Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise — Hotel in Alberta

This hotel is undeniably a bucket list location. The views of Lake Louise and easy access to Moraine Lake are absolutely unforgettable, and I’m truly glad we made the splurge. That said, while we received mostly 5-star service, the overall experience was a bit inconsistent, especially when compared to other luxury hotels we've stayed at (Ritz-Carlton, Auberge, Four Seasons, and Folio properties).

Highlights: Seamless Arrival, but Limited Orientation Check-in was quick and our room was ready early—a huge bonus for our toddler’s nap schedule. However, we weren't given a proper orientation of the property, which led to some confusion around the layout of shops and restaurants. Additionally, it wasn’t until two days later that we discovered the adorable “kids’ check-in” experience at the bell desk, something the front desk unfortunately missed mentioning.

Family Activities Were a Hit Our 3-year-old loved the “Build-a-Buddy” class and still sleeps with the stuffed animal he made. The Moraine Lake tour was smooth and enjoyable, and these experiences helped make the stay memorable. The concierge was very accommodating when I got the dates messed up on the Moraine Lake tour.

Text-Based Concierge Service This was one of the standout features—super convenient and responsive. When I needed Tums at 3 a.m. (pregnancy perks!), they quietly delivered them to our room.

Food & Dining – A Mixed Bag Dining was where we experienced the most inconsistency. To be fair, we weren’t engaging with the fine dining options—traveling with a toddler means we stuck to grab-and-go and casual dining. -Room service our first night was a letdown. The fish and chips were overly greasy, and the bolognese lacked flavor. -Louiza breakfast was excellent—great balance of made-to-order entrees and a generous buffet. I appreciated the option to take pastries to go. -Coffee shop grab-and-go was chaotic and underwhelming. As someone who can’t eat cold cuts, I struggled to find options and ended up eating too many protein bars. -The Lounge was a confusing experience. We were told no reservations were required, but when we arrived at 6:45 p.m., we were told there was no indoor seating until 9 p.m., despite several empty 4-top tables. We agreed to sit outside in the rain and cold and were seated without blankets or menus. Thankfully, the waitress corrected this quickly, and the food and mocktail were fantastic.

Bell Service & Valet – Exemplary The valet and bell staff were phenomenal. They anticipated our needs, always greeted us warmly, and were a true highlight of our stay.

Housekeeping & Room Quality Our 2-queen suite was beautiful, well-appointed, and incredibly comfortable. The recent updates are lovely, the Le Labo toiletries smelled divine, and the beds were very comfortable. Housekeeping did an excellent job throughout our stay.

Snack Options – Very Limited With a toddler and hikes on the agenda, we were disappointed by the lack of snack options. The grab-and-go shop was minimal, the gift store had little food, and our room didn’t offer any snacks for purchase. Being so remote, the hotel would benefit from expanding its snack offerings. If we return, we’ll bring more of our own.

Crowded Lobby Experience This was our biggest disappointment. The lobby was constantly full and felt more like a tourist hub than a luxury resort. Despite efforts to limit public access, the lobby remained packed with visitors seeking shelter from the rain or cold, and the coffee shop constantly had a line. It was difficult to relax in such a high-traffic space, which was unlike any other 5-star property we’ve experienced.

Final Thoughts: The Fairmont Lake Louise offers a once-in-a-lifetime setting, and we’re so glad we went. With a few operational improvements and better attention to detail, this could easily be a flawless 5-star experience. For now, it lands somewhere just short—but still worth visiting for the...

We were gifted a two nights stay at any fairmount in the province and we chose Lake Louise. The hotel is a comfortable distance from Calgary and Banff and even allowed us to visit Golden and Field in BC. The hotel is simply stunning. So perfectly situated by the mountains and the lake that is its namesake. There is no place in the whole building that dosen't afford a beautiful view or stunning architecture and decor details.

We stayed in a Jr. Suite with a view of the lake. The room was gorgeous and very nicely appointed. The bed was comfortable and the linens and pillows were luxurious. The bathroom had a deep soaker tub and a shower complete with a rain shower head. The provided amenities of soap, shower gel, shampoo etc. were all lovely. Lightly and pleasantly scented and of high quality. There was a large wall mounted TV that you could access your own accounts (e.g.: Netflix, Disney+), headboard mounted charging ports, lots of lighting options and complimentary internet access.

But now to the not so great stuff. As I said we were gifted our stay, but if we hadn't been there is just no way on earth I could ever justify the cost of staying at this hotel. The room itself was very expensive, but it was actually all the other costs that added up VERY quickly that unfortunately pushes this little getaway into a once in a life time experience for us. The restaurants were simply out of our budget, parking cost 40$ a night, you have to pay to be in the park (not the hotels fault there) and any extras such as afternoon tea, horse drawn sleigh rides and the spa were just exorbitantly priced.

If I had paid for the room I would also have been majorly aggrieved at the construction noise. At the time of booking we weren't aware there would be construction happening at the site (it's now on the website but wasn't at the time) and it was ungodly loud. I tried to have a relaxing bath but couldn't really enjoy it with the sounds, of what I assume was, jackhammering through concrete in the background. I know that construction and renovations are an inevitable fact of life for a building of this age but I feel that a significant discount should by applied when they are scheduled during peoples stay.

The concierge was very attentive, after asking how my stay was, and being informed that I was a little disappointed by the noise they went above and beyond to make it right for me. Naval in particular was spectacularly attentive and came up with a solution that truly helped to improve my stay at the hotel.

If cost is not an issue for you I can honestly say you couldn't stay at a nicer hotel. All of the staff were wonderful, helpful, attentive and friendly. The hotel has a nice blend of open access to the public and lots of spaces intended only for guests so you never felt like it was too busy or chaotic. The building itself is beautiful, comfortably furnished in all communal spaces and is nicely decorated with art by local artists and wonderful floral arrangements. The pool facilities were simple but very nice with a large hot tub and steam room. It almost all the shared guests spaces there were complimentary refreshments such as tea, coffee and water.

So all in all - I'm very glad we stayed there, I'd love to visit again but hopefully next time there won't be any construction and I might have to win the...

Oh Fairmont, where to begin? ||Location:|The location is spectacular and truly awe-inspiring. It looks exactly like the pictures at the foot of Lake Louise. Stunning!||Hotel:|The hotel itself is overrated and disappointing. My sheets were torn, the bathroom was so small I had to use a glass to rinse after brushing, and the air conditioner roared so loudly that it woke me up at night. I was more than willing to endure it all for the 10-star view ---- because that's what you are really paying for! The hotel is old and some parts of it still are not air-conditioned, like the Library area (and it was old and musty-smelling, with no lake views). There was no baggage service at the door so my trip started off with a reality check that this is not a true 5-star hotel as I dragged by bags inside after traveling for 13 hours.||Food:|I had lunch at Lakeview Lounge on my last day and it was fantastic! The service was great and the Walleye Fish and Chips was delicious. The only issue was that the heater was on (it was 80's temps), and apparently had been on for many months despite complaints to maintenance. The buffet breakfast at Louiza left a lot to be |desired. You have to wait to be seated, and when you get inside you are given a menu to order hot foods (hopefully they explain it to you because no one explained a thing to me as I sat puzzled). You get cold items (bread, yogurt, fruit) from the buffet and they bring out your hot item. The scrambled eggs looked and tasted like egg-substitute or powdered eggs. The sausage was tough and hard to cut on more than one breakfast. There was some sliced fruit on day one, but lots of it was whole -- whole pears, whole oranges, who eats that with breakfast? On subsequent days they had berries and melons. I ordered pancakes one day and they were barely warm -- the butter would not even melt on them. I think they had a bunch of pre-cooked food in the kitchen and just plated it when you ordered --- it came out within 5 or so minutes and did not taste fresh at all. You really have no other options unless you go to the Pantry for grab-and-go food that is EXTREMELY overpriced. A cup of melons was $9 CAD.||Room:|The room was very nice, except for the small bathroom. If you've been to Europe it's not much different. The Lakeview King is exactly that, with a gorgeous view of Lake Louise out of your window. Amazing! Don't use the iron, though. Mine spewed all over my white t-shirt and I've yet to get the stains out. ||Other:|Another reviewer mentioned the signs all over that "warn" that most areas are for registered guests. Even though I was one, it seemed very elitist and a bit annoying. I get it, though, because there are lots of people outside the hotel gates who've come to see Lake Louise.||I will say that I complained to the Manager on my first morning, and he was very sympathetic. He took $100 off my bill and comped me my 2 remaining breakfasts. And the head of housekeeping came by to apologize in person. If you keep in mind that you are paying for the view and location, you can probably ignore all these faults --- as I did. I just don't think I would stay there again. I paid something like $1200 CAD per night, when the same beautiful...