My large family stayed at the Banff gate mountain resort over our November break. The location is EXCELLENT. just 12 ish minutes outside Canmore, about 20-22 minutes outside of Banff. I was pleasently surprised by the cottages, Every group has their own little cabin style cottage with a gas fireplace. When we entered we were happy to see a murphy bed in the enterance and there was 2 rooms with queen size beds and a double size sofa bed. NICE for space to sleep, not so nice Mattresses, and MAKE SURE YOU BRING BEDDING. There is only bedding provided for the 2 beds in the bedrooms NOT for the sofa or murphy.
I would say the most frusterating thing I found was when we went into the bathroom and there was NO spare roll and when we contacted the front desk we were told we could get some there, FOR $3 PER ROLL!!!! SERIOUSLY?!?! paper towel was the same. seriously one roll of each?! but anyways.
We spent A LOT of time at the pool, the kids LOVED it. There are 2 hot tubs, one indoors and one out, the indoor jets didn't work, the outside worked well. There is also a nice sauna, and a "fitness" room, however, half the equipment didn't work there.
Long and short the location was great, the resort was less than desirable. We went with a time share week and honestly wondered where the maintainence money we pay every year was being used. To sum up, easy to enjoy a week here simply due to the proximenty to other things but be prepared to PAY FOR EVERYTHING.

If location is everything this resort is ideal. Waking to that mountain vista every morning is pure joy. Its close to Banff and Canmore can supply all your grocery needs and plenty of eating places. The gravel road in to the resort is a bit rough, but if you drive slowly you may see some wildlife on the way. Deer feed on the flowers in the entrance and don't seem too bothered by people. The fireplace took the chill off the morning air and the deck is great for your morning coffee. The cooking utensils could use upgrading, but we survived. With a few upgrades it could become a 4* resort.

... it could be a lot better with some improvements. The units need some upgrading: appliances are old - our refrigerator had cracked plastic molding, which meant a missing door shelf, and the bottom rack in the dishwasher was missing a wheel so the basket had a hard time sliding in an out. The screens were worn/ripped in some of the windows. Our BBQ didn't work. We reported it to management, and I don't know if it was ever fixed -- we didn't try it again. The shades in the bedrooms don't make the bedrooms dark enough for sleeping -- it wouldn't be hard to replace the blinds with darker blinds/black-out shades. When the sun doesn't set 'til 10pm, and it comes up at 5am, the ability to darken the bedroom is important! And the resort advertises that is has wi-fi, but it rarely worked for us. In this day and age, not having reliable wi-fi is just unacceptable. On the plus side, the unit was clean (althought I spoke with another guest who told me his unit had not been cleaned when he checked in), the pool and the hot tub were nice, and the staff at the main desk were very cheerful and helpful.

To call this place a "resort" is really a stretch of the imagination. The place wasn't bad and did have some positive features but it really needs a complete overhaul of appliances, carpet and lighting to get beyond a 2.5 to 3 rating.

On the positive side (with disclaimers)
- nice indoor pool with an indoor and outdoor hot tub. But the jets in the indoor tub didn't work very well and the soap dispenser in the men's changing room showers was empty the duration of our week-long stay. Makes me wonder if they clean the changing room more than once a week.

- remote location with some great hiking trails and a very good chance to spot wildlife. We saw some mule deer right across from our cabin. But, it's a fairly long drive to get to the major activities located around Banff and Lake Louise. We've got a comfy SUV so it wasn't a big deal for us to drive 100+ miles a day but the miles and gasoline costs do and did add up.

- the cabins are nicely equipped with a fireplace, full kitchen, 2 big bedrooms and 2 full baths. But, the appliances are fairly worn out, the overhead fan in the sitting area made such a loud grinding noise that we didn't use it. The formica counter top was chipped. The front wheels in the dishwasher lower rack were missing. Indoor lighting was mediocre with harsh flourescent bulbs that were hard on the eyes. The windows were large but the glass was filthy. The exterior lighting was suitable for a small airstrip. Not sure why since it doesn't appear to be a high crime area. Even with the blinds lowereed my wife and son had to wear eye shades to sleep.

- they do have wireless internet. But, it didn't work in our cabin.

All things considered I wouldn't stay here again nor would I recommend it to my friends. I think the biggest failure for this place is that with a little TLC and some serious cleaning it could be a much better place to stay.