American World Traveler Summer 2018 Issue

60
The Castle in the Rockies
by Steve Gillick
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is
an experience like no other. Located
in Banff National Park (Canada’s
first National Park, created in 1885), the
hotel, built in the classic turn-of-the-century
Chateau Style, sits at the convergence of the
Bow and Spray Rivers at the foot of Sulphur
Mountain, with ‘just-outside-your-window’
views of Tunnel Mountain, Mount Rundle
and the Fairholme Range of the iconic
Rocky Mountains.
American World Traveler Summer 2018
Outside the Banff Springs Hotel, near the
Conference Centre, stands a statue of
Cornelius Van Horne who envisioned the
grand hotel in the Rockies that opened in
1888, the same year he became President
of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The hotel
would suffer hard times, including the great
fire of 1926 that resulted in a larger structure
being rebuilt on the site, but since the
re-opening in 1928 and despite a 3 year
closure during the 2nd World War, the hotel
adapted to the needs of domestic and international
travelers through expansion, renovation
and it’s first Winter opening in the
1970’s, making it a year-round destination.
The exterior of ‘the castle’ is impressive
enough but the interior, from the main entry
lobby to the shopping arcade, to the
accommodation floors, oozes a sense of
luxury and care that responds to all generations
of travellers looking for a more
upscale experience, without it being
haughty. For instance, as an alternative to
the many fine dining choices in the hotel,
there is the Stock Food and Drink restaurant
in the lobby that offers delicious, freshly
made sandwiches, salads, soups, quiche,
coffee, pastries and more, to either eat
casually in an adjoining room or take-out
and enjoy, along with the views. And I will
say that the hotel staff are smiling, friendly,
helpful, and make one feel at home from
the moment you arrive.
I was in a Fairmont room, with a plush
queen-size bed and an amazing view of the
mountains. Fairmont rooms, Deluxe rooms
and Suites are available with a variety of
bed types (King, Queen, Double, Twins) and
views ranging from the hotel and grounds
to the spectacular mountains surrounding
the property. The hotel offers seasonal and
regularly scheduled activities including a fitness
centre, tennis, bowling, skating, wilderness
hikes and campfire/marshmallow
roasts. Winter downhill skiing is available at
nearby Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake
Louise. For many, the hotel’s award-winning
Willow Stream Spa is an attraction on its
own with over 50 signature experiences plus
saunas, whirlpools and a mineral pool.
From the nearby Banff Gondola
Observation Deck near the summit of
Sulphur Mountain, you can see the Castle in
the Rockies and appreciate its location and
natural setting but you can also easily see
that the hotel is within walking distance (1.9
km) to the town of Banff. Along the way you
are accompanied by fantastic river and
mountain views and then in the town itself
there are number of restaurants, bars,
shops and the visitor information centre.
Clear signage points the way to everything
in the area.
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, the
Castle in the Rockies, is a truly unique
accommodation experience. William Van
Horne noted “Since we can’t export the
scenery, we’ll have to import the tourists”
and the result for over 130 years has been,
in a word, “Wow”!
www.fairmont.com