Very disappointed in my recent stay at Banff Aspen Lodge. I have stayed here many times in the past, always stopping for a night on my way from Calgary to B.C., and over the years have been given several types of rooms, but always on the upper floors and always quiet and spacious with a nice balcony and pretty views. So when I again booked a "Premium" 2-Queen Balcony/Patio room expecting the same, I was surprised when they gave me a ground floor room, which was nothing like my previous stays. Yes, it technically had a "patio" as in the description, but being right beside busy Banff Avenue it absolutely does not compare to the cosy, private feeling of the upstairs balconies I was used to. It was basically a concrete slab with a built-in bench. And having this busy road right outside the big sliding glass patio door, and the hot tub right outside the entry door, it felt like the most exposed room in the hotel. The ceilings were very low (my brother staying with me is 6'2" and it looked like his head almost touched the ceiling) so it had a cramped "basement" feeling. I did raise my concerns with the clerk checking me in, but she informed me the hotel was sold out and I should have phoned in advance to confirm, which I felt was putting the onus on me.
I was frustrated, but we decided to make the best of it. And after coming back from a wonderful dinner at Nourish around 11 pm, we tried to settle in. Until we were disturbed by a dog barking intermittently in the room right next door, and a constant thumping sound (which was coming from a room two doors down and sounded like a bunch of kids playing a game with a ball). Also the HVAC system was loud in this room, both the heating and pipes banging. At that point, I knew I wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep, and I had no fight left in me, so we decided to check out at around midnight and drive back to Calgary.
There were positives: first, the cleanliness of the hotel. I highly appreciate the eco-friendly products leaving a neutral, fresh feeling (no heavy fragrances that so many hotels rely on these days as a substitute for actually cleaning the place). Also, the night clerk when we were checking out was incredibly kind, personable and apologetic. A nice contrast to the somewhat flippant attitude of my check-in clerk.
But all-in-all, I won't be going back to this hotel. My experiences at the Moose have been much better, getting upgrades as opposed to downgrades.
