2-Star Hotels in Banff

My husband and I stayed at this hotel in October 2022. We found the front office staff very friendly and able to answer all our questions. It was nice having coffee, tea, and infused water available in the front lobby at all times. The rooms were well decorated and clean. Our room had a microwave, mini fridge and a Keurig with pods and cups. Very convenient. We also had a great view of the mountains from our room on the third floor...with a balcony, two seats and a table that we used often. The odd number rooms are located in the front of the hotel with a view of the mountains. Rooms with even numbers are in the back and overlook a courtyard and other buildings. Parking was convenient and easy to access. The only drawback was the breakfast included with our stay. We ate in the breakfast area 5 times and every time we ate we ended up with syrup on our arms or clothes from the previous diner. We never saw the tables being wiped down at all. The food was okay. Basically the same thing every day. This hotel is within walking distance of a grocery store and all the shops and restaurants down the main street (Banff Avenue) and the side streets I would have rated this a hotel 4.5 if I had the option. I would stay there again and would definitely recommend it.

I’ve been traveling all over Australia and US and it was not my first time sleeping in an Hostel , I think I know more or less what to expect for that price but this time I must say I have had a terrible experience. In the beginning I had a problem with my credit card which was blocked (my fault) and of course without credit card they couldn’t accept any other way to pay , that’s fine I understand there is a procedure to follow , I was in panic and very tired after 20 hours traveling from Amsterdam and , speaking with the manager of the structure , I have asked her if she could provide a clip or something to extract my canadian sim card from my telephone to exchange it with my personal one so i could have called the credit card company for assistance. She didn’t want to help me and she suggested me to ask some neighbor, luckily a very kind employee helped me once she went away. The second day i went to my room to sleep and I found another person sleeping in my bed , asking to the receptionist he told me that it was my fault because i should have left some belonging on my bed to occupy it, it is weird because normally when you leave you have to take off the sheets and put them in a bin so that was obvious that the bed was assigned at the moment. I had to insist to make them realize that that was their mistake and the person in my bed should have found another bed. The hostel is a little dirty and the young staff is not able to manage properly , they are very disorganized and the manager is very rude and arrogant. Definitely I don’t recommend this hostel at least not more that one night.

I stayed at the HI Banff for just 2 nights, and got to experience 2 different ‘types’ of private rooms. I had initially booked online for a 4-6 female dorm (there weren’t any private rooms left on the third agent site when I had placed my booking), but when I asked to be switched to private upon arrival, I was fortunately offered the option to stay at a 6-person dorm - all by myself - for the first night, and then move over to a private log cabin for the second. Both were interesting experiences, and the room decor (especially with the electronic hearth in the log cabin) definitely made you feel like you were staying at a quasi-wilderness hostel. It was fun on the whole, despite the slight inconvenience of having to move between the two nights. Both the shared shower room and the private en suite shower/bathroom were clean and well-maintained, with decent water pressure and hot water supply, which are extremely important things to have when you’re visiting Banff in its subarctic state...! I didn’t use the kitchen or patron the hostel’s restaurant (called Cougar Pete’s), so unfortunately can’t comment on those aspects. I will say, however, that the only downside of this hostel would be its relative distance from downtown Banff (i.e. the centre of Banff Avenue where all the shops and restaurants are located) - it takes a good 20-min uphill walk from Banff Avenue up to Tunnel Mountain Rd where the hostel is located, and for any season that isn’t late spring, summer or early fall (okay, so winter is the biggest issue I guess), I don’t think you’d find walking for 20 plus minutes out in -10 degree Celsius conditions quite the idea of a pleasant stroll, especially after dinner when it’s dark and bitterly cold, lol. There’s of course the option to take public transport (the Roam transit bus), with Bus No. 2 stopping at Douglas Fir station (the hotel right next to HI Banff), but bear in mind this is a bus that comes at 25-minute intervals. So, not the most convenient arrangement, and something to be aware of when planning your itinerary. Overall though, I really enjoyed staying at the HI Banff, and found it a rather lovely experience as a first-time visitor to Banff. On a side but related note, I’ve rarely been let down by the HI chain, and I’ve stayed at more than 7 HI hostels by now...

We went with our friend and his family. We loved the location of this hotel. The service was very good and the rooms were nice. Although it was not a 5-star or a 4-star hotel, however, it was good enough for the four of us who liked the hotel and its location very much. The receptionist Yoda and the other gentleman were very helpful. We would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants to visit Banff

We had 3 nights here and were exceptionally comfy with 2 Queen beds , on-site parking, TV, easy walk to town and a great host( Elsia). Breakfast was included and it was exceptionally generous! It is left in your fridge and they restock it daily. Included hard boiled eggs, muffins, egg and bacon rolls, juice, fruit, yoghurt, cereal , oats and snack bars. Kept us going into lunch as we had sone of breakfast to take fir the day. Parking is onsite, a little tight when full but it all worked. I would definitely stay again.

Excellent location with very helpful staff. You have the grocery store IGA right next door and can walk to all the restaurants and shops. The rooftop hot tubs were really nice too! They’re kind of small but have a nice kitchenette. The only downfall is there isn’t any designated parking, but it’s free after 8pm and we usually found parking on the street right out front. I would highly recommend this place for others to stay at!

The hotel is carefully decorated, the service staff is friendly, and the room is very clean There is an underground parking lot and an elevator, which is very convenient for carrying luggage. In-room meals are provided, which are inexpensive and convenient.

Very disappointed in these accommodations. Traveled with another couple. We each received windowless rooms(no outdoor view)with a small balcony that faced into a dated, old atrium, spotted with a few old chairs and scuffed tables. The rooms did not have air conditioning and were not very clean. We stayed 4 nights and did not receive any servicing of the room. The indoor lighting was bad and the TV was small and outdated. The bathroom and one of the beds directly faced the door into the hallway, so it was a free show to anyone walking by if the door was opened while in bed. It did include a daily breakfast Buffett which never changed, but it was good enough to start our day. I also plan to write contact the Rocky Mountaineer train company that booked these as part of our package. We had a voucher to dine in the restaurant and it was pretty good. Also location was very good. Walkable to downtown and the river. Pictures show the accumulated dust on the tv, dresser and picture frames.

A cozy and warm place to stay in Banff! The location is really good, and the room is well-cleaned. All the people there are nice and willing to help. We have great time there :)

Reasonable stay, a little far out from Banff but good public transport close by. Free parking at the rear of the property, a big bonus but parking is available in the underground carpark. Expensive for what was provided. Apartment well fitted out and everything required for the stay is provided, but the most critical item, the safe, was not working, meaning that we had to take passports, cards and cash with us throughout our stay in Banff. Regretfully disappointed with poor sleep throughout the stay, the sound proofing is exceptionally poor, especially from overhead apartments, with wooden floors creaking badly and every footstep clearly heard. Interconnecting doors had poor soundproofing, every sound and talking were clearly heard. Apprciate that the building is timber, but there are numerous ways to improve the soundproofing, but at a commercial cost. Bring a good set of ear plugs, they are essential for sleep. Train leaves the station or passes through Banff at 5.40 every morning, and the driver loves to use his horn on every occasion, no need for an alarm clock!!