Hotel Review: Rimrock Resort; Banff, Canada

The first thing you notice about the Rimrock Resort Hotel is the view. Driving up the long, winding mountain road to reach the resort, the view is largely hidden by the tall thin pine trees which line both sides of the road. Suddenly, the resort opens up before you. It looks simple from the front because the real attraction is in the back: the sweeping, can’t-stop-looking, birds eye view of the town of Banff & Banff National Park.

When you step into the wood encased lobby, the view immediately captivates you. Soaring mountains covered with pine trees, a roaring fireplace (even in the summer) & cheerful smiles from everyone you meet. If you’re lucky, George will check you in at the front desk & soon you’ll be on your way.

All the rooms at Rimrock offer breathtaking views of the mountains, but the Grandview rooms are especially worth a splurge. During the summer, it doesn’t get dark in Banff until around 11pm, leaving almost 17 hours of daylight to enjoy the majestic balcony views. We stayed in room 700, which is decorated in a “classic” style. It was a bit dated for our taste, but with a view like that, it’s easy to look past brass bathroom fixtures. We slept with the curtains open so we could wake up to the mountains every morning.

Rimrock is a full scale resort, offering a variety of dining & lounge options. We had breakfast one morning at the coffee shop on site, which offered a variety of healthy (& not so healthy) breakfast options & a choice of really strong coffees. We enjoyed breakfast another morning at the Primrose Dining Room, which offers an expansive breakfast buffet. Made-to-order omelets, a huge selection of freshly baked pastry & enjoy fruit to balance out the guilt, the buffet is one of the few hotel breakfasts I’ve had that are actually worth the price they charge.

The staff at Rimrock were all awesome, but especially the head bellman, Jeff. He was full of advice (“You’re hiking Johnstons Canyon? Why? Do you like to stand in lines?”), funny quips about life in Canada (his answer to me asking him how he gets his kids to go to bed early when it’s so light out: “They’re called blinds. Perhaps you don’t have them in the United States?”), & lots of suggestions on getting the most out of our stay (“Why are you buying bottled water? Our tap water here is awesome!”). Jeff was the cherry on top of the sundae of our stay; we always looked forward to returning our car after a day of exploring, just to greet Jeff.

I know I mentioned it earlier, but it really can’t be overstated: the highlight of a stay at Rimrock is the view. Morning, noon, night & late night, it’s just spectacular. For someone who comes from the big city, where the views are of buildings & not mountains, the view alone is worth is a hundred stays at the hotel.

Note: Our stay at Rimrock Resort Hotel was provided compliments of Travel Alberta. All opinions are my own. You can’t make up this awesome view!