Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection

I posted a review a few years ago and never got a response, and I hoped things might improve. The hotel is fancy and the views are unbeatable, but the staff were extremely rude and I felt watched everywhere I went. During what I think was the 18+ pool time after 9pm, I was told to leave, and not in a nice way. I also had to show my ID. After that, it seemed like a staff member was always keeping an eye on me, wherever I was. I just wanted to explore the hotel's amenities.

Mira at the front desk made the stay much more pleasant. She was amazing, went above and beyond, and helped us get a better room. The hotel's location is great, but the rooms were a letdown. The carpet was incredibly old, and the rooms felt run down and outdated, apart from the main lobby. For the top dollar we paid, I expected a much higher standard. If the price were lower, the condition wouldn't have bothered me as much. Unless Rimrock invests in updating the rooms, the price is hard to justify.

I arrived 9/5 and found the hotel was being renovated, with nothing about it on the website. We were handed a note apologizing for the “annual exterior maintenance” and saying earplugs were available. A guy at the front desk suggested we might be out during the day so the noise wouldn't bother us. It was an expensive stay, and dealing with the construction noise and inconvenience was frustrating. I was put in an interior room overlooking loud ground construction, with roof shingles constantly falling as it was repaired and scaffolding blocking the window views. I complained and asked why I'd been given that crappy interior room when I wanted an exterior one. The exterior room I was moved to was satisfactory. Food was mediocre: the Primrose ham and cheese omelette barely had any ham or cheese, the bacon was so distasteful we sent it back, the pancakes were thick and dense, and the Larkspur hamburgers were terrible. We wanted drinks on the Larkspur balcony to enjoy the view, but construction noise and equipment exhaust fumes were overwhelming. When I checked out on 9/7, nobody asked how the stay was, only whether the balance was correct. The website didn't say parking was $32/day CA. Staff weren't very friendly, and when I told the concierge manager about checkout, he seemed not to care and just said “sorry”. I'll never stay there again. I also posted a detailed review after they emailed asking for one, but it hasn't appeared on the hotel's website reviews, and probably won't.

The free shuttle and roam bus tickets made it easy to get around, since the hotel is a little outside town. It's not right in the centre, which may suit anyone wanting a quieter spot or happy to use the bus. We had a lovely three-day stay, and the hotel was clean and grand in places. Our room's decor was a little tired, though renovations were underway. The staff were all incredibly welcoming and helpful, including a very nice young Irish lady at reception on check-in day. Primrose was excellent, with fantastic steak, and they easily adjusted a few dishes for our daughters. The coffee shop was a nice addition, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.