My octogenarian mother’s long-held dream was to travel on the Rocky Mountaineer and visit old friends out west. I encouraged her to seize the day and planned a luxurious getaway for us both. We rented a Mercedes SUV from Calgary and set off for the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for a few nights, before boarding our train. We generally never splurge on valet service, but the kid-glove treatment from the folks at the front came in very handy. A flight delay almost made us miss our dinner reservations at the lovely Swiss Waldhaus Restaurant, behind the hotel. They instantaneously parked the car, brought in our luggage and popped my disabled mom and me into a golf card to get us there comfortably and expeditiously. They even had a shuttle bus waiting, just as we were ready to leave. I kid you not, it was ‘Radar’ like service (for all you M*A*S*H fans)! After our meal we checked in and were put into a ‘wheelchair accessible’ room outside of the main building. Despite my disappointment at being ‘off campus’ as it were, I tried to keep an open mind. Sadly, the room was underwhelming at the eye-watering rates necessary during high season at this landmark institution. Don’t get me wrong, the view was great, but the room satisfactory at best. The main issue though was the magical mystery tour to get there. Technically it was scalable with loads of time and perhaps an electric wheelchair or savvy/youthful aid, but I’d advise this extended wing be a better bastion for those quite able, fit and wanting a good amount of privacy. By morning, we realized the gauntlet was too much to manage for every meal, as well as getting repeated access to hotel facilities and grabbing our vehicle. After a bit of discussion at the front desk about capacity issues, etc. manager, Emma (extraordinaire) stepped in. This is when you find out what Fairmont service is truly all about! We were elevated to an incredibly large and beautiful room that also had a jaw-dropping view. We were compensated generously for the inconvenience and all staff took great pains in making the rest of our visit absolutely flawless. Sure, it would have been great to avoid any hiccups, but they made it right and then some, immediately. I’m sure it took a bit of juggling, but when things go wrong, you really find out what a stellar brand is truly made of. Of course, the facilities themselves are like something out of a fairy tale. This grand dame is definitely an experience that must be added to any bucket list worth dreaming about. The amazing views, grounds, restaurants, spas, pools, bar, golf course, common areas, etc., etc. should not be missed. The nearby village is its own little idyll too. The rest of our stay was nothing less than perfect (and trust me, Mom’s not an easy lady to please)! I applaud the FBSH for their amazing responsiveness and for making lemons into the sweetest lemonade ever. It must be difficult to manage a hotel that size, whilst keeping everyone happy at peak season, but they accomplished that and much more. Air Canada can take a few tips from these professionals. To that end, Fairmont has always been a favourite brand of ours and continues to be. They are a luxury brand and thus a bit pricier than some options, but worth every penny. Thanks to all the staff that went the extra mile and made sure this special trip memorable for my mother and I, for all the right reasons. Kudos to you all and keep up the fabulous work – my husband and I will be back to this and other Fairmont properties, as soon as we possibly can!

First off I'm from Alberta so I'm not breaking any rules of travelling outside the province where I live. Second, this was a test run of travelling during COVID times and there were a few more steps involved and being mindful comes in handy when it comes to wearing masks, sanitizing and keeping your social distance, but that seems to be the norm these days. My husband and I took a 2-night trip to the mountains to Banff, Alberta and stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs. We also did some exploring around the town which I will elaborate further. First off we booked our 2-night stay online and the hotel provided a great deal of information before we even left so we would know what to expect when we arrived. The hotel staff were fantastic throughout our stay and definitely a team when it came to taking the precautions with the people staying/visiting the hotel. The hotel was surprisingly busy and got really busy towards Friday/Saturday. All the staff were wearing masks and some wearing gloves. There was hand sanitizer everywhere and they take your temperature at the entrance to the hotel and the restaurants and provide masks if you do not have one. They ask you wear a mask in the hotel in the public areas and can remove them in the restaurants. The Gold Floor lounge is served a la carte style, no buffet at this point in time. I must say they were working feverishly to accommodate everyone in the GF lounge and in my opinion needed someone extra during the busy periods just to clear the tables as sometimes they couldn't keep up but we only waited about 10+ minutes for a table at the most and they were very hospitable and apologetic for the wait. The hotel room was spotless and nobody came into the room to clean while we were there (which we knew and didn't mind). They wait 48 hours before anyone can occupy a room that has been used and we saw the cleaners in white cleaning attire, masks and gloves. The restaurants are practicing social distancing with the tables and the tables are chairs are cleaned twice over before any patron can use it. Also the restaurants are using the QR Scanner app for their menus or you can get a regular menu if you are not familiar with that app. We used the QR Scanner app and it worked great. The Rundle Lounge and the Spa entrance has been fully renovated and are beautiful. We did a lot of walking and went to Banff town on Friday. The main avenue is blocked from Cascade Mall up to the bridge for pedestrians only. This might be a problem for traffic in the summer but it was great to have more space to walk around town. Traffic is diverted a block off main street or if you are coming from Calgary I suggest to take the Norquay exit from the #1 highway (2nd exit to Banff). We also visited the Whyte Museum and we were the only ones there but there was plenty of sanitizer and social distancing in play. All in all Banff and Fairmont Banff Springs has this figured out during COVID. If you are an Albertan or other fellow Canadian that can visit, please do, this is the time to support local.

First off I'm from Alberta so I'm not breaking any rules of travelling outside the province where I live. Second, this was a test run of travelling during 2020 and there were a few more steps involved and being mindful comes in handy when it comes to wearing masks, sanitizing and keeping your social distance. My husband and I took a 2-night trip to the mountains to Banff, Alberta and stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs. First off we booked our stay online and the hotel provided a great deal of information before we even left so we would know what to expect when we arrived. The hotel staff were fantastic throughout our stay and definitely a team when it came to taking the precautions with the people staying/visiting the hotel. The hotel was surprisingly busy and got really busy towards Friday/Saturday. All the staff were wearing masks and some wearing gloves. There was hand sanitizer everywhere and they take your temperature at the entrance to the hotel and the restaurants and provide masks if you do not have one. They ask you wear a mask in the hotel in the public areas and can remove them in the restaurants. The Gold Floor lounge is served a la carte style, no buffet at this point in time. I must say they were working feverishly to accommodate everyone in the GF lounge and in my opinion needed someone extra during the busy periods just to clear the tables as sometimes they couldn't keep up but we only waited about 10+ minutes for a table at the most and they were very hospitable and apologetic for the wait. The hotel room was spotless and nobody came into the room to clean while we were there (which we knew and didn't mind). They wait 48 hours before anyone can occupy a room that has been used and we saw the cleaners in white cleaning attire, masks and gloves. The hotel restaurants are practicing social distancing with the tables and the tables are chairs are cleaned twice over before any patron can use it. Also they are using the QR Scanner app for their menus or you can get a regular menu if you are not familiar with that app. We used the QR Scanner app and it worked great. The Rundle Lounge and the Spa entrance has been fully renovated and are beautiful. We enjoyed our stay at the hotel and appreciated that they took the extra precautions necessary to keep everyone safe.