D uring my trip to the Rocky Mountains in Canada as I was nudging my way from Calgary to Jasper, I needed a lodging option one night somewhere either in Banff or Lake Louise — and a number of options were already sold out.
An official press release from Marriott International, Incorporated in January of 2015 announced the acquisition of Delta Hotels and Resorts for Canadian $168 million — or approximately $135 million in United States dollars. Realizing that I had never stayed as a guest at any of their hotel or resort properties, I thought I would afford myself the opportunity, as I found the Delta Hotels Banff Royal Canadian Lodge had rooms available.
Unimpressed With My First Stay at Delta Hotels & Resorts
The exterior of the lodge appeared upscale. I was looking forward to my stay. I pulled the rental car up to the front door and walked in to check in for my stay.
Only one person was working behind the front desk when I arrived; and he was using the telephone while a guest was in front of me waiting to check in. I had to wait at least 20 minutes before he finally was able to check me into the hotel property; but he did apologize for the wait and was friendly and helpful.
In fact, when two members of the staff were behind the front desk — as shown in the photograph above — they were also friendly and helpful.
The lobby had a nice rustic ambiance while still maintaining an upscale feel. There was no fire in the fireplace at the time.
After I received the key to the room in which I would be staying, I parked the car in the underground garage. If parking was available on the streets near the lodge, I would have used that instead of having to pay a parking fee of $15.00.
The Room
The room was clean; but it was rather dark — even with all of the lights illuminated.
The beds were reasonably comfortable.
There was a desk with a cordless telephone and a lamp — as well as a device which contained a couple of USB ports. I did like the blue recycling container on the floor, as I believe all hotel rooms should have one.
The room had a dated feel to it — as though it needed to be refurbished. The furniture looked as though it had been there for at least 20 years. If they tried for an antique look, they failed.
Instead of being integrated in the room, a window unit is used for climate control — similar to those found in low-range to mid-range lodging options. I am also not sure about the odd placement of the lighting fixture on the wall near the ceiling.
A flat-screen television was available — at least there was something in the room from the 21st century — and there was a refrigerator in the cabinet below where the door opened in a slightly unconventional manner.
A sole piece of furniture with a drawer and a soft red rectangular pillow on top was also in the room.
Guests must contact the front desk to obtain the code to access the Internet, which is available to all guests and is not given at the time of checking into the hotel property. This is a minor inconvenience at best.
Guest Consideration Policy
The following Guest Consideration Policy — which is found under the glass which covered the top of the desk — was copied verbatim; and all errors were left intact:
Dear Guests,
Delta Banff Royal Canadian Lodge prides itself on being a non-smoking family friendly hotel and in the interests of all our guests having an enjoyable and comfortable stay, our property maintains a zero tolerance policy regarding excessive noise and smoking in rooms or corridors. Please contact our Duty Manager by dialing “0” for immediate assistance.
Please note the following:
- Any disturbances resulting in guests or resident complaints after 11.00pm may result in the immediate eviction of all occupants from the offending room.
- NO REFUNDS will be issued to offending guests for charges of the night of eviction.
- In addition we reserve the right to charge the offending room for any refunds made to other guests, necessitated by such noise.
- No partying or gatherings in the guest rooms. GUEST ROOMS ARE FOR REGISTERED GUESTS ONLY.
- Our hotel and corridors outside the rooms are an ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKING AREA and a smoking fee of $200.00 will be levied should there be evidence or smell of smoking in the room.
- No liquor in the public areas especially the pool. Broken glass is a potential danger to our guests and will result in pool/hot tub closure.
- Please respect the property of the hotel. You will be charged accordingly in the event of any damages or excessive mess left in the room for our cleaning staff.
- No skis or snowboards are allowed in the guestrooms. Locked storage is available free of charge.
- Hotel security is present all night, every night. Dial “0” for immediate assistance.
If we can be of any assistance or we can make you stay more enjoyable during your stay please do not hesitate to contact our Duty Manager by dialing “0”. Thank you for your cooperation.
The Bathroom
The entrance to the bathroom is located near the door to the room opposite the full-length mirror — and the bathroom itself had nothing special to it.
Two complete sets of towels — and three washcloths — were in the otherwise dull and dark bathroom.
A coffee station was located near the door of the bathroom.
I have never heard of Apothia Wave — but the amenities included bath soap; facial soap; body wash; body lotion; shampoo and conditioner. They had a nice fragrance and were sufficient.
The bathtub was equipped with a shower head circa 1985.
One fixture — the handle which controlled the water — remotely emulated being upscale.
Oddly, the closet was located within the bathroom. The door to the bathroom — which opened inwards — had to be closed to access the closet, whose doors did not stay open. One robe, a plastic laundry bag, an iron and ironing board…
…as well as a safe and a luggage stand were in the closet. Again — the closet was equipped with nothing extraordinary.
The View
The view from the room certainly was not as bad as this view…
…after all, I did have an obscured view of one mountain — Tunnel Mountain, which is one of the smaller mountains in the area…
…as well as some birch trees in a small courtyard…
…but it was certainly not one of the best views I have ever seen, either.
Summary
The room in which I stayed at the Delta Hotels Banff Royal Canadian Lodge was clean and the bed was reasonably comfortable; and members of the staff were friendly and helpful — but then again, I typically experience those in low-range and mid-range lodging options as well. The view was not poor; but it was not great, either. The furnishings were dated. There was nothing special about the service and accommodations which I received.
However, for a total of $354.85 — that is slightly greater than United States $263.00 — the stay was unimpressive. For an extra $15.00, you can partake in a continental breakfast buffet in Evergreen Restaurant adjacent to the lobby; or you can pay an additional four dollars on top of that if you want hot food as well. I did not eat in the restaurant at all.
I was even charged tax on top of the parking fee — which to me would have mimicked a mandatory resort fee if I were charged it had I not rented a car. At least this fee is optional, as there was no place in the immediate vicinity of the hotel property to park the car at the time I stayed as a guest.
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise resort property might have been a better deal at $395.00 per night plus the $30.00 fee for parking and the absurd $15.00 mandatory resort fee per night — plus, of course, taxes, to total at least $480.00 for one night — if only because the hotel is located at Lake Louise. That room rate is before any discounts are applied — such as the ability to purchase LifeExperiences certificates worth $100.00 for only $74.99 each, which are good at Fairmont hotel and resort properties and would have brought the cost of that experience within range of what I paid for my experience at the Delta Hotels Banff Royal Canadian Lodge.
The only way I recommend staying at this property is if you cannot find a better or less expensive lodging option elsewhere. This is a mid-range hotel property which seems to pretend to be upscale. I am certain that the overpriced room rate is primarily because the lodge is located in Banff — but that is no excuse to not include some things which would improve the experience for guests.
Do not stay at this property unless you want to overpay for an unremarkable — but certainly not terrible by any stretch of the imagination — experience.
Delta Hotels Banff Royal Canadian Lodge
459 Banff Avenue
Banff, Alberta T1L 1B4
Canada
1-403-762-3307 Telephone
1-403-762-4094 Fax
1-800-661-1225 Sales
1-800-661-1379 Toll-Free Reservation Center
Photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
