takes five minutes and runs every twenty minutes, so the restaurants, bars and shops on Banff Avenue are very easily accessible. Alternatively, a taxi is only about 7 or 8 dollars. In town I recommend the Maple Leaf Grille for great Canadian food and drinks, but book ahead. Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon is also worth a visit for more casual dining.

Regarding the Fairmont Banff Springs – the Rimrock’s only competition – we visited for an afternoon and whilst we were definitely impressed we left feeling very relieved that we had chosen the Rimrock. Indeed, we went on to stay in Fairmont properties in Lake Louise, Jasper and Vancouver, so we had nothing against the hotel per se. The Springs was huge, and was packed full of tourists in for a drink and a stroll around the admittedly beautiful grounds. On a number of occasions we also spoke to various locals from Banff who said that given the choice they would definitely rather stay in the Rimrock or eat in one of the Rimrock’s restaurants.

In conclusion, I recommend this hotel extremely highly and would not hesitate to stay here again.

Our mountain view room had a spectacular view, but the room had an unpleasant stale odor. We were assured that our stay for an extra night via Visa Points had been cleared, yet on leaving the same Receptionist informed us that we would have to pay the bill as the Points had not been confirmed.

The sole reason for this review is that I have given the management ample opportunity to respond to my displeasure, and I have never received a reply. A hotel of this stature should at least acknowledge legitimate complaints.

I will never recommend this hotel.