Hidden Ridge Resort — Hotel in Banff

I was excited to stay here for 5 days but in the end i was disappointed. We got upgraded yo a loft chalet with two bedrooms and a balcony overlooking the forest which we were happy about. But, things went from good to bad. Room was not cleaned well any of the days. Tissue was not replenished, toilet paper forgotten twice, floor not vacuumed on any day, with garbage laying around, soap in the washroom not refilled and chimney not cleaned. We had a big problem with ventilation after using the fire place once. The whole place filled with smoke and the smell stayed for the duration of our stay although we kept the windows and balcony opened as much as we could. We only used the fire place for about an hour - and had the staff start it for us. But the chimney was not properly ventilated plus he used wet wood and there was a lingering horrible smell. After an hour or so keeping all the windows open and freezing as it was so cold, we called the front desk staff and as them to come and put down the fire and take out the burned wood which they did. After airing out the room without the wood we thought the smell wood stop but it still lingered to the point that it was choking. We kept the windows open all night and slept with a heater but it was really bad. We gad trips planned next morning so asked the staff to properly air out the house. They gave us an option to move to another chalet but with our trips planned out we found it more of a hassle to do so - thus decided to stay. And that was a mistake. People moved in under us one or two days before check out and they smoked marijuana basically every hour or so we were in the room including the night. The constant smell everywhere in our home was so bad that it the night we had to open windows because both the disgusting smell of people smoking in their rooms plus the fire smell really made it hard to breathe and spoiled our time here. We did not drive, so took the local bus which we were given free tickets for. These tickets were good on any Banff bus except the lake Louise bus, which was nice. However, the bus driver on the way back from town to the hotel told us we cannot stay on the bus and must get out at Douglas Fir resort and walk back to the hotel. The walk is like 400 meters or so but quite scary especially in the evening or night when it is pitch black and you are walking next to a forest and hear noises from the forest. Because of that uneasy feeling we made sure to come back home while it is still light and the walk was still uncomfortable. We had to do this for 3 evenings coming back from town and the next day the bus driver let us stay on and made a 20 minute loop and dropped us by the resort as it circles around. And on the first night when we went into town and while coming back on the bus we did nit get out at Douglas Fir and the bus driver made us get out at camp 1 ground. It was late in the evening and pitch black outside and he made us get out of the bus and wait at an open bus stop in the forest for an hour because he said it was his break. That was really really uncomfortable to be dropped off there and left in the woods. After an hour he let us cone back on and dropped us by our resort bus stop. The staff at the hotel was not so welcoming. They kept speaking Spanish among themselves, and though I can understand it I thought it was a bit unprofessional. What else? They never mentioned laundry room to us so we did not know there was one. The rooms are big yes, especially the lofts, but super dated and not cleaned well. There were a lot of stairs so people with mobility issues might find this a factor. On a more positive note, the resort is set in nature so it is peaceful and relaxing. The hot pools overlook a beautiful view and the water is set to a good temperature especially in the cold fall. There are a lot of amenities in the house, and the house is fully stocked with dishes. There is a microwave, an oven, a big size refrigerator and a dishwasher. A big kitchen table, a sofa with coffee cubes, a fireplace. I wish i could rate this property higher, but due to the housecleaning issues, bus issues, and fire smell and marijuana, i am rating it a 3 and i think I am being generous. Definitely some improvements need to be made. And some rooms should be designed for non smoking not to bother others as each house has at least two tenants (maybe more, not sure) but...

Hidden Ridge was a bit of a let-down. We paid CA$500 per night for a week over Xmas, and honestly it wasn't worth it.

I was blinded by the desire for our own real fireplace. The "deluxe" 1 queen bed suite was anything but deluxe.

The room was tired and worn and overdue a refurb. Everything was a bit loose or wobbly or broken or damaged in some way.

The bath was completely stained from years of scratches and grime. The walls were dirty and worn, especially in the entrance.

For a suite designed for 2 (or 4 with sofabed) the wardrobe space was sorely lacking - see pic. Just an open rail with three hangers. The bed room had beside tables with two drawers but that is your lot for clothes storage.

The kitchen was adequate, though we had to request baking sheets from the reception to make a pizza. Our tea kettle was broken when we arrived, but reception swapped it no fuss.

Talking of reception, you'll get to know them well. Firstly to go get kindling for the fireplace every day and secondly to get key cards reprogrammed. "Don't keep it near your phone, credit cards or magnets" seems like good advice, but apparently a chest pocket with nothing else is enough to de-program the cards EVERY DAY. Tedious inconvenience.

Parking is first come first served. But with so many folks driving big trucks it was often hard to find a space that you could use and still get out the car door.

The 1 bed queen was the basement of a loft unit above. This was not ideal for the following reasons:

1. If tap dancing bison check in, you'll hear them 24/7. Notifying reception didn't seem to make any difference.

2. The toilet downpipe is right behind your bed head, so you hear the flushing all night .

3. The plant room is next to your front door, and will generate a constant humming noise that is especially apparent in the quietness of the wilderness.

4. The bed room window is at floor level - about 3' from the parking, so if you sleep with the window cracked and your neighbours decide to run the truck to warm it up, those fumes leak into your room and the smell will wake you up. Or kill you.

Other things that sucked: No additional lock on front door, but a lot of empty screw holes. No lock on the sliding patio doors, but they added one of those bars that swings down to stop it opening. Tragic. Rm 103 is close enough to the hot tubs/ pool to hear the kids during the day and drunk Australians at night. No housekeeping unless requested for 500 CAD a night! Nowhere to dry boots or snow gear. The lighting (two lamps, one overhead) in the main room were inadequate. The bulbs were too dim and yellow. Had to go to the entrance to read small print. Even during day light hours the room was dingy and it only has the patio doors and no other windows. The thermostat lever goes from 10°c to 30°c in about one inch of movement. So good luck trying to turn it up or down "just a bit". As a basement, the steps down to the front door become a dust bowl, collecting all the debris from the car park. And as mentioned, no housekeeping so it was just dirty all the time. The TVs are old enough to have those red/white/yellow RCA sockets. The main lounge TV is on a tabletop stand on top of the mantle piece above the fire. Surprised they haven't had any kids pulling those down. TV cabling was all exposed and messy (see pics).

The not-so-bad bits:

1. With the fire lit, it was cosy.
2. Towels and sheets were clean
3. Heating was sufficiently warm
4. Hot water was scalding.
5. Free firewood
6. Recycle bins provided.

The room was old, worn, badly maintained and felt like a cheap motel rather than a $500 per night luxury suite. So that's a one star.

The service I give five stars, because our daily interactions for kindling and key cards was always pleasant and prompt.

The location I give two stars. Don't consider staying here without your own transport. It's five minutes drive into town and you don't want to be waiting for the free ROAM bus in sub-zero temperatures. Nothing else nearby if you're hungry...

Mixed Feelings!

We stayed mid-Oct. just after Thanksgiving. This was our third or fourth stay over the past years. We had a deluxe one bedroom unit with a 'loft' - 688 sq. ft. There were 2 queens in the loft, one in the main floor bedroom, plus a double pull-out in the main living area. There were two night tables in the single bedroom and one in the loft, plus a single end table next to the pull-out in the living area.

The loft had a double bureau for clothes, and the entryway had a small open closet. The bedroom had a 4 hook coat rack. These were the only clothes storage spaces.

The main floor had a small full bath with tub and shower. The loft had its own small powder room with toilet and sink. Both worked fine.

There was a small kitchenette with appliances, a good sized table, and six chairs. The kitchenette size requires compact-sized appliances. A coffeemaker and toaster were included. Some coffee, tea and powdered fixings were provided.

There was a nice stone-surround fireplace in the living area, with a 40" TV over it. There were smaller TV's in each bedroom. There was basic cable TV service, and on-site wireless internet (no password). Both were passable.

There are big hot tubs and a sauna next to the main office building. There are firewood bunkers located around the property, and the office provides kindling and matches. There's return bus service to town about every 25 min.

The resort gets 2-3 for condition and 5 for location and service - for an overall 3.

Positives are the location, views, and amenities like hot tubs, bus service and unit fireplaces.

Negatives are the dated condition of the units and appliances, the very tight unallocated parking spaces, and the strong to very strong smell of woodsmoke in the units.

The kitchenette was kitted out with minimal bottom-of-the-line kitchen fittings. Minor - but annoying - were an unplugged stove burner (fixed quickly), a toaster that would only pop when unplugged, no fruit nappes, only one small baking tray, scissors that wouldn't cut, and no step stool for high storage shelves. Last, there were only 2 large pots to use with the smallest 3.5 liters! The two frying pans were fine.

The living area could use a floor lamp for better lighting. There was only a single pullout couch for all of us to relax on. Any more than 3 occupants can only sit on a dinnette chair or on the floor.

Each unit has a parking space, but they are unallocated. If a unit's occupants have 2 or more cars, it can force others to park elsewhere. It can be like "whack-a-mole"! If you park late in the day you might have a hike to your unit. FYI there is underground parking, but we didn't try it.

The unit did, honestly, smell like an ash can. We can live with wood smoke odour 24/7, but if you can't you should seek other accommodation.

Overall we had very mixed feelings about our stay at Hidden Ridge regards condition, amenities and price point. On a strictly "rooms" basis it's overpriced.

If you're a young ski party of 6 or 8 people seeking cheap accomodation it might be great. If that's not you - plan...