Banff’s Finest Family Accommodation, located on peaceful Tunnel Mountain. All units have full kitchen, air-conditioning, fireplace (most are wood-burning) and flat-screen TVs, DVD players and Plug n’Play panels (families can now bring their electronic gaming systems). Amenities include 2 Giant indoor waterslides, swimming pool, kiddie pool,outdoor hot tub, games room, multilevel indoor playzone, saunas, whirlpools, steam room, fitness room, barbecue stations and FREE/UNLIMITED use of the Town of Banff shuttle bus. Freeinternet kiosk, free local calls and free parking.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Park View
Great View
Languages Spoken
English
Location
525 Tunnel Mountain Drive, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta T1L 1B2 Canada
Douglas Fir Resort & Chalets
1,301 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Just wanted to put a positive review amongst all the negative ones. My daughter and I stayed for five nights at Douglas Fir and had a great time. We were able to park the huge rental car in the underground car park but nice receptionist had given us some alternatives if it didn't fit. We stayed in lodge in loft and were delighted. Everything was clean we got massive fridge freezer practically brand new, microwave, spotless oven even dishwasher. The view was of the mountain. My daughter and I both slept in our queen beds in the loft. It was a little hot but there was air con. There was a loo upstairs and bathroom downstairs. Reception staff were polite and helpful. We caught the bus down to Banff with our free shuttle passes.the place does need updating but honestly I was thrilled it was far cheaper than other options. Please don't panic when reading other reviews I was so happy and beds were so comfy and they came and cleaned room every day.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Maybe sleep with the downstairs balcony door open with screen across if it's too hot but...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Was quite nervous staying hear after the reviews but we really enjoyed our 2 bed detached chalet/cabin. dated, yes. but clean with small twin bedroom downstairs and large master upstairs (no door..). kitchen had everything we would need and workable microwave came in handy. bathroom was fine with all you need. tv upto date and working. outside patio had fab views of mountains and woods, with friendly visits from elk most evenings! location is a short downhill stroll 20mins to town and you can get the free bus right to the door if not feeling up to an uphill walk. great hostel bar/food over the road as no facilities on the site. Luxury? no. but what you pay is great value
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is a budget family property that is in need of refurbishment. Although clean, the decor is worn and there are stains on the walls and ceiling from years of use. The waterpark was closed unexpectedly during our stay and the outdoor hot tub was lukewarm at best. We were charged an extra person fee for our 17 year old even though the unit slept 6 and there were only 3 of us. There was no compensation for the unavailable amenities (which are a large draw for this property). After staying here regularly for over 25 years, we will be booking elsewhere in the future.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
i would like to highlight few issues encountered during our stay at your resort and myself and my wife are really upset with the level of services provided at this resort.
1: On the day of arrival, we were assigned a room which had a wearied smell. at night breathing through this smell was not pleasant. We thought it would go away but it prevailed continuously throughout our stay.
2: The cooking facilities especially the utensils were not cleaned properly when we arrived. Particularly, the pan for cooking had food stuck on the edge and was not cleaned.
3; During our stay we had to call the maintenance person twice. one occasion the TV did not work. The remote control that was in the room was not meant for the TV in the sitting room. The patio doors were very hard to operate. The net patio door never opened or closed and we had to leave it open during our stay as the patio rails were out of alignment.
4: Due to continuous smell in the room and the bathroom drain that was blocked we did not feel comfortable eating/cooking in the chalet. We chose this property with a view that we would be able to cook and have decent meals in the chalet rather than going out as my wife being diabetic and had a knee injury.
5; There were no Laundry facilities at the resort and we were advised to go elsewhere.
6. There used to be a pub/bar in the resort but this was shut down. (no Restaurant facilities for dining)
7. A day before we were to depart, the adjoining occupant of the chalet told us that there is a leak from pipes ( Water or Sewerage??) and they have sought alternate accommodation in the resort. Just as ours and theirs had a joint wall, we confirmed where the smell was coming from which ruined the whole stay of ours.
On checkout, i mentioned these issues to the reception staff who was not keen to respond. I left a message with with him for someone to contact me in order to discuss these issues. So far i have not received any email or a phone call from the resort. The property advertises a great deal of pleasant stay for customers and charges premium rates. What we have paid is not justified by the level of service at the property.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The furniture was ripped, worn, and very outdated. The mattress cover got pulled back after the second night and had over 5+ yellowish stains 🤢 The carpet… it had salt hardening from shoe wear, it was dirty and made us all wear our shoes inside to feel like we wouldn’t ‘catch anything’. The rooms have a ‘kitchen’ but the oven stove top only had ONE burner working between TWO condos to feed a breakfast to 6 people - my parents had another condo and same there. Next, the kitchen utensils were so worn and dirty….We had to wash everything before using it. We have been coming for here on and off for 20 yrs - we will never book again until some SERIOUS hygienic renos are completed. I cant understand how they are running a ‘hospitality’ business from the disgusting bedding/furniture and lack of upkeep. Honestly, the place made my skin crawl. Would be, and could be, an amazing lodging hotel with the amenities for kiddos and the mountainside location … did the owners just give up!? It’s a hand on head that they are allowed to be open. So disgusting.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Go across the road to the tunnel mountain resort and walk over to the water park
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wish we had stayed elsewhere . Sat on sofa and landed almost on the springs. The sofa was filthy, we sat on kitchen chairs instead. Not very clean, ridiculous price for state of unit. It needs a total makover. screen just sitting on deck, maintenance came quickly and fixed as well as the toilet paper holder which was on the floor. Could not sit on deck as no out door chairs so you need to use kitchen chairs .
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unfortunately, as much as I want to love this property, management has lost sight of what hospitality means. Very outdated and poorly trained staff. We decided to give them another shot after discovering bed bugs in our last stay. This time we booked what we thought was a lodge room, but ended up being in a fourplex at the back of the property. We wanted to use the fitness centre. The front desk staff said we need to sign a waiver at the waterpark every single time we use it and you need a special keycard to get in. Also, there are no change rooms available unless the waterpark is open. Very challenging when it’s below zero out and you need to walk outside from a chalet. They said to use one of the washrooms in the lodge to change. If management reads these reviews, please hire someone to help improve hospitality. I want to come back, but there are so many reasons not to.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â If you want to stay in the main lodge, maybe call the hotel to make sure.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everything dated and in need of upgrade. Even replacing some simple items like taps/faucets would go a long way. Linen was too small for the bed. Kitchen was a nice idea but not well executed. Location good and the proximity to bus service excellent. Value for money- poor.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We used to come here 20 years ago when our kids were small. We used to come mostly for the mountain views and the waterslide. This time we brought our grandkids who loved the waterslides. But we noticed the rooms were a tacky mix of old, really old and one or two items upgraded such as the tub was new. Spider in a web in the bathroom, carpets old, musty, furniture well worn. Beds ok, came with a kitchenette that looked like from the 60's....old microwave, cupboard doors did not open nor close well, old wooden cupboards...Fridge was old but worked good..air conditioning hard to regulate with a remote but when we got the hang of it worked well. Old wood burning fireplace in the room. We had a balcony with plastic lawn chairs. The worst was the local store was permanently closed, so no snacks or food to be bought. The outdoor hot tub was closed when we were there. The normal swimming pool was closed when we were there. So the only water fun was the waterslide which no one could play in as its only big enough to have the sliders land in water then they have to get out quick. There was a nice hot tub large and warm but no jets working. No restaurant in the hotel, an expensive restaurant across from the hotel. Bring your own snacks and fast food or buy in Banff town. The hotel offers a free bus pass for the bus into town. You can catch it at the reception area front door of the hotel. I liked that my room had a table and chairs so the grandkids could visit our room for snacks. Our room was a king bed room. Our kids had the outdoor chalet which could sleep their 4 kids and my daughter and son-in-law but it smelled so like old smoke all weekend from the wood burning fireplace in the living room. The rooms were so old like from the 60's as well, cleanliness questionable. The scenery was beautiful but in the end we liked our stay at the Kananaskis hotels and area a bit more.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What really left a bad taste in my mouth was when I checked in. The desk clerk asked me the ages of my kids (17, 15, and 13). I was charged an extra $20/night because my 17 year old is considered an Adult at Douglas Fir. My very first interaction with the hotel, and I was being upcharged an extra $20/night. Now $20 isn't a big deal, but it felt like a bait and switch tactic. I really wanted to cancel my reservation, on principle alone. They said the "age of adult (16+)" and the "charge ($20/night for extra adults)" was buried in their terms and conditions, but at the time of checking in, I had no choice to back out of my reservation without being charged a 1-night penalty. It was a very negative first impression. If their online reservation system had asked me the ages of my kids at the time of booking, and then quoted a price, I'd have still made the reservation. But it felt so greasy having the extra $20/night tacked on at check-in.
I could also make comments on the datedness and declining maintenance of the property, but the bulk of the other recent reviews have focused on that. So I'll just mention the $20/night surprise upcharge at check-in, and leave it at that.
On the bright side, this hotel is in beautiful Banff and there aren't many places as amazing as Banff. Also, this is one of the few hotels that can accommodate a larger family such as mine with 2 adults and 3 kids.
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Date of stay: August 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
we stayed there about 15 years ago and it hasn't change as of last year so I doubt there be any renovation but they are in need of one. It's in a nice location a little bit away from the town and has some nice walking trails. If you would something a little upscale you may be a bit disappointed here.
You are correct. Douglas Fir is getting a little worn and the sofa bed is really not super comfortable as the mattress seems very well used as well. However we keep going back because of the wood burning fireplace and the open area. The suite we stayed at in Tunnel Mountain resort had a separate bedroom and we preferred the open area in Douglas Fir. It really depends what you prefer. I would say that both are very comparable.
Sherwood Park, Canada90 contributions50 helpful votes
if they do, depending what their charge is, you might be better off buying one (a cheap strap to the chair one) as opposed to paying their daily fee for it.
There are more places to choose from in the Banff area.
PRICE RANGE
C$140 - C$231 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
douglas fir resort & chalets hotel banff, douglas fir resort and chalets, douglas fir hotel chalets, douglas fir banff
LOCATION
CanadaAlbertaCanadian RockiesBanff National ParkBanff
NUMBER OF ROOMS
130
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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