The Dorothy Motel is Banff’s first boutique motel offering ‘accommodation made simple’. Choose from a Superior Hotel Room, with either 1 King or 2 Queen Beds. This quaint motel adjacent to the woods, peacefully located at the start of Banff Avenue, is surrounded by forest with the majestic Cascade Mountain in the background. The rooms include everything you need for your next mountain retreat; a mini-refrigerator and microwave, in-room coffee and tea to get you your caffeine fix when you need it to get you kickstarted for the day, in-room safe, air conditioning, and complimentary Wi-Fi and parking. The bathrooms offer a stand-up shower, hairdryer and bath products from Rocky Mountain Soap. And yes, Banff’s newest motel is a pet-friendly, so take your furry friends with you. Bring your own bicycles, on-site bike storage and a fix-it station are available as well. We offer mobile check in or at the Banff Caribou Lodge & Spa, just down the street (521 Banff Avenue).
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
Budget
Quiet
Languages Spoken
English
Location
250 Marmot Crescent, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta T1L 1E8 Canada
The Dorothy Motel
47 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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.
Did a lot of review for hotels and prices in Banff. This is your best option pricewise and downtown is only a 15 minutes pleasant walk or short bus ride away. By the way they provide you with a free bus pass which you need for your travels in and around Banff. Pick up of this pass is at the Caribou lodge.
The room had everyrhing we needed including a kettle to make tea. Tv channels give you a lot of options and they have the bath products from the local Rocky mountains store.
At the time we were there, end of June, there was still enough space to park your car.
By foot it is a 6 minute walk between check in and out motel Caribou lodge with a more than friendly staff. You may also check in by app but this app was not updated for an android phone possibly because most people has an iphone.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip 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 Dorothy is just fantastic, we were so pleased with our stay. The motel offers many special touches and amenities. The decor is fresh and bright and pleasing. The toiletries are high quality and we appreciated the ecologically minded large shower dispensers and full size hand soap and lotion dispensers. An added plus, the scent was great! The microwave and frig and full size kettle were great for eating in-room, as were the attractive big mugs they provide (and they gift you a mug!). The courtyard was pleasant, a nice place to hangout or enjoy a meal. There were other features we appreciated like USB plugs, a large drawer safe, and easy-glide drawers and bathroom door. Last but not least, the beds were quite comfortable. We will stay here again when we visit Banff.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2021Trip 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.
Picked out The Dorothy from Google based on rates. Looked pretty decent for a single night stay while travelling thru Banff.
Upon arriving, seen the sign directing you to go down the street for check-in. During summer season this would have been alright, nice easy walk but we stayed in January…and it’s cold. Trying to find a quick parking spot to run into Banff Caribou Lodge for check-in was a disaster. Cars and trucks everywhere. Check-in itself was very quick and staff were very nice to deal with.
Room itself was very clean. Nice comfortable bed, stand up shower with body wash/shampoo/conditioner supplied. Nice little in room coffee set up with actual mugs (you can take one as a souvenir). Nature floor covering seems tacky but I understand for cleaning purposes, especially in winter months. TV with cable if you’re interested in watching and a nice little balcony that over looks the central courtyard.
Parking during summer probably decent. Parking in January after some heavy snowfalls…bit more tricky. Doesn’t seem to be any staff on site but did notice security cameras watching from corners of building
If you’re just looking for a place to crash for a night or 2 while in Banff, this place would be just that.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip: Ski season…tons of people, lots of snow and stupid drivers.
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 am going to give the Dorothy Motel a mixed review. We stayed there twice during our recent trip. The first time we stayed for three days and had a bright, open room on the second floor. It had a great bathroom with a big airy shower. On our return trip after doing the Icefields parkway we were given a first floor room on the side of the building that was inadequate. (Room 116) The ceiling was low and there was an air vent blowing very close to the head of one the beds. (The air vent cannot be turned off.) The shower in that room was small and appeared to have been built incorrectly. The shower pan had a center cut out for the drain set in a way that would make it a fall risk situation for anyone with mobility issues. That room felt like staying in someone’s renovated basement. Fortunately, we were able to get the room changed and moved to a second floor room. There is no staff on-site at the Dorothy Motel so this meant driving a couple of blocks down the road to talk to the front desk staff at the Caribou Lodge and exchange keys. (Note: There is no elevator—you need to carry up your own luggage to the second floor.) Overall we liked the Dorothy Motel and would stay there again if we could be assured of having a second floor room.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2023Trip 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 a delight it was to walk into a quaint hotel with a charming feel! We were impressed by the clean room, the crystal glasses near the ice bucket and the complimentary coffee mugs that were next to the coffee pot! Each room had a balcony that opened out into an enclosed area decorated with flowers and small tables for coffee or wine! The check in was simple. Any additional extras we asked for were met with "no problem" and a quick response. The hotel was a ten minute walk from town center and easy access to public transportation.
Would recommend it to anyone! The price was extremely economical for the area. Staying there made our trip all the more special!
Read more
Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
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.
We spent two nights at the Dorothy Motel. It's a recently renovated, old style motel. The room was large, comfortable, clean, and designed with a bit of whimsy. The motel is one block off the main drag and a handful of blocks north of Banff's busy tourist district. For some, it's well-located, for others it's a 7-minute walk that they'd rather avoid. There is ample parking at the motel. The key system is a bit wacky because there is no front desk at the motel and therefore you use your phone to enter your room. Not to worry, you can get a key from a nearby affiliated hotel. The value was very good. Remember, when you're in Banff you are hopefully spending much of your time out in the fresh mountain air so the motel room need only be clean and well located.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â The courtyard remains lighted at night so it's important to tightly draw your curtains in...
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.
Stay was as we expected. Kind of a fixer upper. The toilet seat was not screwed on (the screws, washers, etc. were sitting on the sink), there was electrical tape holding a lamp together and it looked like the shower floor hadn't been cleaned. On the positive side I really liked the bus pass included in our stay, with temperatures cooling down it was nice to not have to walk to and from downtown. We also used the hot pools over at the Canoe which were very nice and easily accessible with a nice change room to shower before heading back. Overall our stay was okay.
Read more
Date of stay: November 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.
It's hard to find an affordable place to stay in Banff, especially during the busy summer tourist season. The Dorothy Motel is newly renovated and used to be the "Bumpers Inn" (which had horrible reviews). I would say this new place is quite good! The rooms are bright and newly renovated, and they make really good use of space, with convenient hooks and shelving, as well as a microwave and fridge in the room. While it is at the end of the hotel strip, it's only a 15-20 minute walk from downtown Banff, and right next to the A&W and gas station. You also get a free bus pass, which makes it convenient to go to other places like the Gondola, etc.
The staff were really friendly and helpful, and when I left my watch after checkout, they let me go back and look for it.
Would definitely stay here again!
Read more
Date of stay: August 2021
Value
Rooms
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.
Please don't be fooled by the outside appearance. You have to check in at Caribou Lodge (a couple of minutes walk away) The spacious rooms are fabulous, with 2 double beds and a large bathroom. There is a private garden to enjoy. It is about a 15 minute walk into Banff town centre or the motel provide you with free bus pass into town, which stops outside the motel. There is also a petrol station very close by, with a small supermarket and a fast food restaurant. Highly recommend staying here. Good value.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip 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 Dorothy isn't in the middle of town, but id you are on a n=budget, this is a great place if the room styles suit you needs. We found the rooms great, recently renovated , very good size, bar fridge, microwave and comfy beds. the App check in is great and the Caribou staff are very helpful and only a call away. We got into town early and the Caribou staff stored our gear till the room was ready. The local roam bus is a great service and stops just around the corner and the ski buses also pick-up at the caribou. So you can get anywhere you need without driving and the walk isn't that bad. When in Banff, we'll be staying at The Dorothy Motel
Read more
Date of stay: March 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â nice quiet street, rooms to rear nice and near on-site parking
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Banff area.
PRICE RANGE
C$122 - C$235 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
bumpers hotel banff, bumpers motel banff
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Bumpers Inn
LOCATION
CanadaAlbertaCanadian RockiesBanff National ParkBanff
NUMBER OF ROOMS
42
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.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
