Mount Royal Hotel

Situated right in the middle of downtown Banff, the position of the hotel is ideal for visitors to the area. They also have a number of immediately adjacent bus stops for incoming and outgoing journeys from/to Calagary, the ski resorts and local attractions, so you don’t need to drag your bags or gear far. We got the shuttle direct from Calgary airport to the back door of the hotel, which took just under 2 hrs door to door. The shuttle pick up point/desk in the airport is just along from the international arrivals. On arrival at the hotel, check in was relatively straight forward, although for us there was no baggage assistance other than self serve luggage trolleys at the door. The average rate for our twin room, which slept 4, excluding breakfast was just over C$200 incl tax per night. Breakfast is available at the adjacent Tony Roma’s restaurant which averaged around C$16 per head. Throughout our stay, the breakfast and dinner service was quite slow, but the food was pleasant. Our room was on the 3rd floor, which can be reached from either a lift next to reception or via the stairs. Our room was bright and modern, facing the Main Street, with two ample double beds, one wardrobe unit with safe and fridge, writing desk, small table and chair, bedside cabinets, air con, Nespresso coffee machine, hair dryer and very small toiletry options. Towels were ample and of good quality, with good water pressure and consistently available hot water. An ice machine was available on the landing with an on site hot tub on the roof next to a small lounge area. Robes were provided. Overall the hotel was in very good condition, apparently having been completely rebuilt after a fire 3 years ago. The staff were friendly and helpful, with daily information provide in the reception area for guests. The reception area had a comfortable seating area and feature fire place where you could sit and wait for fellow guests. Water dispensers were provided, but for most of our stay it was rarely replenished. One negative was the unavailability of WiFi for our entire 6 days. We were advised that we could connect via Facebook without issues, but for those of us, (including me), whom don’t use it, we had no access other than an inconsistent local provider depending on your location in the hotel. Sadly, no-one seemed all that bothered about resolving it – as most other guests seemed to have Facebook. In addition, on New Year’s Day there was no automatic room service- apparently due to ‘skeleton staff’. If you wished it, you had to request it, and even then it was only to change towels – no beds or cleaning were done, but as the recruitment of staff seems a perennial problem here, it was understandable over the festive period. In conclusion, the hotel was in an ideal downtown location with good overall facilities and services. However, be aware, that as many rooms face onto the boisterous Main Street, it got quite noisy when the bars and restaurants kicked out. The hotel do provide ear plugs with a note saying ‘Banff is Alive’, so it’s a trade of with location over noise. Pros Great downtown location, convenient for all amenities and transport. Clean, modern rooms with ample facilities. Competitive room rate Cons Location can be noisy late at night Unreliable Wi-Fi on our visit Inadequate toiletries for a 4 person room Slow service in on site restaurant Tips Ask for a back facing room - if noise is an issue Avoid renting a car in the winter unless you really need it, as transport to the hotel is excellent Use the adjacent restaurants and cafes for breakfast, as prices are better and service is quicker Read less

We stayed here for our anniversary recommended by our friends! Such a great place to stay! We paid $258 for two nights which came with free breakfast at tony romas (worth $25per person...it’s a Alberta resident specialty if you book through there website! I really enjoyed the location! We came at a time that was-35C to -45C. So having everything close by walking distance was awesome! Our rooms were modern and so clean! Came with bathrobes. We tried the rooftop pool at night and was really nice! I really enjoyed our stay! Would def recommend this to everyone! Read less